An ambulance has arrived and crane work halted temporarily before resuming this morning at the scene of a partially collapsed shopping mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., where crews using sophisticated equipment were searching overnight and into the morning for any survivors of the weekend tragedy.
CBC's Natalie Kalata reported that Gary Gendron, whose fiancée, Lucie Aylwin, is believed to be in the ruins of Algo Centre Mall, told her he has received "good signs" from officials.
"After nearly four days, the news that there are good signs is rather remarkable," Kalata said.
"We're expecting more information, but we can tell you that an ambulance has gone again back into the scene here ... where we believe people are."
At least one person has been confirmed dead after the roof-top parking lot of the mall caved in Saturday afternoon, sending metal and concrete debris crashing through two floors of the building in Elliot Lake, 150 kilometres west of Sudbury.
Another 12 people remain unaccounted for, down from the 30 officials earlier estimated were missing.
Dan Hefkey, commissioner of community safety for Ontario, said Wednesday morning that using the robotic arm on equipment from a Toronto construction firm, crews were able to move a massive section of an escalator and stairs that had prevented rescue workers from entering the mall.
He also said a robot was able to examine the area and determine that no other debris had fallen as a result of the work.
However, Hefkey said more material needed to be removed before a structural engineer could assess whether it is safe to send in a canine unit to begin the search for "signs of life" around the area where victims are believed to be.
Hefkey said it was unclear when search crews could enter the site.
“I cannot give you a timeline; it’s going as quickly as it can, as safely as it can,” he said.
However, the likelihood of finding survivors is becoming increasingly slim, officials warned.
Bill Neadles from the Toronto-based Heavy Urban Search And Rescue Team said no one has detected signs of life since Monday morning, when officials said it appeared that at least one person was alive in the rubble.
"Based on the information that we supplied him, our doctor was of the opinion that it was a very slim ability for that person to remain alive," said Neadles on Tuesday.
The controlled demolition of the structure is part of a renewed bid to search for any survivors after rescue efforts were halted for several hours on Monday due to safety concerns, including the threat of another collapse.
Working from the outside of the building, crews began dismantling part of the mall's facade Tuesday. Dozens of people camped in front of the mall at night, anxiously awaiting information on those trapped inside.
Could cause further harm
The decision to stop rescue operations prompted outrage from many residents. They erupted in cheers as work resumed.
Although many appeared happy, others expressed concern that removing chunks of the building with heavy machinery could cause further harm to anyone alive inside.
"It's heartbreaking, just knowing the instability of the building, that it might be causing more destruction on the inside," said Penny Craig.
At least one Canadian Forces member is due to arrive in Elliot Lake on Wednesday to help with communications between Emergency Management Ontario, the municipality and, if required, the Armed Forces.
Ontario Provincial Police Insp. Percy Jollymore said officers have had a difficult time determining how many people may be trapped in the debris, as the number of missing changes as people make contact with loved ones.
"We are getting calls basically from all around Canada. We're really looking for people who could be in the mall," Jollymore said. "We still cannot determine how many people are there. We just don't know."
Gendron told CBC News on Tuesday that Aylwin was working in the mall during the collapse.
A woman who only provided her first name told CBC News she saw Aylwin during the cave-in.
"She's just there and it's like she just went right through the floor. I didn't see her," Lyn said. "One second she's in front of me, next minute, she's gone. I don't know what happened. It was so fast, and I can't get it out of my mind."
A family friend of one of the other missing women, Dolores Parizolo, said life has changed for everybody in Elliot Lake.
"After 2:19 on June 23, things changed here, it was not the same," said Adam Ayotte.
With files from The Canadian PressLibel reform comes around less often than Halley's comet. Let's get it right - The Guardian
"Laws are like sausages - it is best not to see them being made"; a phrase commonly attributed to Otto von Bismarck seems apt for attempts to reform our archaic libel laws. The last wholesale attempt to get libel law right was in 1843, making Robert Peel our last "libel reforming" prime minister. Depressingly, the sausage cliché is younger than much of the parliamentary law that dictates what we can and can't say.
It's hard to overstate how chilling to free speech the current law is. In 2010, President Obama signed into law the US Speech Act protecting Americans from libel judgements made in the high court here. John Whittingdale MP, the chair of the culture, media and sport select committee described this as a "national humiliation". Our publication rule laughably predates the light bulb, originating in a case won by the notoriously litigious Duke of Brunswick in 1849. Thanks to this case, if you unknowingly copy a libellous statement and publish it on your blog, you could receive a threatening legal letter.
Thankfully, the government will be taking action on "libel tourism" and updating the publication rule for the internet age with the defamation bill that is currently passing through parliament. However, in some ways, the bill is a missed opportunity, with no new public interest defence and no action taken to stop corporations suing individuals.
Getting libel reform right means giving citizens a new public interest defence. Such a defence would have protected libel victims such as Dr Ben Goldacre, Simon Singh and cardiologist Dr Peter Wilmshurst – all of whom were dragged through the courts after writing on important matters of science. A strong public interest defence will protect NGOs and academics from libel actions when they speak out on the dumping of toxic waste by multinational corporations or rampant tax evasion by banks. This defence is crucial – it's near-impossible for scientists to prove the absolute truth of their research in particular where there are constant breakthroughs in our knowledge.
It's chilling to think that Wilmshurst was sued for pointing out possible problems with heart devices. In the four years he fought his case, patients continued to have these devices implanted in their hearts. Some then needed extensive surgery to have them removed because of the fault. If his concerns hadn't been silenced by his four year libel case, doctors may not have recommended this treatment.
A new public interest defence will also protect NGOs and citizen journalists who have got a minor fact wrong, but are willing to correct or clarify it. As it stands, with no new protections, the bill would not have helped many of the cases that spurred 60,000 people to sign the Libel Reform Campaign petition. It was the intention of the government to get this right. Justice minister Lord McNally told Singh at a packed Libel Reform Campaign meeting that he'd be reforming the law so that scientists couldn't be dragged through the courts again. His hard work on this issue is being undermined by the lack of this defence.
The defamation bill will do little to stop corporations suing individuals. This may be for ideological reasons, but in a globalised world where big corporations increasingly dominate the public space, letting them sue individuals is manifestly unfair. Across parliament, Conservative MPs such as Peter Bottomley and David Davis, Liberal Democrats Tom Brake and Julian Huppert and Labour's Rob Flello and Paul Farrelly have questioned whether large companies really do need to resort to suing citizens.
With PR teams and laws to stop anti-competitive practices, firms do have alternatives. The law of libel was never originally intended to cover non-natural persons. The law is there to compensate damage to an individual's reputation and the psychological impact this has. But companies don't have psychological integrity, ie feelings. Should they get damages for defamation?
A huge effort has gone into the Libel Reform Campaign so far. 60,000 supporters have lobbied their MPs in person, held pub meetings, events in parliament, roundtable discussions with lawyers and international human rights groups, a huge comedy gig in central London with help from 60 civil society organisations. On Wednesday comedians and friends of science Dara O' Briain, Dave Gorman and Brian Cox will join us in parliament to lobby MPs. It's not too late for the government to strengthen its defamation bill.
In the meantime, Guardian readers can email their MP to ask them to put pressure on ministers. Wholesale libel reform only comes around every 170 years - anyone who cares about free speech cannot afford to miss this opportunity.
British Land to buy Daily Mail printing works - Daily Telegraph
In January, British Land announced plans for a £34mn investment at Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, including an extensive refurbishment of the existing building and a 100,000 sq ft extension along with improvements to the public spaces and connections to Surrey Quays and Canada Water Tube and bus stations.
Talasa Kamloops and Wholesale Furniture Brokers Partner to Furnish Units for Less - YAHOO!
Talasa Kamloops and Wholesale Furniture Brokers have partnered to offer new unit owners in the Sun Rivers' development a program to furnish their home for less. The program allows the new homeowner's furniture order to be included in their loan amount. "Professional consultation from DLT Staging and Design's property stylist, Dena Hartling is also included in the package, giving new homeowners at Talasa an easier way to pay for their beautiful new home."
Kamloops, BC (PRWEB) June 27, 2012
Talasa Condominiums and Wholesale Furniture Brokers have partnered to allow new condo unit owners to add their furniture orders to their home loan amounts. Adding the furniture order to their loan will give homeowners a longer time to pay with a lower interest rate compared to using a credit card or line of credit.New home owners can order their Wholesale Furniture Brokers' gift certificate through their Talasa sales agent as they are purchasing their new condo unit. Once the amount of the gift certificate is added to their loan amount, the homeowner will be able to shop for furniture at Wholesale Furniture Brokers' Kamloops outlet or on their online store. "We have thousands of products with free shipping to choose from on our online site," says Matt Holmes, Wholesale Furniture Brokers' Marketing Manager. "We also have lots of options in stock and ready to pick up from our Kamloops store."
Professional consultation by DLT Staging and Design’s property stylist, Dena Hartling, will be included in the gift certificate amount. Hartling will be able to work with local buyers and international investors.
"The response from our clients has been extremely positive," says Lisa Villamo, Talasa's Sales Associate. Wholesale Furniture Brokers views the partnership with Talasa as a great fit for the business. "With Talasa, we saw the opportunity in terms of image, exposure of our products accompanied with the potential to offer customers exceptional value for their new home purchase", says Sergei Tashlikowich, Wholesale Furniture Brokers' Kamloops' Store Manager.
Wholesale Furniture Brokers has furnished a one bedroom suite plus den in the Paloma building in the Talasa Kamloops development. "Offering a furnished condo allows the prospective purchaser to fully visualize that making the decision to inhabit a smaller home can be rewarding, with the right use of space and design", says Villamo.
About Wholesale Furniture Brokers
Wholesale Furniture Brokers offers price leading furniture with free shipping to online customers direct from the manufacturers in the USA and Canada. World-class customer service is provided to customers by telephone, email, and chat. Shoppers can choose from a growing collection of traditional, modern, and contemporary furniture styles for inside and outside of the home at Wholesale Furniture Brokers. Consumers do not need to pay a membership fee to buy from Wholesale Furniture Brokers.
Matt Holmes
Wholesale Furniture Brokers
(250) 377-3669
Email Information
Every Lidl helps: bargain hunters flock to German masters of no-frills shopping - The Independent
And with the economic climate worsening, growing numbers of middle-class shoppers more accustomed to browsing the aisles of Waitrose are now "trading down" to shop at its less glamorous rivals, new figures show.
Research today reveals that nearly a third of shoppers intend to use discount supermarkets more frequently in the near future. And consumers in the highest socioeconomic groups are the most likely to do so.
Data from market analysts IGD found that 39 per cent of families from ABC1 households will use the stores in the year ahead compared with 30 per cent of those from the lower-income C2DE groups.
In leafy Meanwood in north Leeds the Aldi store sits on a retail park just a short distance from Waitrose. While the car park was not exactly chock-a-block with luxury 4x4s yesterday, the odd BMW and Mercedes testified to the budget supermarket's increasingly universal appeal.
Quantity surveyor Laura Blackburn, 27, began shopping here a year ago. "You get exactly the same thing here for about a quarter of the price. A cauliflower here is 69p but in Waitrose it is £1.69. At the end of the day, how different can a cauliflower be?" she said. "The other supermarkets try to lure you into two for the price of one. But here you can get one just as cheaply without having to go down the multi-buy route," she added.
Others admitted they had taken a certain amount of convincing to switch. "There is still that element of snobbery involved," said Katie Douglas, 37, a stay-at-home mum. "You hear it outside the school from some of the mothers. A few years ago I wouldn't have come here but the prices are just so much better," she added.
Emerging from the store clutching a bag of compost and a selection of bedding plants, nurse Rachel Fennelly, 27, and her GP partner, Dr Matthew Barton, 31, admitted they were relative newcomers. "It's only my fifth time. They have some good cheap plants here but I wouldn't go here for a regular shop because it is just a bit too random," she said.
The analysts also found that both major budget chains had invested in the quality of their products, which had helped to reverse any stigma associated with shopping there.
Joanne Denney-Finch, the chief executive of IGD, said food and grocery sales were continuing to grow this summer – despite the weather – largely as a result of events such as the Jubilee and Euro 2012 and with another boost anticipated from the Olympics.
"Even better-off shoppers, especially those with children, are looking to discount stores to save money as they feel the squeeze. While they remain a small part of the overall grocery market – representing just 4.5 per cent – discounters have been broadening their appeal to help even higher-income shoppers to tighten their belts," she said.
Retail village is Hammerson plan for Croydon (From Croydon Guardian) - croydonguardian.co.uk
Figure of eight shopping district to transform Croydon's North End
8:50am Wednesday 27th June 2012 in Local news By Nick Hitchens
North End will transform into the Whitgift Quarter featuring both the Whitgift Centre area and Centrale Shopping Centre under the retail giant Hammerson’s plan for Croydon.
Anglo-French company Hammerson, responsible for shopping centres such as Birmingham’s Bullring, Bristol’s Cabot Circus and Brent Cross Shopping Centre, is preparing to transform North End into a huge shopping and leisure district.
Chosen as the preferred bidder to develop the Whitgift Centre by majority lease holders Royal London Asset Management and Irish Bank Resolution Corporation in February, the company is preparing for consultation with Croydon Council next month.
Redevelopment rivals Westfield, backed by the Whitgfit Foundation, have stated they will spend £1bn on the site.
This was countered by Hammerson last week by the sale of more than £500m of office block assets in London to USA developer Brookfield, freeing up capital to match the Australian company’s offer.
Lawrence Hutchings, Hammerson’s managing director of UK retail, said: “Our number one priority is Croydon. “We are a FTSE 100 company with the power to comfortably raise the funding required to develop both Whitgift and Centrale.”
Hammerson purchased Centrale in 2011 for £100m and announced a £90m redevelopment including a cinema complex, following planning approval in May this year.
Mr Hutchings said his company’s plan was to create a figure-of-eight shopping route with four anchors, Debenhams and House of Fraser in Centrale and M&S and a new department store in Whitgift.
Alongside the mainstream cinema about 30 restaurants and cafes, a bowling alley and a small independent cinema could be included in the plans.
Mr Hutchings said: “Croydon has been hamstrung by infighting for 15 years. “We want to work with the Whitgift Centre to create a shopping district to suit the character of Croydon.”
He quashed fears of physical links between the two centres, such as glass walkways, and suggested the newly developed Whitgift Centre could be an open air “retail village”.
He said: “Our plan would keep a lot more [than Westfield’s proposal], but be unrecognisable to the existing Whitgift Centre.”
He also promised the layout would encourage shoppers to visit Old Town after criticism for closing the route through Centrale to Frith Road in the plans for the cinema.
Direct Sales To Add 16 Billion British Pounds Sterling To UK Wholesale/Distribution Companies' Revenues In 2012 - Yahoo Finance
LONDON, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Research sponsored by NetSuite Inc. (N), the industry's leading provider of cloud-based financials / ERP software suites, has today revealed wholesales/distribution (WD) companies revenues via direct sales are expected to increase from approximately 93bn pounds in 2011 to 109bn pounds in 2012. The research is based on economic models provided by the Centre for Economics and Business research (Cebr) and primary research of 50 UK wholesale/distribution business managers conducted by Vanson Bourne and is announced by NetSuite today.
Despite a continued period of economic uncertainty, the majority (66 percent) of UK WD businesses predict positive revenue growth this year. To achieve this, they are adding a direct sales channel to create new sources of revenue, and there will be a 27 percent growth in the number of WD companies selling direct to end users over the next year.
Those who are not already capitalising on eCommerce consider it a threat to the future growth for their business: three quarters (76 percent) of WD companies think that the failure to expand their business through investment in eCommerce channels could present a risk to the business. Over half (52 percent) of WD companies see the key challenge in adding a direct sales channel, such as eCommerce, as integrating it into the company's core ERP/financials systems.
Roman Bukary, AVP of Manufacturing and Wholesale & Distribution at NetSuite, comments, "In challenging economic times, savvy WD business leaders rely on multi-channel sales strategy, invest in technology to innovate, and focus on delivering value-add customer services all in pursuit of profitable growth and new markets without being burdened with spiralling management and infrastructure costs."
As well as eCommerce, international sales are expected to have an impact on the bottom line and WD businesses expect 118bn pounds from international sales in 2012, up from 101bn pounds in 2011. In addition, when looking at the absolute sizes of these revenue streams, international sales are the greatest.
A third path to growth in the year ahead is the adoption of M-commerce as a sales channel. It is currently a significant driver of revenue growth for those firms which make use of this technology and M-commerce revenue is expected to reach 80bn pounds in 2012, up 20 percent from 2011.
"Wholesale businesses are largely positive in their outlook for revenue growth. The survey results show that in 2012 direct sales are likely to be important revenue streams, and growth in the adoption of eCommerce, M-commerce and international sales are identified as potential sources of this revenue," comments Colin Edwards, Economist at Cebr.
NetSuite Wholesale Distribution Edition is the only cloud-based integrated business suite for wholesale distribution, offering automated order processing, inventory management, demand planning, shipping integration, financial management and sales force automation capabilities alongside a fully-featured eCommerce solution. For more information on NetSuite Wholesale Distribution Edition, please visit http://www.netsuite.co.uk/portal/uk/industries/wholesale.shtml
About the research
The report is based on primary research conducted by Vanson Bourne in April 2012 amongst 200 retailers with at least one retail store, and a minimum of 20 employees. It included seven of the top 10 retailers in the UK. The same study polled business leaders at 50 wholesale/distribution companies. The data from this research was used by Cebr to create an economic model looking at the potential for some of these trends to play out across the wider industry and present the broader economic picture.
About Vanson Bourne:
Vanson Bourne is a specialist research-led consultancy carrying out user research within a technology context. Vanson Bourne's clients range from start-ups to well-known companies that need expert guidance, delivering robust and credible research-based analysis.
About Cebr:
Cebr is a leading independent commercial economics consultancy with particular strengths in macroeconomic and market forecasting.
About NetSuite
Today, more than 12,000 companies and subsidiaries depend on NetSuite to run complex, mission-critical business processes globally in the cloud. Since its inception in 1998, NetSuite has established itself as the leading provider of enterprise-class cloud ERP systems for divisions of large enterprises and mid-sized organisations seeking to upgrade their antiquated client/server ERP systems. NetSuite excels at streamlining business operations as demonstrated in a recent Gartner study naming NetSuite as the fastest growing top 10 financial management systems vendor in the world. NetSuite continues its success in delivering the best cloud ERP/financials suites to businesses around the world, enabling them to lower IT costs significantly while increasing productivity, as the global adoption of the cloud is accelerating.
Follow NetSuite's Cloud blog, NetSuite's Facebook page and @NetSuiteEMEA Twitter handle for real-time updates.
For more information about NetSuite, please visit www.netsuite.com.
NOTE: NetSuite and the NetSuite logo are service marks of NetSuite Inc.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090924/SF81218LOGO-b)
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