Jasper residents whose homes were burnt by wildfire offered bus tours to view damage

PARIS – Canada enjoyed its strongest single day so far at the Paralympics on Wednesday.

There were four podium finishes, with two golds and two silvers on Day 7 to bump Canada’s medal count to 17 and double the gold-medal number to four. Swimmer Nicholas Bennett and shot putter Greg Stewart earned gold, while road cyclist Nathan Clement and swimmer Reid Maxwell each took silver.

Bennett won the 200-metre individual medley two days after claiming gold in the 100 breaststroke. The 20-year-old from Parksville, B.C., is the first Canadian man to win multiple Paralympic gold medals at a single Games since Benoit Huot’s five in Athens in 2004.

“Seven one-hundredths off my world record, it’s successful to say the least,” said Bennett who set a Paralympic record of two minutes 6.05 seconds. “I was certainly a lot more comfortable racing today. I knew there was definitely a chance being so close to my world record.

“Having a sense of serenity definitely calms the emotions.”

Maxwell, meanwhile, became the youngest Canadian swimmer to win a Paralympic medal since Aurelie Rivard’s silver in 2012 when she was 16.

The 17-year-old from St. Albert, Alta., duelled with Alberto Amodeo in the 400-metre freestyle and touched the wall six-tenths of a second back of the Italian.

“It’s all I ever dreamed of just to come here,” Maxwell said. “Being able to medal here is a whole other thing. Honestly, that fight for the last 50m definitely made it worth it.”

Stewart repeated as Paralympic champion in the men’s F46 shot put at Stade de France. The 38-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., had retired after winning gold at the Tokyo Games but made a comeback to compete in Paris.

Now, he is looking ahead to the future.

“I am going to go on to L.A. (the 2028 Games), this one is just halfway,” he said. “I wanted to come back and continue supporting the Paralympic movement, and support athletes any way we can.”

Road cyclist Clement is another medallist who had retired and returned to find glory in Paris.

The 29-year-old from West Vancouver, B.C., represented Canada in swimming at the 2016 Paralympics before switching to cycling and winning a silver medal in the men’s T1-2 individual time trial on Thursday. Although Clement retired from swimming in 2018, his competitive drive was reignited two years later.

“It means the world. It’s something I’m still really trying to process right now, to be a Paralympic medallist,” he said. “Along my journey as a stroke survivor at the age of two and a half, my parents were told very early on my chances at a normal life would not be possible.

“Organizations and centres like the B.C. Centre for Ability really gave me at four, five years old, the opportunity to play, have fun. Little did I know I was using my arms, using my legs, but more importantly for my parents, it gave them the hope of possibility.”

Canada will be playing for bronze in mixed pairs BC4 boccia.

The Canadians started the day with a 6-0 quarterfinal win over Ukraine before losing 6-4 against Hong Kong in the semifinals later Wednesday.

Canada will play Thailand in the bronze-medal game on Thursday.

In women’s wheelchair basketball, Canada defeated Germany 71-53 in the quarterfinals.

Kady Dandeneau paced Canada with 33 points, which will play in the semifinals on Friday.

Canada defeated Japan 1-0 in women’s goalball in the fifth-place game. The Canadians fell 5-1 to Israel in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 4, 2024.

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A circuit court judge in Florida has dismissed a lawsuit two women filed against former NFL kicker Brandon McManus and the Jacksonville Jaguars that accused McManus of sexually assaulting them on the team’s overseas flight to London in 2023.

Judge Michael S. Sharrit granted a motion to dismiss and wrote in his order Tuesday that the case does not meet “exceptional” criteria required for the women to have anonymity. The women used pseudonyms “Jane Doe I” and “Jane Doe II” in the lawsuit.

“Fairness requires Plaintiffs be prepared to stand behind their charges publicly in the same way Defendant McManus must openly refute them,” Sharrit wrote.

The women have 10 days to file an amended complaint using their legal names, which their attorney said they would do.

“Most defendants in sexual assault cases file these types of motions thinking that the victims won’t proceed if they have to publicly reveal their names,” attorney Tony Buzbee said in a statement. “We anticipated this ruling. To be clear, these women have no intention of running and hiding and will comply with the court’s order in a timely fashion. We look forward to continuing to pursue this important case.”

McManus’ attorney, Brett Gallaway, called the allegations “baseless.”

“We look forward to him returning to the NFL playing field as soon as possible,” Gallaway said.

The Washington Commanders released McManus days after the lawsuit was filed in May.

The women were working as flight attendants on Jacksonville’s charter flight to London last September and accused McManus of trying to kiss one of them and grinding and rubbing up against both of them while they were trying to work. They are seeking in excess of $1 million in damages.

The suit claimed the trip “quickly turned into a party” as McManus and other players disregarded the flight attendants’ personal space, air travel safety and federal law. The women said McManus passed out $100 bills to encouraged them and other flight attendants to drink and dance inappropriately.

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AP NFL:

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A 17-year-old high school senior charged with attempted murder in the daytime weekend shooting of San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall was arraigned in juvenile court Wednesday and said through his attorney that he was sorry for what happened.

The slight teen wore a green sweatshirt and green pants, looked straight ahead at the judge during the proceeding and did not turn around to acknowledge his parents, who were in the room.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins charged the teen on Tuesday with attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic weapon and attempted second-degree robbery. On Wednesday, her office added several gun-related charges.

Her office has not decided whether try the juvenile as an adult, saying they need time to investigate further and, if appropriate, petition the court to transfer the case to adult court. California law prevents prosecutors from charging a minor as an adult without judicial approval.

The teen’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Bob Dunlap, told reporters after the hearing that he is very sorry about what happened.

“He’s genuinely very sorry that this did happen, as is his family, and I can say on their behalf, as well as on my own behalf, our thoughts go out to the Pearsall family and Mr. Pearsall himself. So there is genuine, genuine remorse in that regard,” Dunlap said. “He is a young boy.”

A probation officer recommended the teen stay in custody and be transferred to his home county of San Joaquin, where he has another matter pending. But Superior Court Judge Roger C. Chan said the teen will stay in San Francisco custody.

Family members of both the teen and Pearsall were in the room Wednesday, Chan said.

The daylight shooting Saturday of a professional athlete in an upscale shopping district downtown put the national spotlight again on a city that struggled with brazen shoplifting, empty storefronts and assaults on Asian American seniors. Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, is in a tight reelection contest in November.

Pearsall, 23, was walking alone to his car shortly after 3:30 p.m. Saturday after shopping at luxury stores in Union Square when the suspect allegedly spotted the NFL player for his Rolex watch. A struggle ensued, and gunfire from the suspect’s firearm struck both Pearsall and the teenager, who was shot in the arm, police said.

The 49er rookie was shot through the chest at close range, officials said. His mother, Erin Pearsall, posted on social media that the bullet went through the right side of her son’s chest and out his back without striking any vital organs.

Pearsall was released Sunday from the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

He was back at the team facility on Monday, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said Tuesday. The Niners placed Pearsall on the non-football injury list, giving him time to recover from the shooting and a shoulder injury that had limited him all summer, Lynch said.

The teen lives in Tracy, a city about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of San Francisco.

He was arrested about a block away from where he allegedly confronted Pearsall.

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