'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
WW International appears set to close dozens of its roughly 118 WeightWatchers locations across Canada on March 26.
While the company has not formally announced the wave of closures, profiles for the affected locations on the WeightWatchers website note that the locations will close on Sunday while inviting members to register for virtual workshops. There are notices for 37 locations.
WeightWatchers is a fee-based weight loss program that employs meal plans, in-person and virtual workshops, a meal tracking app and a dietary "points budget" system to help clients lose weight. WW International also sells branded home goods, books and grocery items.
The company has operated since 1963 and has locations in each of Canada's 10 provinces, though none in the territories. Locations are apparently set to close in every province except Quebec.
The news came as a surprise to some long-time clients, like Liliane Guertin, who first saw it circulating in a private Facebook group last Wednesday.
During her usual weight loss workshop the following night, staff confirmed her location's final in-person session would take place March 23.
"Our meeting was on Thursday night and we were told this Thursday is the last day," Guertin told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Wednesday. "Apparently at the end of this week, these so-called studios will no longer exist."
She said staff at the location also told her they would be laid off as a result of the closure.
Guertin attends weekly workshops at a WeightWatchers location in Welland, Ont., and has been a WeightWatchers member on and off for 50 years. When she learned that many of the company's Canadian locations could close this month, she opted to cancel her membership rather than register for virtual workshops.
"I work every day online, I'm not interested in doing any more online," she said. "And as far as I was concerned, they had broken the contract, so I just wanted to cancel my membership."
Dow Jones Newswires reported in February that the company planned to reduce costs across its global business operations by laying off staff, centralizing global management and terminating leases in 2023.
Earlier this month, The Associated Press reported WeightWatchers is moving into the prescription drug weight loss business with the acquisition of Sequence, a telehealth provider that offers users access to diabetes and weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Trulicity.
WW International did not respond to a request for comment from CTVNews.ca by publishing time.
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
The Edmonton Oilers will start Calvin Pickard in net Tuesday for Game 4 of their playoff series with the Vancouver Canucks.
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
The province has released more information on its plan to break up Alberta Health Services and replace it with four sector-based health agencies.
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.