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Traveller describes pouring water, falling ceiling tile at storm-hit Calgary airport

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CALGARY – The rat-a-tat of hail was echoing through the terminal as Quinn White made her way to a gate at the Calgary International Airport on Monday evening.

As she rounded a corner, there was a more disconcerting sound: running water.

White posted a video to social media showing water raining from the ceiling and what appears to be sodden pieces of ceiling tile in a puddle by a boarding gate.

“There were pieces of ceiling tile, kind of drywall ceiling tile, that were quite literally falling and hitting the ground,” she said Tuesday from Calgary, where she was stranded and trying to get home to Campbell River, B.C. She was en route from Chicago after going to to the Lollapalooza music festival.

“I was talking to a young girl who said she could feel dripping on her head, and she stood up. And as she stood up, the piece of the ceiling fell where she was sitting. So she was really lucky to get out of the way in time.”

Part of the domestic terminal building at the airport remained closed Tuesday due to water damage from hail and heavy rain that pummeled the area a day earlier. But the airport said flights were still operating out of other gates.

“We understand the impact this weather event has had on our guests and partners and are working closely with partners to adapt and minimize disruptions,” the airport said in a social media post.

“We continue to assess damage and thank everyone for their patience and co-operation as we adapt operations. A huge thank you to the operations staff who responded quickly to ensure impacted areas were evacuated.”

White said there were about 100 people standing around the terminal wondering what to do and it took about half an hour before they got any instruction.

“At one point, the fire alarm started going off, so we were wondering if we were going to get evacuated,” said White, adding she had to pay out-of-pocket for a hotel stay until a flight home Tuesday evening.

“But even then, when you would ask staff, who were standing around essentially watching it happen with us, all they would say is, ‘We don’t know.'”

Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of south-central Alberta late Monday. The weather agency warned of powerful wind gusts, baseball-sized hail and torrential rain.

Monday’s torrent ranks among the top three most impressive storms that Brittany Kennedy, a storm chaser with the Canadian division of a group called Team Dominator, has experienced in her seven-year career.

She and other chasers perched on a hill at Cochrane, northwest of Calgary, as the storm gathered.

“The rotation was spectacular and the hail core was incredible. So we were waiting for a tornado to drop,” she said. There were no reports of a tornado, but it was a formidable storm nonetheless, she added.

The chasers dispersed and Kennedy said she headed south toward Calgary in her Mazda 3, successfully dodging hailstones along the way.

“The further east I went, I noticed that more houses were missing pieces of siding,” she said.

She also saw cars with dents and broken windows, piles of hail and lakes of water on the road. Some hailstones were bigger than golf balls where she was, she said, but she suspects there were even bigger chunks further east.

“There were car accidents, because once you’re driving on hail, it’s like ice. So if you don’t slow down, you’ll drive all over the place,” she said.

Monday’s storm aside, it’s been a quiet few months, said Kennedy.

“This is kind of like the big one of the summer.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2024.



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‘It’s literally incredible’: Swifties line up for merch ahead of Toronto concerts

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TORONTO – Hundreds of Taylor Swift fans lined up outside the gates of Toronto’s Rogers Centre Wednesday, with hopes of snagging some of the pop star’s merchandise on the eve of the first of her six sold-out shows in the city.

Swift is slated to perform at the venue from Thursday to Saturday, and the following week from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23, with concert merchandise available for sale on some non-show days.

Swifties were all smiles as they left the merch shop, their arms full of sweaters and posters bearing pictures of the star and her Eras Tour logo.

Among them was Zoe Haronitis, 22, who said she waited in line for about two hours to get $300 worth of merchandise, including some apparel for her friends.

Haronitis endured the autumn cold and the hefty price tag even though she hasn’t secured a concert ticket. She said she’s hunting down a resale ticket and plans to spend up to $600.

“I haven’t really budgeted anything,” Haronitis said. “I don’t care how much money I spent. That was kind of my mindset.”

The megastar’s merchandise costs up to $115 for a sweater, and $30 for tote bags and other accessories.

Rachel Renwick, 28, also waited a couple of hours in line for merchandise, but only spent about $70 after learning that a coveted blue sweater and a crewneck had been snatched up by other eager fans before she got to the shop. She had been prepared to spend much more, she said.

“The two prized items sold out. I think a lot more damage would have been done,” Renwick said, adding she’s still determined to buy a sweater at a later date.

Renwick estimated she’s spent about $500 in total on “all-things Eras Tour,” including her concert outfit and merchandise.

The long queue for Swift merch is just a snapshot of what the city will see in the coming days. It’s estimated that up to 500,000 visitors from outside Toronto will be in town during the concert period.

Tens of thousands more are also expected to attend Taylgate’24, an unofficial Swiftie fan event scheduled to be held at the nearby Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Meanwhile, Destination Toronto has said it anticipates the economic impact of the Eras Tour could grow to $282 million as the money continues to circulate.

But for fans like Haronitis, the experience in Toronto comes down to the Swiftie community. Knowing that Swift is going to be in the city for six shows and seeing hundreds gather just for merchandise is “awesome,” she said.

Even though Haronitis hasn’t officially bought her ticket yet, she said she’s excited to see the megastar.

“It’s literally incredible.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Via Rail seeks judicial review on CN’s speed restrictions

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OTTAWA – Via Rail is asking for a judicial review on the reasons why Canadian National Railway Co. has imposed speed restrictions on its new passenger trains.

The Crown corporation says it is seeking the review from the Federal Court after many attempts at dialogue with the company did not yield valid reasoning for the change.

It says the restrictions imposed last month are causing daily delays on Via Rail’s Québec City-Windsor corridor, affecting thousands of passengers and damaging Via Rail’s reputation with travellers.

CN says in a statement that it imposed the restrictions at rail crossings given the industry’s experience and known risks associated with similar trains.

The company says Via has asked the courts to weigh in even though Via has agreed to buy the equipment needed to permanently fix the issues.

Via said in October that no incidents at level crossings have been reported in the two years since it put 16 Siemens Venture trains into operation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CN)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Japanese owner of 7-Eleven receives another offer to rival Couche-Tard bid

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LAVAL, Que. – The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven says it has received a new management buyout proposal from a member of the family that helped found the company, offering an alternative to the takeover bid from Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

The proposal for Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd. is being made by Junro Ito, who is a vice-president and director of the company, and Ito-Kogyo Co. Ltd., a private company affiliated with him.

Terms of the non-binding offer by Ito were not disclosed.

In a statement Wednesday, Seven & i said its special committee has been reviewing the proposal with its financial advisers.

Stephen Hayes Dacus, chair of the special committee and board of directors of the company, said the company is committed to an objective review of all alternatives as it considers the proposals from Ito and Couche-Tard as well as the company’s stand-alone opportunities.

“The special committee and the company board will continue to engage with all parties in a manner designed to maximize value and will continue to act in the best interests of the company’s shareholders and other stakeholders,” he said in a statement.

The company noted that Ito has been excluded from all discussions within the company related to the offer and the bid by Couche-Tard.

Quebec-based Couche-Tard made a revised offer for Seven & i last month after an earlier proposal was rebuffed by the Japanese firm because it was too low and did not fully address U.S. regulatory concerns.

It did not respond to a request for comment about Ito’s offer.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Irene Nattel said the latest development underscored her belief that a Couche-Tard deal with Seven & i is a “low probability event.”

“Assuming attractive pricing and a fully-funded transaction, the potential privatization from a friendly Japanese group would seemingly provide investors with the value creation event they seek,” said Nattel, adding that it would skirt potential competition issues in the U.S. and concerns around the foreign takeover of a core local entity for Japanese regulators.

Couche-Tard has argued its proposal offers clear strategic and financial benefits and has said it believes the two companies can reach a mutually agreeable transaction.

However, the Japanese company has said there are multiple and significant challenges such a transaction would face from U.S. competition regulators.

Couche-Tard operates across 31 countries, with more than 16,800 stores. A successful deal with Seven & i could add 85,800 stores to its network.

Seven & i owns not only the 7-Eleven chain, but also supermarkets, food producers, household goods retailers and financial services companies.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ATD)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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