Category: 3. Business

Nestled in fluffy snow, trees dusted and a snowman standing near, Memorial University’s Queen Elizabeth II Library in St. John’s looks picture perfect for the holidays.

But this scene can fit in the palm of your hand. It was 3D printed and dressed up by Gordon Little, the manager of library IT services.

Since 2011, Little has been making artwork inspired by the library and turning it into Christmas cards for colleagues.

“It’s a very special building. It doesn’t look like anything else. It’s not just a little block. It’s a very inspirational shape,” Little told CBC News.

He began working on his most recent project in November. Printing the QEII took a few hours, before sanding it down and painting it, with some help at home.

“I had the kids help me because they’re good at painting little things. And we sponged on little snow and everything. And I made the trees and I made the little snowman,” said Little.

“I’ve never tried to paint something so tiny that I had a toothpick to put the little eyes on it.”

Some fake snow was added, and because the library is hollow, he put some fairy lights on the inside.

He then set the library against a green screen and began taking photos that he’d use for the Christmas cards.

‘As a lark’

Little started the tradition in 2011, when he first started working at the library.

“It just happens to be that I love doing art and graphic design and making things in my spare time. So as a lark, I just made a little Christmas card which had the QEII library inside of this little snow globe,” he said.

He then sent it around to his colleagues and people loved it, so he’s been doing it ever since, he said.

But Little likes to shake-up what medium he uses. There have been drawings, watercolours, photography, models and even a cross stitch. There’s also “a whole lot of Photoshop silliness in between.”

This year he made a 3D printed library because he was given the printer for Father’s Day.

“Some years it’s only a week or two before December and I have no idea what to do,” said Little.

“I’m going to keep making cards until I retire.”

Little shares his creations on social media, but his new 3D library is on display in the real library’s lobby.

“We’ve got this great little display for the holiday season,” Little said.

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A farewell event for commuter trains which are being phased out in Surrey is taking place to benefit three charities.

South West Railway’s (SWR) red Class 455 fleet has been in service for 42 years and is being replaced by new Arterio trains.

Tickets for Sunday’s event, which passes through places including Epsom, Guildford and Haslemere, sold out in 15 seconds, the company said.

In response to the “unprecedented demand”, SWR and the Branch Line Society said they would run a second train.

Christmastime’s a-comin’, which means a slew of changes to shops, services and more.

This is a broad overview and it rarely hurts to check specific hours beforehand.

There will be a separate guide to changes around New Year’s Day.

Wednesday, Dec. 24

Shopping and attractions

Many grocery stores, pharmacies and alcohol outlets close early.

The Bayshore, Place d’Orléans, Rideau Centre, St. Laurent and Tanger malls each close at 5 p.m. Bayshore opens early at 8 a.m.

The science museum is open on regular hours.

The national gallery and agriculture, aviation, history and war museums close at 2 p.m., while the Ottawa Art Gallery closes at 4 p.m. until Jan. 2.

The nature museum is closed.

Services

Waste collection is on a normal schedule.

OC Transpo is on a “reduced weekday schedule” starting Monday, Dec. 22, until Friday, Jan. 2, with further changes on holidays. School routes won’t be running.

Its winter schedule also begins Sunday Dec. 21.

Bank branches across the city are generally open with regular hours.

Free parking will be available at Ottawa city hall starting at 4 p.m. on Dec. 24 and running until 7 a.m. on Dec. 26.

The ByWard Market garage will offer free parking over the same time period.

The city’s sexual health clinic and dental clinics will work modified holiday hours.

All Ottawa Public Library branches that do not normally close on Wednesdays are open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 25

Businesses, attractions, banks and services are generally closed. Some pharmacies, grocery stores and restaurants are open.

OC Transpo is on a Sunday schedule. Para Transpo is offering holiday service.

The city will not offer curbside or multi-residential garbage, green bin, recycling or bulky item collection on Christmas. Pick-up will take place the following day. The Trail Waste Facility will also be closed.

The Site program mobile van will work from 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

The city’s sexual health clinic and dental clinics will be closed, as will all four of the city’s employment and social services offices.

All Ottawa Public Library branches are closed.

Friday, Dec. 26

Shopping and attractions

Some grocery stores may tweak their hours, but many are back to normal.

Pharmacies and alcohol outlets may be closed or open under different hours. Check with specific locations.

The Bayshore, Rideau Centre and St. Laurent malls each open early: Bayshore and St. Laurent at 8 a.m. and the Rideau Centre at 9 a.m.

Place d’Orléans is keeping its regular hours.

The aviation, history, science and war museums are open on regular hours, as is the national gallery.

The agriculture museum and Ottawa Art Gallery are closed. The nature museum is open an hour later until 5 p.m.

Services

OC Transpo is on a Saturday schedule. Para Transpo is offering holiday service.

Bank hours may vary. Royal Bank says all branches are closed, for example.

The Trail Waste Facility is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Site program mobile van will work from 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

The city’s sexual health clinic and dental clinics will be closed, as will all four of the city’s employment and social services offices.

All Ottawa Public Library branches are closed.

A public health nutritionist at the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is encouraging people who can afford to entertain this holiday season to invite people over for dinner who might otherwise miss out.

Food insecurity can cause social isolation, Karen Bellmore said.

And that leads to worsening physical and mental health.   

“Many individuals who have full-time jobs who are minimum wage earners are still struggling with food insecurity,” Bellemore said. 

“Usually people withdraw, and there’s a lot of shame and embarrassment with not being able to feed yourself. But this is really a system-level problem.”

Statistics Canada reported on Dec. 15 that grocery inflation in November had reached its highest point since the end of December: 4.7 per cent year over year.

People on social assistance struggling to pay for food

The health unit released its own annual food affordability report in late November, documenting the cost of 61 food items that are essential to helping people at different ages and stages of life meet their nutritional needs. 

It found that a family of four would spend about $1,181.08 per month on those food items, while a single person would spend $413.18. 

When combining those numbers with average rents in the region, it estimated that a family of four on Ontario Works would have just $546 leftover for additional expenses after paying for food and housing, while a single person would be in the hole by an estimated $420.

Those additional expenses include utilities, insurance, laundry, vehicle expenses, child care, school supplies and other essentials, including other groceries.

“Even in our nutritious food basket cost, we aren’t really looking at those extra hygiene items like toilet paper,” Bellmore said. 

It doesn’t even track the cost of coffee.

Hunger tends to be hard to see, Bellmore said, because nobody gets evicted from their home or has their utilities cut off when they don’t feed themselves.

Food tends to be seen as a “flexible expense” that people will sacrifice in order to avoid losing those other essentials, she said.

“But it really isn’t,” she said, “because it harms our physical and mental health when we’re not able to nourish ourselves.”

One man who launched an annual community Christmas dinner four years ago says people have been struggling more with their mental health for the past several years, and the holiday season just makes things worse for some people.

Shared meal became annual community gathering

“Being around people helps that person out, even if it’s just sitting there talking to somebody for five minutes,” John Hanchar said.

Hanchar launched Not Alone for Christmas during his first year of recovery from addiction by bringing together six people from Narcotics Anonymous. 

“I know what it’s like to be alone ’cause I’ve been there before, and I just thought, ‘You know, let’s just do it,” he said.

“The first one was just a simple thing. … I just went and bought … some food and some games and played cards, and we had some snacks.”

The following year he made posters for the event and got media coverage, and it blew up.

“People were telling me, like, no one does a Christmas dinner on Christmas Day,” he said.

Last year, he served 180 people, thanks to donations from people and businesses in the community. 

The event is now listed in 211 Windsor’s Holiday Sharing Guide, and Hanchar said his phone has been ringing off the hook.

“What I get out of this is gratitude,” he said.

Everyone is welcome to the free event. And Hanchar tries to provide a present for everyone. 

The event is alcohol free, and the leftover food and gifts are donated to other charities. 

This year’s event takes place Christmas Day at Peace Lutheran Church. Doors open at 1 p.m., and dinner starts at 2:30.

The Ministry of Energy has approved a major revision to Pakistan’s net metering policy, significantly altering the framework for solar power consumers across the country.

Sources in the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) said the decision was finalised after months of consultations with key stakeholders, including power distribution companies (Discos) and regulatory bodies. Under the revised net billing mechanism, solar consumers will now be compensated at a fixed rate of Rs11 per unit for electricity exported to the national grid.

Officials said the duration of solar power agreements has also been reduced to five years. Unlike the previous net metering regime — under which excess electricity generated by consumers was adjusted against their total consumption — the new system introduces a fixed per-unit compensation rate to be determined by Nepra. Electricity drawn from the grid will continue to be billed at the prevailing Nepra-approved tariff.

Under the earlier policy, solar consumers received a much higher buyback rate of Rs25.98 per unit. However, officials said the revised framework aims to align solar incentives with evolving market conditions and ensure long-term grid sustainability.

Sources further said that all solar installations with a load of up to 25 kilowatts will now require a licence from Nepra. Previously, domestic, commercial and industrial consumers installing systems within this capacity were exempt from licensing requirements.

The Ministry of Energy has informed the federal government that continuation of the old net metering policy was no longer viable due to mounting financial and operational pressures on the power sector.

Ministry officials maintained that the determination of solar tariffs falls under Nepra’s mandate and that tariff structures and regulatory frameworks are periodically revised in line with sectoral needs. They also sought to reassure consumers, saying the revised policy is unlikely to have a significant impact on the majority of solar users.
 
 
 

The proposal to the authority, by applicant Rachel Coe, said: “The proposal introduces a small-scale, modern feature into the green.

“The introduction of a catering trailer will deliver a clear community facility, enhancing the social and economic vitality of Oxenhope, increasing local activity and visitor engagement with the Millennium Green and thereby outweighing any limited adverse impact.

“The applicants intend this to be a short-term measure to start their business. The long-term goal is to find premises within the village and have a cafe.”

Mr Hague, from Hertfordshire, has worked in the vintage clothing business on and off since the 90s, and took on the store in 2023 as he “couldn’t bear” to see it close.

He added: “I have been aware of Nottingham coming up here in the 90s to get stock from Robin. I sort of got to love the city through that.

“Clothes and music have always been part of my life, it was very much led by the heart.

“Robin and Mary worked really hard for 37 years. They rarely took holidays and dedicated their lives to it.

“When it became available I did not think it was going to be the best idea financially, but I really wanted to give it a go.

“We have always had a great team. That is the saddest thing, that we have had to give notice [to staff] and that is a real tragedy.”

The last day of trading is set to be New Year’s Eve.