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Monogram Coffee & #CommunityOverCOVID – Calgary Supports Local

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4 minute read

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to sweep the nation and the globe, companies across Canada have continued to respond with a number of initiatives designed to support essential workers and foster community connection. There have been countless supply donations for hospitals, free meal initiatives for healthcare workers and long-distance truckers, local support movements in solidarity with local business owners, and more. The individual and corporate responses to the impacts of the virus have been something of a sunbeam during these strange and uncertain times. 

As a result, social media has seen a surge in locally-based community trends and hashtags such as #SupportLocal, #ThankATrucker and #CommunityOverCOVID. There have been countless heartwarming stories surrounding local businesses and the people of Calgary – but what does it really mean to support one another in the face of COVID-19? What is #CommunityOverCOVID?

 

Jeremy Ho, Cofounder of Monogram Coffee, shares the impact of COVID-19 on their day-to-day operations and thanks the people of Calgary for coming together to continue their support. 

Since the launch of their original Altadore location in 2015, Monogram has been committed to serving the Calgary community through coffee and has always placed the wellbeing of their customers and team at the forefront. That’s why, in an early effort to minimize the risk of COVID-19, all three Monogram Coffee locations were some of the first businesses in the city to close their doors. 

Monogram transitioned to online alternatives with free shipping options as a way to remain connected with the community while putting public health and safety first. The public response to this adjustment has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Ho. “People appreciate still being able to get the coffee they love, delivered directly to their homes.”

Not only have people continued to buy Monogram coffee online, the shop’s email and social platforms have been continually flooded with notes of encouragement and thanks. “Customers have also been purchasing gift cards,” says Ho, “as their way of saying ‘don’t worry, we will come back when this is over’”.  

 

Grateful for the sense of community and determined to give back, Monogram Coffee launched an initiative at the beginning of April to provide frontline workers with free coffee. Relying on a public nomination system, Monogram has sent coffee to hundreds of workers around the city as their way of saying thanks. “This is beyond coffee, food, anything,” says Ho, “We have to stay together as a community and make an effort to support each other, our workers, and all our great local businesses.” 

 

Monogram Coffee’s story is just one of many others like it. In Calgary, during these strange times, #CommunityOverCOVID is an entire city coming together to look after its most vulnerable members. It is loyalty and love between businesses and customers, it is personalized thank you notes on every take-out order and signs of support in front windows, it is donations to hospitals and essential workers. It is stories like this one that highlight Calgary’s character and reminds us that as long as we look after one another, things will be okay again.

Business

B.C. premier wants a private pipeline—here’s how you make that happen

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From the Fraser Institute

By Julio Mejía and Elmira Aliakbari

At the federal level, the Carney government should scrap several Trudeau-era policies including Bill C-69 (which introduced vague criteria into energy project assessments including the effects on the “intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors”)

The Eby government has left the door (slightly) open to Alberta’s proposed pipeline to the British Columbia’s northern coast. Premier David Eby said he isn’t opposed to a new pipeline that would expand access to Asian markets—but he does not want government to pay for it. That’s a fair condition. But to attract private investment for pipelines and other projects, both the Eby government and the Carney government must reform the regulatory environment.

First, some background.

Trump’s tariffs against Canadian products underscore the risks of heavily relying on the United States as the primary destination for our oil and gas—Canada’s main exports. In 2024, nearly 96 per cent of oil exports and virtually all natural gas exports went to our southern neighbour. Clearly, Canada must diversify our energy export markets. Expanded pipelines to transport oil and gas, mostly produced in the Prairies, to coastal terminals would allow Canada’s energy sector to find new customers in Asia and Europe and become less reliant on the U.S. In fact, following the completion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion between Alberta and B.C. in May 2024, exports to non-U.S. destinations increased by almost 60 per cent.

However, Canada’s uncompetitive regulatory environment continues to create uncertainty and deter investment in the energy sector. According to a 2023 survey of oil and gas investors, 68 per cent of respondents said uncertainty over environmental regulations deters investment in Canada compared to only 41 per cent of respondents for the U.S. And 59 per cent said the cost of regulatory compliance deters investment compared to 42 per cent in the U.S.

When looking at B.C. specifically, investor perceptions are even worse. Nearly 93 per cent of respondents for the province said uncertainty over environmental regulations deters investment while 92 per cent of respondents said uncertainty over protected lands deters investment. Among all Canadian jurisdictions included in the survey, investors said B.C. has the greatest barriers to investment.

How can policymakers help make B.C. more attractive to investment?

At the federal level, the Carney government should scrap several Trudeau-era policies including Bill C-69 (which introduced vague criteria into energy project assessments including the effects on the “intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors”), Bill C-48 (which effectively banned large oil tankers off B.C.’s northern coast, limiting access to Asian markets), and the proposed cap on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the oil and gas sector (which will likely lead to a reduction in oil and gas production, decreasing the need for new infrastructure and, in turn, deterring investment in the energy sector).

At the provincial level, the Eby government should abandon its latest GHG reduction targets, which discourage investment in the energy sector. Indeed, in 2023 provincial regulators rejected a proposal from FortisBC, the province’s main natural gas provider, because it did not align with the Eby government’s emission-reduction targets.

Premier Eby is right—private investment should develop energy infrastructure. But to attract that investment, the province must have clear, predictable and competitive regulations, which balance environmental protection with the need for investment, jobs and widespread prosperity. To make B.C. and Canada a more appealing destination for investment, both federal and provincial governments must remove the regulatory barriers that keep capital away.

Julio Mejía

Policy Analyst

Elmira Aliakbari

Director, Natural Resource Studies, Fraser Institute
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Business

Trump confirms 35% tariff on Canada, warns more could come

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MXM logo MxM News

Quick Hit:

President Trump on Thursday confirmed a sweeping new 35% tariff on Canadian imports starting August 1, citing Canada’s failure to curb fentanyl trafficking and retaliatory trade actions.

Key Details:

  • In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump said the new 35% levy is in response to Canada’s “financial retaliation” and its inability to stop fentanyl from reaching the U.S.
  • Trump emphasized that Canadian businesses that relocate manufacturing to the U.S. will be exempt and promised expedited approvals for such moves.
  • The administration has already notified 23 countries of impending tariffs following the expiration of a 90-day negotiation window under Trump’s “Liberation Day” trade policy.

Diving Deeper:

President Trump escalated his tariff strategy on Thursday, formally announcing a 35% duty on all Canadian imports effective August 1. The move follows what Trump described as a breakdown in trade cooperation and a failure by Canada to address its role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis.

“It is a Great Honor for me to send you this letter in that it demonstrates the strength and commitment of our Trading Relationship,” Trump wrote to Prime Minister Mark Carney. He added that the tariff response comes after Canada “financially retaliated” against the U.S. rather than working to resolve the flow of fentanyl across the northern border.

Trump’s letter made clear the tariff will apply broadly, separate from any existing sector-specific levies, and included a warning that “goods transshipped to evade this higher Tariff will be subject to that higher Tariff.” The president also hinted that further retaliation from Canada could push rates even higher.

However, Trump left the door open for possible revisions. “If Canada works with me to stop the flow of Fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter,” he said, adding that tariffs “may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship.”

Canadian companies that move operations to the U.S. would be exempt, Trump said, noting his administration “will do everything possible to get approvals quickly, professionally, and routinely — In other words, in a matter of weeks.”

The U.S. traded over $762 billion in goods with Canada in 2024, with a trade deficit of $63.3 billion, a figure Trump called a “major threat” to both the economy and national security.

Speaking with NBC News on Thursday, Trump suggested even broader tariff hikes are coming, floating the idea of a 15% or 20% blanket rate on all imports. “We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay,” he told Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker, adding that “the tariffs have been very well-received” and noting that the stock market had hit new highs that day.

The Canadian announcement is part of a broader global tariff rollout. In recent days, Trump has notified at least 23 countries of new levies and revealed a separate 50% tariff on copper imports.

“Not everybody has to get a letter,” Trump said when asked if other leaders would be formally notified. “You know that. We’re just setting our tariffs.”

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