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New community spaces in Kitchener

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KITCHENER, ON, Sept. 19, 2024 /CNW/ – After a federal government investment, combined with community donations, The Working Centre will create a dynamic, beautiful and inviting new community space. MP Bardish Chagger and Joe and Stephanie Mancini, directors of The Working Centre, announced that the project will construct a community centre and new home for St. John’s Kitchen.

Operated by The Working Centre, the Victoria Campus Community Centre will be an inclusive, sustainable and welcoming space for drop-in visits, gatherings, shared meals, and activities as well as access to critical resources for those in need. Constructed with a mass-timber structure to minimize the building’s carbon footprint, the facility will also feature a rooftop solar panel array that will support net-zero carbon emissions. An open-concept community kitchen, courtyard, and public bathrooms will foster a dynamic, creative and welcoming atmosphere, while helping to deliver essential services and supports.

The Working Centre was established in Kitchener in 1982 to respond to poverty and unemployment in the community. The aim of the organization is to provide access to tools to support greater community opportunity for those most vulnerable. The Victoria Campus Community Centre will provide an important space for an estimated 2,000 individuals experiencing homeless and precarious housing conditions in the Waterloo Region.

Quotes

“The Victoria Campus Community Centre will be a welcoming space, providing some of the most vulnerable residents in Kitchener access to critical services, resources and community activities, while using innovative, clean solutions that will contribute to a greener community. The federal government continues to invest in underserved communities, while also building a greener and more inclusive tomorrow for future generations.”

The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Member of Parliament for Waterloo, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

“The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program is helping to rebuild St. John’s Kitchen, recreating a 38-year history of involving the community in the serving of a free daily meal. The contribution ensures that through the use of heat pumps, electric appliances, insulation, solar panels and energy efficiency the new building will achieve substantial reductions in carbon emissions. This beautiful, new drop-in space will extend the work of St. John’s Kitchen through the provision of meals, laundry, washrooms, welcome, connection to resources and healthcare supports for the most vulnerable. This new Community Centre will be fully accessible and will create a dynamic space that reduces isolation, increases access to services and supports, and serves as a neighbourhood gathering space.”

Joe Mancini, Director, The Working Centre

Quick facts

The Government of Canada is investing $2,244,000 in this project through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program (GICB) and The Working Centre is contributing $6,101,481 through fundraising.The GICB program was created in support of Canada’s Strengthened Climate Plan: A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy. It is supporting the Plan’s first pillar by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency, and helping develop higher resilience to climate change.The program launched in 2021 with an initial investment of $1.5 billion over five years towards green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades.Budget 2024 announced an additional $500 million to support more projects through GICB until 2029.At least 10% of funding is allocated to projects serving First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, including Indigenous populations in urban centres.The GICB program launched its third intake of applications on August 1, 2024, for small and medium retrofit projects (with eligible costs ranging from $100,000 to $2,999,999); and on September 4, 2024, for large retrofit projects, (ranging from $3 million to $25 million in eligible costs), to upgrade existing community buildings or to create new, energy-efficient buildings.Both intake streams will close on October 16, 2024 at 15:00 Eastern Time.For more information, please visit the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada website at: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada – Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program.

Associated Links

Green and Inclusive Community Buildings
https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/gicb-bcvi/index-eng.html 

Strengthened Climate Plan
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html

Housing and Infrastructure Project Map
https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html

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Web: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada

SOURCE Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

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Seminar for Members of the Global Development Promotion Center Network Visits Qingdao, Exchanges on Media Convergence and Cooperation Opportunities

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QINGDAO, China, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A report from iqingdao.

The Seminar for Members of the Global Development Promotion Center Network visited Qingdao Daily Press Group to learn about media convergence and international communication practices. They then attended the Qingdao Development Opportunities Promotion and Exchange Conference, exploring the city’s strengths and potential for future cooperation.

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SOURCE iqingdao

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Saledock Gives Celerant ONE Retailers One Place to Market, Message and Manage Every Customer Conversation

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CES gives UK retailers a central marketing hub connected to live sales data.

KINGSTON UPON HULL, England, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Saledock, a Celerant company, today launched Customer Engagement Suite (CES) for Celerant ONE, giving UK retailers a central hub for email marketing, SMS, social media, reputation management and every customer conversation, from website live chat to WhatsApp messages.

Because CES connects in real time to Celerant ONE’s ePOS and eCommerce, retailers can automate targeted, personalised messages based on what customers do in-store and online, using the customer, sales, and product information already in their system.

Marketing That Knows What Your Customers Bought

Most independent retailers manage customer communication across a patchwork of tools: one for email, another for text messages, a social media scheduler, review sites, a WhatsApp inbox and a separate live chat on their website. None of those tools know what a customer bought last week, so campaigns stay generic and staff waste time exporting lists and copying product details between systems.

CES closes that gap. It sits inside Celerant ONE and draws directly on the data retailers already have, including customer records, in-store and online sales history, and product images and information. The result is marketing that reflects real buying behaviour, built and sent from the same platform the retailer uses to run the shop.

How It Works

Retailers can set up automated workflows triggered by what happens at the till or on their website, and get as creative as they like. A workflow might thank a customer after their first purchase, follow up with shoppers who bought a particular brand or category, or win back customers who haven’t visited in a while, by email or SMS. Once it’s set, it runs in the background.

For retailers who don’t want to build workflows from scratch, a built-in AI agent can create them, so even a small team can put automated marketing to work.

Building a campaign is faster too. Product images and descriptions come straight from Celerant ONE, so there’s no need to recreate content that already exists in the catalogue.

With CES, Celerant ONE retailers can:

Automate email and SMS campaigns based on in-store and online purchase activityLet the built-in AI agent build workflows for themAnswer website live chat and WhatsApp messages from a single inboxSchedule posts and engage with followers across Facebook, Instagram, and their other social channelsMonitor and respond to customer reviews to protect their reputationReduce the number of separate marketing and messaging tools they pay for and manage

“Retailers already own their most valuable marketing asset, which is their customer and sales data,” said Michele Salerno, Chief Growth Officer at Celerant Technology. “The problem is that data usually sits in one system while their email, texts, reviews, and social media live somewhere else. CES puts all of it in one place and connects it to every sale, so a retailer can send a message that’s actually relevant to that customer without exporting a list or logging into a handful of different tools.”

“Running a shop leaves very little time for marketing, and jumping between different apps to do it doesn’t help,” said Layla Gladwin, Managing Director of Saledock. “With CES, everything a retailer needs to talk to their customers is inside Celerant ONE and connected to what’s happening at the till and online. Set up a workflow once, or let the AI agent build it for you, and it keeps working while you get on with serving customers.”

Availability

Customer Engagement Suite is available now as an optional add-on for Celerant ONE retailers. Existing Celerant ONE retailers can contact their Saledock account representative to get started. Retailers considering new ePOS and eCommerce software can request a Celerant ONE demonstration to see CES and the complete platform at [https://www.saledock.com/customer-enagagement-suite/]

About Saledock, a Celerant Company

Saledock is the UK division of Celerant Technology, providing Celerant ONE, a cloud-based retail platform that connects ePOS, eCommerce, stock control, customer engagement and other critical retail operations within one system.

To learn more, Visit Saledock.com/ 

About Celerant Technology

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey, Celerant Technology provides retail software to more than 1,800 retailers, supporting over 5,000 store locations. With approximately 250 employees across seven offices, Celerant connects point of sale, eCommerce, inventory, customer engagement, payments, marketplaces, and more for specialty retailers ranging from independent shops to multi-location and enterprise businesses.

To learn more, visit Celerant.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/saledock-gives-celerant-one-retailers-one-place-to-market-message-and-manage-every-customer-conversation-302933700.html

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Jackery Black Friday 2026: Up to 58% Off Explorer v2 Portable Power Stations and Solar Generators, Starting at Just £378

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LONDON, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Jackery is kicking off its Black Friday campaign with up to 58% off its popular Explorer v2 Series, with portable power stations starting at just £378. Running from 10 to 30 November 2026, the campaign offers some of the biggest savings of the year across the new-edition Explorer 1000 v2 2027 and Explorer 2000 v2 2027, as well as the Explorer 3000 v2, alongside selected solar generator bundles.

Combining compact design, lightweight portability and powerful, reliable performance, the Explorer v2 Series caters to different energy needs – from weekend camping and extended off-grid adventures to emergency backup power at home during unexpected winter power cuts.
 

Explorer 1000 v2 2027: Lightweight Power for Everyday Adventures – Now Just £378

With a 1,024 Wh capacity and 1,500 W output, the new Explorer 1000 v2 is ideal for weekend camping, road trips and outdoor activities. Compact and easy to carry, it powers everyday essentials such as laptops, cameras, portable fridges and lighting. Its long-lasting LiFePO4 battery and advanced ChargeShield safety technology ensure dependable performance. Emergency Charging enables a full recharge from 0 to 100% in just 50 minutes, making it ready for the next adventure or unexpected power needs.

Explorer 1000 v2: £378 (RRP £899) – 57% offSolar Generator 1000 v2 with SolarSaga 200W Panel: £629 (RRP £1,499) – 58% off
 

Explorer 2000 v2 2027: More Power for Extended Adventures – Save Up to 54%

With a 2,048 Wh capacity and 2,200 W output, the new Explorer 2000 v2 can simultaneously power energy-intensive devices such as coffee machines and electric coolers on the go. The compact power station features long-lasting LiFePO4 batteries, comprehensive safety features and a wide range of connectivity options, now with three AC outlets for added flexibility.  It can be recharged via a mains socket, Jackery’s portable solar panels or a 12V charging cable in a vehicle.

Explorer 2000 v2: £726 (RRP £1,399) – 48% offSolar Generator 2000 v2 with SolarSaga 100W Panel: £919 (RRP £1,999) – 54% off
 

Explorer 3000 v2: High-Capacity Power for Adventures and Winter Backup – Save Up to £1,004

For those who need greater energy reserves, the Explorer 3000 v2 offers a 3,072 Wh capacity and 3,600 W output with LiFePO4 battery technology. As one of the most compact and quietest models in its class, it is ideally suited for off-grid power while camping, on construction sites and as an emergency backup solution at home, particularly during unexpected winter power cuts. Thanks to app connectivity and bidirectional charging capabilities, users can also take advantage of variable electricity tariffs to schedule charging during off-peak periods.

Explorer 3000 v2: £1,352 (RRP £2,299) – 41% offSolar Generator 3000 v2 with SolarSaga 200W Panel: £1,595 (RRP £2,599) – 38% off

All Black Friday offers are available from 10 to 30 November 2026 at the official Jackery UK online store.

Media enquiries: Jiatong Li, jiatong@jackery.com, +4915223970329

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/jackery-black-friday-2026-up-to-58-off-explorer-v2-portable-power-stations-and-solar-generators-starting-at-just-378-302933441.html

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