TORONTO (AP) — Canada announced Monday it is launching a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, matching U.S. tariffs imposed over what Western governments say are China’s subsidies that give its industry an unfair advantage.
The announcement came after encouragement by U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Cabinet ministers Sunday. Sullivan is making his first visit to Beijing on Tuesday.
Trudeau said Canada also will impose a 25% tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum. “Actors like China have chosen to give themselves an unfair advantage in the global marketplace,” he said.
One of the Chinese-made EVs imported into Canada is from Tesla, made at the company’s Shanghai factory, though the U.S. company could avoid the tariff by switching to supplying Canada from factories in the U.S. or Germany.
Chinese brands are not yet a player in Canada. However, Chinese EV giant BYD established a Canadian corporate entity last spring and has indicated it intends to try and enter the Canadian market as early as next year.
Chinese officials are likely to raise concerns about the American tariffs with Sullivan as Beijing continues to repair its economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. President Joe Biden in May slapped major new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, steel, aluminum and medical equipment.
“The U.S. does believe that a united front, a coordinated approach on these issues benefits all of us,” Sullivan told reporters on Sunday.
Biden has said Chinese government subsidies for EVs and other consumer goods ensure that Chinese companies don’t have to turn a profit, giving them an unfair advantage in global trade.
Chinese firms can sell EVs for as little as $12,000. China’s solar cell plants and steel and aluminum mills have enough capacity to meet much of the world’s demand. Chinese officials argue their production keeps prices low and would aid a transition to the green economy.
“We’re doing it in alignment, in parallel, with other economies around the world that recognize that this is a challenge that we are all facing,” Trudeau said of the new tariffs. “Unless we all want to get to a race to the bottom, we have to stand up.”
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada also will launch a 30-day consultation about possible tariffs on Chinese batteries, battery parts, semiconductors, critical minerals, metals and solar panels.
“China has an intentional state-directed policy of overcapacity and oversupply designed to cripple our own industry,” Freeland said. “We simply will not allow that to happen to our EV sector, which has shown such promise.”
The Chinese Embassy said Ottawa disregarded Beijing’s repeated objections and said the move will damage trade and economic cooperation.
“This move is typical trade protectionism and politically-motivated decision, which violates the World Trade Organization(WTO) rules and goes against Canada’s traditional image as a global champion for free trade and climate change mitigation,” the embassy said in an emailed statement. “China will take all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.”
Canada “had to go with the U.S. position, when you think about the economic integration that we have with the U.S. More than 75% of our exports go to the U.S.,” said a former Canadian ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques.
Saint-Jacques said Canada can expect retaliation from China in other industries, adding that barley and pork are candidates because the Chinese can get it from other countries.
“China will want to send a message,” he said.
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This story has been corrected to say Tesla is one of the Chinese-made EVs imported into Canada, not the only one.
TD Bank took a provision of $2.6 billion in the third quarter as it estimates the cost of fines from its U.S.-based money laundering compliance lapses. During the Canadian bank’s Q3 earnings call, Chief Executive Bharat Masrani gave an update on TD’s remediation program resulting from the U.S. money laundering investigations. He said the bank […]
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha is still interested in completing his contract with the men’s national cricket team to 2025 despite the recent political turmoil in the country.
There is a strong possibility of a major shakeup in the Bangladesh Cricket Board after the turmoil.
“I have signed a contract till whatever the date and I’m looking forward to serve that term,” the 55-year-old Hathurusingha told reporters in Rawalpindi on Monday.
“If the board (is) changed and the new people want to make a change, I’m OK with that. (If) they want me to continue, if they’re happy with me, I’m happy with that.”
He also said his “thoughts and prayers are with the families that lost loved ones.”
Hathurusingha is preparing his team for the opening game of a two-match test series against Pakistan, starting Wednesday at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Hathurusingha, a former Sri Lankan international cricketer, was appointed Bangladesh’s all-format coach early in 2023 on a two-year contract. It was Hathurusingha’s second stint as Bangladesh coach after 2014-17 before he left to coach Sri Lanka.
The unrest in Bangladesh disrupted the preparations back home of its test team and players got an additional three days of training in Lahore when they arrived in Pakistan last Tuesday.
Six Bangladesh test players, who came with the country’s “A” team, also got a four-day practice game against Pakistan Shaheens in Islamabad, although the drawn game was disrupted by the weather.
The Bangladesh test squad includes star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was a lawmaker in ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, but was playing in Canada at the time she resigned earlier this month.
Pakistan has included pace bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shehzad and Mohammad Ali in its playing XI for the first test.
The selectors had already released sole specialist leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed and uncapped batter Kamran Ghulam.
Rawalpindi will also host the second test from Aug. 30.
DETROIT (AP) — Canada’s two largest railroads are starting to shut down their shipping networks as a labor dispute with the Teamsters union threatens to cause lockouts or strikes that would disrupt cross-border trade with the U.S.
Both the Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National railroads, which haul millions of tons of freight across the border, have stopped taking certain shipments of hazardous materials and refrigerated products.
Both are threatening to lock out Teamsters Canada workers starting Thursday if deals are not reached.
On Tuesday, CPKC will stop all shipments that start in Canada and all shipments originating in the U.S. that are headed for Canada, the railroad said Saturday.
The Canadian Press reported that on Friday, Canadian National barred container imports from U.S. partner railroads.
Jeff Windau, industrials analyst for Edward Jones & Co., said his firm expects work stoppages to last only a few days, but if they go longer, there could be significant supply chain disruptions.
“If something would carry on more of a longer term in nature, then I think there are some significant potential issues just given the amount of goods that are handled each day,” Windau said. “By and large the rails touch pretty much all of the economy.”
The two railroads handle about 40,000 carloads of freight each day, worth about $1 billion, Windau said. Shipments of fully built automobiles and auto parts, chemicals, forestry products and agricultural goods would be hit hard, he said, especially with harvest season looming.
Both railroads have extensive networks in the U.S., and CPKC also serves Mexico. Those operations will keep running even if there is a work stoppage.
CPKC said it remains committed to avoiding a work stoppage that would damage Canada’s economy and international reputation. “However we must take responsible and prudent steps to prepare for a potential rail service interruption next week,” spokesman Patrick Waldron said in a statement.
Shutting down the network will allow the railroad to get dangerous goods off of its network before any stoppage, CPKC said.
Union spokesman Christopher Monette said in an email Saturday that negotiations continue, but the situation has shifted from a possible strike to “near certain lockout” by the railroads.
CPKC said bargaining is scheduled to continue on Sunday with the union, which represents nearly 10,000 workers at both railroads. The company said it continues to bargain in good faith.
Canadian National said in a statement Friday that there had been no meaningful progress in negotiations and it hoped the union “will engage meaningfully” during a meeting scheduled for Saturday.
“CN wants a resolution that allows the company to get back to what it does best as a team, moving customers’ goods and the economy,” the railroad said.
Negotiations have been going on since last November, and contracts expired at the end of 2023. They were extended as talks continued.
The union said company demands on crew scheduling, rail safety and worker fatigue are the main sticking points.
Concerns about the quality of life for rail workers dealing with demanding schedules and no paid sick time nearly led to a U.S. rail strike two years ago before Congress intervened and blocked a walkout. The major U.S. railroads have made progress since then in offering paid sick time to most rail workers and trying to improve schedules.
Windau said the trucking industry currently has a lot of excess capacity and might be able to make up some of the railroads’ shipping volumes, but, “You’re not going to be able to replace all of that with trucking.”
Royal Bank of Canada said it has proof that its former chief financial officer engaged in an intimate relationship with a colleague that she failed to disclose, citing exchanges between the two over text messages and emails.
Canada’s biggest lender filed a statement of defense and counterclaim on Friday in the wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed earlier this month by Nadine Ahn, the executive it fired in April after 25 years at the bank.
The legal filing said Ahn began a close personal relationship with a colleague, Ken Mason — an executive in the bank’s corporate treasury group — as early as 2013 and that it continued until the time of her departure.
The document offers a remarkably detailed look at how the bank alleges the relationship played out over more than a decade. It includes descriptions of how the two bankers frequently met outside work for cocktails, celebrated anniversaries, swapped romantic poetry, and called each other by pet names — “Prickly Pear” for Ahn and “KD” for Mason.
Their text messages “fantasized about a life together, such as reading in bed together,” RBC’s court filing states.
“Ms. Ahn forwarded romantic poetry to Mr. Mason, expressing that she had fallen in love with Mr. Mason when she first saw him,” according to the filing. “Ms. Ahn and Mr. Mason continued to regularly see each other outside of the office during this time period, arranging a lunch on August 18, 2017 to celebrate their ‘fourth anniversary.’”
The close relationship continued after she was promoted to CFO in 2021, according to the documents. RBC alleges that Ahn used her position within the company to orchestrate promotions and pay raises for Mason, an endeavor it says Mason referred to as “Project Ken” in a document he drew up. She also shared confidential information with Mason, the bank claims, such as a draft of a speech to be given by Chief Executive Officer Dave McKay.
The filing states that RBC doesn’t have access to their messages, “except to the extent that Ms. Ahn and Mr. Mason copied personal communications to RBC systems.”
Lawyers for Mason and Ahn didn’t reply to messages seeking comment. Ahn said in her lawsuit that she and Mason were friends but denied that they were romantic partners. Mason, who filed a separate wrongful dismissal lawsuit against RBC, also denied a romantic relationship and said the bank would have treated them differently if they had both been men.
‘I Love You Too’
The bank cites “intimate communications” exchanged between the two via text message. As one example, it states, “On March 11, 2019, Ms. Ahn messaged Mr. Mason to say, ‘I love you.’ Mr. Mason responded 15 seconds later, ‘I love you too.’”
The two allegedly used calendar invites to schedule “liquidity meetings,” which the bank said was code for going for cocktails. At one such meeting, the two scribbled notes about their drink orders and other topics such as “concert, night out, winery” on a coaster from Canoe, an upscale restaurant in Toronto’s financial district. Mason had the coaster encased in plexiglass and kept it in his office, RBC claims.
The bank said it began investigating in March after an anonymous whistleblower alleged that Ahn and Mason had been seen “hugging and kissing and exiting the elevators” at the Fairmont Royal York, a hotel that’s right beside RBC’s head office.
Bank officials “immediately commenced a thorough investigation conducted by external legal counsel,” RBC spokesperson Gillian McArdle said in an emailed statement on Friday. “We were disappointed to learn the allegations were true.”
The Globe and Mail newspaper earlier reported on RBC’s court filing.
Ahn’s lawsuit complained about the way Royal Bank handled the investigation, the speed with which she was fired after being confronted with the allegations on April 5, and the damage to her reputation when the bank put out a press release that same day.
“Contrary to the statements of claim from Ms. Ahn and Mr. Mason, the investigation showed there was an undisclosed close personal relationship, and that Ms. Ahn misused her authority as CFO to directly benefit Mr. Mason,” McArdle said. “As she was a Named Executive Officer, we had an obligation to disclose.”
Ahn’s lawsuit is seeking almost C$50 million ($37 million) in pay and damages while Mason is suing Royal Bank for more than C$20 million in pay and damages.
In its counterclaim against Ahn, RBC is seeking about C$4.5 million for “excess compensation” paid to Mason and to claw back bonuses paid to Ahn, plus other damages and costs.
RBC’s filing states that when another employee raised concerns about Mason’s pay, Ahn terminated that person’s employment without cause. The bank said that former employee “has demanded compensation from RBC for bad faith termination of his employment, because of Ms. Ahn’s conduct.”
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The Canadian stars and co-creators of Schitt’s Creek say they are thrilled to host the awards ceremony next month.
“For two Canadians who won our Emmys in a literal quarantine tent, the idea of being asked to host this year in an actual theatre was incentive enough,” the pair said in a statement posted Friday to the Television Academy website.
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Emmy organizers say the Levys will be the first father-son duo to host the celebration of the best in television, which has been around for three-quarters of a century.
It’s also the first time since Howie Mandel in 2008 that a Canadian has hosted.
The Levys’ hosting stint comes four years after Schitt’s Creekswept the comedy categories at the Emmys, winning nine and setting a record for the most-ever wins for a comedy series in a single year. The Canadian-shot sitcom centred on the formerly-wealthy Rose family.
For the second day in a row, a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Rome was diverted, this time to Canada because of a medical issue aboard the plane.
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OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The Canadian government said Friday it has completed negotiations with the United States on an agreement that would allow the use of U.S. space launch technology, expertise and data for space launches in Canada.
The agreement, which is yet to be signed, will establish the legal and technical safeguards needed, while ensuring the proper handling of sensitive technology, the government said in a news release.
“Canada’s vibrant and growing commercial space launch industry relies on its ability to collaborate across borders,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly in a statement. “The conclusion of negotiations between Canada and the United States means that we are one step closer to finalizing this agreement, which, when in force, will position our country to be a global leader in commercial space launch.”
Maritime Launch Services, the company developing Canada’s first commercial spaceport in northeastern Nova Scotia, called the agreement a major step forward for the industry.
“We look forward to welcoming our American clients to Nova Scotia in the coming months as we prepare for Canada’s first orbital launch from Spaceport Nova Scotia in 2026,” said president and CEO Stephen Matier.
The federal government is in the process of modernizing its regulatory framework around commercial space launch activities as the industry sees tremendous growth globally, the release said.
Ottawa has said it hopes to position Canada as future leader in commercial space launches. The country has geographical advantages, including a vast, sparsely populated territory, and high-inclination orbits.
We recently got to witness Greta Van Fleet make yet another great stop at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. From pyrotechnics to quick remarks from lead singer, Josh Kiszka, we got to jam out with stylish and kind folks. No strangers to travel, this stop was one of many on their current leg, however, they still managed to make it feel the night was an exclusive experience. Here is what went down and some key takeaways to love.
We’re Blaming Brett, DUH!
Image Source: Jazmin Tuscani for The Honey POP
The opener for this leg of tour was The Beaches, a favorite girly-pop rock band that has been climbing the ranks recently. From their top hit, ‘Blame Brent,’ they have gained national attention with the girls, gays, and theys (and also Jimmy Kimmel). Their career, so far, has been spent on Billboard Canada’s top Breakthrough Artist of the Year, sixteen (16) weeks on Canada’s alternative radio, and multiple tour dates with Greta Van Fleet.
We were excited to see them jam out on stage and also jam together. Creating that close-knit feel, they took the time to make sure their bandmates were having fun. With guitarist Leandra Earl’s flirty nature, the band took turns in the limelight as she interacted with them. For being a Friday night, they sure did know how to keep us hooked and ready for more.
Into The Ether
Image Source: Jazmin Tuscani for The Honey POP
Our minds were set on Gold and Glam after the Beaches. Right off the bat, they started with ‘The Falling Sky’ from their latest album, Starcatcher. Not only did this song live up to its airy and profound nature, but Greta Van Fleet has also added pyrotechnics for some songs. Fans were jumping up and down letting the music take control. Even after the curtain dropped the cheering stayed and took over.
Fans Fans! Friends!
Image Source: Jazmin Tuscani for The Honey POP
From the moment they stepped out on stage, they held closely to their fans in the front row and in the nosebleeds. If there is anything you should know about Greta Van Fleet is that their message is closely intertwined with their fans/their fleet. Fans from near and far gather for multiple shows, some showing up on birthdays, others on recent breakups. Their fan base has grown with them and from the looks of it will keep up as the band continues to give back tenfold. We are also excited to read crowd signs and these took a sweetness to them asking to write tattoos, to sing ‘Happy Birthday’, and some even for a few hugs.
Farewell for Now
Image Source: Jazmin Tuscani for The Honey POP
We are still glowing about getting to taste a little of what Greta Van Fleet has to offer-but their tour isn’t over. With some more acoustic sets still in the works, Greta Van Fleet is still hot on the press for a few more nights. You can watch closely as they tour via their Instagram or, you know, just stay here for a little as we hope to meet them again on the big stage very soon. But until then, we bid you farewell and leave this parting gift of some photos. We love Greta Van Fleet over here at The Honey POP and know they will be up to some pretty cool stuff in their career.
Music & Editoral Photographer | #1 Fan of Dogs in Sweaters
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FIFA deducted six points from Canada in the Paris Olympics women’s soccer tournament and banned three coaches for one year each on Saturday in a drone spying scandal.The stunning swath of punishments include a 200,000 Swiss francs ($226,000) fine for the Canadian soccer federation in a case that has spiraled at the Summer Games. Two assistant coaches were caught using drones to spy on opponent New Zealand’s practices before their opening game last Wednesday.Head coach Bev Priestman, who led Canada to the Olympic title in Tokyo in 2021, already was suspended by the national soccer federation then removed from the Olympic tournament. She is now banned from all soccer for one year.FIFA fast-tracked its own disciplinary process by asking its appeals judges to handle the case.FIFA judges found Priestman and her two assistants “were each found responsible for offensive behavior and violation of the principles of fair play.”Priestman and the Canadian federation now can challenge their sanctions at the Court of Arbitration’s special Olympic court in Paris.
FIFA deducted six points from Canada in the Paris Olympics women’s soccer tournament and banned three coaches for one year each on Saturday in a drone spying scandal.
The stunning swath of punishments include a 200,000 Swiss francs ($226,000) fine for the Canadian soccer federation in a case that has spiraled at the Summer Games. Two assistant coaches were caught using drones to spy on opponent New Zealand’s practices before their opening game last Wednesday.
Head coach Bev Priestman, who led Canada to the Olympic title in Tokyo in 2021, already was suspended by the national soccer federation then removed from the Olympic tournament. She is now banned from all soccer for one year.
FIFA fast-tracked its own disciplinary process by asking its appeals judges to handle the case.
FIFA judges found Priestman and her two assistants “were each found responsible for offensive behavior and violation of the principles of fair play.”
Priestman and the Canadian federation now can challenge their sanctions at the Court of Arbitration’s special Olympic court in Paris.
Céline Dion certainly knows how to make a comeback.
The Quebec singer returned to the stage for the first time in almost four years Friday, but it wasn’t just any stage — of course the pop diva selected the Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony, on the Eiffel Tower, as the site of her first performance since she announced to the world that she was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS) and cancelled her world tour.
Dressed in a stunning beaded, floor-length gown complete with fringe details and a long cape, Dion took the first stage of the Eiffel Tower to perform a Parisian staple — Édith Piaf’s L’Hymne à l’amour.
Dion appeared, at times, overcome with emotion as the crowd cheered below. But she performed as strong as ever, her voice clear and unwavering as she hit every note with conviction.
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PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout screengrab was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) This handout released by the Olympic Broadcasting Services, shows a view of singer Celine Dion performing on the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Screengrab by IOC via Getty Images).
Canadian Singer Celine Dion performs on the Eiffel Tower as the conclusion of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
France’s president Emmanuel Macron hinted to television channel France 2 that the chanteuse would be making an Olympics appearance.
“I will not reveal anything, what [opening ceremony director] Thomas Jolly and all his teams have prepared,” Macron said, but acknowledged the singer had arrived in his city earlier this week and that Olympic fans were in for a “surprise.”
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Celine Dion is seen leaving a hotel on July 23, 2024 in Paris, France.
Photo by MEGA/GC Images
Dion, herself, hasn’t been shy about posting about her return to the City of Light, either. Since she arrived in Paris, she’s been keeping her fans updated on social media and has been spotted out and about in the city.
“Every time I return to Paris, I remember there’s so much beauty and joy still to experience in the world,” she shared to X on Wednesday.
Every time I return to Paris, I remember there’s so much beauty and joy still to experience in the world. I love Paris, and I’m so happy to be back! Thank you to our wonderful friends at The Louvre! Celine xx…
Following last month’s release of her documentary, I Am Celine, she told TVA’s Jean-Philippe Dion that a spasm in her throat during her Taking Chances tour in 2008 began what she called “17 years of panic” as she tried to understand what was happening to her body and the voice that has made her a global name.
She lost the ability to reliably hit her notes as the spasms continued and saw her try everything from steam to asthma treatments to powerful medications. She even learned to adapt her songs by changing how she sang, but the stress of wanting to perform made her tense up and exacerbate her symptoms. After years of “lying,” she said she made the decision to confront her illness.
— with files from Global News’ Sean Previl
Paris 2024: Snoop Dogg carries Olympic torch before opening ceremony
The black clouds billowing from the fires razing Jasper National Park hold more than the reek of charred timber and scorched earth. For thousands of Canadians and mountain-lovers around the world, it’s the smell of cherished memory going up in smoke.
“It’s a huge amount of history and memories that are now lost,” said Alexis Keinlen, an Edmonton writer who recalls the winter 2015 wedding of a friend.
Before the ceremony, the party gathered in the evening on the shores of Lake Agnes on the grounds of the Jasper Park Lodge, now at least partially burned. They clasped mugs of hot chocolate around roaring fires or laced up skates for a turn on the ice.
The dark of the lake and the clarity of the sky felt “otherworldly,” she said.
“You could see all the stars above. It felt really big.
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“One of my friends gave her child the name Jasper.”
Video inside Jasper shows wildfire destruction
A decade ago, Kelley Ware was living in Prince George, B.C., and her now-husband was in Edmonton. Every few weeks, they’d meet in Jasper.
“It was completely fundamental to building our relationship. My husband has a tattoo of Pyramid Mountain.”
For Janet Millar, the memories go back generations.
Her great-grandfather was on a roadbuilding crew in Jasper in 1948 when he noticed that lots were going up for sale around Lake Edith. He and his wife walked around it, chose their favourite spot and the next year built the cabin that has been in the family ever since.
“It’s the smell of an old log cabin that has had a lot of bacon and pancakes and syrup served in it. It’s the sight of old furniture that no one can bear to part with,” she said.
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“Everyone in my family and all sorts of friends have their own particular thing they like best. There’s so much I like about it that I can’t bear to part with.”
Social media was awash Thursday with memories of Jasper proposals, weddings and honeymoons. But the town is steeped in memory of all kinds.
A pub in Jasper, Alta. in December 2021.
Global News
There’s the generations of skiiers who have partied in the Whistle Stop pub or Athabasca Hotel, known locally as the Atha-B and a fixture since 1929.
The families who carbed up for the day’s adventures at Smitty’s. The holidayers from around the world who met and gabbed in hotel hot tubs.
The worshippers at the gracious Anglican church of St. Mary and St. George, who have gathered since 1928 to praise God in the midst of some of His finest handiwork.
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Picture of the destroyed church taken by Woodlands County officials in Jasper, posted to social media Thursday, July 25, 2024.
Credit / Woodlands County
The classic fieldstone headquarters of Parks Canada, across the street from where travellers on Via Rail’s Rocky Mountaineer disembarked to gape at the vista.
The cheeky Fiberglass statue of Jasper the Friendly Bear, rubbed shiny since the ’60s by the hands of children.
Jasper National Park information centre in Jasper, Alta. April 2, 2017.
Karen Bartko, Global News
The roadside greeter elk casually grazing, charming visitors turning off Hwy 16 into town.
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Elk in Jasper National Park. April 2, 2017.
Karen Bartko, Global News
The great and famous, too, are part of Jasper’s memory.
Film star Marilyn Monroe, in town with co-star Robert Mitchum to film the 1954 western River of No Return, was famously escorted from the dining room of the Jasper Park Lodge for inappropriate dress.
That same year saw the release of The Far Country, for which the Lodge hosted Jimmy Stewart.
The beauty of Marilyn Monroe vies with the natural beauty of Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada on October 17, 1953.
Photo by PA Images via Getty Images
Bing Crosby was by in 1946 to film The Emperor Waltz and returned regularly to golf on the Lodge’s renowned course.
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Anthony Hopkins and John Travolta have vacationed there.
Royalty first came to visit in 1939 when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, stayed at the Jasper Park Lodge’s Outlook Cabin.
Their daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, stayed there with her husband Prince Phillip in 2005.
Queen Elizabeth II greets the crowd as she leaves St. Mary’s and St. George Anglican Church following a church service Sunday, May 22, 2005 in Jasper, Alta. with Whistler Mountain in the background.
Paul Chiasson, The Canadian Press
But Jasper’s memories are not primarily of glitz and bling. It’s an everyone kind of place.
“Our family had a dock that was always painted yellow,” said Millar.
“All of us remember jumping off that dock and watching people come out from town and using it. That was always really special. It was heartwarming for us to see people enjoying the dock.”
Ware remembers the fellowship.
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“Striking up conversations with people and having an hour-long chat. Making friends with the bartenders. And just really feeling like you belonged.”
Wildfire destroys properties in Jasper, first responders evacuating to Hinton
Thursday morning, Parks Canada reported the fire remained out of control despite a small amount of rain overnight. Firefighting reinforcements had arrived to defend the town.
“While we understand people are desperate to know about the status of our community, homes, workplaces, businesses, and cherished places we will need some time to stabilize this incident as we access and assess structures,” the agency said in a statement.
“We appreciate your patience and the community of people who have come together to support the people of Jasper and Parks Canada family.”
Haze blanketed Colorado on Monday as wildfire smoke drifted from Canada, and the gray skies are expected to hover overhead for at least another 24 hours.
The wildfire smoke led the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Regional Air Quality Council on Monday to issue public health advisories, recommending people limit outdoor activity. The smoke is increasing the amount of ozone and fine particulate matter in the air.
Air monitors across northern Colorado and the Front Range were showing high concentrations of particulate matter, which can be smoke, soot, ash or liquid particles that people can inhale.
NEW YORK (AP) — For decades, Robert Lecker has read, taught and written about Alice Munro, the Nobel laureate from Canada renowned for her short stories. A professor of English at McGill University in Montreal, and author of numerous critical studies of Canadian fiction, he has thought of Munro as the “jewel” in the crown of her country’s literature and source of some of the richest material for classroom discussion.
But since learning that Munro declined to leave her husband after he had sexually assaulted and harassed her daughter, Lecker now wonders how to teach her work, or if he should even try.
“I had decided to teach a graduate course on Munro in the winter of 2025,” Lecker says. “Now I have serious questions whether I feel ethically capable of offering that course.”
Andrea Robin Skinner, daughter of Munro and James Munro, wrote in the Toronto Star earlier this month that she had been assaulted at age 9 by Munro’s second husband, Gerard Fremlin. She alleged that he continued to harass and abuse her for the next few years, losing interest when she reached her teens. In her 20s, she told her mother about Fremlin’s abuse. But Munro, after briefly leaving Fremlin, returned and remained with him until his death in 2013. She would explain to Skinner that she “loved him too much” to remain apart.
When Munro died in May at age 92, she was celebrated worldwide for narratives which documented rare insight into her characters’ secrets, motivations, passions and cruelties, especially those of girls and women. Admirers cited her not just as a literary inspiration, but as a kind of moral guide, sometimes described as “Saint Alice.” A New York Times essay that ran shortly after her death, by Canadian author Sheila Heti, was titled “I Don’t Write Like Alice Munro, But I Want to Live Like Her.”
“No one knows the compromises another makes, especially when that person is as private as she was and transforms her trials into fiction,” Heti wrote. “Yet whatever the truth of her daily existence, she still shines as a symbol of artistic purity.”
Educators in Canada and beyond are now rethinking her life and work. At Western University in London, Ontario, Munro’s alma mater, the school has posted a statement on its website saying that it was “taking time to carefully consider the impact” of the revelations. Since 2018, Western University has offered an Alice Munro Chair in Creativity, with a mission to “Lead the creative culture of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, serving as a mentor and a model.” That chair, held for the past academic year by Heti, will be left unfilled as “we carefully consider Munro’s legacy and her ties to Western,” according to the school.
Requests with Heti’s agent and publicists for comment were not immediately answered.
For the fall semester at Harvard University, authors and faculty members Laura van den Berg and Neel Mukherjee will be co-teaching “Reading for Fiction Writers,” a review of literary works ranging from the science fiction of Octavia Butler to the “realist” fiction of Munro. Van den Berg, a prize-winning writer whose books include the story collection “The Isle of Youth” and the novel “State of Paradise,” says that Munro’s failure to support Skinner has forced her to rethink her approach to the class.
“I’ll never read Munro the same away again, and won’t be teaching her the same way,” she says. “To me, what was so painful about what Andrea Skinner has been through is the silence. And feeling that she could break her silence after her mother was gone. To me, to just stand in front a group of students and read the lecture I had originally prepared would feel like a second silencing.”
A former student of Lecker’s, Kellie Elrick, says she is still figuring out how Munro should be taught and how to think of her work. Munro’s stories have enriched her life, she says, and she doesn’t regret reading them. Elrick, entering her fourth year at McGill, sees parallel narratives, “difficult to reconcile,” of “Munro the writer” and “Munro the mother.”
“I think that it’s perhaps both productive and dangerous to read an author’s work biographically,” she added. “It may allow us (the readers) to think we may understand things, but there are things we can never truly know about the lives and intentions of writers.”
One of the Munro stories that van den Berg and Mukherjee plan to teach is “Friend of My Youth,” narrated by a woman long estranged from her mother, whose “ideas were in line with some progressive notions of her times, and mine echoed the notions that were favored in mine.” Mukherjee, a Booker Prize finalist in 2014 for the novel “The Lives of Others,” is unsure about how, or whether, to work in the recent news about Munro when teaching ”Friend of My Youth,” which the author had dedicated to her own mother.
He believes in separating the “art from the artist, that we all have done bad things.” He considers himself “very conflicted,” sharing van den Berg’s horror that Munro chose her husband over her daughter, but also finding that her work may have gained “richer depth, now that we know something in her life that she may have been trying to come to terms with.”
“I don’t see writers as would-be saints,” he says.
NEW YORK (AP) — Some 3.3 million steam cleaners are being recalled across North America due to a burn hazard that has resulted in consumers reporting more than 150 injuries.
Select models of Bissell-branded “Steam Shot Handheld Steam Cleaners” can spew hot water or steam while the products are in use or being heated up, according to notices Thursday from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada. That poses a risk of burns to users.
Bissell has received a 183 reports of hot water or steam expelling from the products. That includes 157 reports of minor burns, the regulators noted, with 145 injuries reported in the U.S. and 12 in Canada as of June 4, according to Health Canada.
Consumers are urged to immediately stop using the now-recalled steam cleaners and contact Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Bissell for a refund or store credit. Impacted customers will have a choice between $60 (CA$82) in store credit or a $40 (CA$55) refund for each.
The recalled steam cleaners, which were made in China, can be identified by model numbers — listed on Bissell’s website. There, consumers can also find more information about registering for the recall and follow instructions for cutting the products’ cord and uploading photos.
On its site, Bissell said that “safety is our top priority,” later adding that the company chose to voluntarily recall these steam cleaners “out of an abundance of caution.”
The Bissell steam cleaners under recall were sold at major retailers including Target and Walmart, as well as online at sites like www.bissell.com and Amazon, from August 2008 through May 2024.
An estimated 3.2 million were purchased in the U.S. Nearly 355,000 were sold in Canada.
Plenty of Hollywood’s biggest talents first called Canada home, and it’s no secret that we as Canadians are always rooting for our hometown celebs.
And while many of us feel a connection to these big name actors and musicians, there’s often a lot we’ll never know about them due to lengths many celebrities go to keep their private lives out of the press.
So, it’s exciting when a Canadian A-lister pulls back the curtain and gives us a funny or interesting fact from their life before they made it big.
In honour of Canada Day, and in the spirit of sharing, we’ve dug up some little-known facts from some of our country’s biggest names in Hollywood.
1. Sandra Oh stood out by laying down
George Pimentel / Shutterstock
Before her success on Grey’s Anatomy, Sandra Oh was just another young face in an audition room. However, the Nepean, Ont., actor earned her first big role and stood out from the crowd by laying down.
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When Oh, 52, auditioned for the titular role in The Diary of Evelyn Lau, she asked director Sturla Gunnarsson for a moment to centre herself — by laying flat on the floor for five minutes.
“I thought it was remarkable that at 19 she had the confidence — and audacity — to do that,” Gunnarsson said of the young actor, who was competing with over 1,000 other girls for the part.
Oh would end up winning the role of Evelyn Lau, and would go on to score a Gemini Award nomination.
2. Tommy Chong helped sign the Jackson 5
Chris Young / The Canadian Press
Today, most know Tommy Chong as one-half of the comedy stoner duo, Cheech and Chong — but before that, Chong waxed musically with some of Motown’s greatest talents.
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The Edmonton-born actor was once the guitarist and songwriter for the band Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers. The group was best known for their song Does Your Mama Know About Me, which was co-written by Chong, now 86.
In his 2009 book Cheech & Chong: The Unauthorized Biography, Chong said he met the Jackson 5 during a Chicago show in 1967. The Jackson siblings had yet to be signed to Motown Records, but were invited onto the label by Bobby Taylor.
Chong said Joe Jackson, father of the Jackson 5 members, had him review the Jackson 5 contract with Motown Records. Chong encouraged Jackson to have his sons sign the contract, thereby playing a small role in launching the Jackson 5 — and later the Prince of Pop, Michael Jackson — into superstardom.
3. Drake’s uncle played bass for Prince
Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press
Drake may be one of the best-known Canadian celebrities, but he’s not the only member of his family to possess a special musical talent. Drake’s uncle, Larry Graham, played bass for the band Sly and the Family Stone — and even worked extensively with Prince.
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Graham and Prince collaborated on several occasions, and together produced the album GCS 2000 by the band Graham Central Station.
Graham Central Station, for which Graham played the bass, opened for Prince on his “Welcome 2 America” tour in 2011.
4. Céline Dion won the Eurovision Song Contest… for Switzerland
Kevin Winter / Getty Images for The Recording Academy
In Canada, we don’t pay much attention to the annual Eurovision Song Contest, but across the pond it’s a pretty big deal.
So, not only was it huge when Quebec’s own Céline Dion won the competition in 1988, beating out the runner up by just one point, but it helped propel the chanteuse to new heights in her career.
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The competition involves various European countries sending a musical act to perform an original song, and smart-thinking Switzerland chose Dion to perform their submitted entry — a French-language power ballad titled Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi (Don’t Leave Without Me.)
Europeans who tuned in at the time remember the 1988 competition as one of the most exciting voting sequences in Eurovision history and Dion has said she is grateful to have had the opportunity, as it introduced millions of viewers to her outstanding vocals and captivating stage presence.
5. Ryan Gosling was suspended from elementary school for throwing knives
Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP
Ryan Gosling might come across as a cool, collected and laid-back actor, but it sounds like his childhood was a little wild.
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In 2011, he shared with Company magazine that he was introduced to the 1982 movie First Blood when he was in Grade One and really identified with Sylvester Stallone’s character, John Rambo.
“When I first saw Rambo, that movie put a kind of spell on me and I actually thought I was Rambo,” he said. “So much so that one day, I took a bunch of steak knives to school and threw them around at recess time because I thought we were in the movie.”
Gosling said he learned his lesson after the dangerous stunt — not only was he suspended, but his mom told him he wasn’t allowed to watch R-rated movies anymore.
6. Ryan Reynolds failed drama class
Charles Krupa / The Associated Press
Ryan Reynolds might be one of the wittiest guys in the acting biz, but he admits he wasn’t always such a winner — especially in high school.
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In the past, the Deadpool actor admitted to being suspended from his Vancouver high school after he stole a teacher’s car. At one point, he also flunked math.
However, one of Reynold’s admissions proves that high school achievements or failures aren’t necessarily a determinant for how your life will turn out. Despite failing his high school drama class, he went on to become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars.
7. Keanu Reeves went from Speed to Winnipeg Shakespeare
Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images
Hot off the heels of starring in the mega box office blockbuster Speed, Keanu Reeves made a surprising next move — he hightailed it to Winnipeg to take on the titular role in a stage production of Hamlet.
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An up-and-coming actor at the time, Reeve’s performance in the Manitoba Theatre Centre’s 1995 production was a big draw for locals and the show sold out every night of its run.
In a review of the show, Maclean’s theatre critic wrote “although he was out of his depth in the big swatches of text, Reeves proved adept in the comic scenes,” and that he “commands the stage with acrobatic finesse, leaping and rolling like a true action hero,” during the play’s action scenes.
Apparently, the theatre was overrun with young women eager to get Reeve’s autograph after each show, to which he obliged and patiently signed signatures each night.
8. Matthew Perry made up that funny speech inflection as a kid
Rich Fury / Invision / AP
The late Matthew Perry will forever be tied to Chandler Bing, the sarcastic but big-hearted character he became so well known for playing on Friends.
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His character’s unique speech patterns were something Perry himself played around with since he was a kid – he and his friends used to toy with emphasis when they were at school, creating an altered way of speaking that amused them to no end.
“Could it be any colder?” or “Could you be any more annoying?” they’d ask each other – an emphasis that became synonymous with Bing and bled into our everyday language, to the point it is now referred to as “Chandler-speak.”
“It was as if someone had followed me around for a year, stealing my jokes, copying my mannerisms, photocopying my world-weary yet witty view of life,” Perry wrote in his memoir about auditioning for the part. “It wasn’t that I thought I could play Chandler. I was Chandler.”
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9. Rachel McAdams worked at McDonalds, but was a bad employee
Axelle / Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic
Like many young kids, Rachel McAdams worked at McDonald’s as one of her first jobs, but the fast food giant isn’t likely to want her back behind the counter any time soon.
“(I worked there) for a good three years,” she told Glamour magazine. “I was not a great employee; I broke the orange juice machine one day.”
She also said she was a bit of a germaphobe when she started working at the restaurant and her obsessive hand washing would keep customers waiting.
“They were like, ‘Hey, the drive-thru’s backing up. Stop washing your hands!’”
Despite being a bad employee, McAdams says she still loves McDonald’s food.
10. Will Arnett is one of Conan O’Brien’s favourites
Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP
Will Arnett is a super funny Canuck with a rich, baritone voice; two traits that make him a great person to interview, according to Conan O’Brien.
The late night show host-turned-podcaster thinks the Arrested Development alum is so great, in fact, that he’s listed him in his top three guests of all time.
Seems as though O’Brien might have a penchant for Canadian comedians, though — the other two top guests chosen by him and his writing staff include the late Norm MacDonald and Half Baked funnyman Harland Williams.
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11. Nina Dobrev is extremely flexible… and had a shot at the Olympics
Gilbert Flores / Variety via Getty Images
A young Nina Dobrev faced a fork in the road when mapping out her career plans, having to decide whether she wanted to pursue a career in Hollywood or double down on trying to make the Olympics.
The Vampire Diaries star grew up honing her skills in the gymnasium six days a week and had the Olympics in her sights, when she decided to follow her dream of acting, instead; a choice she said came down to longevity.
“It got to the point where I had to decide what I wanted to do: continue training for this and maybe go to the Olympics one day and make that my life until I’m 20 and then retire, or try to figure out acting, which is also very scary and unreliable and a lot of people don’t find success in it,” Dobrev said in 2015.
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To this day, though, Dobrev has held onto a lot of what she learned on the mat and remains wildly flexible.
12. John Candy filmed Home Alone for almost 24 hours straight
Patti Gower / Toronto Star via Getty Images
Every holiday season, John Candy is remembered as the fictional “Polka King of the Midwest,” Gus Polinski.
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According to director Chris Columbus, the Toronto-born actor improvised most of his iconic cameo in Home Alone — and he had only one day to shoot his part. Columbus said most of Candy’s lines were not in the script, and were made-up by the comedian in the early hours of the morning.
Candy, who appeared in the film as a favour to screenwriter John Hughes, was reportedly paid only US$414 for the cameo. Columbus said Candy was bitter about the pay up until his death in 1994.
13. Pamela Anderson’s CFL Jumbotron big break
Doug Peters / EMPICS / AP
Before Pamela Anderson donned her iconic, red Baywatch swimsuit, she got her start at a B.C. Lions football game in 1989.
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Anderson, born in Ladysmith, B.C., attended a game at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver with a group of friends when she was by chance broadcasted to the Jumbotron — and to viewers at home. She was wearing a Labatt Blue T-shirt, allegedly prompting a flood of inquiries to the company, which would later use Anderson in the famous ‘Blue Zone Girl’ campaign.
A 21-year-old Pamela Anderson during her stint as “The Blue Zone Girl” for Labatt beer, 1989. pic.twitter.com/k6LWaSzKiB
— History Photographed (@HistoryInPics) May 9, 2016
From there, Anderson’s career in the entertainment world took off, making her one of the most famous faces of the 1990s.
14. Michael Cera and the Pillsbury Doughboy
Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
Michael Cera has been repping the dry, Canadian sense of humour in Hollywood for decades now. But before that, Cera, who was born in Brampton, Ont., starred in a creepy ’90s commercial for Pillsbury cookie dough.
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In the ad, the would-be Superbad star molds a lump of cookie dough with his hands, only to have the uncooked dough evolve into a crudely animated, table-sized monster. The monster is defeated by the pot bellied Pillsbury mascot and is turned into cookies, which a young Cera, naturally, chows down on.
Bonus: Cera was also the voice of Brother Bear in the first two seasons of the children’s TV series Berenstain Bears in 2003.
The aquarium’s cephalopod was appropriately named Ceph Rogan after the suggestion dominated an online poll, scoring more than 90 per cent of the vote — and Rogen’s enthusiastic approval.
Ceph Rogen, the Vancouver Aquarium’s eight-armed resident.
Vancouver Aquarium
Though Rogen and the octopus were hardly i-tentacle, Ceph Rogen was brought to the aquarium as part of the facility’s “cephalopod-in-residence” program, which rehabilitated octopuses for release back into the wild before sexual maturity, allowing them to repopulate.
She went from singing about “Sk8er bois” to launching a foundation to support people with Lyme disease and other serious illnesses, and now Canadian singer Avril Lavigne has been named to the Order of Canada.
Lavigne started her career as a teenager and is one of several Canadian entertainers named to the Order, with the Napanee, Ont. singer-songwriter described in her appointment as paving the way for “female-driven punk-rock music” and supporting individuals with serious illnesses, disabilities and Lyme disease through her self-named foundation.
But the singer, often considered a key musician in pop-punk music, is not the only one named to the Order — in total, 83 people were named officers, companions or members, including two promoted within the order.
“The Order of Canada recognizes individuals who have made positive and lasting impacts on communities here in Canada or who have brought honour to our country abroad,” Gov.-Gen. Mary Simon said in a statement. “Congratulations to the new appointees and thank you to the nominators who cast a spotlight on their achievement, purpose and exceptional talent.”
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Monique LeRoux, former president and CEO of Desjardins Group, was the lone person named a companion for contributing to “remarkable national and international growth” of the cooperative.
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond removed from Order of Canada at own request
But she’s not the only financial name on the list.
Stephen Poloz, the former Bank of Canada governor, was named an officer with the Governor General’s office saying he helped facilitate Canada’s international trade and promote economic well-being.
It wasn’t a trick of the eye for David Ben when he learned he was named to the Order. The sleight-of-hand artist who spent more than four decades exploring and preserving magic “at home and abroad” told the Canadian Press what an honour it was for him.
“It was quite an emotional moment for me because it brought back lots of memories of all the many people who have taken great interest in my life and helped me along the way who were also members of the Order of Canada,” the magician said.
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“Unbeknownst to most people, the 20th century — as far as magic goes internationally — was really Canada’s century. The greatest magicians, the ones who had the greatest impact on the evolution of magic as a performing art or craft were Canadian.”
Journalists Joyce Napier, named as Canada’s ambassador to the Vatican just this year, and Mellissa Fung, who was kidnapped in Kabul while covering the war in Afghanistan in 2008 were both newly named member and officer of the Order respectively.
Legendary NS curler reflects on being named to the Order of Canada
The list of inductees is from across the country, from educator and Elder Jane Rose Dragon in the Northwest Territories to Dalhousie University professor and expert in frailty research Kenneth Rockwood.
Tina Keeper of Manitoba, one of the first Cree MPs in Canada, is also joining the list, with Simon’s office saying her championing of bills on Jordan’s Principle and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples among the reasons for her appointment.
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Meanwhile in Quebec, singer-songwriter Daniel Lavoie, best known for his hit song Ils s’aiment, and Pierre Chastenay, a trained astronomer and host of Télé-Québec’s popular TV show Le code Chastenay are among the inductees.
The Order of Canada is considered one of Canada’s highest honours and are appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada.
Last summer, a bus carrying two dozen seniors from Dauphin, Canada, was involved in a deadly accident near Carberry in Manitoba. The seniors were traveling to a casino when their bus collided with a semi-trailer truck.
The devastating crash resulted in the bus catching fire and stopping in a nearby ditch after an intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway close to Carberry. Initially, 15 seniors who were traveling lost their lives. However, the number of deceased increased to 17 after two more people passed away from their injuries in hospital.
A year after the incident, authorities, including an attorney for Crown and representatives of the Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), confirmed that there will be no charges raised in connection to the deadly crash. Families of the deceased and injured seniors met with authorities on Wednesday.
It has taken hours for Crown’s attorney, Chris Vanderhooft, RCMP Supt. Rob Lasson and Staff Sgt. Sean Grunewald to explain why the bus driver won’t be facing charges about the tragic incident. Grunewald, who was quoted by the Canadian Press, revealed: “We feel that the families understood the situation…I believe that they feel we put every ounce to give them the answers that they were looking for.”
The Bus Driver’s Mistake Didn’t Mean He Was Driving Dangerously
Lasson spoke about the deadly crash, deeming it a “very tragic collision,” which came as a result of the actions of the driver of the bus. However, he explained: “We cannot prove that that choice that day was the result of anything criminal.”
An investigation by the authorities uncovered that the driver of the bus followed the rules. Prior to the Trans-Canada intersection, there was a stop sign that the bus driver stopped at. After that, there was a yield sign right ahead of the merger with Trans-Canada.
Per the investigation, the driver of the bus crossed the road and likely didn’t see the truck that had the right of way. “The bus driver did not appear to see the semi-truck coming,” explained Vanderhooft. He added that while the truck driver attempted to avoid the crash, there wasn’t enough time or space for that to happen.
Vanderhooft supported the decision not to raise charges against the bus driver by explaining: “Momentary inattention does not constitute dangerous driving.”
The driver of the bus from the deadly crash was also injured severely in the incident. The man currently cannot take care of himself. He likely won’t be able to ever talk about the incident due to the brain injuries he sustained during the crash.
Before the puck drops and before 18,000 fans sing “O Canada” in unison at Edmonton Oilers home games, the audience hears from Chief Willie Littlechild.A message from Littlechild plays on Rogers Place video screens, welcoming the crowd to Treaty 6 territory, the homelands of Métis and Inuit and the ancestral territory of the Cree, Dene, Blackfoot, Saulteaux and Nakota Sioux.Video above: Florida Panthers clash with Edmonton Oilers in 2024 Stanley Cup Final“The recognition of our history on this land is an act of reconciliation, and we honor those who walk with us,” Littlechild says, ending with “kinanaskomitin” — thank you, in Cree.The land recognition video, a tradition that began in 2021, is getting major airtime across North America with the Oilers on national television in the U.S. and Canada in the Stanley Cup Final against Florida. Littlechild called it a significant step, but it is only one piece of the Oilers’ outreach to First Nations tribes and the Indigenous community in central and northern Alberta that has grown significantly over the past decade.“We’ve had significant progress,” said Littlechild, who has served on the team’s community foundation board for nine years. “The Oilers have really been pioneers in the country, and I would say in the whole National Hockey League, in terms of inclusion and access for Indigenous peoples.”Much of it stemmed from Canada’s National Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, a six-plus-year study conducted from 2007-15 in the wake of the country’s largest class-action lawsuit settled over the treatment of First Nations children sent to Indigenous residential schools. Littlechild said one of the findings was a call to private industry, including sports, to build better relationships with the Indigenous community, and he cited steps made in inclusion and business as evidence of progress.“We don’t do this just to check a box of inclusion on the calendar,” Oilers Entertainment Group executive vice president Tim Shipton said Wednesday. “The Indigenous community in northern Alberta is significant. There are nations right across Oil country and members of the community are such passionate members of our fanbase.”Littlechild said Indigenous girls hockey has seen a particular boost from efforts, including the Oilers hosting a First Nations hockey celebration and working with Edmonton’s Inner City Youth Development Association and the Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society.The land recognition video is one piece of the puzzle and something Littlechild as recently as last week across the country in Quebec City got comments on from fans who noticed it on TV during this playoff run.“It has been a very significant step forward to advance reconciliation through the power of sport,” Littlechild told The Associated Press by phone. “It’s so important as a message to the Indigenous peoples both in Canada and the U.S. that we have an opportunity here through a sport like hockey to build good relations, and we’ve been doing that. It’s really appreciated, I know, by our Indigenous nations across the country.”Shipton, who leads the Oilers’ Indigenous outreach, said other organizations and teams have reached out about the video since it first aired Oct. 13, 2021, and drew positive reactions locally and nationally.“It’s something that people who are new, people coming from out of town or other teams across the league, they come in and it really spurs a conversation around why do you do it, what does it mean,” Shipton said. “And it creates that opening to talk about the things that we can do from a reconciliation perspective.”Florida attendanceAttendance at Panthers home games this season reached a new record of 1,000,160, breaking the 1 million mark for the first time with a sellout in Game 5 on Tuesday night.The Panthers will be pleased if it stops there.The only way the figure goes up this season, obviously, is if there’s a Game 7 in Sunrise on Monday night.Florida can win the Stanley Cup with a win at Edmonton on Friday. The team is hosting a watch party at its arena for Game 6; about 16,000 people came to the arena to watch Game 4 on the scoreboard and with images on the ice as well. (No, they don’t count toward the attendance for the season.)Bouchard passes CoffeyWith three points in the Oilers’ Game 5 victory, Evan Bouchard reached 32 in the playoffs, second only to captain Connor McDavid among all scorers in the playoffs. It’s also the most by a defenseman in a single postseason, passing Hall of Famer Paul Coffey, who is now an Oilers assistant coach.“(Bouchard) has been very key for the entire series and through the entire year,” coach Kris Knoblauch said, pointing to the 24-year-old’s shot from the point as a key to his team’s potent power play. “He does have the shot, but he’s also a very smart hockey player who sees the ice really well and can make that next pass.”Save BillPanthers hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito had a viral moment of sorts late in Game 5, when he threw a water bottle against a wall in frustration after McDavid’s empty-net goal sealed the Oilers’ win.Upon hearing about it, Panthers coach Paul Maurice expressed some very funny, very faux concerns.“Were the bottled water association people upset? We going to cancel Bill?” Maurice asked.
Before the puck drops and before 18,000 fans sing “O Canada” in unison at Edmonton Oilers home games, the audience hears from Chief Willie Littlechild.
A message from Littlechild plays on Rogers Place video screens, welcoming the crowd to Treaty 6 territory, the homelands of Métis and Inuit and the ancestral territory of the Cree, Dene, Blackfoot, Saulteaux and Nakota Sioux.
Video above: Florida Panthers clash with Edmonton Oilers in 2024 Stanley Cup Final
“The recognition of our history on this land is an act of reconciliation, and we honor those who walk with us,” Littlechild says, ending with “kinanaskomitin” — thank you, in Cree.
The land recognition video, a tradition that began in 2021, is getting major airtime across North America with the Oilers on national television in the U.S. and Canada in the Stanley Cup Final against Florida. Littlechild called it a significant step, but it is only one piece of the Oilers’ outreach to First Nations tribes and the Indigenous community in central and northern Alberta that has grown significantly over the past decade.
“We’ve had significant progress,” said Littlechild, who has served on the team’s community foundation board for nine years. “The Oilers have really been pioneers in the country, and I would say in the whole National Hockey League, in terms of inclusion and access for Indigenous peoples.”
Much of it stemmed from Canada’s National Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, a six-plus-year study conducted from 2007-15 in the wake of the country’s largest class-action lawsuit settled over the treatment of First Nations children sent to Indigenous residential schools. Littlechild said one of the findings was a call to private industry, including sports, to build better relationships with the Indigenous community, and he cited steps made in inclusion and business as evidence of progress.
“We don’t do this just to check a box of inclusion on the calendar,” Oilers Entertainment Group executive vice president Tim Shipton said Wednesday. “The Indigenous community in northern Alberta is significant. There are nations right across Oil country and members of the community are such passionate members of our fanbase.”
Littlechild said Indigenous girls hockey has seen a particular boost from efforts, including the Oilers hosting a First Nations hockey celebration and working with Edmonton’s Inner City Youth Development Association and the Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society.
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Want to give a special thank you to Chief Willie Littlechild on Indigenous Celebration Night!
The land recognition video is one piece of the puzzle and something Littlechild as recently as last week across the country in Quebec City got comments on from fans who noticed it on TV during this playoff run.
“It has been a very significant step forward to advance reconciliation through the power of sport,” Littlechild told The Associated Press by phone. “It’s so important as a message to the Indigenous peoples both in Canada and the U.S. that we have an opportunity here through a sport like hockey to build good relations, and we’ve been doing that. It’s really appreciated, I know, by our Indigenous nations across the country.”
Shipton, who leads the Oilers’ Indigenous outreach, said other organizations and teams have reached out about the video since it first aired Oct. 13, 2021, and drew positive reactions locally and nationally.
“It’s something that people who are new, people coming from out of town or other teams across the league, they come in and it really spurs a conversation around why do you do it, what does it mean,” Shipton said. “And it creates that opening to talk about the things that we can do from a reconciliation perspective.”
Florida attendance
Attendance at Panthers home games this season reached a new record of 1,000,160, breaking the 1 million mark for the first time with a sellout in Game 5 on Tuesday night.
The Panthers will be pleased if it stops there.
The only way the figure goes up this season, obviously, is if there’s a Game 7 in Sunrise on Monday night.
Florida can win the Stanley Cup with a win at Edmonton on Friday. The team is hosting a watch party at its arena for Game 6; about 16,000 people came to the arena to watch Game 4 on the scoreboard and with images on the ice as well. (No, they don’t count toward the attendance for the season.)
Bouchard passes Coffey
With three points in the Oilers’ Game 5 victory, Evan Bouchard reached 32 in the playoffs, second only to captain Connor McDavid among all scorers in the playoffs. It’s also the most by a defenseman in a single postseason, passing Hall of Famer Paul Coffey, who is now an Oilers assistant coach.
“(Bouchard) has been very key for the entire series and through the entire year,” coach Kris Knoblauch said, pointing to the 24-year-old’s shot from the point as a key to his team’s potent power play. “He does have the shot, but he’s also a very smart hockey player who sees the ice really well and can make that next pass.”
Save Bill
Panthers hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito had a viral moment of sorts late in Game 5, when he threw a water bottle against a wall in frustration after McDavid’s empty-net goal sealed the Oilers’ win.
Upon hearing about it, Panthers coach Paul Maurice expressed some very funny, very faux concerns.
“Were the bottled water association people upset? We going to cancel Bill?” Maurice asked.
