TORONTO: In a news conference on August 27, Michael McCain, president of Maple Leaf Foods, said the company takes full responsibility for a listeria bacteria outbreak that has, so far, believed to have caused the death of 15 people and left hundreds sick. Tests indicated the source of the listeria outbreak originated at a Maple Leaf Foods meat plant in Toronto.

TORONTO: Jennifer Allen, the former managing editor of Lexpert, Canada's magazine about business law, will become a national media relations specialist at Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP.

MONTREAL: Luxury jewellery retailer Birks & Mayors has increased its PR budget, as it plans to build its brand in international markets.

Heather Armstrong, press representative for the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), spoke to PRWeek about navigating the negative coverage and building buzz for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

OTTAWA: The Propane Gas Association of Canada (PGAC) is in the middle of a campaign to urge its members to include a well thought-out media strategy in their crisis management plans.

MONTREAL: Yahoo Canada has hired Capital-Image about a year after rebranding its Quebec portal.

OTTAWA: The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has launched a social networking community called Asklepios for Canadian physicians, residents, and medical students.

Peter Kent is undergoing something of a career rejuvenation. Since the early 1960s, Kent had been a well-known fixture in broadcast journalism, including at CTV, CBC (where he was the first working journalist to lead The National) and NBC (as senior European correspondent in the mid-80s).

TORONTO: CNW Group has launched its own "social media release." The product roll-out comes three months after rival Marketwire launched its own "social media 2.0 press release format" in Canada.

MONTREAL: The Opéra de Montréal has hired Alain Labonté Communications to promote its 2008-09 season.