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November 3, 2011
By Shiyamalen Thavandiran

Let there be lattes

According to a press release, starting November 14 Canada’s most poplar coffee shop will offer new speciality coffees made with premium espressos, such as lattes, mocha lattes and cappuccinos.

“We carefully explored lattes for some time,” Paul House, president and CEO of Tim Hortons, said in the release. “The unique blends we’ve developed deliver a rich, creamy drink consistently and fast.”

This foray into latte land comes as logical step.  Tim Hortons already offers specialty coffees like French vanilla cappuccino and cafe mocha.

“With nearly half a century of coffee experience, we’ve learned how to produce premium coffee, consistently, at value prices,” House said.

A representative for Hospitality Services at the University of Western Ontario was not able to be reached for comment, and it remains to be seen if the new espressos will be offered on campus.

—Shiyamalen Thavandiran

 

National child labour day

Over 200,000 grade 9 students across Canada spent the day at work shadowing a parent or volunteer host on Wednesday.

“Take Our Kids to Work Day provides a valuable one-day job shadowing experience for many of our Grade 9 students,” Gary Wheeler, a member of the Communications Branch for the Ministry of Education, said “It helps our students learn more about the world of work and the hundreds of career options they have, as they prepare to make the transition from school to work.”

More than 1.5 million students and 75,000 workplaces have participated in the program since its inception. The event is sponsored by the Learning Partnership. The non-profit organization builds strategic alliances and fosters collaboration among its members, who represent school boards, government, teacher and community groups, large corporations and employers.

—Mengxi Li

 

Beavers battle bears for national supremacy

Nickels may soon have to be reissued if Conservative Senator Nicole Eaton has her way.

Eaton is urging her colleagues and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to introduce a private member’s bill which would abandon the beaver as Canada’s national symbol and replace it with the polar bear.

In her argument, Eaton compared the beaver to a rat that was no longer relevant.

However, Roots Canada has since launched a petition in response, pointing to the beaver’s relevance.

“Our buck-toothed friends up in Algonquin Park, now preparing for the long winter, are deeply offended by Senator Eaton’s unconscionable demand to retire the beaver and cause offence to millions of Canadians,” the petition read.

Thus far, the petition has garnered over 6,000 signatures.

“Beavers have risen beyond their original stature as a hunted species for hats [...] to symbols of hard work and perseverance,” one signatory commented. “Rodent or not, they are a true representation of Canadians. Polar bears, on the other hand, eat seals and sell Coca Cola.”

—Gloria Dickie

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