By DEE-ANN DURBIN and MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press SEATAC, Washington (AP) — Background music is no longer an afterthought at many airports, which are hiring local musicians and carefully curating playlists to help lighten travelers’ moods . London’s Heathrow Airport built a stage to showcase emerging British performers for the first time this summer. The program was so successful the airport hopes to bring it back in 2025. Nashville International Airport has five stages that host more than 800 performances per year, from country musicians to jazz combos. In the Dominican Republic , Punta Cana International Airport greets passengers with live merengue music. Tiffany Idiart and her two nieces were delighted to hear musicians during a recent layover at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport . “I like it. There’s a lot of people here and they can all hear it,” said Grace Idiart, 9. “If their flight got delayed or something like that, they could have had a hard day. And so the music could have made them feel better.” Airports are also carefully curating their recorded playlists. Detroit Metro Airport plays Motown hits in a tunnel connecting its terminals. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas has a playlist of local artists compiled by an area radio station. Singapore’s Changi Airport commissioned a special piano accompaniment for its giant digital waterfall. Music isn’t a new phenomenon in airport terminals. Brian Eno’s “Music for Airports,” an album released in 1978, helped define the ambient music genre. It’s minimalist and designed to calm. But Barry McPhillips, the head of international creative for Mood Media, which provides music for airports and other public spaces, said technology is enabling background music to be less generic and more tailored to specific places or times of day. Mood Media – formerly known as Muzak – develops playlists to appeal to business travelers or families depending on who’s in the airport at any given time. It might program calmer music in the security line but something more energizing in the duty-free store. “We see it as a soundscape,” McPhillips said. “We design for all of these moments.” There’s a science to Mood Music’s decisions on volume, tempo, even whether to play a song in a major key versus a minor one, he added. “How do we want to affect their mood at that moment?” McPhillips said. “It’s not just like, ‘Here’s a load of songs.’ It’s a load of songs for that 10-minute segment, and then we move to the next 10 minutes.” At the same time, many airports are going low-tech, hiring local musicians to serenade travelers and give them a sense of the place they’re passing through. Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports have more than 100 live performances each year. Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport began a live music program five years ago and now has two stages featuring local artists. Tami Kuiken, the manager of airport music in Seattle, said the Seattle-Tacoma airport launched its live music program about a decade ago after a city commissioner heard live music at the airport in Austin, Texas . “The idea was like, ’Man, why doesn’t Seattle have music? We’re a music city too,” Kuiken said. At first, the airport created a playlist featuring emerging artists along with famous ones like Pearl Jam . Then it decided to try live musicians for a 12-week trial. It was so successful that the airport now features live musicians daily and is building new performance spaces. “People’s anxiety levels are very high when they’re traveling,” Kuiken said. “The feedback that we started getting was that once they got through the checkpoint and they were greeted with music, all of a sudden their anxiety and stress levels dropped.” The programs also benefit musicians, who get paid to perform and gain wider exposure. When Colorado Springs Airport announced a live music program in March, more than 150 musicians applied. It now hosts two two-hour performances each week. David James, a singer and guitarist who plays at Seattle’s airport about once a week, said waking up in time for a daytime gig took some adjustment. But he’s gained new fans from all over the world. “I get really sweet responses from people all the time, saying, ‘That was so soothing to be able to just sit and listen to music in between flights,’” James said. “So it feels like it’s especially therapeutic for people.” Country stars like Blake Shelton and Keith Urban have come through Nashville’s airport and interacted with local musicians, said Stacey Nickens, the airport’s vice president of corporate communications and marketing. Shelton even gave one his guitar. Otto Stuparitz, a musicologist and lecturer at the University of Amsterdam who has studied airport music, said airports should think carefully about their selections. Music that’s meant to be actively listened to – like live music or catchy pop songs – can be very distracting in an already chaotic environment, he said. He has noticed some airports – especially in Europe — turning off piped melodies altogether. But McPhillips said big spaces like airports can feel cold and unwelcoming without background music. “A well-crafted audio strategy is one that people aren’t particularly cognizant of,” he said. “They just know they’re having a good time and that it’s appropriate.” Durbin reported from Detroit.
Stroke Management Market Poised for Tremendous Growth from 2024 to 2032WASHINGTON — The incoming Trump administration's plan to slash federal spending would have to overcome decades of court decisions and likely face a Supreme Court showdown, experts say, a legal headwind highlighted by President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of deputy director for the Office of Management and Budget. Trump and allies, including OMB director pick Russ Vought and external advisers Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, have argued the president can unilaterally choose not to spend funds appropriated by Congress — a process known as impoundment. A 1974 law called the Impoundment Control Act mandates that presidents spend funds appropriated by Congress. A report published by the Vought-led Center for Renewing America argued that the appropriations clause only put a “ceiling” on federal funding and said the 1974 law was an “unprecedented break” with the nation’s history. The report said that “for much of the Nation’s history, such a congressional power was so beyond the realm of constitutional permissibility that it was almost never even asserted.” Musk and Ramaswamy, tapped to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, argued in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the 1974 law is unconstitutional and “we believe the current Supreme Court would likely side with him on this question.” And Trump in a campaign video last year said he intends to use the “long-recognized impoundment power to squeeze the bloated federal bureaucracy for massive savings.” For decades courts have ruled that presidents cannot ignore Congress’ power to appropriate funds and decide on their own not to spend them, experts said. Nicholas Bagley, a law professor at the University of Michigan, said that Supreme Court decisions dating back as far as 1838 underline the president’s inability to unilaterally refuse to spend the money Congress appropriated. “It’s difficult for me to emphasize, without me sounding like a crazy person, how outlandish this is,” Bagley said. William Ford, a policy advocate at the advocacy group Protect Democracy, said that presidents have routinely lost court battles over efforts to withhold funding since the passage of the Impoundment Control Act. “And so what Trump and his team are now contemplating doing is completely out of step with what every other president has done since 1974. It’s out of step with what they did during their first term. Their extreme arguments, in our view, don’t hold water,” Ford said. William Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said that an effort to cut programs entirely to reach the savings Musk and others have discussed — around $2 trillion — would run straight into the Supreme Court. “The impoundment that he and his senior aides have been talking about is flatly against the law and the only way he can proceed legally is to overturn the law,” Galston said. Upholding that sort of decision would be “declaring open season on the other branches of government, especially Congress,” Galston said. “We’re talking about an entirely different constitutional order if the president can treat the Congress’ power of the purse as an advisory opinion.” Forcing spending Advocates, the Government Accountability Office, and members of Congress have pushed presidents to continue spending money on programs they may disagree with. That includes Rep. Dan Bishop, Trump’s choice for OMB deputy director. He was one of dozens of Republicans who argued the Biden administration violated the Impoundment Control Act through decisions that slow-walked construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Bishop signed onto letters to the GAO urging the agency to find that Biden’s actions violated that law, co-sponsored a resolution to censure President Joe Biden for not doing so and co-sponsored legislation mandating the administration spend the funds. Earlier this year, the GAO found that the Biden administration’s delays were “programmatic” and not impoundments in violation of the law, the agency said in a statement. Rather than unilateral decisions to withhold funds, the delays were meant to deal with concerns about the impact on local communities and the environment from the construction. Bishop also signed onto an amicus brief opposing Biden’s effort to cancel student loans for millions of borrowers, which doesn’t explicitly mention the Impoundment Control Act but argues a president shouldn’t be able to use an interpretation of a law to step on congressional control on spending. The brief argued that the Biden administration should not be allowed to make such an major decision without a clear statement from Congress, and doing otherwise would risk “significant conflict between the legislative and executive branches” of government over one of Congress’ core powers. Ford said the GAO is one of numerous entities that could sue or take other actions to force Trump’s hand. Texas and Missouri have sued the Biden administration to force it to spend funds on the border wall. In the first Trump administration, numerous organizations and local governments successfully sued to reinstate Department of Health and Human Services grants that HHS tried to cancel. “There are a ton of other people who can and would get into court to fight this,” Ford said. Under Democratic control, the House itself took the first Trump administration to court over spending issues in 2019. Although the suit did not explicitly involve the 1974 law, the House argued that Trump violated the Appropriations Clause of the Constitution and usurped Congress’ spending power when he moved more than $8 billion in other funds for use in border wall construction. The House even won an appellate court ruling in its favor before the Supreme Court tossed the case after the Biden administration stopped using the money for wall construction. Defund by delay A straight refusal to spend funds appropriated by Congress could get the incoming Trump administration slapped by the courts, but Bagley said other ways of delaying spending could have more effect. Congress has passed thousands of laws placing various restrictions on government decisions, Bagley said, allowing for numerous potential roadblocks to federal spending. “If the president said ‘I have to abide by these various rules before I take any federal action that may impact spending,’ it is a lot harder to get that kind of anti-impoundment declaration off the ground in that context,” Bagley said. “It would be harder for the courts to engage with and enforce. It doesn’t mean that these checks won’t work at all.” Outgoing Senate Budget Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., called impoundment “a pretty old battleline for the House and Senate, entirely apart from political parties.” “I think he’s going to run into a lot of pushback,” Whitehouse said. ©2024 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.A POPULAR chocolate brand has been slammed by unsatisfied shoppers after they found a day blank in all their advent calendars. Tony's Chocolonely made the bold decision to keep door 10 of their beloved yearly Christmas treat empty with fans saying the reason why is "woke". 5 The £14.99 Tony’s Chocolonely Advent Calender has been slammed for leaving out chocolate for a 'woke' reason 5 Many shoppers were left frustrated by the lack of a chocolate behind the door Credit: Tiktok@reyenna 5 Those who forked out £14.99 for the calendar were less than impressed with the marketing ploy Credit: Chris Eades The Dutch brand were trying to raise awareness of the inequality cocoa farmers face in the chocolate supply chain through the act. But those who forked out £14.99 for the 24 day chocolatey calendar were less than impressed with the marketing ploy. Behind the 10th door was a QR code and a message reading: "Not much to find in there, huh? Bummer! "Cos the cocoa industry is unequally divided, so is our calendar." read more in advent calendar FESTIVE CHEER M&S shoppers shocked to find boozy advent calendar scanning for just £1 CHOCS AWAY Major supermarkets launch huge advent calendar clearance from just 43p Many quickly voiced their complaints over a friendly advent calendar, often purchased for children, making a political statement. One said: "Sorry I know it’s activism but if I opened my calendar and the door was empty it would ruin my day." Another said opening up the door was "such a let down". A third simply wrote: "Woke nonsense." Most read in Money PLANNING SHEIKH-UP Billionaire Dubai ruler planning TENTH house on Highland estate SHUTTERS DOWN Locals gutted as 'best boozer' in Scots town closes forever BEAN AND GONE 'So sad', cry coffee lovers as popular cafe announces shock closure SHUTTING UP SHOP Lidl forced to close popular Scottish branch amid planning feud Others also referenced how the confectionery company has used the same tactic in the past. They were made to apologise in 2021 for causing "confusion and disappointment" among shoppers. Man claims we've been opening our advent calendars wrong for years - but not everyone's convinced One commented on social media this week following the backlash saying: " That's why I've got a Cadbury one. I want daily chocolate, not preaching to ." Addressing the issues, a statement on the Tony's Chocolonely 's website read: “Big chocolate companies make big profits, while cocoa farmers aren’t paid enough for their cocoa. " The result? Many of them still live way below the poverty line.” "The bitter truth is 1.56 million children in cocoa-growing families are involved in child labour in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. "At Tony’s, we exist to change that. By chomping on our choc, you’re helping us break the mould to end exploitation in cocoa, bar by bar, bite by bite." This time around, to make up for the missing day, an additional two chocolates are actually included on day nine in the calendar. This means there are actually 25 sweet treats inside. Some saw the positives from the situation and regarded the bold move as "quite clever" for raising awareness. The nearly £15 is often regarded as a top ranged advent treat in the UK with it often selling out across several stores. Dubbed a big countdown calendar it contains 225g of chocolate in 10 different flavours. Each one comes in a mini size with the 9th and 24th having two bars inside. Worst value advent calendars revealed Not all advent calendars are made equal with some offering never-before-seen treats inside and others giving shoppers a chance to buy bulk items all at once for a slashed price. Some, on the other hand, are not quite as good value for money . The Walkers advent calendar is £10 from Iceland and features 24 doors with a pack of crisps in each. However, you can get a multi-pack of 20 bags for £4.85 also from Iceland . It means that if you bought two packs, you would get 40 bags of crisps - almost double the amount in the calendar, for a lower price. The Lindt 5ft advent calendar certainly stands out. But at £180 at Costco, it doesn't come cheap. Each of the 24 doors contains a full-size Lindt chocolate treat including gold reindeer and bears, as well as 200g boxes of Lindor. However, £180 for 24 days works out at £7.50 a window. Read more on the Scottish Sun BATTY WEATHER Record-breaking snow & temps on the way for Scotland as expert issues warning GER KIDDING Tottenham fans blast ex-Spurs star as he's spotted wildly celebrating Gers goal You can even get an advent calendar for your cat these days with one from Lily's Kitchen costing £9.99 for 24 days of treats. However, the calendar almost four times more expensive than a normal pack of treats from the same store. How to save money on Christmas shopping Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save money on your Christmas shopping. Limit the amount of presents - buying presents for all your family and friends can cost a bomb. Instead, why not organise a Secret Santa between your inner circles so you're not having to buy multiple presents. Plan ahead - if you've got the stamina and budget, it's worth buying your Christmas presents for the following year in the January sales. Make sure you shop around for the best deals by using price comparison sites so you're not forking out more than you should though. Buy in Boxing Day sales - some retailers start their main Christmas sales early so you can actually snap up a bargain before December 25. Delivery may cost you a bit more, but it can be worth it if the savings are decent. Shop via outlet stores - you can save loads of money shopping via outlet stores like Amazon Warehouse or Office Offcuts. They work by selling returned or slightly damaged products at a discounted rate, but usually any wear and tear is minor. 5 The Dutch brand left day 10 empty to raise awareness for inequality in the chocolate industry 5 To make up for the missing choc there was two added the day before Credit: Tony's advent calendar
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Astraveus Secures €7.1M Non-dilutive Funding from the French State
THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mojave Brands Inc. (CSE: MOJO) (OTCQB: HHPHF) (FSE: OHCN) (“ Mojave ” or the “ Company ”) is pleased to announce, further to its news release on November 1, 2024, a public offering (the “ Offering ”) of units (each, a “ Unit ”) of the Company at $0.55 per Unit (the “ Issue Price ”) to raise gross proceeds of a minimum of $10 million and a maximum of $15 million (the “ Offering ”). The Offering is being carried out in connection with the proposed business combination of the Company, Light AI Inc., a corporation incorporated pursuant to the laws of the Province of British Columbia, and LAI SPV Corp., a corporation incorporated pursuant to the laws of the Province of British Columbia, announced on June 20, 2024 (the “ Transaction ”) and as detailed in the preliminary prospectus dated October 29, 2024 (the “ Preliminary Prospectus ”) filed with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces and territories of Canada, except Quebec. In connection with the Transaction, the Company intends to delist the Common Shares (as defined below) from the Canadian Securities Exchange and list the Common Shares on Cboe Canada Inc. (the “ Exchange ”). Listing is subject to the Company fulfilling all of the listing requirements of the Exchange, which cannot be guaranteed and there is no assurance that the Exchange will approve such listing application. The Offering will consist of a minimum of 18,181,818 Units and a maximum of up to 27,272,727 Units at the Issue Price, for minimum gross proceeds of $10,000,000 and maximum gross proceeds of $15,000,000. Ventum Financial Corp. (the “ Lead Agent ”) is acting as lead agent and sole bookrunner, on behalf of a syndicate of agents, which includes Haywood Securities Inc. and Beacon Securities Limited (collectively, with the Lead Agent, the “ Agents ”), on a commercially reasonable “best efforts” agency basis, in respect of the Offering, pursuant to an agency agreement to be entered into by the Company and the Agents (the “ Agency Agreement ”). Each Unit will be comprised of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (each, a “ Common Share ”) and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a “ Warrant ”). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one additional Common Share (each, a “ Warrant Share ”) at an exercise price of $0.80 for a period expiring on the date that is 18 months from the closing of the Offering (the “ Closing ”). The Company has also granted to the Agents the option (the “ Over-Allotment Option ”), exercisable in whole or in part, within 30 days after Closing to purchase, at the Issue Price, up to an additional 15% of the number of Units sold pursuant to the Offering. The Over-Allotment Option is exercisable for any number of Units, Common Shares, Warrants, or any combination thereof. The maximum number of Units issuable pursuant to the Over-Allotment Option is 4,090,909 Units for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $2,250,000, assuming the Offering is fully subscribed and the Over-Allotment Option is exercised in full for the Units. Closing of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to receiving subscriptions for the minimum amount of $10,000,000 under the Offering, the entering into of the Agency Agreement between the Company and the Agents with respect to the Offering and the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Exchange. There can be no assurance as to whether or when the Offering will be completed. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for operations, marketing, working capital and general corporate purposes, as set forth in the Preliminary Prospectus. In connection with the Offering, the Company will apply to list the Common Shares that comprise part of the Units, the Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and the Common Shares issuable upon exercise of the broker warrants issued to the Agents, on the Exchange. The securities described in this news release have not been, nor will they be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any United States state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the United States. registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities, nor a solicitation for offers to buy any securities in the United States, nor in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The terms “United States” and “U.S. person” used herein are as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act. About Mojave Mojave is a reporting issuer in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario with its Common Shares listed on the CSE. It has ceased to carry on an active business and is presently engaged in identifying and evaluating potential business opportunities. For further information, please refer to the Company’s public disclosure record on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca . About Light AI Light AI Inc. is a private British Columbia healthcare company focussed on developing artificial intelligence health diagnostic applications. Light AI is developing a technology platform which represents the next generation diagnostics: it applies AI algorithms to smartphone images--starting with images of StrepA—to identify disease in seconds. Its patented, app-based solution requires no swabs, lab tests or proprietary hardware of any kind—its hardware platform is the 4.5 billion smartphones that exist in the world today. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS “Robert Dubeau” Robert Dubeau Director For more information about Mojave, please contact: Robert Dubeau Email: info@mojavejane.com Telephone: +1 (604) 684-2181 CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. All statements in this new release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “projects”, “potential” and similar expressions, or that events or conditions “will”, “would”, “may”, “could” or “should” occur. Forward-looking information in this press release may include, without limitation, statements relating to: the size of the Offering, issuance of the Units, Common Shares, Warrants, Warrant Shares and broker warrants, the closing of the Offering, the entering into of a definitive agency agreement between the Company and the Agents, the listing of the Common Shares and Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants on the Exchange, obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals required with respect to the Offering, the exercise of the Over-Allotment Option, the intended use of the net proceeds of the Offering, the distribution of securities outside of Canada, , and future press releases and disclosure. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company’s management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.Man in custody had a gun, mask and writings tying him to killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO, police say
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OTTAWA - A Liberal MP says his committee colleagues are wasting time by launching a third inquiry into the former employment minister instead of focusing on important legislation for Indigenous Peoples. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * OTTAWA - A Liberal MP says his committee colleagues are wasting time by launching a third inquiry into the former employment minister instead of focusing on important legislation for Indigenous Peoples. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? OTTAWA – A Liberal MP says his committee colleagues are wasting time by launching a third inquiry into the former employment minister instead of focusing on important legislation for Indigenous Peoples. Jaime Battiste, who is Mi’kmaq, said there has been an “attack” on fellow Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault, who left his position as employment minister on Wednesday after allegations of shifting claims of Indigenous identity and questions around his past business dealings. Boissonnault has been the subject of two ethics committee probes, and Battiste said a third one by the Indigenous and northern affairs committee is “a waste of time, and it seems to be the Conservatives’ way of ensuring that nothing gets done in the House of Commons.” The Conservatives, NDP and Bloc Québécois all supported pushing ahead with the third study, even after Boissonnault left cabinet. Though Liberal MPs did not object to the motion Thursday, Battiste said the committee’s time would be better spent studying legislation on important issues such as First Nations policing, a modern treaty commissioner and clean water for First Nations. “It’s very much my fear and frustration that politics is now becoming more important at the Indigenous and northern affairs committee than actually Indigenous Peoples that we’re there every day to try to make life better for,” he said. NDP MP Lori Idlout, who is a member of the committee, said Canadians deserve answers and she doesn’t expect the probe to cut into the committee’s other work. “It’s not a waste of time to have MP Boissonnault answer for why his identity kept changing. Pretending to be Indigenous is a serious matter and we need to have him be transparent to all Canadians.” Boissonnault came under intense scrutiny after the National Post reported that a company he previously co-owned described itself as wholly Indigenous-owned in order to apply for government contracts set aside for Indigenous businesses. He has been described as Indigenous multiple times in communications from the Liberal party, and in 2018 referred to himself as “non-status adopted Cree” — a statement he has repeated on other occasions. He also said his great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman.” He has since clarified that his adoptive mother and brother are Métis, and he apologized for his shifting claims last Friday. The House ethics committee has separately investigated Boissonnault’s past business dealings after media reports alleged he remained involved in the company he co-founded after he was re-elected in 2021 and joined the federal cabinet. Opposition MPs passed a motion in the House of Commons on Tuesday — a day before Boissonnault left cabinet — for the employment minister to appear as a witness to discuss his claims to Indigenous identity. But because Boissonnault is no longer in cabinet, the Liberal chair of the committee ruled Thursday that newly minted Employment Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor is technically the person the motion called to testify. “I figured this might happen,” said Conservative MP and committee member Jamie Schmale. “If there are games to be played here and we have Minister Petitpas Taylor attend, I don’t think that goes to the spirit of the House order. I don’t think it would be very responsible to go against that ... It’s Randy Boissonault that the House determined it needs and is ordered to appear along with several other witnesses. That’s who we expect to be in that seat.” A new motion from the Conservatives calls directly for Boissonnault to appear at the committee. One of the key concerns raised about Boissonnault in recent weeks is related to the government’s Indigenous business procurement strategy. A directory provides the federal government with names of businesses it could consider using to meet its Indigenous procurement target, which states a minimum five per cent of the total value of government contracts should be held by Indigenous-owned businesses. Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu told a House of Commons committee on Tuesday that the company Boissonnault founded was not listed on that directory. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Battiste suggested the committee will now be in a position of determining who is eligible for Indigenous programming and determining who is Indigenous, and as a First Nations person he does not agree with that. “I have a lot of concern because no First Nations, Métis or Inuit in this country are asking committees — who are filled with non-Indigenous Peoples — to determine our identity, who we are.” Schmale and Bloc MP Sebastian Lemire, who is also a member of the committee, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version stated that MPs on the Indigenous and Northern affairs committee passed a motion to have the employment minister appear as a witness at the committee. Advertisement Advertisement