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The CAQ is relying on attorney Audrey Murray to try and ride Maurice-Richard from the Liberals in Montreal. This is a new female candidacy for François Legault’s party, which is already guaranteed to outnumber men in the October 3 elections.

• Also read: CAQ candidate Pascale Déry had to defend herself in French

• Also read: A farmer starts with the CAQ in Iberville

“After 4 years at the top of the [Commission des partenaires du marché du travail (CPMT)]I have agreed to accept new challenges that will be announced shortly,” Ms. Murray wrote on her LinkedIn page last week.

The nature of these challenges is now known. She will seek to be elected as an MP in Maurice-Richard’s squad under the banner of the Avenir Québec Coalition, Le Journal de Montréal learned.

The party has not confirmed the information, but according to our sources, will make the official announcement soon.

Audrey Murray has served as President of the CPMT since June 2018. Previously, the lawyer was also vice president for customer service and development at the Commission de la Construction du Québec (CCQ).

With a candidacy of this magnitude, François Legault’s party hopes to win Maurice-Richard, a race won by the Liberals in the last two general elections. In 2018, CAQ candidate Manon Gauthier placed third behind the Liberal Party and Quebec Solidaire candidates.

MP and former Minister Marie Montpetit, who has represented riding Maurice-Richard since 2014, has made the decision not to run again. She had sat as an independent since being expelled from the Liberal faction in November 2021 following allegations of psychological harassment.

After a bitter break with Dominique Anglade’s political formation, Ms Montpetit said she remains a member of the Quebec Liberal Party but will vote against the party in the next election.

More women

At the CAQ, female candidates are piling up. Prime Minister François Legault also presented two new candidates in the counties of Montérégie on Thursday.

They are the engineer Carole Mallette in Huntingdon and Marie-Belle Gendron, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Greater Roussillon in Châteauguay.

These two constituencies are currently represented by the CAQ, but MPs Claire Isabelle and MarieChantale Chassé are leaving politics.

These announcements increase the number of women seeking votes for François Legault’s party, out of the 115 candidatures that have been formalized so far. As a result, more women than men will represent the Coalition Avenir Québec in the October 3 elections.

After strong demand for goods early in the pandemic, spending patterns have shifted, driving demand for service sector jobs.Credit…Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

After more than two years of outsized job growth following the biggest shock to the jobs market on record, job creation most likely slowed sharply in June and is likely to continue to do so in the second half of the year, forecasts say.

Economists polled by Bloomberg expect Friday’s Labor Department monthly report to show employers added 268,000 jobs in June — a figure well below and only slightly above the average of 545,000 added jobs per month last year reported in April 2021, the slowest month for job growth since President Biden took office.

The US economy has almost regained the 22 million jobs it lost in the early stages of the pandemic in 2020, but any incremental progress has become more difficult.

That’s the result of two forces: fewer workers are available or willing to fill vacancies, and demand is slowing as higher interest rates, imposed by the Federal Reserve to fight inflation, take their toll.

“The recovery from the pandemic is really over now, and we’re in an expansion,” said Bill Adams, Comerica Bank’s chief economist. “So that’s constrained by the potential growth rate of the economy, the growth rate of the labor force – which has slowed sharply – and then tighter fiscal and monetary policies.”

A smaller number may not be a cause for concern. The number of people quitting their jobs remained near record highs in May, the Labor Department reported this week, a sign workers are still confident they can find other jobs. The 11.3 million opens cited in this report suggest they are right.

But consumer spending, which drives most American economic activity, has fallen in recent months as high food prices have eroded disposable income and weakened demand for durable goods like cars and appliances. That will likely impact manufacturing employment, which has slowed this week, according to a closely-watched industry survey.

Small businesses are in particularly somber mood, the National Federation of Independent Business reported last month in its long-running survey, though it still cites difficulty in finding skilled workers as a top concern.

Economists also expect Friday’s report to show that wages did not rise as much in June as in previous months, which would throw the average American worker even further behind rising prices and cause wallets to be held tighter .

MTY Food Group on Friday announced an increase in its dividend for the second quarter ended May 31.

Net income attributable to owners was $28.6 million, or $1.17 per basic share, compared to $23 million, or $0.93 per basic share, for the same period in 2021.

The restaurant franchisor’s revenue grew 18% in a year to $1,054.3 million internationally, while network revenue in Canada grew 55%.

Adjusted EBITDA increased to $47.6 million between the two comparable periods from $43.5 million, while cash flow from operations was $30.7 million for the second quarter of 2022.

As of May 31, the MTY network had 6,600 operational establishments, including 89 operated by the group, while 39% of the franchisor’s restaurants are located in Canada and 54% in the United States.

“The lifting of government restrictions in Canada related to the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly benefited our business as revenue from franchised locations north of the border increased 46% year-on-year,” said Éric Lefebvre, CEO of MTY .

“New branch openings, which were in Q47, continue to be slowed due to supply chain and construction sector issues, but there are encouraging signs that these issues are beginning to resolve,” he added.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – In the latest chapter of the Theranos saga, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, former chief operating officer and ex-boyfriend of founder Elizabeth Holmes, has been found guilty on all 12 counts of fraud.

Balwani didn’t respond as the verdict was read in US District Court in San Jose, California, staring straight ahead at Judge Edward Davila. Balwani’s family members could be seen comforting him and his two brothers were by his side.

The jury also found Balwani guilty on patient charges, which was not the case with Holmes’ verdict.

The court scheduled its sentencing hearing for November 15, changing its $500,000 unsecured bond to a $750,000 secured bond. Balwani and his legal team left the courthouse without answering questions.

“We are obviously disappointed with the verdicts. We plan to review and weigh all of Mr Balwani’s options, including an appeal,” Balwani’s attorney, Jeffrey Coopersmith, said in a statement.

The jury deliberated for five days. Balwani, 57, sat masked next to his defense attorneys and moved in his seat while the trial judge reviewed the verdict.

The jury heard from 24 government witnesses who accused Balwani of being an accomplice to his ex-girlfriend and Theranos CEO, Holmes

Each wire fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and the conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of five years. Legal experts assume that Balwani will appeal.

The process began on March 22nd and has experienced several delays due to the pandemic.

Prosecutors claimed Balwani conspired with Holmes in a decades-long plot to extort hundreds of millions of dollars from investors and patients to keep the ailing company afloat. According to prosecutors, Balwani oversaw Theranos’ bloated financial projects, lab operations, and a doomed Walgreens deal. Theranos had promised to revolutionize blood tests by making them cheaper, faster, and less painful than traditional lab tests.

“Balwani is not a victim,” Assistant US Attorney Jeffrey Schenk said in his closing argument. “He is a perpetrator of fraud. … Mr. Balwani knows that the greatest threat to fraud is the truth.”

Balwani’s legal team called two witnesses: an Arizona doctor who used Theranos blood analyzers and an IT consultant who testified about a missing database, the Laboratory Information System, of patients’ test results. Unlike Holmes, Balwani did not testify in his own defense.

In January, a separate jury found Holmes guilty of three counts of criminal wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud against investors. The jury acquitted her of cheating on Theranos patients. Holmes remains on bail while awaiting her sentencing in September.

The former Silicon Valley executives raised nearly $1 billion from powerful investors including media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, Silicon Valley investor Don Lucas, Walmart’s Walton family and the family of former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Holmes and Balwani also brought notable names to the company’s board, including former Secretary of Defense James Mattis, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former Senator Sam Nunn. At its peak, Theranos was valued at over $9 billion and Balwani’s stake was worth $500 million.

In a 12-hour closing argument spanning three days, Balwani’s legal team blasted government witnesses and called prosecutors’ case “incomplete”.

“Mr. Balwani put his heart and soul into Theranos, he has worked tirelessly year after year to make the company a success,” Coopersmith said, adding, “The Government has not proven that Mr. Balwani was trying to kill anyone.” to deceive or to cheat.”

Coopersmith asked the jury to consider why prosecutors did not call certain employees, investors and board members to the witness stand, including four members of the DeVos family who invested in Theranos.

“They invested $100 million,” Coopersmith said. “You’d think they’d bother coming to testify, but we haven’t heard from them.” Lisa Peterson, the DeVos family wealth manager, testified on the family’s behalf at the trial.

Balwani’s attorneys argued that he acted in good faith and truly believed in the potential of blood testing technology, but former employees told CNBC that he was aware of the issues and had created a toxic environment on Theranos.

In a July 2015 text message, previously obtained by CNBC and read by the government in court, Balwani wrote to Holmes: “I am responsible for everything about Theranos.

“He acknowledges his role in the scam,” Schenk said, referring to the text message.

CNBC’s Jill Silvestri contributed to this report.

Correction: Updated the story title to reflect that Balwani is the COO of Theranos.

Adopted in November 2019, new General Vehicle Safety Regulations came into force in European Union countries yesterday, introducing a range of mandatory driver assistance systems to improve road safety and provide the legal framework for future autonomous and driverless vehicles.

They are expected to save more than 25,000 lives and prevent at least 140,000 serious injuries by 2038 – a huge number, of course.

Specifically, all road vehicles (cars, vans, trucks and buses) manufactured with immediate effect must be equipped with the following devices:

• reverse detection by camera or sensors;
• warning of inattention in the event of drowsiness or distraction of the driver;
• event data logger;
• emergency stop signal;
• Intelligent speed adjustment.

Cars and vans must also have lane-keeping and automatic braking systems.

In its decree, the EU Commission writes that “the rules will initially apply to new vehicle types from today and from July 7, 2024 to all new vehicles. Some of the new measures will be extended to different categories of road vehicles by 2029. ”

Photo: BMW

Down with the acceleration!

We have already told you about this famous data recorder, also called black box, which records the 30 seconds before and the 10 seconds after an accident or collision (including speed, acceleration or braking, seat belts, impact force, engine speed and GPS coordinates) in order to To assist authorities in clarifying the true circumstances of an accident and determining the responsibility of the drivers involved.

But let’s focus here on the so-called “intelligent speed adjustment”. In fact, it’s a system that detects the road’s speed limit, either through GPS or traffic sign recognition, and then takes one of four actions if the driver exceeds that limit. :

It is not clear in the rules at what speed limit the system will take effect. 5 km/h over the limit? 10? fifteen?

Furthermore, it is written that the device should be activated systematically when the vehicle is started. The manufacturer is free to choose the method of intervention, but let’s be clear, the last (and most intrusive) essentially puts a spanner in the works for the driver.

The latter ironically retains the power to override the system at any time simply by pressing the gas pedal, such as when it sees erroneous warnings or irrelevant responses due to poor weather conditions, temporarily conflicting lane markings in work zones, or misleading, broken, or missing street signs.

What do you think of such a security measure? Should it also be implemented here?

In the video: 110 km/h limit on highways in Québec?

VW has announced another major battery investment, this time committing €20 billion towards battery production through 2030 with a new battery production spin-off called “PowerCo”.

The announcement came at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new battery factory in Salzgitter, Germany, the first of six plants in Europe to be unveiled at VW’s “Power Day” last March.

According to VW, “PowerCo” has the potential to eventually generate annual sales of up to 20 billion euros.

VW expects its battery factories will eventually employ up to 20,000 people across Europe. The first plant in Salzgitter will employ up to 5,000 people, with cell production starting in 2025. The plant will eventually reach an annual production capacity of 40 GWh, enough for around half a million electric vehicles per year.

After Salzgitter, VW is planning another plant in Valencia, Spain, and locations are being evaluated for the remaining plants, including the possibility of plants in North America. Each facility will produce 40 GWh of batteries per year for a total of 240 GWh.

The systems are operated with 100% renewable electricity. Each facility will be designed to have on-site closed-loop recycling systems, allowing for the recovery of up to 90% of the raw materials from battery packs at the end of their life.

VW is developing a unified prismatic cell for use across its model line, which it talked about at its Power Day event. The plan is to reduce battery costs by about 50% to “well below” $100/kWh starting today.

The unitary prismatic cell from VW

Despite VW’s large battery investments, the range for the current vehicles remains limited. All of VW’s EV production for 2022 has essentially sold out, meaning most buyers will have to wait until next year to get one. Demand for electric vehicles is incredibly high right now and supply has not increased in line with demand amid supply disruptions around the world due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The recent global rise in gasoline prices has added more fuel to the fire (no pun intended) and shown even more people the benefits of electric vehicles.

While Voltswagen leads the industry in capital commitments in battery and electric vehicle production, many other automakers are also investing heavily in battery cell production. But all these battery factories will take some time to get online. So it’s likely to take some time before the EV supply shortages are reversed, and as Seth recently suggested, EV supply may remain limited for the foreseeable future.

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(Kitco News) – The oil market has managed to climb back above $100 an ounce and according to some analysts this will be good news for gold investors.

The oil market has seen significant volatility of late, with prices falling nearly 13%, briefly falling to a two-month low of around $95 a barrel this week. At the same time, the gold market faced solid selling pressure, with prices falling 4% in two days as prices fell to near a yearly low and tested long-term support at $1,730 an ounce.

Most analysts are noting that the gold market is largely at the mercy of the US dollar, which is in an exceptional uptrend pushing for another 20-year high above 100 points. Weak oil prices, combined with the strong US dollar, are not helping gold to see any fresh bullish momentum.

The fall in oil prices has helped temporarily allay some fears that inflationary pressures will continue to spiral out of control, negatively impacting the gold market.

Looking ahead, analysts don’t have a clear consensus on where oil prices will head. One factor that could determine the future of gold and oil is whether the U.S. and global economy go into recession. A recession would weigh on oil prices and the entire commodity complex, which could weigh on gold.

Mike McGlone, senior commodity strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, said he is looking for lower oil prices throughout the year.

“WTI’s H1 price rally could be the latest tussle in an ongoing bear market. Crude oil on July 6th at around the same price as late 2007 and below the CPI during the period presents the world’s top commodity as a clear dud given the destruction of demand and supply elasticity amid the collapse in global GDP, consumer sentiment and aggressive rate hikes of central banks, we see risks that tilt crude oil prices toward more par,” McGlone said in a research note on Thursday.

Jim Wyckoff, senior technical analyst at Kitco.com, also expects lower oil prices in the near term, which could impact gold prices.

“As crude oil prices trend lower on recession concerns, gold is likely to follow – until oil prices stabilize and the downtrend ends. For now, fears of a recession and lower consumer and trade demand for metals are trumping historically optimistic sentiments of higher inflation being supportive for the metals,” he said. “Once oil prices stabilize, gold traders will focus on other fundamentals such as geopolitics, inflation and economic data, including central bank policy.”

Wyckoff added that he expects oil prices to stabilize at around $85 a barrel.

However, other analysts continue to see strong oil prices even as recession fears continue to mount. Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, said that while slower growth will translate into lower oil consumption, the market still faces a supply problem.

“The market is tight and this situation is not likely to improve any time soon,” he said.

Hansen also doesn’t see a strong correlation between gold and oil. He added that he remains bullish on gold as a key safe haven asset year-round.

“Gold has been hurt by lower inflation expectations and the much stronger dollar. I still see it higher due to geopolitical and financial risks, but first we need to see base metals (silver) stabilize before over-hyping our recovery hopes,” he said.

Robert Minter, director of ETF investment strategy at abrdn, said he also sees fundamental reasons for being bullish on oil. He added that systemic supply issues and low inventories are affecting the oil market regardless of demand.

“In my view, this is largely an issue between sentiment and fundamentals,” he said. “Investors are on the sidelines while they figure out if [central bank] Falconry causes deep recession or soft landing,” he said.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of the author Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is for informational purposes only. It is not an invitation to exchange goods, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article assume no responsibility for any loss and/or damage resulting from the use of this publication.

The Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) is investigating an attempted arson at a company that took place on Thursday night in the Hochelaga sector.

At around 2am, police were alerted to a broken window at a beauty salon on rue Hochelaga, near rue Paul-Pau.

Upon arriving at the scene, police found a possible incendiary object that self-extinguished while damage to the store was limited to the shattered window.

The investigation has been assigned to the SPVM’s arson division, spokeswoman Véronique Comtois said.

Investigators should move to the scene during the day to analyze the diner protected by a security perimeter was added.