Welcome to Morning Brew, our daily roundup of early-bird news:

• Tim Hortons will pay outgoing chief executive officer Don Schroeder $5,750,000 severance, although the chain announced that he will continue to work as a company advisor, focused on sustainable farming for coffee farmers in South and Central America. (The Globe and Mail)

• Take it Over, a campaign to encourage young people to vote in the Ontario provincial election on Oct. 6, has been launched by the Canadian Federation of Students, to help draw attention to the country's largest class sizes, lowest funding and highest tuition fees.  (CNW)

• Tourism Week in Canada, which is now underway, has drawn attention to the fact that the sector generates about $70 billion of annual economic activity, is comprised of over 170,000 businesses, provides 1.6 million full-year jobs, and employes 1 in 10 Canadians. (Marketwire)

Read More »from MORNING BREW: Former Tim Hortons CEO to receive $5.7 million severance and advisory role

It was, for the most part, a cold, miserable winter and spring hasn't been so hot either.

But hot is the operative word when it comes to summer, according to Canada's top weather geek.

"For June, July and August, we're saying that really one word for almost all of the country is warmer," says David Phillips, senior climatologist at the Environment Canada weather office.

Don't believe him? Take a look at the weather office's map for the three-month forecast: . Canada's covered in a blanket of red denoting warmer-than-normal temperatures.

So haul out the shorts and tank tops, stock up on the high-performance sunscreen. No matter where you live, it sounds like you're probably going to need it.

"The personality of the temperatures is warmer than normal from really almost the Lower Mainland (of British Columbia) to Labrador and the high Arctic," says Phillips.

Warmer than normal sounds, well, like a lukewarm prediction. It needs some explaining. Phillips says it means an average of one

Read More »from Get out shorts, sunscreen for predicted hot summer

There weren't really going to be any surprises this week when the three privately owned Canadian TV networks formally announced their fall 2011 schedules.

After all, the biggest shows were announced at similar U.S. upfront events last month. The presentations in Toronto mostly served to confirm which company bought which show.

But the companies behind Citytv, CTV and Global also arranged visits form any faces they could get from the high-stakes prime-time Hollywood shows.

Anderson Cooper, whose new syndicated daytime show is essentially CTV's replacement for Oprah Winfrey, was equally eager to play along. While continuing his night jobs with CNN and "60 Minutes" on CBS, the new "Anderson" show has promised to be lighter.

Toronto was a one-day detour from his usual duties, but Cooper was also able to swing his nightly "360" show from a local studio, rather than having to hustle home to Manhattan.

Between his promotional duties and preparation to cover issues of the day, though, he

Read More »from Canadian TV networks parade stars, like Anderson Cooper, to promote U.S. programming

Unsurprisingly, Ontarians are drinking more than ever, but you may be surprised by the colour of the hottest beverage.

Pink wine took off this year. Growth in sales of rosé at the LCBO outstripped those of white, reds, beers and most spirits during the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

Rosé is usually made by allowing the skins of black grapes to ferment with the juice for a shorter period of time. Pulling the skins out early gives the wine its distinctive colour.

Rosés have long suffered from the same perception faced by coolers and cosmos: that they're only for women.

While some Rosés do feature a sweeter flavour, more traditional dry Rosés are now gaining in popularity and shifting thinking about the pink wine.

Sales of Rosé at the LCBO jumped 14.7 per cent in the 2010-2011 fiscal year, while sales of white grew 7.4 per cent, red 6.2 per cent, beer 5 per cent and spirits 4.4 per cent.

Total sales climbed 5.6 per cent to $4.55 billion, with profit jumping 8.8 per cent to $1.56 billion. Much to

Read More »from LCBO profits rise as Ontario residents drink more pink wine

School administrators have seemingly found the quickest way to get students in line with their thinking.

Based on two recent controversies in Ontario, all it takes is to prevent them from attending the prom. The fact a good portion of those about to graduate already turned 18 doesn't deter this from happening, either.

Grade 12 students in London who printed up T-shirts to celebrate their post-prom party were forced by the principal of John Paul II Catholic High School to either turn them in or be suspended from the official celebration.

"Drink Triple. See Double. Act Single," was deemed an inappropriate slogan for students who have basically begun their adulthood. More than 70 of them found it funny enough to pay $12 for such a shirt. And parents apparently laughed along with it, too.

But female students who already spent hundreds of dollars on their hair and wardrobes don't want to be turned away at the door. The possible few who don't give up their shirts will get a refund for the

Read More »from Adult students banned from high school proms for questionable senses of humour

The trend of U.S. retailers moving into Canada has continued to pick up steam with the 142-year-old department store best-recognized from the movie "Miracle on 34th Street" seeking business north of the border, even if it's just by long-distance orders for now.

Macy's announced last week it will offer shipping to Canada through third-party management service FiftyOne, although its online catalogue has been configured to fluctuate with the exchange rate. For now, that could result in cheaper items than usual.

The delivery costs, however, reportedly offset any particular bargain. A comment left at the shopping site Smart Canucks noted a $35 dress came with delivery charges of $42 along with $12 duty.

"I guess that's why their name is FiftyOne," joked another commenter whose desired item had a price tag under $10, "it is an average price of shipping to Canada."

The discovery was met with particular frustration because other U.S. retailers like L.L. Bean have courted the Canadian market

Read More »from Macy’s department store seeks new miracle north of the 49th parallel

Montreal might as well define everything that goes on there by goofy-looking mascots.

After all, one of the most familiar names in the city is Youppi, the hairy orange Montreal Expos creature who outlived the baseball team to take on a new job with the Canadiens.

Meanwhile, the Just For Laughs comedy festival, which takes place each summer, is symbolized by a little green monster named Victor, who has somehow escaped the wrath of cynical stand-ups.

The effort to promote Montreal as a summer weekend getaway spot has leaned on the appeal of creatures not found in nature.

A recent promotional launch in New York City introduced a dozen different animal mash-ups, designed to accentuate the city as "a new breed of culture," whose 106 annual festivals remain an enigma to many Americans.

Research has found potential visitors, including those who live within a reasonable driving distance, are unaware of what the city is like beyond associations with "a French flair" and "a European vibe."

The

Read More »from Montreal banks on blogging animals to sell the city to summer tourists

It took 114 years for the media company founded by William Randolph Hearst to establish a foothold north of the 49th parallel.

Speculation about its future plans mostly surround the new form which the popular magazines published by the Hearst Corporation have already started to take.

Elle Canada, and its equivalent in Quebec, were part of an international deal this week that gave the U.S. company a 49 per cent share of a division of Toronto-based Transcontinental Media.

Yet, with a shrinking share of attention for print media, Hearst's focus has increasingly shifted to digital, along with a growing international expansion for its most popular titles.

Cosmopolitan, for example, recently introduced editions in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Dubai and Mongolia.

The billion-dollar acquisition of the French publisher Lagardère Group, which exported its popular women's magazine Elle to other countries, has resulted in a Canadian presence for Hearst.

What remains to be seen is whether other magazines

Read More »from Deal could see Cosmopolitan and Esquire magazines launch new Canadian editions