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Vanier Cup among national U Sports championships cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic – CBC.ca

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Canadian university sport fall national championships are being cancelled in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

U Sports announced Monday it is cancelling the women’s field hockey, men’s and women’s cross-country running, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s rugby, and football championships, including the national semifinals (the Mitchell and Uteck Bowls) and the Vanier Cup.

The hosts of the cancelled fall 2020 national championships will have the opportunity to host in future years.

“The peak for student athletes are the national championships. I’m very saddened. I’m saddened for the student athletes and coaches,” Lisette Johnson-Stapley, chief sport officer for U Sports, told CBC Sports.

One of the most prominent sports affected is the men’s football season and its championship game, the Vanier Cup, originally scheduled for November. It will be the first time the game has not been contested since it began in 1965.

“It’s no secret it’s one of our most prestigious championships. That was a tough decision but made with the guidance of medical experts weighing in,” Johnson-Stapley said. “Students are planning right now. We needed to do this now. It was the right time to get them advance notice.”

While U Sports has cancelled the national championships, it’s up to the four conferences across the country to decide how they want to move forward with their regular seasons and conference championships.

The Atlantic and Ontario conferences announced Monday that all varsity sport will shut down for the remainder of 2020. Canada West will not operate team sports for the rest of the calendar year, and will make a decision on golf, cross-country and swimming by July 15.

There are 56 U Sports schools in Canada with nearly 20,000 student athletes competing. The schools are organized into four conferences — the Atlantic University Sport Conference (AUS), Canada West Conference (CW), Ontario University Athletics Conference (OUA) and the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).

“As far as conference play, that’s in their jurisdiction to make those decisions,” Johnson-Stapley said.

Johnson-Stapley said U Sports made the decision to cancel all of the fall national championships based on the guidance of a number of different committees including regional representation, presidents of universities and medical experts.

Eligibility a question mark

The fall cancellations mean the winter calendar is likely to be affected, with officials already hinting at shortening the hockey and basketball seasons.

“We’ve addressed it somewhat but no decisions made yet,” Johnson-Stapley said. “It’s still too early. We still have to wait a while and see what happens.”

And while so many question marks surround the upcoming U Sports calendar throughout the entire year, the focus is quickly shifting to how student eligibility will be impacted.

“Eligibility is another big piece of it and why we came out now with this decision today,” Johnson-Stapley said. “There are a few pieces of eligibility that we’ve addressed right now, but as you can imagine it’s a lot of work. We won’t be charging eligibility for this upcoming season because of not being able to have national championships. We’re working on it bit by bit.”

What that exactly means for athletes entering their final year is still being decided.

“Specifically on the fifth years, that has to be discussed further,” Johnson-Stapley said.

The majority of last season’s U Sports calendar was completed. However, the men’s and women’s Canadian university hockey championships were in the midst of competition when U Sports cancelled both tournaments on March 12, a day after the global pandemic was declared.

Also Monday, the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association announced it was suspending inter-collegiate sports for the fall semester at its 27 member schools. Sports affected are baseball, softball, rugby, rugby sevens, outdoor soccer, golf and cross-country running.

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CN workers in Jasper face uncertainty as company plans to move rail ops an hour away

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MONTREAL – Canadian National Railway Co. told employees this week it plans to relocate its operations in Jasper to near Hinton, Alta., about 100 kilometres away.

In a memo sent to employees in the fire-ravaged town, the company said it’s aiming to increase efficiency by minimizing train stops between Edmonton and Blue River, B.C., which sits across the Rockies.

CN plans to close its Jasper bunkhouse and build a crew change facility east of Hinton, with workers slated to clock in at the new site starting in September 2025, according to the document obtained by The Canadian Press.

“CN has made the decision to implement operational changes to improve network fluidity,” regional vice-president Nicole James said in the memo.

The union representing rail workers criticized the relocation, which affects about 200 employees, though no layoffs are expected.

“This is another devastating blow to the town of Jasper, after this year’s catastrophic wildfires. Rail is one of the largest industries in Jasper, after tourism, and CN’s move will cripple this community even further,” said Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.

“And for the workers who’ve already lost so much — some even their homes — this is a truly cruel blow.”

Union spokesman Christopher Monette noted that most residents or their spouses must work in town to qualify to live there under Jasper National Park’s residency rules. The company has told the union it will apply for an exception for the workers, he said.

CN spokeswoman Ashley Michnowski says the railway is committed to supporting employees through the transition and keeping them updated.

“These types of changes take time to fully plan out and implement. That’s why one of our initial steps was to have this discussion with our employees as well as advising the town of Jasper,” she said in an email.

A wildfire ripped through Jasper in July, destroying a third of the mountain town and displacing many of its 4,800 residents.

The blaze also caused smoke damage to the CN bunkhouse, which the company says it has worked to restore since it was allowed to re-enter the community with contractors on Aug. 16.

Engineers and conductors have been reporting for work in Hinton, roughly an hour away, since the wildfire.

With roots as a fur trade outpost, Jasper launched as a railway town in the early 20th century after tracks built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway — CN’s predecessor — paved the way for the municipality.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

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DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament

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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.

WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).

Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.

“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.

“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”

Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.

Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.

Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.

Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.

The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.

Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.

The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.

WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.

The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.

Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad

Forwards

Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);

Backs

Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

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