October 16, 2018
Local McDonald’s Restaurant Owners Step Up to Help Youth in North Preston

Halifax, Nova Scotia – Four local McDonald’s franchisees are stepping up to support the dreams and aspirations of youth in North Preston. The four owners collectively will be the named sponsor of the initiative that supports the refurbishment of the basketball court in North Preston to give youth – through basketball – the opportunity to continue their education.

On the weekend of October 19th – 21st, $1 from every Big Mac sold at participating restaurants in the Halifax Regional Municipality will go directly to the North Preston Basketball initiative.

McDonald’s has a long history of building stronger communities and recognizes the role that sport and education play in fostering development of individuals in the community.

This gift was inspired by the initiative of Shaquille Smith, who grew up in North Preston. Shaquille drove this project with the help of a $100,000 grant from Nova Scotia Communities, Culture and Heritage, $100,000 from the Halifax Regional Municipality and $10,000 from the community fund of local Councillor David Hendsbee.

“When we first met with Shaquille, his passion to make a difference in his community through basketball was something we wanted to support,” said Peter MacIsaac, local owner of McDonald’s. “Shaquille’s vision to help youth was built on his own experience. He got to attend university because of a basketball scholarship to Acadia University. By recognizing the importance of sport and education, we knew we could make a real impact for youth in the community.”

The McDonald’s North Preston basketball court will also provide education programs to better prepare youth for university or college. North Preston basketball alumni will play an important part of the education program.

“Although I am excited to bring a new basketball court to the community, this project is not just about basketball – it’s also about ensuring players who get to attend university or college are prepared for what’s to come. Finishing their degree is the goal,” said Shaquille Smith. “With the new basketball court, players from North Preston will have the same opportunities I did. With the addition of preparatory programs, we can help them be better positioned to finish their degrees.”

Smith added, “I want to thank the local McDonald’s owners for stepping up to build a stronger community in North Preston. I’m proud of their commitment to the community by fostering the development of youth.”

To recognize and acknowledge the best of community leadership, McDonald’s has invited Shaquille Smith to Atlanta for the 2019 McDonald’s All American in March. Shaquille will get to choose one high school player from North Preston to join him.

About McDonald’s

In 1967, Canadians welcomed the first McDonald’s restaurant to Richmond, British Columbia. Today, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited has become part of the Canadian fabric, serving close to three million guests every day. Together McDonald’s and our franchisees, proudly employ nearly 100,000 people from coast-to-coast and approximately 90 per cent of McDonald’s 1,400 Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs. Of the almost $1 billion we spend on food, beverages and packaging, more than 85 per cent is purchased from over 100 suppliers in Canada.

December 13, 2017
Colour Congratulates Aurora Cannabis on Winning 2017 Canadian Cannabis Award for Social Media Account Work

HALIFAX – At the recent 2017 Canadian Cannabis Awards ceremony in Toronto, Aurora Cannabis won first prize in the Social Media Account – Facebook category.

Aurora was chosen for this award based on votes received from the general public. Voting was held online between September 1 and September 30, 2017. The award ceremony took place on November 30, 2017.

“Since the summer of 2016, we have seen Aurora’s Facebook page grow to become the largest and most engaged of any licensed cannabis producer in the country,” said Savior Joseph, President of creative digital agency Colour. “We are very pleased to see Aurora receive recognition for this achievement and congratulate them on winning this award.”

Aurora Cannabis now has over 40% more “likes” than its next closest competitor and works closely with Colour to create content, with the goal of creating engaging, educational and relevant posts.   

Colour’s digital engagement team also collaborates with Aurora’s client care team and monitors comments through the work day in both official languages, plus evenings, weekends and holidays, helping to facilitate and foster an inspired community.

“The cannabis industry is complex, involves strict compliance and is rapidly evolving,” added Joseph. “This community initiative is a testament to our client’s trust and our team’s ability to make sense of the complexity and to execute within it in a socially responsible way. This is especially important to us as the law around recreational cannabis use is changing in 2018. Our continuous focus on responsible use is something to which we hold ourselves accountable.”

A publically traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: ACB), Aurora today operates state-of-the-art facilities – Aurora Mountain in Mountain View, Alberta and Aurora Vie in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. The company is also building a new production facility called Aurora Sky at the Edmonton International Airport, with a fourth facility being completed in Lachute, Quebec. Aurora is also pursuing new growth opportunities in Western Canada, Australia and the European Union.

“Colour is amazing to work with. The team is knowledgeable, constantly curious and fully focused on supporting our teams and our patients. They’ve been a vital partner in providing leading edge support across a variety of community initiatives,” said Neil Belot, Chief Global Business Development Officer for Aurora. “Our Facebook page has become one of the largest online medical cannabis communities and a safe place for patients to voice their opinions in a respectful way and to engage in meaningful conversation with our company and each other.”

With offices in Atlantic Canada, Toronto and New York, Colour is exporting creativity to markets everywhere.

November 16, 2017
Colour’s new Creative Director takes the reigns a week early

TORONTO – Creative digital agency Colour’s new creative director Chad Raymond is excited to get started helping Colour’s clients.

The former associate creative director for Canopy Growth Corporation and senior art director for Bensimon Byrne started at the agency’s Toronto office last week. His original start date was Tuesday, but he couldn’t wait to get started.

“With the growth that Colour has seen over the last year, it’s important for us to invest in a creative director that is able to lead our work across all digital channels,” said Savior Joseph, Colour’s President. “We’re very excited to have Chad join the Colour team. His expertise in all things creative and experience with technology, as well as in leading teams, will greatly benefit our clients.”

At Canopy, Raymond was responsible for building, evolving and maintaining the company’s three major brands. At Bensimon Byrne, Raymond was creative lead for such brands as Scotiabank, iShares, and HollisWealth. Raymond also worked three years as senior art director for Loyalty One / Air Miles. He began his career as art director of Digital Cement, where he worked for such global clients as Kraft, FedEx, John Hancock and AstraZeneca.

“Colour is working in a great space for clients, connecting creative with social, digital and PR,” said Raymond. “In week one, I really enjoyed getting to know the team and clients and I am looking forward to helping our clients achieve results with great creativity.”

Raymond holds diplomas in multi-media design and fine arts from Fanshawe College.

With offices in Atlantic Canada, Toronto and New York, Colour is exporting creativity to markets everywhere.