The Week in Canadian Press Releases: 10 Stories You Need to See

A roundup of the most newsworthy press releases from Cision Distribution this week

TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2024 /CNW/ - With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on Cision. To help journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

Cision Canada - The Weekly Round-Up (PRNewsfoto/Cision Canada)

1. BRP ELEVATES WINTER EXPERIENCES WITH 2025 SNOWMOBILE LINEUP AND ADDS TWO MORE ELECTRIC POWERED MODELS 
   This year, BRP also adds two new electric models available to more commercial users such as ski centers and recreational resorts, as well as consumers to play around their cabin. These new models are designed for more traction and flotation in loose snow. BRP Inc. continues to offer the most complete and industry-leading snowmobiles in all market segments with its Ski-Doo and Lynx lineups for 2025.
2. Air Canada Expands Regional Services with Luxury Motorcoach Land-Air Connections for Customers 
   "Air Canada is focused on improving regional services and through this innovative partnership with The Landline Company, we are connecting communities and extending our network by offering customers a convenient, stress-free multimodal option," said Alexandre Lefevre, Vice President Network Planning, North America, and Scheduling, at Air Canada. The motorcoaches used by Landline for Air Canada are made in Canada by Prevost, a manufacturer of touring coaches based in Sainte-Claire, Quebec. Each Landline motorcoach provides a premium experience, with 36 spacious, leather seats in a two-by-one configuration. The coaches are equipped with free WiFi, power and a table tray available at each seat, generous overhead storage for carry-on baggage, and an onboard lavatory. Announcements will be made in both Official Languages and the coaches are fully accessible, including a power lift for customers requiring mobility aids.
3. Aurora Cannabis Announces CFO Transition and Completion of Previously Announced Share Consolidation 
   "As our company continues to evolve, we are thrilled to welcome Simona King to Aurora. Simona has spent her career growing businesses, improving operational efficiencies, and leading a best- in-class global financial organization. Her deep operational and financial knowledge, combined with her extensive experience across many corporate functions and deep commitment to developing talent, make her uniquely positioned to help lead Aurora into its next phase of growth" said Miguel Martin, CEO.
4. After Almost 30 Years in Business FactoryDirect.ca Stores are Closing 
   The store wide liquidation sale, with over $10 million at retail, will begin tomorrow Saturday, February 17th, 2024 across all 14 of FactoryDirect.ca store locations. With a huge selection of brands such as: Apple, Samsung, LG, Dell, Panasonic, Cuisinart, Danby and more, you can expect a great mix of top brand name products at unbeatable pricing.
5. Air Canada Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial Results 
   "Air Canada produced very strong results for the fourth quarter and full year 2023, delivering on its key financial goals and strategic priorities. For the full year, we had record operating revenues of $21.8 billion, up 32 per cent from 2022 as demand for air travel remained strong. Annual operating income was $2.3 billion; a $2.5 billion improvement from the previous year. Our adjusted EBITDA was nearly $4 billion; more than twice that of full year 2022. These results stem from the effective management, hard work and customer centric approach of everyone at Air Canada. I thank the entire team for their dedication as we safely transported more than 46 million passengers in 2023. The focus on operational improvements was evident as, even with the growth in traffic and ongoing supply chain challenges, our key operational metrics and customer satisfaction improved year over year," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.
6. Government of Canada Launches Strengthened Heat Pump Program with Nova Scotia, Addressing Affordability and Climate Goals 
   Today, Andy Fillmore, Member of Parliament for Halifax, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources; the Honourable Tory Rushton, Nova Scotia's Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables; and Stephen MacDonald, President and CEO of EfficiencyOne, announced that Nova Scotia will co-deliver the strengthened OHPA program, in partnership with the federal government to make the shift to heat pumps even more affordable for more Canadians. Under the program, low-to-median-income households in Nova Scotia that heat their home with oil can now apply here to receive up to $30,000 in funding to cover the full cost of switching to a heat pump — including up to $15,000 from the Government of Canada's OHPA program and up to $15,000 from the Province of Nova Scotia, with EfficiencyOne acting as the co-delivery partner
7. A Fast, Reliable Electric Train to Connect Quebec City, Montreal and Toronto 
   Mr. Imbleau noted that the tendering process is underway to select a private sector partner with strong expertise and experience. Three international consortiums are working on finalizing their application. They will have to submit proposals to minimize travel times, including scenarios where trains will run at 200 km/h, as well as an alternative with no speed limit, allowing trains to go "as fast as possible." "We want to develop something that is fast, reliable, and frequent, comparable to European networks."
8. Tim Hortons testing plastic-free and recyclable hot beverage lids in all Tims restaurants across Prince Edward Island for up to 12 weeks 
   "We're excited to ask Islanders to help us test this new, plastic-free and recyclable lid for Tim Hortons hot beverage cups. We're known for serving Canada's favourite coffee, so it's important that we develop a best-in-class solution for our guests," says Paul Yang, Senior Director of Procurement, Sustainability and Packaging for Tim Hortons. "We've worked hard on developing a fibre lid that feels like our current lids but is plastic-free. These fibre lids are part of our five-year journey to develop more sustainable solutions for all our packaging and we're excited to have our guests in Prince Edward Island join us in this test."
9. Fighting Climate Change: A Major Partnership for Sustainable Water Management in Quebec 
   This new partnership has led to the creation of the Municipal Chair in Sustainable Water Management, supported by the Fédération québécoise des municipalités and headed by Sophie Duchesne, an INRS professor and expert in hydrology and urban infrastructure. The initiative is the only one of its kind in the field, as this is the FQM's very first partnership with a research chair. Municipalities, represented by the FQM, will be involved in the governance of the chair. This close collaboration will encourage scientific discoveries to be shared among all municipalities, preventing efforts from being duplicated and research from being done in silos. It will also anchor the research in municipalities' real-life experiences and challenges.
10. Joe Fresh and Roxy Earle Launch a Vacation-Ready Capsule Collection 
    For the first time, Joe Fresh held a social media contest to cast two of Roxy's Instagram followers to star alongside her in the campaign. This brought energy and excitement to the campaign set and allows customers to envision themselves in the collection. A limited-edition spring capsule collection launching just in time for winter-getaway season, the Vacation Edit with Roxy Earle collection features nine size-inclusive styles of swimwear, cover-ups, footwear and accessories. With bright pops of colour, bold prints and beachy textures, these pieces are designed to help everyone look and feel their best on vacation. The collection launches online February 21 and in select stores across Canada February 22.

Read more of the latest releases from Cision, see our resources for journalists, and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @cnwnews.

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SOURCE Cision Canada

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