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Sumeru Equity Partners signs agreement to buy Q4 in deal valued at $257 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:10 GMT

TORONTO — Q4 Inc. has agreed to be taken private by a private equity firm in a deal valued at $257 million.Sumeru Equity Partners has agreed to pay $6.05 per share for Q4, which helps companies communicate with shareholders and hold virtual events.Q4 shares were up $1.52 at $5.96 in trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday morning.Q4 founder and chief executive Darrell Heaps says the Sumeru team has a deep understanding of the company’s business and that their support will help it grow.The agreement includes a go-shop provision which allows Q4 to solicit, evaluate and enter into talks regarding potentially superior bids.The deal, which requires shareholder approval, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:QFOR)The Canadian Press

Group posed as luxury vehicle retailers to steal Lamborghinis, Porsches and Ferraris: Halton police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:10 GMT

Halton Regional Police allege a sophisticated group of fraudsters posed as representatives of a legitimate retailer of luxury vehicles to steal Lamborghinis, Porsches, Ferraris and other vehicles valued at more than $1.6 million.Police began “Project Luxe” in the summer of 2023 after the suspects attended several dealerships throughout the Greater Toronto Area where police say “they fraudulently obtained several high-end vehicles.”Police say they were able to drive off with the vehicles after duping the dealerships with fake documents.“The sophistication of this particular scam and exceptional quality of the documents they produced enabled the group to carry out similar frauds at other GTA and southern Ontario area dealerships,” investigators said in a release Monday.Police say they were soon able to identify suspects and also establish their connection to a broader distribution group.With the help of U.S. Homeland Security as well as Toronto Poli...

Energy and tech stocks help lift S&P/TSX composite, U.S. stock markets mixed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:10 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index was up in late-morning trading as strength in the energy and technology stocks helped lead the way higher and U.S. stock markets put in a mixed showing. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 84.47 points at 19,738.94.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 32.21 points at 34,315.31. The S&P 500 index was down 2.06 points at 4,413.18, while the Nasdaq composite was down 18.01 points at 13,780.10.The Canadian dollar traded for 72.51 cents US compared with 72.36 cents US on Friday.The December crude contract was up 78 cents at US$77.95 per barrel and the December natural gas contract was up 10 cents at US$3.13 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was up US$5.90 at US$1,943.60 an ounce and the December copper contract was up seven cents at US$3.65 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD) The Canadian Press

Police and protesters clash at Atlanta training center site derided by opponents as ‘Cop City’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:10 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Police are using tear gas and flash-bang grenades to break up a march seeking to halt construction of a police and firefighter training center in Atlanta.Several hundred people on Monday marched about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from a park to the site, which is just outside the Atlanta city limits in suburban DeKalb County.A wedge of marchers pushed into a line of officers in riot gear on a road outside the training center site and tried to keep going. Officers pushed back and then responded with tear gas, with one protester throwing a canister back at officers.Protests against the proposed training center — dubbed “Cop City” by opponents — have been going on for more than two years. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr obtained a sweeping indictment in August, using the state’s anti-racketeering law to target 61 protesters, characterizing them as “militant anarchists.”Some marchers on Monday retreated from the clash while others tried to cleanse themselves of the ...

Man suffers serious injuries when hit by dump truck in northwest Toronto

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:10 GMT

A man is in hospital with serious injuries after he was struck by a dump truck in Toronto’s northwest end.Emergency crews responded to the scene at Dufferin Street and Eglinton Avenue West just after 10:30 a.m. on Monday.Paramedics say the man’s injuries are potentially life-threatening.The intersection is closed to traffic as police investigate.Police have not said if the driver involved remained at the scene.

Russia jails an associate of imprisoned Kremlin foe Navalny as crackdown on dissent continues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:10 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A court in the Siberian city of Tomsk on Monday jailed an associate of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny pending trial on extremism charges, according to an ally, part of an unrelenting crackdown on Russian political activists, independent journalists and rights workers. Ksenia Fadeyeva, who used to run Navalny’s office in Tomsk and had a seat in a local legislature, was placed in pre-trial detention several months after her trial began.According to her ally Andrei Fateyev, who reported the development on his Telegram channel, Fadeyeva was placed under house arrest three weeks ago over an alleged violation of restrictions imposed on her earlier. The prosecutor later contested that ruling and demanded she be put in custody, a move the judge supported, Fateyev said. The activist has been charged with running an extremist group and promoting “activities of an organization that infringes on people’s rights.” Fateyev argued that Fadeyeva was ...

Average Canadian rent price hits new high for sixth consecutive month: report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:10 GMT

A new report says the average asking price for a rental unit in Canada reached $2,178 last month, a 9.9 per cent year-over-year increase and continuing a trend that has seen asking rents hit new highs for six months in a row.The data released by Rentals.ca and Urbanation, which analyzes monthly listings from the former’s network, shows that while October’s annual rate of rent growth in Canada was down from the 11.1 per cent jump in September, it still marked the second fastest annual increase of the past seven months.The average cost of a one-bedroom unit in October was $1,906, up 14 per cent from the same month in 2022, while the average asking price for a two-bedroom was $2,255, up 11.8 per cent annually.Vancouver still leads the way as Canada’s most expensive city for renters, with the average one-bedroom unit listed at $2,872 and a two-bedroom at $3,777 — both down from September’s asking prices, but up 6.7 per cent and 5.5 per cent, respectively, on an a...

White House releases plan to grow radio spectrum access, with possible benefits for internet, drones

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Monday announced a strategy to potentially expand the availability of radio spectrum needed for cellphones, satellites, navigation, space travel and other emerging technologies.The increasingly digitized and mobile economy has put pressure on the available range of frequencies used for wireless communication. The spectrum is also vital for national security and responding to disasters.“We all understand the spectrum is crowded, demand is growing fast,” said Arati Prabhakar, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “This is a way to break through the limitations of today.”The strategy will help to coordinate and guide how spectrum is allocated by the Federal Communications Commission, an independent government agency.The National Telecommunications Information Administration will perform a two-year study on how to possibly repurpose 2,786 megahertz of spectrum, which could be used for wireless broadband, drones, and sat...

Industry leaders slam bill to ban replacement workers during strikes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:10 GMT

MONTREAL — Industry leaders are warning that a bill to ban replacement workers during a strike or lockout could lead to greater disruptions to everything from aviationto package delivery and internet services.Tabled in Parliament on Thursday, the Liberals’ legislation would be applicable to federally regulated sectors such as air travel, ports, banking and telecommunications and fine companies $100,000 a day for each violation. It would affect about a million employees.Derrick Hynes, CEO of the Federally Regulated Employers – Transportation and Communications industry group, says a ban on replacement workers will create a major imbalance at the table and incentivize strike action.He also cautions the bill could give small bargaining units in large companies outsized power to shut down entire operations, pointing to airlines and ports as examples.However, Canadian Union of Public Employees president Mark Hancock says current rules give management unfair leverage in negoti...

Chicago firefighter, 39, dies after battling fire at restaurant in Lincoln Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:10 GMT

CHICAGO — A Chicago firefighter has died after battling a fire at a restaurant in the city's Lincoln Park neighborhood.The firefighter has been identified as 39-year-old Andrew Price.Fire officials confirmed his death Monday morning, saying "on behalf of the Fire Commisioner, it is my sad duty to report the passing of our member injured this morning at 2430 Lincoln."The fire started around 6 a.m. Monday at Lincoln Station Bar and Grill in the 2400 block of Lincoln Avenue. According to officials, a Mayday call was made while crews were responding to the fire and one firefighter was trapped and had to be rescued. The crew member was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital in critical condition, where they later died.Price joined the fire department in March 2009. He would have been 40 years old come January. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.The firefighter's death is the fourth line-of-duty death the department has dealt with this year. Lt. Kevin Ward died following a No...