Chain said it tried to use Alberta beef but there was not enough of it to meet their new criteria
Earls says it will use a U.S. supplier to meet its criteria for humanely produced meat.
An announcement on Tuesday that Vancouver-based Earls restaurant chain will start getting all of its beef from a U.S. supplier provoked a fast and furious backlash.
The company said it tried to use Alberta beef, but there was not enough that is Certified Humane, a designation now required by Earls.
Certified Humane is a program operated by Virginia-based Humane Farm Animal Care. It includes inspections of farms, ranches and slaughter facilities and certifies meat and dairy products.
According to the organization, products that carry the Certified Humane label come from animals that have not received "unnecessary antibiotics," are not overcrowded in confinement systems and live on farms whose farmers "receive a fair price for their efforts."
Earls announced the change on Wednesday.
"We did intensive research and testing for over two years trying to use Certified Humane beef from Alberta, raised without antibiotics, steroids or growth hormones, of which there are some great suppliers in Canada — and we did use it in our Edmonton and Calgary locations as well as our flagship locations across Canada for well over two years," the chain said in a statement.
"However, there was (and is) simply not enough Certified Humane, antibiotic-, steroid-free beef in Alberta to meet the volume we use, and those we tried were unable to consistently meet our supply needs, not even a portion of it."
Earls will instead go with a U.S. supplier.
The restaurant's tweet announcing the change prompted dozens of replies — and most aren't favourable, with many threatening a boycott of the Canadian chain.
Earls says it's open to using Canadian beef if it can find a supplier that can keep up with the volume it needs.
Earls, founded in 1982, has about 7,000 employees at 65 locations in Canada and the United States.
A screen view from OnSight, a software tool developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in collaboration with Microsoft. OnSight uses real rover data to create a 3D simulation of the Martian environment.
NASA is aiming to send astronauts to Mars sometime in the 2030s, but a new technology could help scientistsexplorethe surface of the Red Planet — from its sprawling craters to its enormous volcanoes — from right here on Earth.
Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, partnered with Microsoft to develop software that uses the tech giant's HoloLens headsets to allow scientists to virtually explore and conduct scientific research on Mars.
The HoloLens is an augmented reality platform that "allows us to overlay imagery on top of the world and integrate it into that world as I'm looking at it," Tony Valderrama, a software engineer at JPL, said Sunday (April 24) in a demonstration of the technology here at the Smithsonian magazine's "Future Is Here" festival.
The software, called OnSight, uses real data collected by NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars to create a 3D holographic simulation of the Martian landscape. Scientists wearing the HoloLens headsets can virtually walk around on the Red Planet and interact with the environment.
"We may not be able to actually go to Mars yet, but we can go there virtually," said Parker Abercrombie, a software engineer at JPL who investigates different ways that software can enable augmented exploration.
And because the software was created using actual observations, researchers will be able to conduct valuable science, even while being more than 140 million miles (225 million kilometers) away. For instance, scientists could scale an escarpment to survey the view from that vantage point, or get on their hands and knees for a close-up view of the planet's rocky terrain.
"What's really exciting about this is [that] what we're looking at is a reconstruction of Mars from real data sent from the Curiosity rover," Abercrombie said. "This isn't an artist's conception of what Mars looks like. This is actually what Mars looks like."
Additionally, because Curiosity's mission is ongoing, JPL engineers will be able to make modifications based on the latest data.
"As the rover drives and takes more pictures, our reconstructions are constantly being updated and improved," Abercrombie said.
This holographic technology is also helping NASA build new spacecraft and rovers. At JPL, the HoloLens is being used to design the agency's next Mars rover, which is slated to launch in 2020. By projecting a virtual model of the rover in 3D space, engineers can get close-up views of how the various components fit together, add or move parts around easily, and even walk right through the model to see its inner workings.
"It allows us to attain perspectives that are difficult, or even impossible, to attain with a physical model," Valderrama said. "It brings them out into the world so that our engineers can begin to reason and communicate about the models long before any physical artifact exists."
But perhaps the most important advantage of integrating NASA's work with augmented and virtual reality is that it helps make space more accessible to everyone, said Alexander Menzies, software lead for augmented and virtual reality development at NASA.
Now, when the agency sends rovers to the Red Planet — and eventually when human astronauts journey to Mars — technology like the HoloLens and virtual reality headsets will allow people all around the world to come along. These "telenauts," as Menzies dubbed them, will be humanity's virtual explorers of the future.
"A new era of space exploration has begun, and this time, we all get to go," Menzies said. "I look forward to seeing you on Mars."
Trump says Clinton is playing the woman card to get elected and Clinton has no problem with that
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at her rally April 26, 2016 in Philadelphia after winning four out of five primaries. She responded in her speech to Donald Trump's accusation that she is playing the 'woman card.
Donald Trump's accusation that Hillary Clinton is playing "the woman card" to get elected is being fully embraced by her campaign, who blasted back with social media messaging about her record on fighting for women.
"I think the only card she has is the woman's card, she's got nothing else going," the Republican presidential candidate said Tuesday night after winning the day's five primaries in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maryland.
"If Hillary Clinton were a man I don't think she'd get five per cent of the vote. The only thing she's got going is the woman's card," Trump said of Clinton, who added to her lead in the Democratic race by winning four out of those five states over her rival Bernie Sanders. "And the beautiful thing is, women don't like her."
Trump had made the same woman card comment in an interview earlier in the day, which Clinton's campaign picked up on, crafting a response for her to use during her speech last night.
"If fighting for women's health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card then deal me in!" Clinton said to roaring applause.
Her campaign is now circulating video clips on social media of what Trump said — along with Clinton's retort.
Her Twitter account also responded by writing messages that included: "They might make flashy headlines, but Trump's comments aren't a joke. Hillary can handle these attacks. Millions of women shouldn't have to."
Trump's comments 'sexist and derogatory'
She's trying to make history by becoming the first female U.S. president and Trump's campaign suggests she plays that up and is counting on it to appeal to female voters. Trump doubled-down on his gender-based criticism of Clinton Wednesday morning during a round of TV interviews.
"She is playing the woman card left and right," he said on CNN. "If she didn't, she would do very poorly."
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaking in New York on April 26, 2016, after winning five primary contests. Trump says his comments aren't sexist. 'It's just a very, very true statement.
"She has every right to be attacked on that front. She gets up and all she's saying is 'I'm a woman, I'm a woman,'" Trump said on ABC. He also remarked that Clinton shouts and that he will have to get used to that over the coming months, suggesting they will face each other in the general election.
"And I know a lot of people would say you can't say that about a woman because of course a woman doesn't shout," he said.
Trump's suggestions that Clinton is pandering to women to get their vote, and that she has nothing else going for her other than being a woman, isn't going over well with some. It didn't take long for #womancard to start trending on Twitter, mocking Trump's attack on Clinton.
The head of a non-partisan organization dedicated to encouraging women to get involved in politics said Trump's comments aren't helpful.
"I think the charge that Hillary Clinton's only advantage is the woman card is sexist and derogatory towards all women, regardless of their party affiliation," Erin Loos Cutraro, CEO and co-founder of She Should Run, said in an interview.
"I think that the more that we hear discouraging statements like that, the more it presents an opportunity for us to remind people that we would all be better served if we had more women in elected office," said Cutraro.
"This is our opportunity to step up and say that women's voices need to be heard and need to be at the table."
Supporters of democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton cheer during a Women for Hillary event in New York, April 18, 2016.
Trump says comments not sexist, just true
Trump, who has already been criticized by many over comments he made about women, rejected any notion that what he said about Clinton is sexist.
"It's not sexist, it's true. It's just a very, very true statement," he said onGood Morning America.
Tuesday's primary results put both Trump and Clinton much closer to winning their nominations and it's more likely now that they will face off in a general election. If that's the case, this squabble could be just a preview of what is to come.
Trump has won with women voters over his competitors in the Republican field but when it comes to the national electorate he doesn't fare as well, according to polls.
Clinton: I'm not shouting
A Gallup poll released earlier this month showed women had a 70 per cent unfavourable opinion of him. On a matchup between Clinton and Trump in a general election, a Fox News poll put the former secretary of state at 55 per cent among women voters compared to Trump's 33 per cent. A CNN/ORC poll in March put her at 60 per cent over Trump's 33 per cent.
Trump campaign surrogates who were making the rounds on cable TV Wednesday say those numbers will change once his Republican rivals stop attacking him and the establishment wing of the party gives up on trying to bring him down.
In her own Democratic nomination race, Clinton hasn't won as much support from women as some expected she would. Her support among young women in particular is much weaker than it is for Sanders. Earlier in the campaign when Clinton supporter Madeleine Albright, who is also a former secretary of state, said "there is a special place in hell for women who don't help each other," it provoked a backlash from some women and Clinton had do some damage control.
On Wednesday, Clinton continued to respond to Trump's comments about her, using Twitter to quote something she said during a speech in October: "I'm not shouting. It's just when women talk, some people think we're shouting."
PM has spent at least 13 days south of the border over the past 2 months
During last week's visit to New York City — Justin Trudeau's fourth to the U.S. since becoming prime minister — he signed the Paris climate treaty agreement at the UN and boxed at a gym in Brooklyn.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau threw some light jabs during a photo-op with kids in a Brooklyn boxing ring last week. But bigger punches about Trudeau's trips to the United States are being thrown at home, mainly from the Conservative opposition.
Over the past two months, Trudeau has spent at least 13 days in the U.S. — including travel days. These are the days that have been confirmed by the Prime Minister's Office and Trudeau's travel itineraries.
While there, Trudeau has split time between Washington and New York City, visiting both twice.
Opposition MPs pounced on the Liberals inside the House of Commons throughout March and April — criticizing Trudeau for "lavish meals" and photo-ops during his travels south.
PM Trudeau in the U.S.
March 9-11 (Washington) — State dinner, Oval Office meeting, State Department working lunch.
March 16, 17 (New York City) — UN visit and meetings, gender equality award at Catalyst gala.
March 30-April 1 (Washington) — Attended Nuclear Security Summit, met with prime ministers from United Kingdom and India.
April 20-24 (New York City) — Signed Paris climate treaty agreement at the UN, boxing training photo-op, New York University Q&A, saw Hamilton on Broadway.
But the boxing — above everything else Trudeau has done in the U.S. — seemed to provide the most fodder for critics.
Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose twice referenced it in the House of Commons last Thursday, while discussing the children's fitness tax credit, which the Liberals will be phasing out by the end of 2017. Trudeau's boxing was also brought up in separate remarks by Conservative MPs Denis Lebel and Alexander Nuttall.
"Now the prime minister can use those same tax dollars of families and fly to New York to work out in front of TV cameras, while families are struggling to pay for their kids' sports. Instead of focusing on self-promotion, will the Prime Minister focus on promoting children's fitness and reinstate the child fitness tax credit?," Ambrose asked.
A spokesman for the prime minister said costs for this kind of international travel, including accommodations and meals, are covered by Global Affairs Canada under the international conference allotment and are published annually in September. A breakdown of Trudeau's costs for the recent U.S. trips was not immediately available.
Expenses for the prime minister not covered by travel with an official delegation are disclosed quarterly on the prime minister's own proactive disclosure website, but no foreign expenses are listed for the most recent quarter, which ended March 31.
'3 days to sign a piece of paper'
A fundraising email sent out by the Conservative Party on Sunday afternoon blasted Trudeau for "self-promoting in the U.S.," criticizing the boxing stop in Brooklyn and for taking "three days to sign a piece of paper." Trudeau was in town to sign the Paris climate treaty agreement at the UN.
"We are proud of the work that we have been doing in the last six months and the prime minister is proud to represent Canada on the international stage," she said.
"Signing the Paris Agreement at the UN last Friday was an important step in the fight against climate change that over 150 countries are undertaking." Hallé said the boxing photo-op was part of a program to help disadvantaged kids.
Trudeau spent an additional day and a half in New York for "private appointments" — like his trip to see the immensely-popular hip-hop musical Hamilton on Broadway — before travelling to the cabinet retreat in Kananaskis, Alta.
The prime minister has also travelled extensively throughout Canada since taking power, including visits to towns and cities in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario and a family vacation to Newfoundland.
What do the U.S. trips mean?
Debora VanNijnatten, who chairs Wilfrid Laurier University's political science department, said that while Trudeau has been abroad "a lot," she thinks the trips are warranted.
"He's got a lot of bridges to build, or rebuild, I would say, 'cause things have not been very overtly friendly over the last little while between the Harper government and the U.S. administration," VanNijnatten said, referring to former prime minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama's complicated relationship.
"Why wouldn't he go and sign the Paris agreement? That's an appropriate move for a Canadian prime minister that has prioritized climate change and said he's going to do something about it. An absence would have been remarkable."
VanNijnatten — who teaches courses on Canada-U.S. politics — said the frequency of Trudeau's trips to the U.S. in the last two months weren't necessarily planned, but rather opportunities that popped up.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau at the White House in Washington on Thursday, March 10, 2016, as they arrive for a state dinner.
"I think [people] should expect him to be on the road a little bit because he needs to show that Canada is willing to engage again," she said. "The kinds of issues that we face right now globally are not solved by Canada focusing on its own backyard, right?"
For Brian Bow, an associate professor at Dalhousie University who specializes in Canada-U.S. politics, the trips have been about shaping the image of a new government with a new prime minister.
"[The government wants] to cement the idea in Canadian voters' minds of [Trudeau] as sort of a statesman and an important figure and someone to be taken seriously," he told CBC News.
"There's such a conspicuous difference in the amount of time and the amount of attention that the new government seems to be putting into this compared to the previous one."
Though no immediate plans for another trip to the U.S. have been announced, Bow says to expect many more.
"The more time you are out there doing those international meetings, the more it kind of builds up your credibility as a leader at home."
Nine of the 15 largest Canadian housing markets are showing some signs of overvaluation, the CMHC said.
Canada's national housing agency says nine of Canada's 15 largest housing markets are showing signs of being overvalued.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said in its quarterly Housing Market Assessment Wednesday that a majority of Canada's large housing markets are showing either "moderate" or "strong" evidence of being overvalued.
The housing agency looks at housing markets to gauge their health based on four factors:
overheating — when demand is significantly and persistently outpacing supply
overvalued — when prices are higher than they should be based on economic fundamentals
accelerating — when house prices are increasing faster than household costs of living are
overbuilding — when supply of new homes significantly outpaces demand.
The agency rates each market on a colour coded scale where green means there is little evidence of that factor, yellow means there is moderate evidence of it and red means there is strong evidence of it.
On the overvaluation front, the CMHC says there is moderate or strong evidence of that happening in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City.
Four of those cities — Toronto, Quebec City, Vancouver and Saskatoon — now show "strong" signs of overvaluation.
The first two were singled out in the agency's last report on housing in January. But the latter two were only recently given their red warning on overvaluation.
In Vancouver's case, the housing agency said "Single-detached home prices are now observed to be at levels higher than those consistent with financial, economic and demographic fundamentals."
But the problem in Saskatoon, meanwhile, is tied to recent downward revisions to the area's population, which makes it harder to justify. House prices in the greater Saskatoon area declined 2.7 per cent in March, data from the Canadian Real Estate Association showed.
Across the country, Canada's housing market set a record last month both in terms of prices — now up to $508,567, on average — and the volume of sales, CREA said.
Aside from overvaluation in pockets, the CMHC's assessment sees little cause for concern nationally. "Overheating and acceleration in house prices are not a concern at this time," the CMHC said.
Apple reported its first fall in sales in 13 years on Tuesday. Sales were down around $8bn (£5.5bn) compared with this time last year and its shares have fallen nearly 20% in the last 12 months.
While it's fair to say the firm is still a long way from the breadline - it has around $200bn in offshore reserves alone - many see the news as a sign that the winning formula it has upheld for so long is no longer enough.
So where next for the billion dollar business? The BBC asked the experts.
The industry analyst
Image copyrightsImage captioniPhone sales have slowed
Ben Wood from CCS Insight specialises in scrutinising the tech industry.
Virtual reality, which chief executive Tim Cook has already declared an area of great potential, and the much-rumoured Apple car could both prove extremely lucrative for the tech giant, he believes.
He also thinks Apple could set its sights on the potentially lucrative Indian market.
"Although it is a tough challenge for Apple to sell full price iPhones in India, the sheer scale of the population and potential for smartphone adoption cannot be ignored," he said.
Failing that, Apple could take on the likes of Amazon and Sky as a major content provider, Mr Wood argued.
"Apple has a huge cash pile that would allow it to easily purchase the rights to major sporting events or other hot content areas," he said.
"Given its ability to distribute content to the huge installed base of affluent Apple device owners, this could be a new direction for the company."
The environmentalist
Image copyrightsImage captionApple turned its leaves green for World Earth Day
Chief Policy Adviser Martin Baxter from the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment also believes cars are a smart move for the firm, but not necessarily the autonomous type.
"With air quality concerns in the news, clearly electric vehicles have the potential to reduce harmful emissions - if we have renewable energy to generate the electricity," he said.
"Apple has a big role to play in both the vehicle, and energy harvesting, making the process more efficient. It would be a completely new market for them and would also address those challenges."
Liam, Apple's iPhone recycling robot, is all very well, but Mr Baxter wants to see the firm go further.
Image copyright Image captionApple says its new recycling system, Liam, will let it reuse more of the components of discarded phones
"They could do more on repairability," he said.
"It's great that they can recover material but what we want is more product durability."
That might not help boost sales however.
The technology journalist
Image copyright Image captionApple incrementally updates its devices each year
Cam Bunton, editor of 9to5Mac, believes Apple needs to come out with its next landscape-changing product.
"As a tech enthusiast Apple is pretty boring," says Mr Bunton.
"They release stuff once or twice a year, it's usually similar to what they've done already. It's a good strategy and makes them lots of money though," he says.
"That said, I think the iPhone SE is an important device for those who maybe want all the performance and spec of an iPhone but haven't been able to afford one."
Mr Bunton also called for more openness from the notoriously secretive company - but conceded that perhaps that's part of its appeal.
"I would like them to share more - stop pretending developing tech is a massive secret that nobody else is doing.
"But I guess that's what has made them successful - the secrecy builds up excitement so when they release something it sounds brand new," he said.
The accountant
Graham Seddon, partner and technology sector specialist at accountancy firm Menzies, also thinks the iPhone is entering its twilight years.
"Even the greatest product, from the greatest brand, has a lifecycle that will end," he said.
"The macroeconomic factors of a strong US dollar and slowing growth in China have had an impact, alongside the ongoing competition in the smartphone market as other manufacturers have played catch-up.
"For the moment, Apple's Tim Cook seems to be adamant that the dip in performance is merely a 'pause' in growth and he seems to be in denial that global demand for iPhones could at last be waning.
"We will have to wait and see if products like the Apple Watch, iPad or even the 'Apple Car' can help to drive up revenues once again."
The web scientist
Image copyrightPAImage captionApple could use its watch to open up new avenues in health monitoring
"Take the base that you've got and keep innovating," says Professor Les Carr from the University of Southampton.
"I don't join in the clamour for Apple having to deliver another landmark product such as iPhone.
"What Apple do is bring out technology that provides a certain level of innovation then incrementally improve it. I think they aren't one for releasing a million products onto the market and seeing which one flies."
Prof Carr thinks there is yet more potential in the Apple Watch, and also believes its foray into health and wellbeing with its Apple Health tracking service will prove successful.
"Personal health is going to be a huge market and Apple has the product to leverage that."
The Canadian dollar hit its highest level since last summer, closing at 79.25 cents US on Wednesday.
The Canadian dollar hit a new nine-month high on Wednesday, buoyed by oil prices that touched their highest level since November.
The loonie got up to 79.54 cents US at one point, its highest mark since July 2015. It later closed at 79.25 cents US for a gain of 0.02 of a cent on the day.
The price of a barrel of the North American oil benchmark known as West Texas Intermediate rose by $1.29 US on Wednesday to close at $45.33, even as new data showed U.S. oil inventories increased by two million barrels last week.
WTI touches $45
Some experts caution that the recent oil rally may be short-lived.
"The concern is that at $45 [a barrel] a significant amount of oil plays become profitable again and we still have not seen a big enough decline in oil output to bring about the appropriate supply and demand rebalancing," said Angus Nicholson of IG.
Everyone in the market is concerned that we could see a repeat of 2015, where after a dramatic price decline, prices began to rise again and prompted a huge influx of oversupply and an even more severe sell-off."
