MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — While not all the news originating from Buffalo this morning is being met with jubilation by Canadian Hockey fans, at least one U.S.-based company is doing what they can to heal the pain.

At a morning ceremony, Buffalo Wild Wings execs officially dug into Canada's restaurant landscape with a groundbreaking in Oshawa, Ont., to mark the start of construction on the first Canadian Buffalo Wild Wings location.

"The groundbreaking in Oshawa is the culmination of a long journey for us and also marks the official beginning of an exciting new endeavor in Canada," said Mo Sawda, managing director, Buffalo Wild Wings International. "Along with construction beginning in Oshawa and the hiring of our management team, we have also signed our lease for a site in Mississauga and are aggressively working on multiple leases within Ontario and additional provinces within Canada."

Restaurant owners and managers in La Belle Provence had their new year’s celebrations cut short. As the clock struck one minute past midnight, provincial sales tax across the province jumped a full percentage point to 8.5 per cent.

Unfortunately for Quebec business owners, the dour tax news is only set to get worse, as another percentage point hike is slated for Jan. 1, 2012.

HAMILTON, Ont. — TMF Foods Inc. is heralding the Christmas season by donating more than 80,000 lbs. of meat to Ontario’s food banks.

The offering of peameal bacon, will assist those less fortunate in 28 communities across the province. "We know that there are 400,000 Ontarians who face hunger each month," said Lou Albanese, CEO of TMF Foods. "As a community we need to come together to assist our neighbours in need. This donation is our way of helping."

Since partnering with the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) five years ago, the purveyor of peameal bacon and fully cooked entrées has contributed almost $1-million worth of product, and the good deed hasn’t gone unnoticed. "High protein foods are among the most difficult for food banks and low-income Ontarians to access," said Ed Borkowski, executive director of the OAFB. "TMF Foods understands this and has been a long standing partner in helping us bridge this dietary gap."  

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Second Cup’s Income Fund has announced that its Board of Trustees has approved cash distributions of $0.07667 per unit for the month of November 2010 and $0.07667 per unit for the month of December 2010. The distribution for November is to be paid on Dec. 31, 2010 to unitholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 29. The distribution for December will be paid on Jan. 31 to unitholders of record at the close of business Dec. 31.

It’s also been announced that The Fund’s conversion from an income trust structure to a public corporation is expected to be completed on Jan. 1, at which time all outstanding units of the Fund will be exchanged on a one-for-one basis for common shares of a new corporation, The Second Cup Ltd., on a tax-deferred basis. It is expected the common shares of The Second Cup Ltd. will commence trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol SCU, Jan. 4.