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Tough decisions as Bev Priestman unveils 18-player soccer roster for Paris Olympics

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Having wrangled the Rubik’s Cube of an 18-player Olympic roster, coach Bev Priestman and her staff leave Tuesday for a pre-tournament camp in Spain.

The eighth-ranked Canada women will play two final warm-ups in Europe against yet-to-be announced opponents during the July 8-16 FIFA international window that precedes the Olympic tournament.

“I’m super-, super-excited,” Priestman said Monday after naming her roster. “I think I couldn’t get excited until I’d had some really difficult (roster) conversations and this was done. And then you start to work with the team you have got.”

Sydney Collins, Nichelle Prince and Quinn won their injury battles in making a roster that features 13 players who won gold in Tokyo including six — captain Jessie Fleming, Janine Beckie, Kadeisha Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence, Prince and Quinn — who also earned bronze in 2016 in Rio.

The six veterans have a combined 717 caps, ranging from 149 for Buchanan to 97 for Prince.

Fifteen members of the Olympic roster were on last summer’s 23-player World Cup squad. Former captain Christine Sinclair and veteran midfielder Sophie Schmidt have since retired from international football.

Beckie and Jade Rose missed the World Cup through injury. Collins was not picked.

Canada opens defence of its Olympic title on July 25 against No. 28 New Zealand before facing No. 2 France on July 28 and No. 22 Colombia on July 31. The first two Group A games are at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne with the third at the Nice Stadium.

The top two teams from each of the three groups, along with the two best third-placed sides, advance to the knockout rounds.

The 24-year-old Collins, a defender/wingback whose Canada debut was in March 2023, makes the Olympic squad after fracturing her ankle in February in the Canadian camp ahead of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup while the 29-year-old Prince suffered a calf injury at the tournament, exiting in the 44th minute of a 4-0 win over El Salvador.

The 28-year-old Quinn is back from a knee injury. Their last appearance for Canada — which marked a century of Canada caps for the veteran midfielder — was in the penalty shootout loss to the United States at the W Gold Cup on March 6.

Teams have until Wednesday to name their Olympic roster.

“It did come right to the wire and it was a really really difficult decision,” said Priestman.

“When I was making these (roster decision) calls, every player answered the call and was nervous at the end of the phone,” she added.

In part because the Olympic roster is just 18 players, plus four alternates, compared to 23 for the FIFA World Cup.

The four alternates who will train and travel with the Olympic team — in case of injury — are goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx, defenders Gabby Carle and Shelina Zadorsky, and forward Deanne Rose. It’s a fourth straight Olympic selection as an alternate for the 25-year-old Carle.

The three outfield alternates are veterans with 100 caps for Zadorsky, 84 for Rose and 46 for Carle. Proulx is uncapped but has been a regular at recent camps. All four were on the World Cup roster.

Missing are midfielder/forward Olivia Smith, midfielder Emma Regan and forward Clarissa Larisey, who were involved in June friendlies.

The 19-year-old Smith, who can play both midfielder and forward, had been thought a likely candidate because of her versatility and success in her rookie season as a pro in Portugal, where she was named best newcomer after scoring 16 goals for Sporting CP. But she and Larisey appear victims of the numbers game up front.

Priestman opted for forwards Beckie, Jordyn Huitema, Cloe Lacasse, Adriana Leon, Prince and Evelyne Viens.

“It was the forward line where we had the most discussions as a staff group. It was the area that we dug the most into the stats. And it was the most difficult (decision), for sure,” said Priestman.

The return of Collins likely decided Carle’s place among the alternates. Priestman ultimately opted for Zadorsky as an alternate because Collins, Lawrence and Quinn can cover at centre back if needed,

There is also no place for veterans Desiree Scott and Allysha Chapman. The 36-year-old Scott, a defensive midfielder who has 187 caps, missed the 2023 season with a knee injury while the 35-year-old Chapman (a fullback with 99 caps) had a baby in February.

“Desi was a really difficult conversation and decision,” said Priestman. “I felt we didn’t need the cover in the midfield position and that’s ultimately what it came down to.”

Collins, Lacasse, Simi Awujo and Jade Rose are making their Olympic debuts.

The 20-year-old Awujo, a midfielder who plays collegiate soccer at USC, played her way onto the team with strong performances this year. Jade Rose, a 21-year-old from Harvard who was the 2023 Canada Soccer Young Player of the Year, has established herself in Canada’s backline alongside Buchanan and Vanessa Gilles.

Canada is the only country to have reached the podium in women’s soccer at each of the last three Olympics.

Canada qualified for the Paris Olympics in September by defeating No. 42 Jamaica 4-1 on aggregate in the two-match CONCACAF W Olympic Play-In.

Canada is 10-1-4 since a disappointing 1-1-1 performance at last summer’s World Cup that saw Priestman’s team fail to make the knockout round. Two of the ties since turned into shootout losses to the U.S. while one became a shootout win over Brazil, which also accounted for the lone Canadian loss in regulation time since the World Cup.

Canada Roster

Goalkeepers: Sabrina D’Angelo, Welland, Ont., Arsenal (England); Kailen Sheridan, Whitby, Ont., San Diego Wave (NWSL)

Defenders: Kadeisha Buchanan, Brampton, Ont. Chelsea (England); Sydney Collins, Beaverton, Ore., North Carolina Courage (NWSL); Vanessa Gilles, Ottawa, Olympique Lyonnais (France); Ashley Lawrence, Caledon East, Ont., Chelsea (England); Jayde Riviere, Markham, Ont., Manchester United (England); Jade Rose, Markham, Ont., Harvard (NCAA).

Midfielders: Simi Awujo, Atlanta, USC (NCAA); Jessie Fleming (capt.), London, Ont., Portland Thorns (NWSL); Julia Grosso, Vancouver, unattached; Quinn, Toronto, Seattle Reign (NWSL).

Forwards: Janine Beckie, Highlands Ranch, Colo., Portland Thorns (NWSL); Jordyn Huitema, Chilliwack, B.C., Seattle Reign (NWSL); Cloe Lacasse, Sudbury, Ont., Arsenal (England); Adriana Leon, King City, Ont., Aston Villa (England); Nichelle Prince, Ajax, Ont., Houston Dash (NWSL); Evelyne Viens, L’Ancienne-Lorette, Que., AS Roma (Italy).

Alternates

Gabrielle Carle, Levis, Que., Washington Spirit (NWSL); Lysianne Proulx, Boucherville, Que., Bay FC (NWSL); Shelina Zadorsky, London, Ont., West Ham (England); Deanne Rose, Alliston, Ont., Leicester City (England).

Staff

Head Coach: Bev Priestman.

Assistant Coaches: Jasmine Mander, Andy Spence, Neil Wood.

Goalkeepers & Set Plays Coach: Jen Herst.

Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2024.

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Canada’s Denis Shapovalov wins Belgrade Open for his second ATP Tour title

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BELGRADE, Serbia – Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is back in the winner’s circle.

The 25-year-old Shapovalov beat Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in the Belgrade Open final on Saturday.

It’s Shapovalov’s second ATP Tour title after winning the Stockholm Open in 2019. He is the first Canadian to win an ATP Tour-level title this season.

His last appearance in a tournament final was in Vienna in 2022.

Shapovalov missed the second half of last season due to injury and spent most of this year regaining his best level of play.

He came through qualifying in Belgrade and dropped just one set on his way to winning the trophy.

Shapovalov’s best results this season were at ATP 500 events in Washington and Basel, where he reached the quarterfinals.

Medjedovic was playing in his first-ever ATP Tour final.

The 21-year-old, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title last year, ends 2024 holding a 9-8 tour-level record on the season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Talks to resume in B.C. port dispute in bid to end multi-day lockout

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VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.

The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.

The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.

The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.

The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.

MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.

In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.

“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.

“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”

In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.

“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.

The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.

“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”

The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.

The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.

A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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The Royal Canadian Legion turns to Amazon for annual poppy campaign boost

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The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.

Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.

Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.

Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.

“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.

“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”

Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.

“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.

Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.

“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”

But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.

Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.

“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.

Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.

The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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