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Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…
Liberals to sell budget as boon to fairness
Up until a month ago, everything seemed to be going right for Canada Soccer.
The national women’s squad is the defending Olympic champion, the men’s team had clinched its first World Cup appearance since 1986 and the country was preparing to be co-host of the men’s World Cup in 2026.
Moments like Sam Adekugbe’s snowbank celebration in Edmonton amped up the excitement among fans across the country amid a string of wins for the men’s squad.
How quickly the momentum has stalled — and along with it, a golden financial opportunity.
First, Canada Soccer arranged a friendly match with Iran, which was eventually cancelled after widespread opposition. The replacement game on Sunday against Panama was also turfed just hours before kickoff after the Canadian players refused to take the field over wage concerns.
The upcoming game on Thursday against Curaçao is now in doubt.
Apart from the Canadian clubs recently playing in the NHL playoffs, the national men’s soccer team was arguably the hottest ticket in the country because of their recent dominance and a squad of young, entertaining players that reflect the diversity of the nation.
The financial prospects were equally unprecedented. Not only is the opportunity lost, but there will be financial consequences for the national sport body for the cancelled matches.
“The demand was huge and when they have a time like this, they have to strike. They have to strike when it’s hot. They need the funding,” said David Chong, managing director of MKTG Canada, a sports marketing agency.
“Even before this issue with the [Iran] friendly being cancelled, I think Canada Soccer was struggling to keep up with demand for simple things like merchandise,” he said.
MKTG represents Scotiabank and helped broker a sponsorship deal with CONCACAF, the sport body that hosted the recent World Cup qualifying tournament where Canada finished top of the table. MKTG has also held talks with Canada Soccer on behalf of several clients pursuing sponsorship opportunities in recent years, although Chong said no deals were eventually struck.
The controversy over the proposed Iran match may force potential sponsors to rethink a relationship with Canada Soccer, he said, since companies always take into account an organization’s track record, as well as its reliability and reputation.
“I would consider this a crisis for them,” he said. “There is a long-term impact to consider, which is brand health.”
The performance of the men’s squad to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in decades was a feel-good story for fans but is becoming a heartbreaking tale.
“This is a gong show,” said Sportsnet’s Stephen Brunt about Canada Soccer. “It’s a mess of their own making.”
The families of those who died aboard Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752 when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down the plane in 2020 — killing all 176 passengers and crew members, including 85 Canadians and permanent residents — described the planned exhibition match as an insult, especially given persistent concerns about the IRGC’s possible ties to Iran’s team.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it a bad idea for Canada Soccer to invite the Iranian soccer team, as did many others who condemned the match.
An international exhibition game is known as a “friendly” — but it isn’t just for fun. The games can be a crucial part of on-field preparation in the lead up to an important tournament like the World Cup.
They are also part of the backbone of how national federations, like Canada Soccer, generate revenue. Typically, a visiting team is paid a sum of money to play the match, while the host country collects funds through ticket sales, sponsorship and broadcast deals.
Canada Soccer had agreed to pay Iran’s soccer federation $400,000 to play an exhibition game in Vancouver, according to the head of Iran’s national team.
Expenses could pile up as tickets are refunded for both cancelled games, payments are made to both Iran and Panama and other costs related to hosting the proposed matches arise.
The reported sum agreed to between Canada and Iran was a reasonable amount, said Pierre Azaria, the general manager of MCI Sport, a Switzerland-based agency that organizes international matches and training camps for soccer clubs and national federations.
International matches are often expensive, he said, considering the cost of private aircraft, security and hotels. Usually, a country’s soccer federation would send at least 55 people to such a game, a contingent of players, coaches and staff.
The highest-ranking squads can insist on single match fees of between $2 million and $3 million, he said.
In the upcoming World Cup, Canada will be facing African and European teams, so scheduling exhibition games against countries from those regions in advance of the November tournament would have been ideal.
When Canada was looking for potential opponents, Azaria said he was working to arrange a match with Tunisia.
Azaria said Canada Soccer wasn’t willing to pay the amount of money Tunisia was proposing.
“It didn’t happen at the end of the day,” he said.
Instead, Tunisia’s squad will earn more than a million dollars, said Azaria, to play in Japan.
Tunisia, Iran and Canada have all qualified for the World Cup. Iran is ranked 21th in the world, while Tunisia is in 35th spot, followed by Canada at 38.
Iran is often considered a pariah and is not an opponent in high demand.
“For a lot of teams, I don’t even propose Iran because politics can be problematic,” Azaria said. “Why should we work with the risk of a scandal?”
A Canada Soccer official said the organization was unable to respond to a request for an interview.
Canada Soccer has the great fortune right now of on-pitch success from both its men’s and women’s squads, but that’s not what’s dogging the organization.
“This is perhaps one of the best moments in Canadian soccer history from the business perspective,” said Ann Pegoraro, a sport management professor at the University of Guelph.
Following the Iran controversy, Pegoraro said she questions whether Canada Soccer is prepared or professional enough to make the right decisions.
“What we saw in this is the business side of the house making a pretty big misstep when arguably the light is shining brightest on it,” she said.
The players didn’t take the field over the weekend against Panama because of a salary dispute. They are calling for more transparency from Canada Soccer, changes in the organization’s leadership, and World Cup compensation that includes 40 per cent of prize money and a “comprehensive friends and family package” for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Players also want a review of the deal Canada Soccer signed with Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) in 2019. The 10-year agreement sees CSB represent both the men’s and women’s national teams in all sponsorship and broadcast deals.
WATCH | An inside look at the failed Panama game:
In a statement, CSB chair Scott Mitchell said he was “incredibly disappointed” about the cancellation of the Panama match but supports the players in a call for transparency from Canada Soccer.
But Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis has said the proposal players have put forward is not financially viable.
“I can’t accept that offer that will put our organization in a financial position that is untenable,” he said at a Sunday afternoon press conference, while also apologizing to fans.
The cancellation of both matches has created international headlines, which could cause reputational harm abroad.
On Sunday, Canada Soccer executives said they moved mountains to co-ordinate the Panama match on short notice and apologized to the visiting soccer body for the failed game.
A photo of green onions being sold with the roots chopped off at a Toronto Loblaws store is stirring more anger online against the grocery giant.
The photo posted to the Reddit forum Loblaws Is Out Of Control shows bundles of green onions without the roots at the bottom being sold for $1.79 per bunch.
Many in the comments pointed out that cutting the roots off of a green onion impacts how it tastes, as well as how long it stays fresh.
“I wouldn’t buy those, Glittering_Search_41 wrote. “If you cut off the ends they aren’t retaining their flavour.”
“They will also not keep very long with the root removed,” Mralisterh wrote. “Quartered the shelf life of them, you can already see oxidation. They’re going to rot within days.”
Others speculated that the product could have been chopped by the supplier, or by a new employee in the produce department.
The person who posted the photo said it was the second time they’d seen onions being sold with the roots cut off at the Loblaws located along Toronto’s Lakeshore.
“I believe this is more of a concerted effort to not allow us to regrow our purchased produce and to extract maximum profit,” Party_Setting7622 wrote.
A similar photo of rootless green onions being sold has been posted to the forum before, where one user wondered: “Is that to stop us from regrowing them at home?”
If you cut off the ends they aren’t retaining their flavour.
Loblaw did not respond to a request from comment from Yahoo Canada.
During the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, green onion became a trendy vegetable to showcase on social media, thanks to how easily they can sprout by putting the roots in a glass of water.
Arlene Hazzan Green, co-founder of the Backyard Urban Farm Company in Toronto, says there are many other vegetables that can be grown at home like a house plant, and without a plot or garden.
“All you need is a pot with holes, some potting mix, a saucer, a watering can, some sun and seedlings,” she says.
Hazzan Green explains there’s two types of plants — cold hardy plants, which can grow in cooler temperatures, and heat loving plants, which need frequent and direct light.
Leafy vegetables like kale, arugula, lettuce, chard and mustard greens and herbs, like basil and mint, fall into the first category and can be grown simply in a flowerpot on a window sill or balcony this time of year.
“You don’t need to wait until May 2-4 weekend, which is what everyone thinks,” she says. “I’ve got seedlings that I got started indoors and now I’m planting them outside.”
Tomatoes can also grow easily in a pot, though they fall under the heat loving plant category and need to grow outside and receive lots of sun.
“They’re great on a balcony,” Hazzan Green says. “And they’re way more tasty when you grow your own.”
When it comes to planting green onions, urban farmer Derek Barber of Homestead Toronto says they can be grown from seed, which is generally done in soil. You can also take the ends of another green onion, which would otherwise go to waste, and place them in water to sprout indoors. An entirely new onion won’t grow but you’ll get the leaves. This trick can be done a few times.
“It’s a great way to reuse vegetable scraps and it’s nice to have an ongoing supply of green onion leaves indoors,” says Barber. “The bottom does slowly decompose so you need to cut the new onions higher up the stem to avoid the soft part and you need to change the water regularly.”
Barber says this sprouting trick can also be done with celery, carrots and radish. Though you’re not getting a complete vegetable from it, the sprouts will produce leaves that make a great garnish and can add some fresh flavour to your meals.
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
The arrests were announced at a news conference on the one-year anniversary of the heist.
Police said the suspects face a combined 19 charges and Canada-wide warrants have been issued for the arrest of three other suspects.
During a news conference on Wednesday morning, police said 6,600 gold bars were stolen from Air Canada’s cargo facility on the evening of April 17, 2023 by a suspect who arrived to the warehouse in a five-tonne truck.
The gold, along with about $2.5 million in foreign currency, had been shipped to Toronto from Zurich in the hull of an Air Canada plane and was offloaded to an Air Canada cargo facility shortly after landing at Pearson Airport that afternoon.
Police allege that the suspect came into possession of the stolen gold and bank notes after presenting Air Canada personnel with a fraudulent airway bill.
“The airway bill was for a legitimate shipment of seafood that was picked up the day before,” Det.-Sgt. Mike Mavity, the major case manager for the joint investigation, dubbed Project 24K, told reporters on Wednesday.
“This duplicate airway bill was printed off from a printer within Air Canada cargo.”
Mavity said a forklift arrived a short time later and loaded the stolen gold and currency into the back of the truck. The suspect then drove off with the gold bars, which were estimated to be worth about $20 million.
Brinks Canada, which was hired to provide security and logistics services for the transportation of the shipment, showed up at the facility a few hours later to pick up the items.
Police said Air Canada employees tried to locate the container, realized it was missing, and quickly launched in an internal investigation. Police were notified about the stolen goods shortly before 3 a.m. the following day, Mavity said.
This is a breaking news update. More information to come…
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…
Liberals to sell budget as boon to fairness
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It’s now up to the federal Liberal government to sell a spending plan it says will help younger Canadians catch up to their elders.
So far, if unsurprisingly, their critics and political rivals are unimpressed.
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The $535-billion budget seeks to restore economic fairness for millennials and gen-Z voters at a time when the minority government is ailing in the polls.
It includes $8.5 billion over five years to help build millions of homes and another $2.6 billion for student aid and grant programs.
And it commits funding to the first phase of national pharmacare and promises federal standards for long-term care — two commitments the Liberals made to the NDP.
But New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh isn’t in a hurry to say if his party will vote to support the budget and keep the minority Liberals in power.
Federal budget announces measures for open banking
The federal budget announced several measures affecting the banking sector, including long-promised details about a framework for open banking.
Open banking is a system that would allow consumers to easily access their financial data across multiple institutions, apps and services.
The specifics will come with legislation to be tabled before the end of the year, but the federal budget sets out six core elements for the framework.
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It also names the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to oversee and enforce the system.
The budget earmarks $4.1 million over three years for the Finance Department to complete the policy work necessary to establish and maintain the oversight entity and framework.
Trio found guilty in Coutts, Alta., blockade
Three men accused by the Crown of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 have been found guilty of mischief.
Jurors deliberated for three hours Tuesday night before finding Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos, and Gerhard (George) Janzen guilty of one count each of mischief over $5,000.
Gasps of surprise were heard in a courtroom packed with supporters of the trio when the verdict was announced.
The trio were on trial in Court of King’s Bench for their roles in a blockade that tied up cross-border traffic between Canada and the United States at Coutts for two weeks in early 2022 in protest of COVID-19 rules and restrictions.
Van Herk said he’s proud of participating in Coutts and holding politicians accountable.
“If that’s what it takes, that we can show politicians what is right, and we’ll do whatever sentence that is. I’d do it again tomorrow.”
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The maximum sentence for public mischief over $5000 is 10 years in prison.
Police to announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police are set to announce arrests in a heist of nearly $24 million in gold and cash from Toronto’s Pearson airport last year.
Peel Regional Police are expected to reveal details this morning of their joint task force investigation — dubbed Project 24K — with the U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau.
The news comes on the one-year anniversary of the daring heist.
A lawsuit filed against Air Canada by American security company Brink’s alleged that a thief presented a forged document to collect about $23.8 million in goods from a holding facility at Pearson airport.
Brink’s statement of claim alleged that Air Canada staff handed over 400 kilograms of gold, worth more than $20 million, plus nearly US$2 million in cash to the thief.
Closing arguments expected today in Zameer trial
Prosecutors and defence lawyers are expected to make their final submissions today in the trial of a man accused of running over a Toronto police officer.
Umar Zameer has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Det. Const. Jeffrey Northrup died on July 2, 2021, after he was hit by a vehicle in an underground parking garage at Toronto City Hall.
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Zameer has testified he didn’t know Northrup and his partner _ who were in plain clothes — were police officers and he got scared when two strangers rushed towards his car in the largely empty parking lot shortly after midnight.
He told the court he was trying to drive away quickly to save his family from what he believed to be robbers and he didn’t see anything in front of his car or realize he had hit anyone until after his arrest.
Auston Matthews has one more shot at 70 goals
Auston Matthews has one more chance to reach a milestone not touched in nearly three decades.
The Maple Leafs sniper was unable to score in Tuesday night’s 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers, leaving him stuck on 69 goals for the season.
Matthews and Toronto visit the Tampa Bay Lightning to close out the regular season on Wednesday night. The 26-year-old centre is looking to become the first player to score 70 goals in a campaign since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny both registered 76 back in 1992-93.
Matthews, who had found the back of the net 10 times in his previous eight games before the loss to the Panthers, can become just the ninth player in NHL history to score 70 goals in a season, joining the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull and Mario Lemieux.
Toronto’s defeat to Florida, coupled with Ottawa’s 3-1 victory over Boston, means the Leafs will play the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. The Panthers and Lightning are set to square off in the other Atlantic Division matchup.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2024
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