Montreal police are defending their decision to launch tear gas on thousands of hockey fans outside the Bell Centre minutes after the Habs’ 3-2 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.
It was the second time in less than two weeks that Montreal police officers used tear gas against fans outside the arena without first ordering the crowd to disperse.
“At the end of yesterday night, bottles were thrown and fireworks were set off in the area around the Bell Centre,” police spokesperson Anik de Repentigny wrote in an email Tuesday.
Police took measures to restore order a few minutes after the end of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final, she said in the email.
“The use of chemical irritants was judged necessary to disperse some recalcitrant groups.”
But Vincent Wong, a human rights lawyer and PhD student at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, said one of the biggest problems with the use of tear gas by police is that it’s indiscriminate.
“Tear gas cannot distinguish between the young and the elderly, the healthy and sick, the abled and disabled, and, of course, the peaceful and violent,” he said in an interview Tuesday.
Children were seen suffering from the effects of the gas, while spectators leaving the Bell Centre were pepper-sprayed by police on at least one occasion.
Wong, who coauthored a 2020 report on the use of tear gas that was published by the international human rights program at the University of Toronto faculty of law, said police have a responsibility under international law to distinguish between dangerous elements of a crowd and those who are not a threat.
WATCH | Canadiens’ Josh Anderson scores Game 4 winner in OT to extend series:
Josh Anderson scored twice to lead the Canadiens to a 3-2 win over the Lightning in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. 3:17
“If you’re just shooting tear gas canisters into the middle of a crowd, this directly violates and is at odds with this positive duty under international law,” he said.
Montreal police say their presence at gatherings allows people to celebrate while preventing disturbances that could put public safety at risk.
“With this in mind, the SPVM recommends that the public move as far away as possible if there is a disturbance in a crowd. This allows police officers to focus on the disruptive elements,” de Repentigny wrote.
Ongoing issue
Montreal police have faced criticism for their use of tear gas before.
Last December, Montreal city councillor Marvin Rotrand introduced a motion calling for tear gas to be withdrawn from the police arsenal. An amended motion passed that called for the city’s public security committee to examine the possibility of removing tear gas from the police service’s arsenal and to make recommendations about its use by officers.
“Tear gas is banned in warfare by conventions that date back to the 1920s but there’s no control of its use over civilians,” Rotrand said in an interview Tuesday.
Montreal police tend to make more use of tear gas than police in other Canadian cities, he said.
“Tear gas is the lazy man’s way to control crowds; the police have all sorts of other options,” Rotrand said. “At the very least, tear gas must only be used in exceptional circumstances — crowd control in front of a hockey arena is not one of those.”
Wong said the onus should be on police to de-escalate situations. The use of tear gas and shows of force by police can antagonize crowds, he said. “Often it creates the absolute reverse of what they’re looking for.”
Police said they arrested four people and issued 36 tickets following the Montreal Canadiens’ win in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final. A police spokesperson said the arrests were for alleged assaults or armed assaults against police officers.
Const. Jean-Pierre Brabant said officers issued 21 tickets for municipal infractions and 15 for road safety violations. Brabant said there were no injuries reported.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
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