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121-575: Becky Penrice ( executive vice-president & chief operating officer ) Sears Canada Inc. was a publicly-traded Canadian company affiliated with the American-based Sears department store chain. In operation from 1952 until January 14, 2018, and headquartered in Toronto , Ontario, the company began as Simpsons-Sears —a joint venture between the Canadian Simpsons department store chain and

242-621: A humid continental climate with widely variable precipitation. For example, the average daily low in Prince George (roughly in the middle of the province) in January is −12 °C (10 °F). Small towns in the southern interior with high elevation such as Princeton are typically colder and snowier than cities in the valleys. Heavy snowfall occurs in all elevated mountainous terrain providing bases for skiers in both south and central British Columbia. Annual snowfall on highway mountain passes in

363-790: A 27% stake in Sears Canada. In April 2013, the company began to scale back some of its product offerings, dropping electronics and window coverings, and making toys online-only. In September 2013, Douglas C. Campbell took over as Sears Canada's COO . The following month, Sears Canada announced that it would close five of its major urban stores and sell them back to their respective landlords, including its flagship Toronto Eaton Centre location, as well as two other locations in Toronto, one in London, and one in Richmond, British Columbia. Campbell explained that "Unlocking

484-549: A catalogue desk. the 'D' stores were phased out in the early 1960s. Small stores, denoted 'S.S.' and serving similar markets to the original 'D' Stores, were introduced in the 1980s. In latter decades, stores have been classified by more descriptive terms, such as 'Select,' 'Core', and 'Small.' When Hometown Dealer Stores were introduced, they mirrored the assortments of the early 'D' stores. In 1971, adjacent to its new Kenmore Catalogue Service Centre in Toronto, Simpsons-Sears opened its first new concept "Clearance Centre", to assist in

605-414: A company, these individuals are sometimes differentiated with titles denoting higher positions such as executive vice president or senior vice president, with the remaining management team holding the title vice president. The title of assistant vice president or associate vice president is used in large organizations below vice president and there can be a very convoluted list of other types of VPs as seen in

726-543: A displayed selection of big ticket merchandise, along with the convenience of a local Catalogue counter, to consumers not near larger Sears stores nor other large retail firms. Stores of this format were operated predominantly in partnership with local community franchisers. In 1995, Sears Canada launched a chain of specialty stores called "Sears Whole Home" in order to better showcase its home decor offerings. Furniture stores were located in power centres. they were renamed "Sears Furniture and Appliances" stores in 1999, to reflect

847-550: A focus on low cost and e-commerce. On June 13, 2017, citing "material uncertainties" over whether the company would have enough cash flow to meet its financial obligations over the next year, and "significant doubt as to the company's ability to continue as a going concern", Sears Canada announced that it had hired advisors to explore a potential restructuring or sale of the company. On June 22, 2017, Sears Canada received court protection from its creditors and announced that it had commenced court-supervised restructuring proceedings under

968-696: A large presence in the Metro Vancouver region. The Franco-Columbian community is an officially recognized linguistic minority, and around one percent of British Columbians claim French as their mother tongue . British Columbia is home to at least 34 distinct Indigenous languages . Major sectors of British Columbia's economy include forestry , mining , filmmaking and video production , tourism , real estate , construction , wholesale , and retail . Its main exports include lumber and timber , pulp and paper products, copper , coal , and natural gas . British Columbia exhibits high property values and

1089-570: A nationwide repair and service network. The company also published a general merchandise catalogue until the last quarter of 2016 and offered shopping online at sears.ca until October 19, 2017. After filing for creditor protection in June 2017, Sears Canada announced it would close 20 full-line locations, 15 Home stores, 10 Outlet stores, and 14 Sears Hometown stores. The closings resulted in 2,900 employee layoffs. These stores officially closed on Sunday, October 1, 2017. In September 2017, Sears Canada announced

1210-493: A new corporate logo, consisting of a black wordmark and a red outline of a maple leaf, to replace the blue striped wordmark that had previously been used by the U.S. Sears chain. Company representatives described the new logo as being "bold" and "confident". In its second quarter earnings report, Sears Canada announced that it was developing a new store concept dubbed "Sears 2.0", which it planned to test at several of its current locations. In September 2016, Sears officially unveiled

1331-588: A new store format with a more "engaging" layout. In 2012, Sears sold three stores in Calgary, Ottawa, and Vancouver ( Chinook Centre , Rideau Centre , and Pacific Centre ) back to Cadillac Fairview for $ 170 million. Sears also sold its Deerfoot Mall location in Calgary, as well as its locations at Square One Shopping Centre and Yorkdale Mall . Sears Holdings also distributed shares in the company to Sears Canada's shareholders, reducing its holdings to 51%. Sears Holdings Corporation's chairman and CEO, Edward Lampert, has

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1452-505: A part of the bankruptcy protection process, Corbeil was sold to Am-Cam Électroménagers Inc., headquartered in Montreal, for an undisclosed amount. Am-Cam is the parent company of Distinctive Appliances and the sale was completed in December 2017. Vice president In government , a vice president is a person whose primary responsibility is to act in place of the president on the event of

1573-588: A partnership between their two companies in order to serve the Canadian market. The deal to create Simpsons-Sears Limited, a Canadian catalogue and department store chain separate from the Simpson's chain, was signed on September 18, 1952. The new company would be a 50–50 partnership; Simpsons and Sears both invested $ 20 million and had equal representation on Simpsons-Sears' board of directors. The new company had two main objectives: to expand Simpson's mail-order business (which

1694-512: A selection of over 500 products. In 2016, the company launched Initium, an initiative to overhaul existing legacy platforms into a new cohesive, functional, adaptable and user-friendly online retail enterprise for consumers. This new site provided for omni-channel availability of orders, integrated logistics and improved search and checkout experiences for customers. In a related move, Sears Canada entered into an agreement with CGI to support Sears strategy to reengineer its technology platforms, with

1815-516: A series of devastating epidemics of diseases the people had no immunity to. The population dramatically collapsed, culminating in the 1862 smallpox outbreak in Victoria that spread throughout the coast. European settlement did not bode well for the remaining native population of British Columbia. Colonial officials deemed colonists could make better use of the land than the First Nations people, and thus

1936-515: A seven-store upscale mini-brand, with locations in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto (Eaton Centre and Yorkdale) and Ottawa, all of which had been flagship Eaton stores. At Yorkdale and Winnipeg's Polo Park , this meant that Sears Canada managed two anchor stores (Eatons and Sears) in those malls for a short time. This operation was unsuccessful, however, and Sears converted the Eatons stores to

2057-505: A significant obstacle by ruling three major shareholding blocks ineligible to vote as the blocks were given extraordinary privileges by Sears Holdings Limited. On November 14, 2006, Sears Holdings' move to privatize Sears Canada at a bid of $ 17.97/share fell through by voting amongst the minority shareholder groups. On March 31, 2005, the majority ownership stake was transferred to Sears Holdings , which then owned 73.1% of Sears Canada common shares, while Pershing Square Capital held 17.3%, and

2178-550: A similar program. Simpsons-Sears began operating full-line (department) stores in 1953. Internally, these have been classified by size, volume, and the extent of merchandise selection. In the early decades, classifications were based on a letter designation, mirroring founding American parent, Sears, Roebuck, and Co.: 'A' Stores were large full-line stores, 'B' stores were smaller full-lines, serving more-mid-sized markets, while 'D' stores were early stores serving small markets, normally offering mostly hard-line and home departments, with

2299-827: A small island off the coast of Haida Gwaii . Many healthy populations of fish are present, including salmonids such as several species of salmon , trout , steelhead , and char . Besides salmon and trout, sport-fishers in BC also catch halibut , bass , and sturgeon . On the coast, harbour seals and river otters are common. Cetacean species native to the coast include the orca , humpback whale , grey whale , harbour porpoise , Dall's porpoise , Pacific white-sided dolphin and minke whale . Some endangered species in British Columbia are: Vancouver Island marmot , spotted owl , American white pelican , and badgers. White spruce or Engelmann spruce and their hybrids occur in 12 of

2420-655: A very wide range of birds, has long been popular. Bears ( grizzly , black —including the Kermode bear or spirit bear) live here, as do deer , elk , moose , caribou , big-horn sheep , mountain goats , marmots , beavers , muskrats , coyotes , wolves , mustelids (such as wolverines , badgers and fishers ), cougars , eagles , ospreys , herons , Canada geese , swans , loons , hawks , owls , ravens , harlequin ducks , and many other sorts of ducks. Smaller birds ( robins , jays , grosbeaks , chickadees , and so on) also abound. Murrelets are known from Frederick Island,

2541-455: A wholly unorganized area of British North America under the de facto jurisdiction of HBC administrators; however, unlike Rupert's Land to the north and east, the territory was not a concession to the company. Rather, it was simply granted a monopoly to trade with the First Nations inhabitants. All that was changed with the westward extension of American exploration and the concomitant overlapping claims of territorial sovereignty, especially in

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2662-491: Is the case in India and Namibia , but the presence of both offices concurrently is rare. In business , "vice president" refers to hierarchical position that ranges from extremely senior positions directly reporting to C-level executives (in non-financial companies), to junior non-management positions with four to 10 years of experience (in financial companies). In non-financial businesses, vice presidents often report directly to

2783-456: Is Canada's third-largest province in terms of total area, after Quebec and Ontario . The first known human inhabitants of the area settled in British Columbia at least 10,000 years ago. Such groups include the Coast Salish , Tsilhqotʼin , and Haida peoples, among many others. One of the earliest British settlements in the area was Fort Victoria , established in 1843, which gave rise to

2904-627: Is a significant centre for maritime trade : the Port of Vancouver is the largest port in Canada and the most diversified port in North America . Although less than 5 percent of the province's territory is arable land , significant agriculture exists in the Fraser Valley and Okanagan due to the warmer climate. British Columbia is home to 45% of all publicly listed companies in Canada. The province's name

3025-441: Is destroying universities. "Corporate vice president" is an older term that usually denotes a vice president that is named as a corporate officer by the board of directors. Not all vice presidents in a company in the modern business environment are named as an official corporate officer. Depending on the specific organization, the following may be an example of the hierarchy of the vice presidents. The following list explains where

3146-548: Is generally in the subarctic climate zone, but even there, milder air can penetrate far inland. The coldest temperature in British Columbia was recorded in Smith River , where it dropped to −58.9 °C (−74.0 °F) on January 31, 1947, one of the coldest readings recorded anywhere in North America. Atlin in the province's far northwest, along with the adjoining Southern Lakes region of Yukon , get midwinter thaws caused by

3267-485: Is home to First Nations groups that have a deep history with a significant number of indigenous languages. There are more than 200 First Nations in BC. Prior to contact (with non-Aboriginal people), human history is known from oral histories, archaeological investigations, and from early records from explorers encountering societies early in the period. The arrival of Paleoindians from Beringia took place between 20,000 and 12,000 years ago. Hunter-gatherer families were

3388-528: Is now the United States include Vancouver, Washington ( Fort Vancouver ), formerly the "capital" of Hudson's Bay operations in the Columbia District, Colville, Washington and Walla Walla, Washington (old Fort Nez Percés ). With the amalgamation of the two fur trading companies in 1821, modern-day British Columbia existed in three fur trading departments. The bulk of the central and northern interior

3509-462: Is the only province in Canada that borders the Pacific Ocean. British Columbia's highest mountain is Mount Fairweather ; the highest mountain entirely within the province is Mount Waddington . British Columbia's capital is Victoria , located at the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island . Only a narrow strip of Vancouver Island, from Campbell River to Victoria, is significantly populated. Much of

3630-548: The British Isles , many British Columbians also trace their ancestors to continental Europe , East Asia , and South Asia . Indigenous Canadians constitute about 6 percent of the province's total population. Christianity is the largest religion in the region, though the majority of the population is non-religious. English is the common language of the province, although Punjabi , Mandarin Chinese , and Cantonese also have

3751-1042: The Chinook effect, which is also common (and much warmer) in more southerly parts of the Interior. During winter on the coast, rainfall , sometimes relentless heavy rain, dominates because of consistent barrages of cyclonic low-pressure systems from the North Pacific. Average snowfall on the coast during a normal winter is between 25 and 50 centimetres (10 and 20 in), but on occasion (and not every winter) heavy snowfalls with more than 20 centimetres (8 in) and well below freezing temperatures arrive when modified arctic air reaches coastal areas, typically for short periods, and can take temperatures below −10 °C (14 °F), even at sea level. Arctic outflow winds can occasionally result in wind chill temperatures at or even below −17.8 °C (0.0 °F). While winters are very wet, coastal areas are generally milder and dry during summer under

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3872-664: The Columbia in the name Columbia Rediviva came from the name Columbia for the New World or parts thereof , a reference to Christopher Columbus . The governments of Canada and British Columbia recognize Colombie-Britannique as the French name for the province. British Columbia is bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean and the American state of Alaska , to the north by Yukon and

3993-654: The Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act , which would include closure a total of 59 stores (including 20 department stores, 15 Sears Home stores, 14 Sears Hometown stores, and 10 Sears Outlet stores) over an unspecified time period. These closures resulted in the loss of 2,900 employees. The company had also been reducing its product assortment to have a larger focus on fashion and home decor, downplaying its automotive, electronics, and tool businesses. The company stated that its new strategies and positioning were "starting to resonate with consumers", citing increasing same-store sales over

4114-638: The Dakelh (Carrier) and the Tsilhqotʼin . The inlets and valleys of the British Columbia coast shelter large, distinctive populations, such as the Haida , Kwakwakaʼwakw and Nuu-chah-nulth , sustained by the region's abundant salmon and shellfish. These peoples developed complex cultures dependent on the western red cedar that included wooden houses, seagoing whaling and war canoes and elaborately carved potlatch items and totem poles . Contact with Europeans brought

4235-578: The Fraser Canyon , close to the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson rivers, where the terrain is rugged and covered with desert-type flora. Semi-desert grassland is found in large areas of the Interior Plateau , with land uses ranging from ranching at lower altitudes to forestry at higher ones. The northern, mostly mountainous, two-thirds of the province is largely unpopulated and undeveloped, except for

4356-460: The Inside Passage 's many inlets provide some of British Columbia's renowned and spectacular scenery, which forms the backdrop and context for a growing outdoor adventure and ecotourism industry. 75 percent of the province is mountainous (more than 1,000 m [3,300 ft] above sea level ); 60 percent is forested; and only about 5 percent is arable. The province's mainland away from

4477-520: The North Coast just south of Southeast Alaska . The exception to British Columbia's wet and cloudy winters is during the El Niño phase. During El Niño events, the jet stream is much farther south across North America, making the province's winters milder and drier than normal. Winters are much wetter and cooler during the opposite phase, La Niña . There are 14 designations of parks and protected areas in

4598-664: The North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), effectively established a permanent British presence in the region. The Columbia District was broadly defined as being south of 54°40 north latitude, (the southern limit of Russian America ), north of Mexican-controlled California, and west of the Rocky Mountains . It was, by the Anglo-American Convention of 1818 , under the "joint occupancy and use" of citizens of

4719-649: The Northwest Territories , to the east by the province of Alberta , and to the south by the American states of Washington , Idaho , and Montana . The southern border of British Columbia was established by the 1846 Oregon Treaty, although its history is tied with lands as far south as California . British Columbia's land area is 944,735 square kilometres (364,800 sq mi). British Columbia's rugged coastline stretches for more than 27,000 kilometres (17,000 mi), and includes deep, mountainous fjords and about 6,000 islands, most of which are uninhabited. It

4840-574: The Oroville–Osoyoos Border Crossing , is one of several wine and cider -producing regions in Canada. Other wine regions in British Columbia include the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley . The Southern Interior cities of Kamloops and Penticton have some of the warmest and longest summer climates in Canada (while higher elevations are cold and snowy), although their temperatures are often exceeded north of

4961-411: The Rocky Mountains , the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, forests, lakes, mountains, inland deserts and grassy plains. British Columbia borders the province of Alberta to the east; the territories of Yukon and Northwest Territories to the north; the U.S. states of Washington , Idaho and Montana to the south, and Alaska to

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5082-466: The Vice President of the United States , for example, often attends funerals of world leaders on behalf of the president . A vice president, in some cases, may also be appointed by the president as the head of a ministry in the cabinet or to lead certain executive initiatives designated by the president. In parliamentary or semi-presidential systems, a vice president may coexist with a prime minister, as

5203-608: The fur trade , rather than political considerations. In 1794, by the third of a series of agreements known as the Nootka Conventions , Spain conceded its claims of exclusivity in the Pacific. This opened the way for formal claims and colonization by other powers, including Britain, but because of the Napoleonic Wars , there was little British action on its claims in the region until later. The establishment of trading posts by

5324-424: The president or CEO of the company and are members of the executive management team. Some corporations that use this term may have individuals with the title of vice president responsible for specific business divisions (e.g., vice president for legal, vice president for sales and marketing, vice president for finance, and vice president for human resources). When there are typically several vice presidents in

5445-549: The united colony's capital. In 1871, British Columbia entered Confederation as the sixth province of Canada, in enactment of the British Columbia Terms of Union . British Columbia is a diverse and cosmopolitan province, drawing on a plethora of cultural influences from its British Canadian , European , and Asian diasporas , as well as the Indigenous population . Though the province's ethnic majority originates from

5566-1101: The 14 biogeoclimatic zones of British Columbia . Common types of trees present in BC's forests include western redcedar , yellow-cedar , Rocky Mountain juniper , lodgepole pine , ponderosa or yellow pine , whitebark pine , limber pine , western white pine , western larch , tamarack , alpine larch , white spruce , Engelmann spruce , Sitka spruce , black spruce , grand fir , Amabilis fir , subalpine fir , western hemlock , mountain hemlock , Douglas-fir , western yew , Pacific dogwood , bigleaf maple , Douglas maple , vine maple , arbutus , black hawthorn , cascara , Garry oak , Pacific crab apple , choke cherry , pin cherry , bitter cherry , red alder , mountain alder , paper birch , water birch , black cottonwood , balsam poplar , trembling aspen . First Nations peoples of British Columbia used plants for food, and to produce material goods like fuel and building products. Plant foods included berries, and roots like camas . Environment Canada subdivides British Columbia into six ecozones : The area now known as British Columbia

5687-577: The 14 different designations that includes over 800 distinct areas. British Columbia contains seven of Canada's national parks and National Park Reserves: British Columbia contains a large number of provincial parks , run by BC Parks under the aegis of the Ministry of Environment. British Columbia's provincial parks system is the second largest parks system in Canada, the largest being Canada's National Parks system. Another tier of parks in British Columbia are regional parks , which are maintained and run by

5808-477: The 25-mile restriction and permit Simpsons and Simpsons-Sears stores anywhere. The following year Simpsons-Sears opened a store at Square One Shopping Centre in the city of Mississauga , approximately 30 km (19 mi) west of Toronto. To avoid confusing customers used to Simpsons, new stores were opened under the "Sears" banner. All existing Simpsons-Sears stores were rebranded to the Sears banner as well. However,

5929-530: The American Sears chain—which operated a national mail order business and co-branded Simpsons-Sears stores modelled after those of Sears in the U.S. After the Hudson's Bay Company purchased Simpsons in 1978, the joint venture was dismantled and Hudson's Bay sold its shares in the joint venture to Sears; with Sears now fully owning the company, it was renamed Sears Canada Inc. in 1984. In 1999, Sears Canada acquired

6050-522: The Future" in 1983. It represented a complete transformation and remodelling of stores along a new product-focused and customer-friendly merchandising program. The first remodelled store, in Mississauga, Ontario, was unveiled in 1985. Stores would be fully retrofitted over the following three years. The Sears Catalogue Club points program began in 1986. The next year, it changed to "Sears Club" to incorporate all

6171-480: The Hometown stores was managed by their franchisees. The move to close Hometown stores was criticized by several of their owners. The owners of five Alberta dealers reported that most of their locations were still profitable, and stated that due to the restructuring proceedings, they were losing compensation prescribed by their contracts with Sears if the retailer terminates them early. Amid the restructuring, Sears Canada

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6292-654: The Interior during mid-summer, with the record high of 49.6 °C (121.3 °F) being held in Lytton on June 29, 2021, during a record-breaking heat wave that year . The extended summer dryness often creates conditions that spark forest fires, from dry-lightning or man-made causes. Many areas of the province are often covered by a blanket of heavy cloud and low fog during the winter months, in contrast to abundant summer sunshine. Annual sunshine hours vary from 2200 near Cranbrook and Victoria to less than 1300 in Prince Rupert , on

6413-536: The Pacific Ocean, inscribing a stone marking his accomplishment on the shoreline of Dean Channel near Bella Coola . His expedition theoretically established British sovereignty inland, and a succession of other fur company explorers charted the maze of rivers and mountain ranges between the Canadian Prairies and the Pacific. Mackenzie and other explorers—notably John Finlay , Simon Fraser , Samuel Black , and David Thompson —were primarily concerned with extending

6534-496: The Sears brand in 2002. Many said that the Eatons stores were too upscale and/or too thinly scattered across the country for the mini-chain to have ever been profitable and worthwhile. The retail environment has changed with more of the population shopping at big box outlets and specialty stores squeezing out the middle market which is the base of the traditional department store. In 2005, Sears Card financial services were outsourced to JPMorgan Chase . Sears received C$ 3 billion for

6655-587: The Simpsons name disappeared from Canada's retail landscape. As a result of this move, Sears Canada took over eight former Simpsons and Bay stores and finally gained a major foothold in Greater Toronto, a market from which it had been excluded by the 1952 agreement with Simpsons. These new stores featured a new 60:40 fashions; hardlines mix and introduced new boutique shop arrangements and fashion lines, such as Le Chateau, Sung, and Rouie. Sears announced, "The Store of

6776-531: The Toronto and Montreal stock exchanges on April 5, 1965, with the listing of its Class “A” non-voting shares. That year, Sears began its long-standing partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, to support its youth programming. In 1968, Simpsons-Sears became the first Canadian retailer to begin buying products from Mainland China . In 1971, Simpsons-Sears opened a new head office building in downtown Toronto. In 1972, Simpsons and Simpsons-Sears agreed to end

6897-781: The United States and subjects of Britain (which is to say, the fur companies). This co-occupancy was ended with the Oregon Treaty of 1846. The major supply route was the York Factory Express between Hudson Bay and Fort Vancouver . Some of the early outposts grew into settlements, communities, and cities. Among the places in British Columbia that began as fur trading posts are Fort St. John (established 1794); Hudson's Hope (1805); Fort Nelson (1805); Fort St. James (1806); Prince George (1807); Kamloops (1812); Fort Langley (1827); Fort Victoria (1843); Yale (1848); and Nanaimo (1853). Fur company posts that became cities in what

7018-456: The VP sits in an organization: This comparison is not strictly correct, as director is a legal term, meaning someone registered with the relevant country's company registrar (or simply named in the legal documents, for countries not having company registration) as having managerial control of the company, and having legal responsibility for its operation, whilst a vice president does not. In either case

7139-744: The addition of major appliances. In 2003, the Furniture and Appliances stores were renamed "Sears Home" stores. This change was intended to reflect their broader appeal for customers seeking a one-stop experience for re-making their home decor. The stores' product line was expanded to include home-installed products and services such as floor coverings, customer drapery, and other installed home related products in many locations. In 2004, new off-mall specialty formats were introduced, including four Sears Appliances and Mattresses stores and two Sears (Floor) Coverings Stores. In 1998, Sears Canada's website, sears.ca, became an active channel, allowing customers to order from

7260-439: The approximately 130 remaining locations and assets. Sears Canada received Ontario Superior Court approval on October 13, 2017, since there was no viable buyer for the operation; the liquidation process was expected to be completed in 10 to 14 weeks after the beginning of liquidation on October 19, 2017. The closure of all operations led to a loss of nearly 12,000 jobs, of which roughly three-quarters were part-time employees. Since

7381-812: The area east of the Rockies , where the Peace River Country contains BC's portion of the Canadian Prairies , centred at the city of Dawson Creek . British Columbia is considered part of the Pacific Northwest and the Cascadia bioregion , along with the American states of Alaska, Idaho, (western) Montana, Oregon , Washington, and (northern) California . Because of the many mountain ranges and rugged coastline, British Columbia's climate varies dramatically across

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7502-587: The blocking presence of successive mountain ranges, the climate of some of the interior valleys of the province (such as the Thompson, parts of the Fraser Canyon, the southern Cariboo and parts of the Okanagan) is semi-arid with certain locations receiving less than 250 millimetres (10 in) in annual precipitation. The annual mean temperature in the most populated areas of the province is up to 12 °C (54 °F),

7623-401: The bylaws of a club specifically provide of the officer title of president-elect , that officer would assume the powers and duties of the president upon vacancy of that office only if specified in the bylaws. British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC ) is the westernmost province of Canada . Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and

7744-645: The city of Victoria, the capital of the Colony of Vancouver Island . The Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) was subsequently founded by Richard Clement Moody , and by the Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment , in response to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush . Moody selected the site for and founded the mainland colony's capital New Westminster . The colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia were incorporated in 1866, subsequent to which Victoria became

7865-502: The closed stores were sold until January 26, 2018. Sears Canada began its operations as Simpsons-Sears Limited , a catalogue and mid-market suburban retailer that was a joint venture between the Robert Simpson Company Limited , a Canadian department store chain, and Sears, Roebuck and Co. of the United States. In 1952, Sears Chairman General Robert E. Wood sent a letter to Simpsons President Edgar G. Burton, proposing

7986-544: The closing of 10 additional stores, in addition to the 59 store closings previously announced in June. On October 10, 2017, Sears Canada announced that it would seek court approval to shutter all of its remaining stores in Canada and lay off 11,240 remaining staff. The approval was granted by the Ontario Superior Court on October 13, 2017. Liquidation sales began on October 19, 2017. The remaining Sears stores closed on January 14, 2018. Store fixtures and equipment from

8107-418: The closure of 11 additional stores. A management group led by the company's executive chairman Brandon Stranzl had hoped to take over the retailer, but that attempt failed. "Following exhaustive efforts, no viable transaction for the company to continue as a going concern was received," Sears Canada announced on October 10, 2017. On the same day, the company stated that it was seeking court approval to liquidate

8228-584: The coast in 1775. In doing so, Pérez and Quadra reasserted the Spanish claim for the Pacific coast , first made by Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1513. The explorations of James Cook in 1778 and George Vancouver in 1792 and 1793 established British jurisdiction over the coastal area north and west of the Columbia River. In 1793, Sir Alexander Mackenzie was the first European to journey across North America overland to

8349-426: The coastal regions is somewhat moderated by the Pacific Ocean. Terrain ranges from dry inland forests and semi-arid valleys, to the range and canyon districts of the Central and Southern Interior , to boreal forest and subarctic prairie in the Northern Interior. High mountain regions both north and south have subalpine flora and subalpine climate . The Okanagan wine area , extending from Vernon to Osoyoos at

8470-516: The company's trading channels. The points of the program could no longer be earned from June 22, 2017. In 1999, Sears Canada acquired the assets and the trademark name of the bankrupt chain The T. Eaton Company Limited . For the first time in its history, Sears Canada gained the leases to a number of prime downtown locations in Toronto (Eaton Centre), Vancouver , Victoria , Winnipeg , Ottawa , and Calgary , all former Eaton's flagship stores. The Simpsons-Sears agreement had largely shut out Sears from

8591-584: The decisions, stating that the retention payments were a common practice during these processes, intended to maintain the morale of senior staff as they wind down their stores and that key executives remain with the company through the insolvency process. On August 15, 2017, the company announced that it planned to seek authorization from the Ontario Superior Court to siphon $ 500,000 from the retention bonuses into an "Employee Hardship Fund", which would be available to eligible employees. A company representative stated that Sears Canada "shares everyone's concerns about

8712-521: The event of the president's death, resignation or incapacity. A few vice presidents in the Americas also hold the position of president of the senate ; this is the case, for example, in Argentina, the United States, and Uruguay. The vice president sometimes assumes some of the ceremonial duties of the president, such as attending diplomatic functions and events that the actual president may be too busy to attend;

8833-404: The first vice president can be interchangeable with executive vice president and the remaining vice presidents are ranked in order of their seniority. Sometimes a vice president is also called presidium member , especially when there are more than person holding the post. The primary responsibility of the vice president of a club or organization is to be prepared to assume the powers and duties of

8954-408: The goal of reducing costs and improving efficiency. After October 19, 2017, the website was no longer available for online purchases and directed shoppers to the remaining stores undergoing liquidation, with a message of thanks to customers. Sears Canada website ceased operations after December 13, 2018, but their social media links with Twitter and Facebook can still be reached despite no activity since

9075-531: The holiday season, Sears laid off 70 employees from its head office after losing nearly $ 47 million in the previous quarter. Through 2003 and into 2011 the company lost $ 1.6 billion in revenue. In June 2011, Calvin McDonald, formerly of Loblaw Companies , was named president and CEO of Sears Canada. McDonald planned to restructure the company's operations under a three-year plan, in the wake of increased competition and economic uncertainties. He explained that "we are in

9196-523: The influence of stable anti-cyclonic high pressure. Southern Interior valleys are hot in summer; for example, in Osoyoos , the July maximum temperature averages 31.7 °C (89.1 °F), making it the hottest month of any location in Canada; this hot weather sometimes spreads towards the coast or to the far north of the province. Temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in the lower elevations of valleys in

9317-621: The islands of southern Alaska and northern British Columbia. The Na-Dene language group is believed to be linked to the Yeniseian languages of Siberia: the Dene of the western Arctic may represent a distinct wave of migration from Asia to North America. The Interior of British Columbia is home to the Salishan language groups such as the Shuswap (Secwepemc) , Okanagan and Athabaskan language groups, primarily

9438-479: The land should be owned by the colonists. To ensure colonists would be able to settle properly and make use of the land, First Nations were forcibly relocated onto reserves , which were often too small to support their way of life. By the 1930s, British Columbia had over 1500 reserves. Lands now known as British Columbia were added to the British Empire during the 19th century. Colonies originally begun with

9559-559: The main social structure from 10,000 to 5,000 years ago. The nomadic population lived in non-permanent structures foraging for nuts, berries and edible roots while hunting and trapping larger and small game for food and furs. Around 5,000 years ago individual groups started to focus on resources available to them locally. Coast Salish peoples had complex land management practices linked to ecosystem health and resilience. Forest gardens on Canada's northwest coast included crabapple, hazelnut, cranberry, wild plum, and wild cherry species. Thus with

9680-457: The members of the organization. When multiple vice presidents are elected, the positions are usually numbered to prevent confusion as to who may preside or succeed to the office of president upon vacancy of that office (for example: first vice president, second vice president, and so on). In some cases vice presidents are given titles due to their specific responsibilities, for example: vice president of operations, finance, etc. In some associations

9801-647: The mildest anywhere in Canada. The valleys of the Southern Interior have short winters with only brief bouts of cold or infrequent heavy snow, while those in the Cariboo , in the Central Interior , are colder because of increased altitude and latitude, but without the intensity or duration experienced at similar latitudes elsewhere in Canada. Outside of the driest valleys, the Southern and Central Interior generally have

9922-579: The name of the company remained Simpsons-Sears Limited. Also in 1973, Sears hit $ 1 billion in sales. In 1974, Simpsons-Sears opened a Sears store at Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill , Ontario , its first location in a mall that had a Simpsons store. In 1978, Simpsons and Simpsons-Sears put forward a plan to merge their businesses. This plan had to have the approval of the Foreign Investment Review Agency, as Sears, Roebuck would become

10043-470: The native population of what became British Columbia. The arrival of Europeans began around the mid-18th century, as fur traders entered the area to harvest sea otters . While it is thought Sir Francis Drake may have explored the British Columbian coast in 1579, it was Juan Pérez who completed the first documented voyage, which took place in 1774. Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra explored

10164-591: The need for dedicated associates). Stranzl stated that the new format was meant to "take ideas from the best in the business, whether it's in shoes, outerwear or appliances", and return the chain to a "price-focused" strategy. The new format was implemented during renovation of the Stone Road Mall location in Guelph. In December 2016, Sears Canada announced plans to add grocery sections in three-to-five remodelled stores in 2017. The selection would be primarily organic, with

10285-457: The new store format at its Promenade and Mapleview Centre locations, with a media launch day on September 27, 2016. The new format was designed to have a more open layout with fewer permanent displays and partitions, providing more flexibility in how departments are arranged and stocked. The footwear department was also moved to the centre of the store and switched to a "self-serve" concept, with product boxes accessible by customers (thus reducing

10406-497: The next section. As many of these VPs have minimal employees reporting to them, their necessity has been questioned, with for example Inc. magazine arguing to flatten the corporate hierarchy. Similarly, as universities have adopted a corporate structure there is concern over administrative bloat and over-paying VPs. Benjamin Ginsberg, a political scientist and professor, has claimed the proliferation of VPs and other administrators

10527-474: The northwest. With an estimated population of over 5.6   million as of 2024, it is Canada's third-most populous province . The capital of British Columbia is Victoria , while the province's largest city is Vancouver . Vancouver and its suburbs together make up the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada , with the 2021 census recording 2.6   million people in Metro Vancouver . British Columbia

10648-424: The office of the president in the case of a vacancy in that office. If the office of president becomes vacant, the vice president (or in clubs with multiple vice presidents, the VP that occupies the highest-ranking office), will assume the office of president, with the lower vice presidents to fill in the remaining vice presidencies, leaving the lowest vice presidency to be filled by either election or appointment. If

10769-561: The parent company and majority shareholder of Sears Canada, made a bid to purchase the remaining shares to take the company private. Some members of the board opposed the move. A ruling by the Ontario Securities Commission , made in August 2006, stalled progress the attempted privatization by its parent company, Sears Holdings Limited. While the ruling did not dispel the future possibility of the privatization of Sears Canada, it posed

10890-565: The passage of time there is a pattern of increasing regional generalization with a more sedentary lifestyle . These indigenous populations evolved over the next 5,000 years across a large area into many groups with shared traditions and customs. To the northwest of the province are the peoples of the Na-Dene languages , which include the Athapaskan-speaking peoples and the Tlingit , who live on

11011-422: The pension plan was underfunded by nearly $ 270 million, the annual benefits received by 17,000 pension plan members was likely to be reduced. In an attempt to moderate the hardship for retirees, a judge had previously ordered payments to other Sears creditors frozen until the pension issue was resolved. While Ontario offers a plan to financially aid such pensioners under its Pension Benefits Act, no other province has

11132-512: The plight faced by some of its former employees, and is glad to see a solution, pending court approval, that can at least help those most in need." The Globe and Mail noted that this arrangement was not a true substitute to severance pay, as affected employees "would have collected far more had Sears followed the typical path of giving a few weeks of pay per year of service for terminated employees." On October 2, 2017, Sears Canada announced its intent to seek extended bankruptcy protection as well as

11253-400: The president is not present, dies, resigns, or is otherwise unable to fulfill their duties, the vice president will generally serve as president. In many presidential systems , vice presidents may not wield much day-to-day political power, but are still considered important members of the cabinet , while other vice presidents might not have any purpose beyond acting in place of the president on

11374-409: The president's death, resignation or incapacity. Vice presidents are either elected jointly with the president as their running mate , or more rarely, appointed independently after the president's election. Most governments with vice presidents have one person in this role at any time, although in some countries there are two or more vice presidents–an extreme case being Iran's 12 vice presidents . If

11495-465: The previous two quarters. On July 18, 2017, Sears Canada received court approval to begin liquidating the inventory of the 59 closing locations on July 21, 2017, appointing Gordon Brothers and Merchant Retail Solutions to manage the liquidation of the department and Sears Home stores. Per the formal plan submitted in court documents, the terms "bankruptcy", "going out of business", or "liquidation" could not be used to promote these sales. Liquidation of

11616-552: The prime shareholder. Before approval could be attained, the Hudson's Bay Company made a counter bid and acquired Simpsons Limited. Simpsons' shares in Simpsons-Sears taken over by The Bay were eventually sold back to Sears, Roebuck. The company was renamed Sears Canada Inc. in 1984 to reflect its independence. The paths of Hudson's Bay and Sears crossed again in 1991. The Hudson's Bay Company merged its remaining Greater Toronto Simpsons stores into its The Bay division in 1991, and

11737-401: The province that reflect the different administration and creation of these areas in a modern context. There are 141 ecological reserves, 35 provincial marine parks, 7 provincial heritage sites, 6 National Historic Sites of Canada , 4 national parks and 3 national park reserves. 12.5 percent of the province's area (114,000 km or 44,000 sq mi) is considered protected under one of

11858-525: The province's regional districts . The Ministry of Forests operates forest recreation sites. In addition to these areas, over 47,000 square kilometres (18,000 sq mi) of arable land are protected by the Agricultural Land Reserve . Much of the province is undeveloped, so populations of many mammalian species that have become rare in much of the United States still flourish in British Columbia. Watching animals of various sorts, including

11979-552: The province. Coastal southern British Columbia has a mild and rainy climate influenced by the North Pacific Current . Most of the region is classified as oceanic , though pockets of warm-summer Mediterranean climate also exist in the far-southern parts of the coast. Precipitation averages above 1,000 mm (39 in) in almost all of the coastal region, and Hucuktlis Lake on Vancouver Island receives an average of 6,903 mm (271.8 in) of rain annually. Due to

12100-602: The remainder of the shares were publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. On September 26, 2007, Sears Canada announced the sale of its 222 Jarvis Street headquarters to the Government of Ontario . The company relocated its head office to surplus space at its flagship store in the Toronto Eaton Centre . Same-store sales were down 4% in 2010, compared to 6.8% in 2009. In December 2011, after slow sales over

12221-559: The remaining assets and locations of the historic Canadian chain Eaton's . From 2014, Sears Holdings owned a 10% share in the company. ESL Investments was the largest shareholder of Sears Canada. Sears Canada operated 125 full-line department stores at its' peak. In 2016, Sears Canada had a network that included 140 corporate stores (including full-line, Sears Home, and Sears Outlet stores), 71 Hometown stores, over 900 catalogue and online merchandise pick-up locations, 69 Sears Travel offices, and

12342-489: The responsibilities may be overall to the company, a region (US, EMEA, CEE...), business unit or function such as sales, marketing, IT etc. In financial companies, a "vice president" is usually a seniority rank that denotes higher responsibility, though such may not be leadership. The title does not denote a leadership position within the company, but often a role relatively junior to the executive board. Financial services companies have multiple vice presidents, possibly because

12463-462: The retailer ceased operating. Sears offers options for Canadian cross-border shoppers to purchase from US site and pickup at the nearest US store. International delivery is not available to Canadians. Founded in 1949, Corbeil Électrique Inc., better known as Corbeil Appliances, was acquired by Sears Canada in 2005. Corbeil had 26 locations in Quebec, but closed its four locations in Toronto and Ottawa. As

12584-752: The rotation of its off-season and marked down catalogue merchandise. The concept was eventually expanded nationwide, offering consumers an off-priced selection of in-house and brand name products. In the 2000s, these stores were renamed "Outlet Stores" to reflect a broader assortment as well as channel-specific merchandise. Sears full-line stores in some markets were converted to this format in 2014. As of Fall 2016, Sears Canada operated 17 outlet locations. In June 2017 Sears announced 10 remaining outlet stores would also close. In 1994, Sears Canada opened its first Hometown Dealer Store in Pembroke, Ontario. The "Hometown Stores". were designed to serve smaller-sized markets and bring

12705-513: The sale, and the Sears Club points system was retained by the retailer. Sears also paid a special dividend upon the completion of the transaction. CEO Brent Hollister said that the move would allow Sears to refocus on its retail operations. Sears Canada announced it would end its credit card partnership with JPMorgan Chase when the agreement expired in November 2015. In January 2006, Sears Holdings ,

12826-767: The second store opened in Kamloops , British Columbia in December of that year. In 1954, Simpsons-Sears opened Canada's first large suburban department store, in Vancouver – Burnaby , BC, based on new the modern Sears, Roebuck model, spreading across the U.S. Simpsons-Sears introduced the slogan “We Service What We Sell” in 1955, backed up by a highly trained nationwide corps of service technicians. In 1963, Simpsons-Sears opened its first full-line store in Quebec , in Quebec City 's Fleur de Lys complex. The company made its public debut on

12947-500: The situation that we are in because we stopped doing the things that make great retailers great. We traded ourselves into this challenge and we will trade ourselves out of it." The company had posted a $ 44.1 million loss in 2010 but had recovered to $ 21.9 million by the third quarter of 2011. Among the planned changes were to build upon market segments where Sears had historically performed well (including appliances, dresses, children's wear and related products, and mattresses), and introduce

13068-526: The southern Columbia Basin (within present day Washington and Oregon ). In 1846, the Oregon Treaty divided the territory along the 49th parallel to the Strait of Georgia , with the area south of this boundary (excluding Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands ) transferred to sole American sovereignty. The Colony of Vancouver Island was created in 1849, with Victoria designated as the capital. New Caledonia, as

13189-464: The southern interior rivals some of the snowiest cities in Canada, and freezing rain and fog are sometimes present on such roads as well. This can result in hazardous driving conditions, as people are usually travelling between warmer areas such as Vancouver or Kamloops , and may be unaware that the conditions may be slippery and cold. Winters are generally severe in the Northern Interior which

13310-543: The support of the Hudson's Bay Company (Vancouver Island, the mainland) were amalgamated, then entered Confederation as British Columbia in 1871 as part of the Dominion of Canada. During the 1770s, smallpox killed at least 30 percent of the Pacific Northwest First Nations . This devastating epidemic was the first in a series; the 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic killed about half to two-thirds of

13431-444: The title is a form of delayering when an employee can not be moved higher in the organization but still deserves recognition. In most cases, the title merely implies that someone is in a medium-seniority individual contributor role. Larger financial institutions have thousands of employees with the title "vice president". In other organizations ( e.g. , trade unions , societies, clubs) one or multiple vice presidents are elected by

13552-428: The urban core, and that remained so even when the restriction was lifted, as The Bay and Eaton's long held a duopoly in the downtowns of major Canadian cities. Sears Canada had also entertained notions of obtaining the former Eaton downtown Montreal store but that location was eventually occupied by Quebec retailer Les Ailes de la Mode . Sears relaunched "Eatons" (rendered with the lowercase "e" logo) in November 2000 as

13673-492: The value of assets is one of the three levers we have said we will use as a way to create total value for the company. When proposals such as this one are presented to us, we must weigh the value of the transaction against the value we will obtain from continuing to operate those stores in their current locations". Campbell left Sears Canada in October 2014 and was replaced by Ronald Boire , who served until June 2015. Brandon Stranzl

13794-548: The western part of Vancouver Island and the rest of the coast is covered by temperate rainforest . The province's most populous city is Vancouver, which is at the confluence of the Fraser River and Georgia Strait , in the mainland's southwest corner (an area often called the Lower Mainland ). By land area, Abbotsford is the largest city. Vanderhoof is near the geographic centre of the province. The Coast Mountains and

13915-566: Was appointed executive chairman in July 2015, continuing in his role as chairman of the board and also assuming the duties of the CEO. In November 2015, Carrie Kirkman was appointed president and chief merchant, a role she held until July 2016. In late 2013, SHS Services Management, a Markham, Ontario-based contract partner, went into receivership, but Sears Canada promised to honour home improvement warranty through services offered by SHS on behalf of Sears Canada. On August 24, 2016, Sears Canada unveiled

14036-657: Was chosen by Queen Victoria , when the Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) , i.e., "the Mainland", became a British colony in 1858. It refers to the Columbia District , the British name for the territory drained by the Columbia River , in southeastern British Columbia, which was the namesake of the pre- Oregon Treaty Columbia Department of the Hudson's Bay Company . Queen Victoria chose British Columbia to distinguish what

14157-415: Was criticized for its treatment of the laid-off employees, including that the company planned to issue a total of $ 7.6 million in retention bonuses to 43 executives and senior managers, and $ 1.6 million to senior employees at stores that are closing, but did not plan to offer severance pay to the laid-off employees. These concerns resulted in calls over social media to boycott the company. Sears Canada defended

14278-480: Was free to operate anywhere in Canada, as was the new Simpsons-Sears Acceptance Company, the credit arm of the operation. The business operations of Simpsons-Sears began when the first Simpsons-Sears Spring/Summer Catalogue was printed by Photo-Engravers and Electrotypers, Ltd. and delivered to 300,000 Canadian homes in early 1953. On September 17, 1953, the first Simpsons-Sears retail store opened in Stratford , Ontario;

14399-833: Was organized into the New Caledonia district, administered from Fort St. James. The interior south of the Thompson River watershed and north of the Columbia was organized into the Columbia District, administered from Fort Vancouver on the lower Columbia River. The northeast corner of the province east of the Rockies, known as the Peace River Block, was attached to the much larger Athabasca District , headquartered in Fort Chipewyan , in present-day Alberta. Until 1849, these districts were

14520-496: Was sold to the new company) and to build a string of stores modelled on Sears' format across the country. The agreement also contained a provision that would become a major challenge in later years. Under its terms, Simpsons-Sears could not open a retail store within 25 miles of Simpsons' existing stores in Toronto, Montreal , Halifax , Regina , and London . In return, Simpsons promised not to build any stores outside of those five cities. Simpsons-Sears' mail-order business, however,

14641-520: Was the British sector of the Columbia District from the United States' ("American Columbia" or "Southern Columbia"), which became the Oregon Territory on August 8, 1848, as a result of the treaty. Ultimately, the Columbia in the name British Columbia is derived from the name of the Columbia Rediviva , an American ship which lent its name to the Columbia River and later the wider region;

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