A roundup of the most newsworthy press releases from Cision Distribution this week

TORONTO, Jan. 24, 2025 /CNW/ – With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on Cision. To help journalists and consumers stay on top of the week’s most newsworthy and popular releases, here’s a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn’t be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

Sweat and Tonic Unveils New Concept Studio REFORMD – the Highest-Capacity Lagree Studio Worldwide 
Sweat and Tonic, Toronto’s favourite boutique fitness and wellness destination offering the highest selection of group fitness classes in Canada, announces the launch of REFORMD — a groundbreaking new brand and concept studio set to open in spring 2025. Nestled within The Well™ and located just steps away from Sweat and Tonic’s second location that opened in December 2023, REFORMD is set to make history as the world’s highest-capacity Lagree method studio. This announcement comes less than a year after announcing plans to open their third location in Toronto’s prestigious Yorkville neighbourhood.Xanadu introduces Aurora: world’s first scalable, networked and modular quantum computer
Xanadu has achieved a world-first in the quantum computing industry by successfully building a universal photonic quantum computer consisting of four modular and independent server racks that are photonically interconnected and networked together. This 12 qubit machine, known as Aurora, consists of 35 photonic chips and a combined 13 km of fiber optics all operating at room temperature. With this breakthrough, Aurora could in principle be scaled up to thousands of server racks and millions of qubits today, realizing the ultimate goal of a quantum data center. This result is published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature and marks a pivotal milestone towards realizing utility scale quantum computing.York University Staff Association Receives ‘No Board’ Report and Pushes Back Against Rising Workloads and Cuts to Benefits 
York University Staff Association (YUSA) is raising concerns over growing workloads, stagnant wages and proposed benefit reductions, as York University prioritizes management expansion over support staff. After months of bargaining without significant progress, YUSA is prepared to stand firm against concessions that threaten its members and the students they serve. YUSA, which represents over 1,600 administrative and technical workers at York University, has received a no-board notice from the Ontario Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development: this provides YUSA with the legal ability to call a strike as of 12:01 a.m. on February 7, 2025.Beneva and Gore Mutual to merge, strengthening mutual insurance’s role in Canada 
“With this merger, we are strengthening Beneva’s position as the largest leading Canadian insurer with a mutual model, seizing a unique opportunity to ensure that mutuals remain a driving force in the Canadian insurance industry. A Beneva-Gore Mutual merger makes business sense and is the right move for our members, employees, and our communities, as the values are aligned and cultures are highly compatible, thanks to both companies’ commitment to the mutual model. This merger will enable us to accelerate our growth across Canada, and better diversify our insurance portfolio.” – Jean-François Chalifoux, President and CEO of Beneva Store-Closing Sales Underway Across Canada at all cleo Fashions, Ricki’s Fashions and Bootlegger Clothing Locations 
Discounts of up to 40 percent off are available on all merchandise at 217 Ricki’s Fashions, cleo Fashions and Bootlegger Clothing stores across Canada in a major store-closing and inventory sell-off sale conducted by Tiger Group. The sale event comes as specialty fashion retailer Comark Holdings, Inc. (“Comark”) explores go-forward possibilities for all three brands. Comark, together with its Ricki’s, cleo and Bootlegger banners, commenced proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (“CCAA”) on January 7. Initial discounts on all merchandise run from 25 to 40 percent off the original ticketed price.TD Bank Group Accelerates CEO Transition; Announces Board and Committee Renewal 
Raymond Chun, currently Chief Operating Officer, will be appointed Group President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on February 1, 2025, accelerating the previously announced transition date of April 10, 2025. Upon Mr. Chun’s appointment, Bharat Masrani will retire as Group President and CEO and from the Board of Directors (the “Board”). Mr. Masrani will remain available to the Bank in an advisory capacity until July 31, 2025; during the transition, he will provide continuity on the Bank’s critical Anti-Money Laundering (AML) remediation effort. The Board has also approved amendments to its Corporate Governance Guidelines to reduce the discretionary director term extension from five years to two years after an initial 10-year term.NG ENERGY ANNOUNCES THE SALE OF A 40% WORKING INTEREST IN SINU-9 FOR US$150 MILLION
NG Energy International Corp. (“NGE” or the “Company”) (TSXV: GASX) (OTCQX: GASXF) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a letter of intent (the “LOI”) with Etablissements Maurel & Prom S.A. (“Maurel & Prom” or “M&P”), pursuant to which NGE will sell a 40% operating working interest in the Sinu-9 Block (“Sinu-9”) to Maurel & Prom for total cash consideration of US$150 million (the “Transaction”), with an effective date of February 1, 2025. Sinu-9 covers an area of approximately 311,353 acres in the Department of Cordoba, Colombia, and is fully permitted with environmental approval granted by the National Authority of Environmental Licences to drill 22 wells from 11 locations.BrandSpark International announces its 22nd annual 2025 Best New Product Awards winners, recognizing the Best New Food, Beverage, Beauty, Health, Personal Care, Kids, Pet, Household Care, Home Goods, Quick Service Restaurant Menu Items and Services based on a nationwide survey of Canadian consumers 
BrandSpark International is excited to announce the winners of the 22nd annual 2025 Best New Product Awards™, Canada’s most trusted consumer-voted awards for new products. This year, over 12,000 Canadians took part in a nationwide survey, rating products across 118 categories. From Food, Beverage, and Beauty to Household Care, Pet, and Kids’ products, the winners represent the most innovative and exciting launches that Canadians truly love—chosen by real shoppers who have actually purchased and tried them. The 2025 Best New Product Awards winners are listed below. To learn more about the program and this year’s winners, visit: www.BestNewProductAwards.com.AstraZeneca plans C$820 million (US$570m) investment in Canada to advance growing global hub and clinical delivery 
AstraZeneca, a global pharmaceutical company focused on developing life changing medicines, today announced a C$820 million (US$570m) investment in Canada, creating more than 700 high-skilled jobs, across all areas of the business. The investment will support the move to a larger, state-of-the-art office facility in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ontario. New investment in Canada will contribute to AstraZeneca’s global ambition to achieve US$80 billion in Total Revenue and to bring 20 new medicines to patients around the world by 2030 of which eight new medicines have already been launched to date. The Company also expects seven first Phase III clinical trial data readouts in 2025.New low carbon floating hotel and visitor destination proposed for Vancouver waterfront 
A new 250-room floating hotel is being proposed for Vancouver by Finnish hotel developer, Sunborn International Holding (SBIH). In partnership with the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre (VHFC), the hotel will be a unique, world-class hospitality venue, bringing new jobs, economic growth, and creating a new destination on the water. “The new floating hotel will be a jewel for the crown of Vancouver’s waterfront,” says Graham Clarke, Chairman of VHFC. “The new property will contribute to the urgent need for hotel rooms in Vancouver in an innovative and effective way, with no permanent footprint or environmental ramifications, adding new public spaces, viewpoints, cafés and restaurants to Vancouver’s vibrant waterfront.”  

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SOURCE Cision Canada