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Canadian turkey sales are plummeting. B.C.’s industry thinks it may have a solution

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VANCOUVER—The familiar odour of ammonia wafts through the air as fourth-generation farmer Derek Edwards swings open the wooden doors to one of his heated barns, greeted by 4,000 juvenile turkeys, several of which dash over to peck at his feet.

The Edwards farm in Richmond is more than a century old, and Derek, 43, is the latest in a line of turkey farmers, with roots tracing back to the British Isles. Turkey is involved in nearly every aspect of his family’s lives. It’s their protein each day for their meals and it’s the family’s source of income. Even his twin daughters’ pets are turkeys: Blackie and Whitie, named after the black and white colours of their plumage.

But there are fewer birds in the Edwards barn compared to five years ago. The industry as a whole is shrinking, with Canadians consuming fewer whole turkeys per year and nowhere more so than in Vancouver.

“Not as many people are eating turkey for holidays,” Edwards said, as he listened to the distinctive chirps of his four-week-old Christmas flock, wary of signs of distress. “The families aren’t as big as they used to be. For a lot of new Canadians, I don’t think we really have broken into that segment of the population.”

The Canadian turkey industry is in trouble. Retail sales have decreased steadily: Industry figures show that more than a quarter of annual sales at grocery-store checkout counters — the equivalent of 22 million kilograms of turkey — have disappeared over the past 15 years.

In British Columbia, the province hit hardest by the decline (annual grocery-store sales in the province are down by more than six million kilograms since 2002, according to Turkey Farmers of Canada), industry leaders are grasping at possible explanations, such as lack of advertising by grocery chains and lack of appetite among a growing population of Asian and South Asian customers.

“That’s just another sign of our times,” said Trevor Allen, who raises about 12,000 free-range turkeys each year at his farm in Chilliwack, B.C. “You know what, I did see a real spike in my whole-bird sales when we had 9/11. People were screaming for it. I think what happened is people suddenly realized family is important. Then, it slowly, started going to wherever it is today.”

The losses have been difficult for an industry that relies so much on holiday retail sales, said Michel Benoit, general manager with the B.C. Turkey Marketing Board. With Thanksgiving and the winter holidays rapidly approaching, the marketing board has been working furiously to find new customers among the Asian and South Asian customers who have traditionally shied away from the festive bird.

“This weekend, we had in-store demos where we were sampling turkey with some Asian sauces in five different locations that were highly Chinese or South Asian populated,” Benoit said in mid-September. “We wanted to show them it’s a good protein source, it’s a tasty product and it’s something they should try.”

Asians and South Asians have, in recent decades, been among the fastest-growing immigrant populations in B.C. According to the 2016 Census, the population the two ethnic groups have grown by nearly half a million since 2001.

Henry Beh, a Chinese-Malaysian immigrant who moved to B.C. four decades ago, said festive options for the Chinese community tend to involve barbecued chicken, pork or duck, meats that are perceived to have a more tender and juicier profile.

“Whenever there’s a festival, Autumn Festival or Chinese New Year, there will be 30 to 100 people lining up just because they want to buy the barbecue. But turkey, I don’t see any turkey barbecued at the Chinese stores. It’s seen as not desirable,” Beh said.

Even if the Asian and South Asian communities were to buy in, a systemic problem would remain: an enormous amount of turkey purchased for Thanksgiving and Christmas is priced at a loss. At most grocery stores, it’s common to see whole-turkey deals for 99 cents a pound or less. That leaves virtually no room for retailers to make a profit, since B.C. turkey producers wholesale their live birds at a market-controlled rate of about 91 cents a pound.

“It’s great for us — we get to sell a bunch of turkeys,” said Benoit, of the marketing board. “But, on the other hand, the rest of the year, there’s a reluctance by people to pay $4 (per pound). It fixes in the consumer the mindset that 99 cents a pound for turkey is a fair price and anything over that is not.”

In response, some producers, including Derek Edwards in Richmond, have diversified their flocks so as to include “specialty” and organic birds that, because they’re given better feed and more space to roam in, go for as much as $20 a pound at high-end grocers like Whole Foods.

But, at the moment, premium, specialty and organic products make up just seven per cent of all turkey production in the province.

Dion Wiebe is CEO of Rossdown Natural Foods, one of B.C. main producers of organic turkey. Wiebe said his primary customers tend to purchase exclusively organic foods, representing a limited niche that shows slow signs of growth.

“There’s all kinds of debate why the whole-bird consumption is down. I think the whole demographic is shifting and changing,” he said. “I think there’s a generation — you give them a whole turkey and they go, ‘What? I don’t have anything to put that in.’ ”

Wiebe’s company has been recently focused on trying to market turkey products outside of the October and December rush, but progress is limited, in part by consumer demand and in part by the amount of shelf space retailers are willing to offer year-round

There are also extra risks associated with raising organic and specialty birds. For example, while the certification standards generally prohibit medications, turkeys that roam in open pastures can be exposed to disease-carrying wild birds. With a bird-flu outbreak in the province still in recent memory, farmers like Edwards have to monitor the health of their flocks multiple times every day.

One such disease, blackhead, has recently resurfaced as a topic of concern after the only legally permitted treatment in Canada was withdrawn in 2016. The disease, which can be contracted when birds eat infected worms, is named after its symptom of turning turkeys’ heads black. A single infection can wipe out entire flocks. To compound matters, outbreaks of the disease generally occur more in B.C.’s temperate climate compared to the rest of Canada.

Two years ago, Benoit said, a farmer who attempted to start a large-scale organic farm had his efforts completely dismantled by blackhead.

Allen, the Chilliwack free-range turkey grower, said he worries about blackhead every day.

“When I go in and pick up one or two mortalities every couple of weeks, I start wondering, ‘Is this the start?’ ” he said. “I wouldn’t even want to think about what would happen if that came on my farm.”

Luke Nickel, an associate veterinarian with Alberta-based Poultry Health Services, said farmers are now restricted to preventative techniques such as restricting public access and changing shoes and clothes before entering barns.

Nickel, who comes from a B.C. turkey-farming family, said the PHS petitioned Health Canada to approve a new anti-blackhead medication used in Europe, but were rejected. Health Canada said it rejected the medication in part due to concerns that the antibiotic would create additional resistance in bacteria harmful to humans.

Back at the Edwards farm, its patriarch wonders how secure the turkey business will be in the future as he turns over the sawdust used as the birds’ litter. The young turkeys obediently move out of the way, in a semicircle expanding from Edward’s pitchfork, before returning to nest in the hills and dips created by the churn. Looking at his birds, Edwards’s hopes remain high for a push in the industry to market easier-to-prepare processed turkey products to the elusive Asian and South Asian markets.

“Living in Richmond, you have Asian friends, South Asian friends,” Edwards said. “My buddies — I was like, ‘Why don’t you eat a turkey?’ They said, ‘Well, we don’t know how.’ I said, ‘You can buy it as ground turkey instead of ground chicken or ground beef.” They said they hadn’t really thought of that.”

Benoit at the marketing board said ground turkey has been the one true area of significant growth in the industry. The key is the additional processing, whether the turkeys are segmented, made into sausages, or sandwich patties. And while it’s unclear whether marketing efforts will succeed in selling the non-traditional, prepared products, it seems many in the industry are on board.

“What’s going to make it on the centre plate? I know a whole turkey won’t. Is it a cutlet? Is it marinated? Is it a value-added item that people can learn to use within their protein for the week?” Wiebe, the organic processor, said.

“That’s where our industry is going … They need it cooked in less than 30 minutes and it needs to complement everything else around the plate.”

Beh also suspects ground or cut-up products may be the only way to break through his Asian culture’s reluctance for the big bird.

“If you take the whole turkey and make them into smaller portions, maybe that’s the way it sells better,” he said. “More packaging. That might be able to sell.”

However, this Thanksgiving, Beh’s family will be dining out, likely at a Chinese restaurant.

Michael Mui is a Vancouver-based investigative reporter. Follow him on Twitter: @mui24hours

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Anglais

Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

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Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline. 

Starburst Visuals and Symbols

The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors. 

Starburst XXXTreme Features

Players get to alternate on three features which are Starburst Wilds, XXXtreme Spins, and Random Wilds. The first appears on reels 2,3, or 4. When these land, they expand to cover all positions while also calculating the wins. They are also locked for a respin. If a new one hits, it also becomes locked while awarding another respin. Starburst XXXtreme offers a choice between two scenarios for a higher stake. In one scenario with a ten times stake, the Starburst Wild is set on random on reels 2,3, or 4, and a multiplier starts the respin. The second scenario, which has a 95 times stake, starts with two guaranteed starburst wilds on reels 2,3, or 4. it also plays out using respin game sequence and features. The game also increases the potential with the Random Wilds feature to add Starburst Wilds to a vacant reel at the end of a spin. Every Starburst Wild gives a random multiplier with potential wins of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, or even x150.

The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity. 

What We Think About The Game

The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement. 

That is characterized by the potential win cap of 200,000 times the bet. Starburst XXXtreme does not just give betting alternatives for players that want to go big. The increase of multipliers also provides a great experience. If the respins in the previous version were great, knowing that multipliers can go hundreds of times overtakes the game to a new level. 

Players should get excited about this offering. All of the features can be triggered within a single spin. Whether one plays the standard game or takes the XXXtreme spin route, it is possible to activate all of the features. Of course, the potential 200,000 times potential is a huge carrot. However, the bet size is probably going to be restricted and vary depending on the casino. It is also worth pointing out that a malfunction during the gameplay will void all of the payouts and progress. Overall, the game itself has been designed to provide a capped win of 200,000 times the original bet. 

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Anglais

‘We’re back’: Montreal festival promoters happy to return but looking to next year

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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.

In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.

Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.

With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.

Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”

“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.

The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.

When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”

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MELS new major movie studio to be built in Montreal

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MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.

MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.

The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.

The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.

Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.

STUDIO SHORTAGE

The film industry is cramped in Montreal.

According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.

With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.

Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »

« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.

She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.

« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.

There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.

« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.

Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.

For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.

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