Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Shoppers may need a little holiday magic themselves to snag one of this year's hottest toys.
Demand has been high in Canada and the United States for Magic Mixies, a creation of Moose Toys out of Australia.
The toy has kids mix magical ingredients together in a cauldron, creating real mist, and then, with the tap of a special wand and a couple of magic words, a pink or blue furry pet, or Mixie, is born.
With helpful marketing from 'How I Met Your Mother' star Neil Patrick Harris, the holiday frenzy for Magic Mixies has been dubbed by The New York Post as "worse than 'Tickle Me Elmo.'"
Up north, several retailers have reported being out of stock of the popular toy as of Friday, including Walmart, Indigo, The Bay and Toys 'R' Us.
Those willing to fork up a few more bucks can find Magic Mixies on Amazon.ca or eBay for well over $100 in most cases, with some listing the furry creature for about $200.
"There's so many cool elements to this toy, I think," Kristin Morency Goldman, a spokesperson for the U.S. not-for-profit The Toy Association, told CTVNews.ca by phone.
"Really, the innovation and the creativity in the toy itself is really driving the demand — and you can repeat the process over and over again."
Goldman says there always is that one toy every holiday season that everyone wants but can't get their hands on, whether it's Tickle Me Elmo or back in the 1980s with Cabbage Patch Kids.
And this year, Magic Mixies just happens to have that perfect storm of ingredients that drives what kids want in a toy, she says, with kids able to go through the "magic reveal" over and over again.
The current shipping crisis has impacted the availability of all toys, Goldman says, although there are still many options out there that are just as innovative as Magic Mixies.
"But I would say, if you see one and want one, get it. Don't wait five minutes, because in five minutes it'll be gone."
Marty Weintraub, national retail leader at Deloitte, says shoppers have been a bit more fearful as a result of the supply chain challenges, with people starting their holiday shopping earlier than ever "to a pretty serious magnitude."
Holiday shopping, which usually begins closer to Black Friday, saw an uptake around the end of October and early November, he says.
As part of its 2021 holiday retail outlook, Deloitte found 14 per cent of consumers planned on completing their shopping on Cyber Monday. Another 65 per cent expected to finish in December, down from 75 per cent in 2019, which Deloitte believes reflects rising concerns around pandemic-driven supply chain issues and their impact on retailers.
Even with existing supply chain challenges, Weintraub says stores do have a lot of product available — shoppers just may not be able to get the exact item they want, or at as deep of a discount.
"Unfortunately, there's lots of things that have to get solved, and on top of that you have really strong demand," Weintraub said as far as when consumers and retailers may see some easing in the supply chain.
There are signs that the situation may improve over the next several months, Weintraub says, although that will depend on factors such as when demand starts to waver or whether existing labour challenges continue to persist.
As far as advice he would give to shoppers — and with only a few weeks left before Christmas — Weintraub says don't procrastinate, and the more digitally savvy you are the better shot you'll have.
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.