Five things you need to know before you start your work day on April 19

Good morning, everyone! Our watch-list of stories here all centre around discord. Whether it’s Tim Hortons franchisee groups battling each other, the Leon’s furniture family heading to court, B.C. holding firm against Trans Mountain, CP against the unions, or Moody’s downgrading Kathleen Wynne’s financial plans, we’ve got the details for you this morning.  

DIRTY  LAUNDRY

Civil war has broken out at Tim Hortons. This time, the skirmish is not between the Canadian franchisees and the corporation. It’s between the franchisees and … franchisees. As Hollie Shaw reports, the dissident Great White North Franchisees Association, which represents about 60% of franchisees, is in a spat with the elected board of franchisees over how the management fiasco with RBI is being handled. In a letter sent to GWNFA members, the elected board said the public dispute is tantamount to “business suicide.”

A HOUSE DIVIDED

A brutal feud is tearing apart the furniture dynasty built from scratch by Ablan Leon in 1909. The battle pits Terry Leon, CEO of Leon’s Furniture, with annual revenue of $2.2 billion, against Anita Leon, the widow of his deceased brother, Tom. Hollie Shaw lays out the accounting decisions that led to what Anita alleges is a misappropriation of special shares within a complex estate trust that was put under Tom’s three brothers’ control for tax purposes. Another Leon sibling sides with the widow. At stake are millions of dollars worth of Leon’s shares and what remains of family relationships.

JUST AN ‘OUTLOOK’

Moody’s downgraded Ontario’s financial outlook to “negative” yesterday and warns that the province’s plan to run six consecutive multibillion-dollar deficits will challenge its finances. Premier Kathleen Wynne defended her pre-election budget, which will run a $6.7-billion deficit in 2018-2019, saying Moody’s change wasn’t a credit downgrade, which would affect borrowing costs.

IT’S UNCANADIAN

It’s time for British Columbians to look at whose interests are really being served in the Trans Mountain issue: the people’s, or the premier’s. Is it in the best interests of British Columbians to throw away $5.7 billion of government revenue, Laura Jones of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business asks. It is irresponsible to say no to projects with strong economic benefits and high levels of environmental protection. Harming Canada by blocking such projects doesn’t help B.C., she asserts.

WON’T BE RAILROADED

CEO Keith Creel says Canadian Pacific Railway will not be “held hostage” in union negotiations and will undergo the short-term pain of a strike in order to ensure long-term sustainability. The comment came as CP reported Q1 results, which saw profit fall almost 20 per cent. As Alicja Siekierska reports, two unions representing some 3,400 CP workers gave a 72-hour strike notice yesterday, and set April 21 as a deadline.