This 2021 Irish documentary perhaps has done wonders with a person that had little tolerance for improvisational dance. That person is me.
The documentary directed by Pat Collins in a very hands-off fashion chronicles the creation and rehearsal of an Irish production of improvisational dance by Irish choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan and his dance troupe of 12 international dancers and seven musicians from the European classical collective stargaze with Irish traditional concertina player Cormac Begley. They have 8 weeks to prepare for a new production to be shown at the Dublin Theatre Festival.
Choreographer Keegan-Dolan makes it clear to the musicians and dancers he has no goal in mind that he demands from the dancers and musicians. The production will be from their creativity. He cobbles together a series of independent numbers into a coherent production inspiring and listening and then advising as opposed to directing which for him is true improvisational dance.
At times it is painful for less than an ardent supporter of improvisational dance to see the seemingly bizarre twitching’s that resemble more of a movement disorder than dance. Throughout the rehearsal footage I am getting a bit impatient and feeling somewhat justified improvisational dance is simply silly and overdone free form. I will freely admit while not awed overjoyed with what I see I gradually start to appreciate the skills, dedication and determination of the dancers and musicians. However as a writer and poet I begin to see this improvisational dance is an art form that may surpass film where there is a script, a ballet which is pre choregraphed by a director or a classical concert where the musicians are reading a sheet of music. The improvisational dancers have a blank slate and create a work of art that I might say I am a bit cool about. But my opinion about improvisational dance begins to change when I see the bits of opening night with the proper lighting and costuming. Keegan-Dolan and his musicians and dancers clearly have created a masterpiece of which I would gladly see. Oh my I am starting to blush!
Alright the documentary has moved me from detractor of modern dance to one who appreciates it. I can’t believe what I am about to say perhaps I even like it. Keegan-Dolan and director Pat Collins have either messed up my mind or straightened me out but one thing is that I can’t go back to my dislike of improvisational dance. I have moved forward but to where I am not sure. If such a documentary can lead this horse to water and make it drink does that not speak to its power?
It recently premiered at the BFI 2021 London Film Festival and will no doubt show up virtually or actually at your doorstep. You can see the trailer here https://vimeo.com/568064286/c62d7dd267
Attending Port Wine Day years ago in Porto in Portugal I recall a French marketing guru saying Port is a luxury product at a discount price. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate description. Why is this so? I think Portheads are less in abundance than Potheads and given there are now more cannabis stores in Toronto than Liquor Stores perhaps that truism is staring us in the face.
So what about this Warrior Port? Who are the Portuguese attacking here? Perhaps your tastebuds?
An intense black cherry colour. A massive nose of blueberry and blackberry assaulting your olfactory senses like a tidal wave taking no hostages. You will never get this intensity in a red table wine. On the palate this is a Ferrari of a wine unless we are back to “Ford vs. Ferrari” in which case we might say a “Ford of a Wine” however given the state of Ford vehicles these days that would be an inappropriate statement! I wonder if Matt Damon drinks Port?
Sorry for veering off the racetrack but on the palate a huge wallop of “spirit infused” grape and not the spirit fortifying the Port but the spirit of the dedicated wine making team that put this gem together. For excellence and intensity, the Warrior can only lead to one conclusion that it is out to capture your tastebuds.
Yes a decade ago I was one of those wine drinkers who really never gave much thought to Port until in 2013 I was invited to Portugal to taste this magical liquid and well the rest is history. I am now a knight in the Confrairia do Vinho do Porto. Yes that is the Order of Port Brotherhood. Unfortunately I have yet to find the right castle in Portugal. But I am working on it!
Now as legend goes consume Port with old gizzards in the club with a cigar and blue cheese. I dislike blue cheese although I am an old man who loves freshly rolled Cohibas which I simply can’t find in Toronto so I say based on the wonderful people from Sogrape in Portugal who took me to the restaurant at the Bolsa (old Stock Exchange) in Porto for rare Portuguese ox with Port and let me tell you forget the blue cheese and cigars and pair this with a rare Prime Rib! Little did I suspect I would be enthroned as a knight in the Confrairia at the Bolsa a few years later! My job is to uphold the dignity of Port. Easy Peasy here my friends. I have had a 125-year-old Port which still had decades to go. I would say if you like Port this will last into 2035 with ease. Given I am an old man I have been building a Port corner in my wine cellar for my children and grandchildren.
Please don’t be like me and wait too long to appreciate Port. The English upper classes used to buy “pipes of Port” for their grandchildren to consume when they reached the age of majority. I am up to 40 bottles ready for future progeny. Should I be sad about this? No. My duty as a knight in the Confrairia will hopefully be passed on to the budding future generations as I lie in the special section of heaven allotted for the knights that lived and supported Port.
(Warre’s Warrior Port Finest Reserve, Symington Family Estates, Villa Nova Gaia, Portugal, $19.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 197202, 750 mL, 20%, Robert K. Stephen a Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 94/100).
The Ontario government is introducing legislative changes today that would, if passed, make the province the best place for people to work, live and raise a family.
Today, the government will introduce the Working for Workers Act, 2021 that would, if passed:
Require employers with 25 or more employees to have a written policy about employees disconnecting from their job at the end of the workday to help employees spend more time with their families. Learn more.
Ban the use of non-compete agreements that prevent people from exploring other work opportunities in order to make it easier for workers to advance in their careers. Learn more.
Help remove barriers, such as Canadian experience requirements, for internationally trained individuals to get licenced in a regulated profession and get access to jobs that match their qualifications and skills. Learn more.
Require recruiters and temporary help agencies to have a licence to operate in the province to help protect vulnerable employees from being exploited. Learn more.
Require business owners to allow delivery workers to use a company’s washroom if they are delivering or picking up items. This supports the delivery drivers, couriers and truck drivers who have kept our essential supplies and economy going throughout the pandemic. Learn more.
Allow surpluses in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s Insurance Fund to be distributed over certain levels to businesses, helping them cope with the impacts of COVID-19. Learn more.
Enable the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to work with entities, like the Canada Revenue Agency, to streamline remittances for businesses, enabling a way to give them an efficient one-stop-shop for submitting premiums and payroll deductions. Learn more.
Allow the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to collect information related to the agri-food workforce to ensure the government can enhance the coordination of services such as vaccination and testing, and respond to issues that may arise.
Information about Ontario’s economy and how to do business here. Includes economic development opportunities, research funding, tax credits for business and the Ontario Budget. Learn more
Government
Learn about the government services available to you and how government works. Learn more
Jobs and Employment
We’ve got the resource and supports to help connect job seekers with employers. Learn more
There is never a dull moment when it comes to marketing in general. It’s even more so in the digital marketing sphere where tactics, platforms and features evolve at such a speed it can be difficult to keep pace. In the travel and hospitality realm, it’s been a critical challenge for years, but perhaps even more so within the past 18 months of madness we all experienced.
So where should we focus our priorities for the upcoming years? Here are seven trends that I believe will shape our marketing as we move forward.
1. TRAVELER EXPECTATIONS HAVE CHANGED
One of the biggest consequences stemming from this pandemic is how it changed our needs and wants when it comes to travel. In fact, many studies found that low prices were no longer the number one consideration when it came to decision-making in purchasing travel. In a recent article, I shared what travelers expect in 2021 and we see a clear shift from traditional views, with flexible booking conditions and sanitary measures now coming in at #1 and #2 in terms of importance for travelers.
Top traveler considerations when booking for hotels. Source: Expedia Group Traveler Index
How is your hotel, restaurant or attraction conveying this on your website? On your social media posts? Are you addressing these concerns with a dedicated tab on your website menu or with information in your regular newsletter? Integrating these aspects in your ongoing communications will be key.
Nature of travel is changing, too
2022 will mark the return of the international traveler, finall. But your organization should also pay attention to evolving behaviors in the travel landscape that were clearly shaped from this recent pandeminc. For example the working travelers, or digital nomads. If these travelers were marginal a couple of years ago, we can expect more and more leisure travelers mixing some business into the equation.
Just like business travelers will also add a few days onto their trip since technologies make it easier than ever to have meetings by the poolside or in a wifi-enabled room. Is your brand ready for this new reality and how are you communicating it across your digital touchpoints?
2. THE EVOLUTION OF LOYALTY PROGRAMS
Loyalty programs have been around for ever, and were able to move the needle (somewhat) of retention mostly with customers in the airline industry, where they were born originally. Hotel loyalty programs are a dime a dozen, and too many of these programs have failed to have distinctive features or get customers to increase their spend. For bigger chain hotels and resorts that can scale offers, loyalty programs still provide value but this is less the case for independent hotels and smaller players.
Now, we are also seeing subscription-based approaches such as TripAdvisor with its Plus program. And more recently, Expedia revamped and unified the loyalty programs within its portfolio of brands (Expedia, Hotels.com, Orbitz, Vrbo, etc.) in order to better position itself against competition such as Booking.com’s Genius Loyalty program. The new program will span flights, hotels, vacation rentals, car rentals, cruises, and activities.
We can expect more movement on this front, as hotels, restaurants and other hospitality providers will want to maintain their appeal within the broad loyalty and reward programs universe. This is also a key tactic to preserve the direct booking channel alive and kicking (see next point).
3. DIRECT BOOKINGS WILL PREVAIL, BUT LESS
For years now, hotels have been striving to get customers to book directly on their own website, where costs are low, rather than through brand.com or third parties like Expedia or Booking, where commission levels are steep. With more or less success.
This pandemic has brought in a rare opportunity, making domestic travel a must and only option. When booking locally, travelers feel less of a need to search on OTA platforms and are more confident about dealing directly with travel providers. Thus, direct bookings percentages when through the roof in 2020… but a bit less so in 2021, according to preliminary data from various reports.
In 2022, we can expect a shift back to reservations going to brand.com and, to a lesser extent, back to OTA catering more to an international clientele in general. Direct bookings will remain strong, but won’t stay at levels seen in 2020.
4. TIKTOK NOW A MAINSTREAM PLATFORM
It was almost two years ago when I posted an article stating Why TikTok matters for travel brands. Now, more than ever, travel and hospitality need to pay attention. Here are a few reasons why:
TikTok now has more than 1 billion active users (MAU)
It has been among the most downloaded mobile apps worldwide for over 6 consecutive quarters
The average user spends over 52 minutes per day on the platform
TikTok gets the highest levels of engagement per post of any social media
The fastest growing segment of users are 25-39 year-old
That last bit of information is perhaps the most crucial one. Whenever I talk to brands about the possibility of TikTok, the classic rebuttal I get is that “it’s for young teenagers only“. That might have been true in its earlier stages, but less so today. Content is more varied than it once was, with tutorials, cooking recipes, movie critics, travel recommendations, and so much more.
Don’t get me wrong, TikTok IS a platform that caters very well to a younger audience, because of it’s very nature and features: music, dancing, trends, pranks, etc. But as it grew in the past two years, so did its userbase. It would therefore be a critical mistake to dismiss it as possibility for your marketing mix in the coming year.
Going mainstream
One last point about TikTok. Late September, it held its first ever TikTok World Event during which many new features were shared for both content creators AND brands wishing to invest on the platform. Advertising is becoming more fluid and accessible, while longer videos are now possible. All in all, we are dealing with a platform reaching a maturity level that has Facebook (and Instagram) shaking and reacting… so it will be interesting to see how this battles unfolds!
5. INSTAGRAM AS THE GO-TO SOCIAL MEDIA
If there is anything the past couple of weeks have shown us, one thing is clear: Facebook is no longer the key social platform for storytelling. It remains a necessary evil, with its Events, Groups, Messenger, Marketplace and other useful features. But as younger audiences continue to flock away from Facebook, there is one silver lining that remains: Instagram.
Instagram vs Facebook, 2020 vs 2019. Source: SocialBakers
Case in point, last year SocialBakers evaluated how top Fortune 50 companies were dealing with their presence on Facebook and Instagram. As we can see in the chart above, comparing Q1 2019 with Q1 2020, audiences on Facebook shrank while those on Instagram increased. Interestingly, this increase occured even though brands were posting less, as we can see in the middle column. But to me, the most interesting finding comes from the third column, where we see total interactions, or engagement. Facebook already had dismal engagement levels, and it continues on shrinking while Instagram continues to see robust interaction.
Stories work well on Instagram, less so on Facebook. Reels are working relatively well on Instagram, even though they don’t match TikTok posts, which they clealy emulate. Reels are just arriving on Facebook, but I suspect they will do just like stories, which means not much. AR lens are useful and plentiful on Instagram, less so on Facebook.
Can you see a pattern, here?
Brands must stick with Facebook. For now.
Having said that, I am not saying travel brands should ditch Facebook just yet. Facebook has become a de facto outpost for customer service, recruiting, content sharing and overall communication with your community. A dynamic page means better ad campaign performance across the Facebook landscape, which includes Instagram, Messenger and Whatsapp. And there are many brands out there that still do a stellar job at creating quality content, which results in great reach and engagement levels.
But as the recent seven hours shutdown showed, it’s dangerous to put all your eggs in the same (Facebook) basket. Thus, having a diversified approach online is key.
6. NEWSLETTERS AND EMAIL MARKETING MAKE A COME BACK
For the past 20 years now, I have been hearing that email is dead, or that newsletters don’t work “as well as they used to”. Really? In a world where social media algorithms block off up to 95% of the content you post on your pages, one-to-one communication like emails, SMS and newsletters are more pertinent than ever.
2021 Global Email Benchmarks per Industry. Source: Campaign Monitor
If you read the points #3 and #4 above, you will also see a cause and effect correlation here. That is, with travel brands pushing more direct reservations and increasing efforts for retention and loyalty, having an email strategy in place is fundamental to fostering that relationship. This also means having automated processes prior to, during and after a stay, including invitations to leave a review after the experience on key platforms, i.e. Google, TripAdvisor, Facebook, etc.
7. WEBSITE SEO MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER
According to a Google survey from December 2020, searches for “available near me” grew globally by more than 100% since 2019. In 2021, these searches are up another 60% according to SearchEngineLand. What’s even more interesting is when we dig further to see which were the top categories for these searches over a given period of time.
The top categories for those searches were:
Food (84%)
Entertainment (56%)
Banking (50%)
Apparel (41%)
Personal Care (38%)
These are all categories deeply rooted in the travel experience, as we seek places to eat, things to do and stuff to buy whenever we are in a new destination for leisure or business. So how is your website ranking whenever travelers search with keywords that should lead to your brand?
Your website should not only be mobile optimized, in fact in many cases it should be properly be designed with mobile-first in mind.
More importantly, you will want to make sure you claim and manage your Google My Business profile. This will ensure you complete all relevant details with regards to your opening hours, amenities and services, photos and videos. This is also where you can manage and respond to reviews, since this has become an important facet for your online reputation.
BONUS: HR MARKETING TO HELP LABOR SHORTAGES
Last but not least, I thought I would mention the fact that all these marketing strategies and tactics are fine and swell in normal times. Or rather, in times when operations are growing smoothly as they should coming out of a worldwide pandemic. Truth is, however, there is a major issue that has been looming over the industry for the past 3-4 years and that is now exacerbated to unseen levels: the shortage of labor.
Earlier this summer, I shared 5 ways to mitigate shortage of labor in Hospitality and one of the tactics was actually to have a proper HR Marketing strategy in place. Well, I suspect we will be seeing lots more of this integration in 2022, where human ressources will work closely with marketing and communications to convey the employer brand vision, mission and values on social networks and other digital outposts.
Hilton Hotels’ latest campaign on Instagram invites guests to leave a testimonial about a great experience shared with a Hilton team member recently.
Labor shortage will be a problem for the next decade, and marketing alone will not solve it. But a strong and creative digital presence can certainly contribute to a stronger employer brand which, in turn, will help with recruiting and maintaining workforce stability.
Frederic GonzaloFrederic Gonzalo70 postshttp://www.fredericgonzalo.com/enFrederic Gonzalo is passionate about marketing and communications, with over 20 years of experience in the travel and tourism sphere. Early 2012, he launched Gonzo Marketing and works as a strategic marketing consultant, professional speaker and trainer in the use of new technologies (web, social media, mobile). Reach him at frederic@gonzomarketing.biz. Frederic is the creator of the popular video training series, The Future of Digital Travel Marketing, available through the eHotelier Academy.
Week-long Niagara Falls Music Live event showcases all-Canadian talent
(Niagara Falls, ON) A new live music celebration is set to take place in Niagara Falls, Canada’s premiere entertainment destination, from December 27, 2021 to January 1, 2022. The first Niagara Falls Music Live event brings a talented and diverse line-up of local, Ontario and Canadian talent to the city with an exciting mix of intimate performances and concerts across Niagara Falls each night, including an indoor concert for New Year’s Eve featuring iconic Canadian artists Blue Rodeo and Serena Ryder and the Juno Awards’ 2021 Breakthrough Group of the Year, Crown Lands.
QUICK FACTS
Niagara Falls Music Live – Monday, December 27, 2021 to Saturday, January 1, 2022
75+ live music performances to be announced at 20 venues across Niagara Falls
11+ events per night, 13 live music events on New Year’s Eve
Blue Rodeo’s first new album in five years – Many A Mile – is being released on December 3rd and the New Year’s Eve concert in Niagara Falls kicks off their 2022 National Tour
All event details at MusicLive.ca
The Niagara Falls Music Live event schedule showcases an extraordinary array of music genres from jazz to rock hosted in theatres, convention centres, restaurants and bars with both ticketed and non-ticketed events. Music lovers planning their winter getaway can experience multiple live shows during their visit to Niagara Falls this holiday season.
“We are thrilled to introduce another Signature Event to the line-up of unforgettable experiences that make Niagara Falls Canada’s entertainment capital and a perfect winter getaway,” said Janice Thomson, President and CEO of Niagara Falls Tourism.
Five concerts, including New Year’s Eve with Blue Rodeo, will bring live music back to stages across Niagara Falls with Canadian rock-favourites, The Trews, headlining at the Scotiabank Convention Centre on December 28 (tickets for both concerts on sale November 3rd). Live entertainment at the Marriott on the Falls, Old Stone Inn Boutique Hotel, Hilton Fallsview Hotel & Suites and Sheraton Fallsview Hotel will be announced later this week. Niagara Falls Music Live also features exclusive events, including a new Brasa After Dark Cocktail Lounge and live music at one of Canada’s top fine dining restaurants, AG Inspired Cuisine.
“Music lovers have waited a long time to get back to live entertainment and to celebrate with friends and family. This new live music event gives visitors another reason to head to Niagara Falls this holiday season to reconnect and make new memories,” said Joel Noden, Chair of Niagara Falls Tourism.
“Visitors to the Niagara Falls Music Live event can enjoy a variety of exciting performances and also experience the year-round attractions and culinary scene in the city,” said Anthony Annunziata, President of the Tourism Partnership of Niagara.
Now that restrictions and capacity limits for venues have been eased, live entertainment is coming back to the city in a big way! Following the success of Niagara Falls Tourism’s “Alessia Cara Live from Niagara Falls” virtual production this past summer, as featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the destination is thrilled to welcome guests back for in-person live music events showcasing all-Canadian talent.
Niagara Falls Music Live is presented by Niagara Falls Tourism in partnership with the Tourism Partnership of Niagara and funding provided by the Government of Ontario.
Media Resources
Visit MusicLive.ca for more information about artists, tickets, accommodation packages and more.
Niagara Falls’ commitment to guests and employees: SafetoPlay.ca
Website: www.niagarafallstourism.com
Instagram: @NiagaraFallsTourismCanada
Facebook: @NiagaraFallsTourismCanada
Twitter: @NFallsTourism
#ExploreNiagara
Health and Safety
All live music events in Niagara Falls follow Public Health guidelines set out by the Government of Ontario. You must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to access certain businesses and settings, including all venues for Niagara Falls Music Live events. Proof of vaccination and government issued identification will be checked at venues. To learn more about vaccination requirements, visit https://covid-19.ontario.ca. Face coverings are required indoors and at select outdoor attractions. Visitors are asked to follow all Public Health guidelines.
About Niagara Falls Canada
Overlooking the legendary Canadian Horseshoe, American and Bridal Veil waterfalls, Niagara Falls is a four-season destination renowned for its awe-inspiring natural wonders combined with world-class accommodation, thrilling entertainment and a burgeoning culinary scene. Visitors from Ontario, across North America and around the world who come to experience nature and adventure, discover family fun, feel the romance and explore unique and memorable experiences have made it Canada’s premier entertainment destination and a world-renowned bucket list destination. Located within a 1-day drive of half the population of North America, more than 152 M people, Niagara Falls is the perfect getaway.
About Niagara Falls Tourism
Niagara Falls Tourism (NFT) is the official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, representing almost 400 member establishments in Niagara Falls, including members throughout the Niagara Region. Welcoming almost 14 million visitors into the destination each year, NFT promotes the tourism and hospitality sector to visitors around the world. Dynamic marketing campaigns and signature events inspire visitors to explore Niagara Falls and support the success of local business. NFT fosters the international reputation of Niagara Falls as a four-season bucket-list destination and Canada’s entertainment capital.
About The Tourism Partnership of Niagara
Tourism Partnership of Niagara (TPN) is the organization responsible for marketing the Niagara Region as a world-class, four-season travel destination to domestic and international markets. Through effective tourism marketing supported by aligned market research, we help to create jobs and generate wealth by stimulating demand for Niagara’s tourism economy. Our role is to increase awareness of Niagara Region and influencing consumers at the intent and consideration phase of the consumer path to purchase. Playing a leadership role in the Niagara Tourism and Hospitality apparatus that helps shape the Niagara narrative to attract business and leisure consumers to Niagara.
EXPERIENCE EUROPE WITHOUT THE JETLAG AT THE 2021 VIRTUAL EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL
The 2021 European Union Film Festival builds on the success of last year’s virtual format to provide nation-wide access to some of the best films Europe has to offer, including a number of women and BIPOC directors, documentaries, and LGBTQ2+ films.
For immediate release
Ottawa, ON; Toronto, ON; Vancouver, BC – October 20, 2021 – The European Union Film Festival (EUFF) returns online, from November 12 to 28 for its 2021 edition. This year’s festival provides cinephiles across Canada with access to works from some of Europe’s top talent, including a number of North American film premieres.
After the success of the 2020 virtual EUFF, the Canadian Film Institute (CFI), The Cinematheque in Vancouver, and the European Union Film Festival of Toronto have reunited toorganize and hostthe 2021 virtual edition. As in the past, the festival is also hosted in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Union to Canada and the diplomatic missions of European Union Member States. Together, these partnerships provide a unique opportunity to experience the rich cultures of each European Union Member State across Canada all from the comfort of one’s own home.
The 2021 edition of the EUFF kicks off with comedy-thriller, Inventory, the debut feature from Slovenian director Darko Sinko. This film sets the bar for the quality of films that audiences will find at this year’s festival. Ranging from dramedy to documentary to fantasy, the diverse selection at the 2021 virtual EUFF has something for everyone. In addition to the films themselves, the festival will present interviews with a number of filmmakers whose works are being screened at the 2021 edition.
Audiences will have access to each film “live” online for a 48-hour period. This format allows for the time and opportunity to enjoy each work. All films are presented in their original languages with English, and in some cases, French subtitles.
Festival passes are $100 CAD, tickets are available for purchase at $12 CAD per ticket. For tickets, passes, and additional information on the 2021 virtual EUFF, visit https://www.euffonline.ca/welcome.
Quotes
“For a second consecutive year, the Delegation of European Union to Canada, the embassies, consulates and cultural institutes of EU Member States have joined forces with the Canadian Film Institute, the European Union Film Festival in Toronto and The Cinematheque in Vancouver to bring an exclusive collection of films from different corners of Europe. We would like to thank everyone who makes this festival – and this unprecedented collaboration – possible,” says Dr. Melita Gabrič, Ambassador of the European Union to Canada. “We are delighted to be able to continue this decades-long tradition and highlight the best of contemporary European cinema in Canada.”
“Once again, we are excited to offer this amazing online film festival to people in the three host cities of Ottawa, Vancouver, and Toronto and, for a second consecutive year, to all Canadians across the country,” says Canadian Film Institute Executive Director Tom McSorley, whose organization founded the Festival in 1984. “The EUFF is always a great opportunity to get in some substantial pre-holiday season cinematic travel to more than two dozen European Union destinations. We hope you enjoy your travels. Bon voyage and bon cinéma!”
“The Cinematheque in Vancouver is proud to join with our national partners in co-presenting, for a second year, this online, Canada-wide version of the European Union Film Festival. The Cinematheque has had the pleasure of hosting the EUFF on Canada’s west coast since 1998, and it has long been one of our most popular events, cherished by film lovers for its celebration of the richness and diversity of contemporary cinema in the European Union. When COVID-19 forced us to adopt a virtual model in 2020, it was a delight to discover audience enthusiasm undiminished and viewership expanded! We look forward to another great festival this year, and are grateful to the Canadian-based representatives of the European Union and its member states for their ongoing support and collaboration,” says Jim Sinclair, Executive and Artistic Director of The Cinematheque.
“The EUFF in Toronto has been shaping the cinematic culture of our multicultural city with rich and diverse programming for the last 17 years. Until COVID, 8000+ people stood in line in Little Italy each year, rain or shine, to get a chance to see excellent films from across Europe. Last year, our audiences remained faithful as we brought the ‘crème de la crème ‘ of EU cinema online for the first time. We are very excited to announce the line-up of the festival’s second online edition and extend the opportunity to access a unique cinema to all Canadians, from the comfort of their homes”, says Jérémie Abessira, Executive Director of the EUFF Toronto.
The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) is a not for profit, charitable organization dedicated to inspiring audiences and helping them discover the world of cinema. It also works to connect them with artists and with their communities. It was incorporated in 1935 and is the oldest film institution in Canada and the second oldest film institute in the world.
The CFI organizes several annual international film festivals, including the Ottawa International Animation Festival (September), the European Union Film Festival (Nov/Dec), the Bright Nights (Feb), the African Film Festival (June), and the Latin American Film Festival (April/May). It also brings Canadian cinematic talent to the City with Café Ex, The Enlightened Screen and Canadian Masters.
The Cinematheque, founded in 1972, is a film institute and media education centre in Vancouver devoted to understanding the art and history of Canadian and international cinema and the impact of moving images and screen-based media in our lives. Public activities include a year-round calendar of curated film exhibitions devoted to important classic and contemporary films and filmmakers; and an array of community outreach programs offering interactive learning opportunities in film appreciation, filmmaking, media literacy, and critical thinking.
The European Union Film Festival (EUFF) in Toronto, a not-for-profit organization, strives to reflect the excellence, innovation, and diversity of European cinema in Toronto, one of the world’s most multicultural cities. Founded in 2004 as a salve to Hollywood monotony, this free festival has grown to showcase dozens of contemporary films drawn from each of the EU’s member countries. The EUFF is a unique festival that brings together disparate EU Consulates and local cultural institutes for collaboration. Represented countries include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
Learn more about the European Union Film Festival in Toronto by visiting: http://euffto.com/.
About the European Union Delegation to Canada
Established in 1976, the European Union Delegation to Canada is a fully-fledged diplomatic mission and, as such, the natural contact point in Canada between the EU and the Canadian authorities. It also has a strong public diplomacy mandate designed to enhance the knowledge and understanding of the European Union as well as EU-Canada relations.
Register now to ensure you transition to doing business with the new Government of Canada procurement service. Click here to get started.
As of November 15, 2021, all supplier personnel must be fully vaccinated to access federal government workplaces. Suppliers will be required to provide a certification to their contracting authority.
As of November 15, 2021, supplier personnel who access federal workplaces must be fully vaccinated. Federal government workplaces include all places of work under the responsibility of the Government of Canada where federal government employees are present.
The vaccination requirement does not apply to:
contracts that are solely for the provision of goods
contracts where services are solely performed in non-federal government workplaces
situations where federal employees must enter contractor facilities (for example: to conduct compliance audits or security verifications)
contracted personnel who will only access common areas of buildings that are open to the public (such as the lobby)
Existing contracts and contractors
Contractor personnel who access Government of Canada workplaces to perform work pursuant to existing contracts are subject to the vaccine requirement.
Meeting the vaccination requirement
You are considered fully vaccinated if you have received:
the full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine or a combination of accepted vaccines including:
2 doses of any combination of Moderna Spikevax, Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty or AstraZeneca Vaxzevria (including CoviShield)
1 dose of Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)
For more information on accepted COVID-19 vaccines, you can consult the Vaccines for COVID-19 page.
Certification Process
Suppliers must submit a certification form by October 29, 2021, certifying that their personnel who access Government of Canada workplaces will be fully vaccinated as of November 15, 2021.
The Government of Canada will provide further information and instructions regarding the implementation of the vaccination requirement for contracted personnel shortly.
Existing contracts
Contractors who currently have a contract with the Government of Canada will be contacted by the contracting officer with a certification form that they must complete and return, certifying that their personnel that access federal workplaces will be fully vaccinated as of November 15, 2021. Contractors who do not submit the certification may be subject to further measures, up to and including termination.
Future contracts
As of October 15, 2021, bidders for contracts that will require supplier personnel to access federal government workplaces must submit a certification proving they meet the vaccine requirement as a condition of the bid. Bids that do not include the certification will not be considered. The certification form will be included with implicated Requests for Proposals.
Special circumstances and exemptions
Some contracted personnel may not be able to get fully vaccinated due to:
a certified medical contraindication
religious grounds
other prohibited grounds of discrimination as defined in applicable human rights legislation
In such cases, contractors are expected to inform the responsible contracting authority as soon as possible of:
the number of such personnel
the impacted work locations
the steps the contractor proposes to undertake to mitigate any associated risks (such as regular rapid testing)
Exemptions and any mitigation measures are subject to approval by the contracting and technical authorities.
Contractors should not share any personal information with the contracting authority, such as any specifics about:
medical contraindications
disability
religious grounds
Monitoring
Client organizations will be responsible for monitoring contractors’ adherence the vaccination requirement. Additional information will be communicated to implicated contractors by the client organization or contracting authority as required.
Failure to meet requirement
Suppliers who do not provide the required certifications or who are subsequently discovered to have provided an untrue certification, may be subject to measures up to and including contract termination.Date modified:2021-10-12
The fateful day dawned and the Jiber spent most of it guzzling Quebec apple cider and watching Johnny Jellybean repeats on CCF TV. After a dinner of grilled rabbit marinated in tarragon, mustard and yogurt with two bottles of cheap Spanish wine he wobbled out onto the street and hailed a taxi to take him to the headquarters of The Montreal Humane Society in NDG. He would show all these earthlings and stupid Zortixians just how brilliant he was. He picked the lock under the cover of darkness and found them smuggled out of North Korea by a defector….killer ants which were to be used by North Korean leader Conman Jugular Um to annihilate South Korea. The defector had been injured in an automobile “accident” as the reach of the North Koreans was long and the ants ended up at the Humane Society before they could be transported back to North Korea for their dastardly mission. It was a concerned physician caring for the North Korean defector that ensured the ants were taken to the Humane Society.
Jiber had had one of his agents steal a post graduate thesis from a chemical engineering student at Mc Swill University in Montreal involving the discovery of the B-17 formula that had the ability to enlarge certain insects to gargantuan size. If it works on the ants they would become Godzilla sized attackers. Hundreds of them and Jiber could subjugate the entire city of Montreal. Jiber spayed the ants with the B-17 and returned to his St. Leonard duplex to hear on the radio and television some 20,000 killer ants of gargantuan portion were attacking everything in their path including people, trees and pets. Jiber was convinced he would soon have a terrorized population under his control.
Dr. Zodiac comfortably ensconced in his luxury Ritz Marlton suite in Montreal had just finished his dinner of Greek sea bass and wild Greek herbs and was polishing off a bottle of Greek Moschofilero white wine when he thought he heard screams from Sherbrooke Street below his room. Most likely some guest had their television on a bit too loud. Zodiac was happy to be back on earth and in reality as opposed to some fantasy world of the Greek Gods in the Zlano dimension he was serving on many political committees and feeling he was making a valuable contribution to humanity in some manner instead of subsisting in some philosophical Neverland on Zlano. It was such a shame a deranged mayor called Droolpoop was spending so much money on the 1976 Olympics. Was he getting the money to construct facilities from Montreal mobsters so they could sell tainted horse meat at Olympic venues like they did at Expo 67 and skim some fat off city construction contracts? How the Olympic games had been perverted over the centuries. He remembered the first Olympics in Greece where he had presided as a judge. There was competitiveness and hostility but essentially they had been simple and dignified. Now they were huge showpieces creating superhumans through incessant training and doping while millions of humans wallowed in poverty and oppression. These disadvantaged needed help and quickly more than the tourism industry that could cater to the wealthy who could actually afford tickets to Olympic events. Zodiac spoke as an insider and not as a social worker who lived in the suburbs and travelled to the slums to help the disadvantaged. He worked free of charge in medical clinics of various Montreal neighbourhoods. Perhaps the screams were not emanating from a television set but from protestors demonstrating against the grandiose plans of Droolpoop.
Zodiac rushed to his window and looked below totally astonished to see a stream of huge ants invading Sherbrooke Street. He turned on his television and saw reporters in a state of near hysertia blurting out terrified accounts of hundreds being injured or killed by the mutant ants. Thousands of citizens lied moaning in the streets their blood full of the venom of these mutant ants. Zodiac racked his brains and remembered vaguely he had encountered something like this in his past but would it work here?
I think it may be time for me to cease writing about Niagara Riesling. I have scuppered my chance of ever winning a Niagara Academy Award for astute and insightful reporting on Niagara Riesling. Much of it reminds me of a white Basque Txakoli which is so acidic it is poured into the glass a few feet above the glass to help dissipate some of its acidity. It suits just about all manner of seafood beautifully especially the halibut and the marisco soup served in a simple non pretentious restaurant in the Basque region of Spain called Hermandade de Pescadores (located in Hondarribia) perhaps one of the best seafood restaurants in Spain.
Now getting back to the issue of Ontario Riesling we try a Nomad Autumn Snow Riesling from Hinterbrook Estate Winery in Niagara-On-The-Lake which I passed by a couple of weeks ago while in Niagara-On-The-Lake.
It is just about platinum in colour.
On the nose I am picking up peach, mango, tangerine with some lime. The initial pour reminds me of white Vinho Verde from Northern Portugal a rather acidic white.
I brace my palate for a blast of acidity but none of that past experience with so many Niagara Rieslings rushes to my palate. I think I have been suffering from Post Traumatic Riesling Disorder from Niagara Rieslings. This wine has helped with my rehabilitation as it is not awash with brash acidity. No doubt there is acidity but it is laid back sufficiently from triggering my PTRD. There is peach, honey crisp apple with a little bit of sweetness but make no mistake this is an extra dry Riesling more Germanic than one from Niagara. It would suit Halibut in the most wonderful broth prepared by Hermandade de Pescadores!
Perhaps the wine has sharpened my perception of Niagara Rieslings as not being one-dimensional acid bombs convincing me there is a less acidic style quite like Vineland Estates Elevation Riesling. This is a style that I can live with and enjoy and hopefully you can too!
(Nomad Autumn Snow 2020 Riesling, Hinterbrook Estate Winery, Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario, $16.95, 750 mL, 12%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 89/100).
Here I was thinking that as a Marshall one zips around in a golf cart in the politest fashion asking laggards to get their asses moving to keep the pace moving. Well there is paperwork involved at my course and it is the following;
COVID SIGN-IN SHEET: You know the drill no fever or COVID symptoms, no travel outside of Canada etc. Additionally, by November 15, 2021, the day the course is to close, proof of double vaccination against COVID. You must sign an attestation before your shift.
GOLFERS AND THEIR TEE-OFF TIMES AND CART NUMBERS: This is updated each hour by the starter to enable you to know who is on the course and what time they teed off as well as their golf cart numbers.
HOURLY TIME SHEET: You are expected to track 9- and 18-hole times at the top of each hour. The goal is a maximum of 4:30 hours for 18 but depending on the day and time that can be as low as 3:15 and high as 4::45 on the weekends. Your time sheets are checked by the manager of the Pro-Shop. I have not been fired yet so I presume I am herding the sheep on schedule. You are given a sheet which indicates start off times and what time each golfer should be finished each hole. It is predicated on a full course and foursomes and may not be that accurate with poor weather conditions where start times are not 10 minutes apart but even then it is accurate enough to convince golfers they are too slow. This sheet is updated each hour by the starter.
INTERACTION REPORTS: Each interaction with golfers should be recoded even if is simply a hello and by the way you are on time. I think though management is more interested in reports that slow gofers have been advised to pick up their pace, pick up the ball and move to the next hole, asked to leave the course or have been advised to not consume their personal alcohol.
COURSE CONDITION REPORT: Each hour requires a report on the condition of the 18 holes. Is there a tree branch down, have recreational walkers and bikers been advised to leave the course, has a golfer been injured or have the greens or facilities been vandalized.
SIGN OUT SHEET: You record your hours worked in a binder which is signed by a Pro-Shop employee.
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 