Canadian Crossing

2012 CFL preview: 100th Grey Cup season

If you live in Canada, you can watch the CFL on TSN, subject to local blackout. In the United States? Well …

We know the NFL Network won't carry the CFL this year.For those who missed the tweet, we noted that CFL insider Dave Naylor says the league is close to a U.S. TV deal that would cover the 2nd half of the season and the playoffs, including the Grey Cup. (Thanks Tim for letting us know about this.) When we know which outlet that will be and the details, we will post the information on Twitter and update this preview.

The CFL weighed in via its Facebook page:

The CFL is pleased to inform our fans south of the border that all games will be streamed live on ESPN3.com. This service will be available in the United States only. In addition to ESPN3.com, we are currently working on a TV deal with a US broadcaster, but that won't be in place for this weekend. CFL games won't be on NFL Network this year.

We had speculated about NBCSN taking on the CFL contract. One of our fine readers noted that NBCSN would be busy during the Olympics, but that would have been kin to the NFL Network not showing games in August due to showing preseason NFL games. Much better than having no TV contract. The 2nd half of the season element to the rumor does point to NBCSN as a leading candidate.

Games are available online in Canada at TSN.ca and ESPN3 in the United States. The WatchESPN Web site and app will be helpful for Americans to watch the game on their computer or smartphone.

TSN's CFL TV deal expires next year. No one seems to think that TSN will lose the rights to the CFL, but there is a chance that some games will be farmed out, more likely to CBC than Rogers Sportsnet. If the CBC loses part or all of the NHL deal, look for the network to try harder for the CFL.

Before this new TV deal, the CBC carried a weekly game along with holiday doubleheaders and the entire playoff schedule.

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The season gets underway with a doubleheader on June 29 with Saskatchewan @ Hamilton early and Winnipeg @ BC late. The Canada Day weekend finishes up with  Toronto @ Edmonton on Saturday and Montréal @ Calgary on Canada Day on Sunday.

The first two weekends in August will serve as the bye weeks, those weekends only featuring two games per week. The battles of Ontario and Alberta will be in the spotlight on Labour Day in Hamilton and Calgary. Thanksgiving Day Monday has another doubleheader with Winnipeg @ Montréal and Saskatchewan @ Toronto. The regular season ends November 3.

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2012 marks a year where we will have no new stadiums, an anamoly given what is coming. Winnipeg was supposed to move into its new Investor Group Field in 2012. The idea was to play a few games at Canad Inns Stadium and make the move within the season. That kept getting pushed back until finally they used the word 2013.

The B.C. Lions are finally in their refurbished B.C. Place. 2012 will be the last year for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium. The stadium will be refurbished for the 2015 Pan-Am Games and be ready by 2014. The team wanted to play in Hamilton at Ron Joyce Stadium on the campus of McMaster University, but the university said no.

Hamilton is looking at the stadium for University of Western Ontario in London, but with a capacity of 8,000, that could be a tough sell. Look for the Tiger-Cats to play some of its games in Moncton, NB in 2013 and maybe Toronto.

Speaking of Toronto, off-season speculation has that Rogers Centre might, might switch to grass. While CFL teams have played on grass, the speculation has that the Argonauts would have to leave Rogers Centre if the grass move was made.

Toronto has Varsity Stadium and BMO Field, both theoretical possibilities for the Argos, but both have run into problems and issues.

Ottawa won't be playing until at least 2014 due to its own stadium issues. The most ideal scenario would be for Ottawa to start by playing in Moncton, and then moving to Ottawa when the stadium would be ready.

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No offense to the other 11 players in the offense, but the quarterback is the most prominent position in the CFL. The off-season has seen a jumble of quarterback shuffles.

Ricky Ray (Edmonton) and Henry Burris (Calgary) were the stalwarts of the Battle of Alberta. Now they are the leaders of the Battle of Ontario, with Ray in Toronto and Burris in Hamilton.

Kevin Glenn went from Hamilton to Calgary, but he'll be backing up Drew Tate, who came on like gangbusters last season to take the #1 job. Quinton Porter will backup Burris in Hamilton.

The team with the most uncertainty at the QB position is Edmonton, though the team named Steven Jyles as the new QB. Jyles was acquired in the Toronto trade. Kerry Joseph is waiting in the wings. Either one will have tough shoes to replace a two-time Grey Cup champ. 

In the stability category, Anthony Calvillo (Montréal), Buck Pierce (Winnipeg),  Travis Lulay (B.C.), and Darian Durant (Saskatchewan) will lead their teams.

Canadian film, music are great ways to celebrate Canada Day

Between St. John the Baptist Day (Quebec) and Canada Day (Canada), I usually get exposed to a number of Canadian-related entertainment options. In the last 8 days, I got to see "Starbuck" and "Cafe de Flore," two films I saw from last year's Windsor International Film Festival.

Neither film made it to a theater; in fact, the showing of "Cafe de Flore" was reportedly the only screening so far outside New York City in the United States. The fact that Vanessa Paradis, the lead in this film, just recently broke up with Johnny Depp still hasn't helped the film in the States.

"Cafe de Flore" also suffers because the film is complex with two running plot lines. When I saw the movie a second time, I saw a lot more I had missed the first time around.

We put the odds at 0.1% for "Cafe de Flore" to make it to the States. That sounds about right. As for "a good shot at a limited run in major cities," well, we probably will be off on that. I still see a home on cable.

Movies such as these may need more time to hit the marketplace. "Cafe de Flore" is reportedly going to have a November release date (perhaps limited). And as we noted, "Starbuck" would get more attention due to the upcoming American remake.

Sarah McLachlan is coming into town on Saturday. No, not my date for Canada Day Eve, though I am socially available. She happens to be in concert. If she doesn't mention that Canada Day is on Sunday, I'd be disappointed.

Today is also the last day for "Take This Waltz" on Xfinity On Demand. I think I'll wait until the movie is in theaters, though depending on where you live, that might be a risk you might not want to take. Based on the fact that Xfinity is previewing the film, I would expect a theatrical release sometime in the next 30 days.

As for Canada Day itself, there might be some poutine involved. Being on a Sunday will make the day more festive. We'll let you know details, as well as a wrapup of the CFL opening weekend, early next week.

Richard Ford talks Canadian sensibility on 'Colbert Report'

Richard Ford's latest novel is called "Canada" and part of the story takes place in Saskatchewan. The interview with Stephen Colbert on the "Colbert Report" made it clear that Ford's experience in Canada inspired him to set part of the book and give the novel its title.

Ford talked about the time after George W. Bush became president.

"I drove across the border from Montana where I live to Saskatchewan and I felt the weight of the world lift off of me. I felt something marvelous had happened to me, some sense of elation. Well, I realized that I felt that every time I went to Canada. It wasn't just about not being in a country where George Bush was the president. It actually I thought had to do with Canada; there was something saving and tolerating and wonderful about Canada."

Colbert said he had a similar experience in Vancouver, where he went during the Olympics on 2010, but blamed it on a contact high.

Colbert asked Ford if there was something about the Canadian character that is different than the American character.

"Well, everybody's not armed there, for one thing."

Ford said he had been inspired to write this book since 1989. The logical assumption is that this was the first time Ford had gone to Canada.

He grew up in Mississippi, nowhere near Canada. Living in Montana makes the trip to Canada much easier. Ford clearly took advantage of those opportunities, and decided to pay tribute to a country he clearly enjoys. And his accolades for the Great White North were well-written, even if he just said them to Stephen Colbert.

Ford's book "Independence Day" became the first novel to win the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Harper government doesn't appreciate opportunities of Understanding Canada

The best way to appreciate Canada is to get to Canada and see the country first-hand.

When I meet an American who tells me they always wanted to go to Canada but had not been, I tell them that you'll love it if you could see it for yourselves.

For the last 40 years, the Canadian government has contributed to help organizations in other countries to sent people to Canada to study and learn and then go back to their home countries. Unfortunately, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade will phase out the international Canadian studies program as part of the severe federal budget cuts.

Some prominent Canadian authors and professors, including Margaret Atwood, have sent a letter to the Harper government asking to "create a system to replace" Understanding Canada, a program started in 2008 to fund international Canadian studies.

The program has enough funding to last until March 31.

In that letter to the Harper government, the group noted that the program paid for itself many times over, not just financially but culturally, too.

Visiting scholars would come to Canada for a month or so; then they would return to their home institutions, having agreed – one of the stipulations of their grant – to teach, in the next five years, three courses related to Canada. Many scholars spent as much as seven times the amount of their grants on expenses related to Canada. And many of them are now producing some of the finest studies of Canadian economics, politics and culture.

Encouraging tourism and study in Canada brings more attention to a country that too often quietly sits in the background. Canada needs more publicity, especially in a program that adds to the bottom line.

The Harper government might believe in this concept, but either way, doesn't want to pay for it. Private industry would have a lot of trouble trying to replace such a program since a country's value isn't a part of the bottom line for a company or corporation.

If I were a professor, I would have taken advantage of this program by now. If I were a professor who hadn't been able to take advantage, this would be a crushing blow. Even if Canada is a great place to visit and study, people of the world can use a nudge toward Understanding Canada.

Aaron Sorkin borrows 'The Newsroom' title, but can't capture spirit of Canadian classic

My Comcast schedule listed the second episode of "The Newsroom" airing on HBO Comedy as "Dinner at Eight." The description matches the second episode not from Aaron Sorkin's new show about TV news, but the Canadian TV show from Ken Finkleman.

Too bad. HBO would have had another subscriber.

You can't copyright titles. You can write a book entitled "Great Expectations" and you can have a movie called "Citizen Kane." And you can certainly have two TV shows called "The Newsroom."

The Canadian version of "The Newsroom" had two series runs plus a movie, all from the creative mind of Finkleman, who also played news director George Findlay. The show had no laugh track, though the dialogue was often funny in a twisted fashion. True, Findlay's travels would get a little surreal at times, but he played a conniving, unscrupulous, sexist, sad human being who ran a Toronto-based TV news channel.

American audiences might recognize Peter Keleghan from his work on "Seinfeld," "18 to Life," and as Ranger Gord on "The Red Green Show." Despite all that wonderful work, he was destined to play the clueless anchorman Jim Wolcott.

"The Newsroom" got limited play in the United States on PBS stations across the country. This is how I discovered the program. I own very few DVD releases of TV shows. "The Newsroom" is one of them.

HBO and Showtime are supposed to be about TV that is different than U.S. broadcast TV and cable TV, but even Aaron Sorkin isn't on the edge as George Findlay in the Canadian TV classic.

The Aaron Sorkin series on HBO was originally titled "More As This Story Develops." "The Newsroom" is a bit simpler and catchier. We don't know if Sorkin and his crew are even aware of the Canadian TV show, and even if they were, they know they can use the title without issue.

"Well, 'The Newsroom' is often considered the greatest show Canada has ever produced, but a U.S. network feels no need to fear unflattering comparisons: assuming they've heard of the show, they probably think most people in the States have not heard of it," Jaime Weinman wrote in Maclean's (think the Time or Newsweek of Canada). "It's just a bit of a grimly amusing reminder that the U.S. TV industry doesn't take Canada very seriously (and doesn't need to)."

Though we haven't seen Sorkin's version of "The Newsroom," no one would ever confuse the two programs. "The Newsroom" has a Canadian feel and sensibility; Sorkin's version will have fast dialogue (hey, we've seen "Sports Night" and the "West Wing"; we know what is coming). Still, we'd like to know if Sorkin knows of the Canadian program and didn't care, or honestly didn't know. Hard to tell which is more insulting.

In the States, "The Newsroom" might be a water cooler topic in the next few weeks. To be so cool as to be perhaps not cool, just say, "Yeah, it was good. But it doesn't compare to the Canadian show with the same name. Not even close."

The U.S. version of "The Newsroom" premieres Sunday on HBO. Check your local listings. As for the Canadian version of "The Newsroom," you can find the episodes on DVD.

Canada has Miracle Whip with sugar, not high-fructose corn syrup

Once again, Canada comes to the rescue of Americans foiled by the fact that Kraft puts high-fructose corn syrup in its signature Miracle Whip salad dressing.

For years, Kraft had high-fructose corn syrup in Miracle Whip, while Canada remained free of the sweetener substitute. Then Canada got glucose-fructose (high-fructose corn syrup). A while back. Kraft announced publicly that Miracle Whip was switching back to sugar. Unfortunately, Kraft secretly went back to high-fructose corn syrup in the United States.

The good news for Canadians is that the regular version and the fat-free version contain sugar, yet the calorie-wise version has glucose-fructose.

For more on Miracle Whip and changes to Heinz ketchup north of the border, check out this update from our sister blog, BalanceofFood.com.

Nunavut's high food prices gaining worldwide attention

A Facebook group. Protests outside key points. No, these aren't students in Montréal. These are native Inuit people in Nunavut, Canada's newest territory who pay incredibly high prices for basic foods.

$65 for a pound of chicken. $14 for 2 liters (about a ½ gallon) of milk.

Ouch.

Food prices are higher up north than they are in Toronto, which in turn is higher than you find in the United States. Transportation is a significant problem, especially in winter. Rising food prices worldwide hit those in Canada's North extra hard.

For more, check out this column from our sister blog, BalanceofFood.com.

photo credit

Large show of contemporary Canadian art -- in Massachusetts

Most Americans who don't know much about Canada can name a few actors, singers, and comedians from the Great White North. But how many Americans, even knowledgeable ones such as your humble narrator, can name 1 or 2 Canadian artists?

The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MMCA) is a good place to check out Canadian art as the museum is hosting the largest survey of contemporary Canadian art ever produced outside Canada. The show is called "Oh, Canada" and runs through April 1, 2013.

MMCA's curator Denise Markonish had the job I would love: spending three years across Canada, seeing hundreds of exhibitions in museums and galleries. Markonish went to over 400 artists' studios, whittling down from a list of 800 artists to 62 artists for the show.

Her obsession with Canada went well beyond art. As told to the Boston Globe:

"I have tried poutine, Nanaimo bars, caribou, Saskatoon berries, and Timbits; I watched the aforementioned hockey, rode a skidoo, came to understand what a 'dry cold' is; I drove through Vulcan, Alberta, and Dildo, Newfoundland; I know who Grey Owl, Emily Carr, and the Group of Seven are; I know that Captain Canuck's (Canada's superhero) motto is 'peace, order and good government.' "

The tricky part is getting to the museum. The museum is located in North Adams, Massachusetts. No, that is nowhere near Boston. North Adams is in the northwest corner of the commonwealth, near the Vermont and New York borders. According to the museum, the closest airport and train station are in Albany … New York.

You might find it difficult to rattle off a couple of names of these Canadian contemporary artists since there are so many in the exhibit. But if you can make it to North Adams, you will get to see more than 14,000 square feet devoted to Canadian artists across a broad spectrum. You have until April 1 to make your plans.

"Detail of Spills in Safe Environment" is the painting by Etienne Zack from the Oh, Canada exhibit.

Photo credit: Christine Guest

Montreal protesters offer lessons for U.S. protesters

The same chant, the themes, the red squares -- those in the mainstream criticize protesters from the left because they aren't uniform, their signs don't match, and nobody believes in their cause other than those in the protest.

The Quebec student protesters, mostly in Montréal, are proving that you can get power if you stay consistent.

Having also seen the NATO protesters in Chicago last month and other protests over the years, I can offer some great tips that U.S. protesters can learn from their counterparts in La Belle Province.

For more, check out this blog entry from our sister blog, Democracy Soup.

Montréal, Quebec officials doing almost as much damage to tourism as student protesters

"Okay, smartypants. The Grand Prix had a bunch of protesters, and you said they had nothing to worry about. So, why don't you admit that you were wrong."

I said the Grand Prix had little to fear from the student protesters, the ones that had been making the news while I was in Montréal. For the most part, I was right on the money.

Mix the first major event of the summer, one that attracts rich people and encourages the consumption of huge amounts of gasoline, and more radical protesters that have been inspired by the ongoing student protesters. Then you have what you saw last weekend.

Some lowlights prevailed in the long weekend. Protesters were outside what turned out to be a fundraiser. The sight of extra police around the Yellow Line at Berri/UQAM might have intimidated some tourists. Then again, some Grand Prix tourists got to see students marching peacefully and, on occasion, naked people as part of the protest.

Some of those who protested the Grand Prix aren't going to go after the comedy or jazz festivals, because those events don't spark the same outrage as a auto race. Others will protest those events because they are opportunities for tourists to see protests. Settling the student tuition hikes and Bill 78 will help stop most, if not all, of those protests.

As to the damage to Montréal's reputation, most of that was self-imposed. Tourists were more scared than anything else as top officials are going out of their way to say "tourism is down and the students are to blame." The reality hasn't been as bad as the extreme media coverage. And the tourists who came to Montréal were subjected to anything that they should have been prepared for what might have happened.

Contrast this to a summer weekend in Chicago, the same weekend as the Grand Prix in Montréal. 8 young people allegedly jumped a Michigan resident in Chicago downtown on business. He suffered a broken jaw. Another individual got attacked by another large group nearby, also downtown.

Despite these horrible stories, people will still come to Chicago because they know overall, the city is a worthwhile place to visit. Sadly, people will have forgotten about these attacks within weeks. Montréal officials are concerned about long-term financial setbacks for a weekend where tourists were much safer in Montréal than Chicago.

By not working hard to settle the issues from the students, Quebec and Montréal have put the city and its tourist attractions in this scenario. People feel empowered and that doesn't go away easily. Settling the initial disputes would go a long way toward restoring Montréal's tourism reputation.