Canadian Crossing

2019 Toronto Raptors NBA championship parade recap

Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri. The 2019 Toronto Raptors NBA Championship parade and rally show that a lot of people go into the making of a championship team. This picture of what we are calling the "three wise men" show that some contributions are really amazing.

Lowry wore a Damon Stoudamire jersey. Stoudamire was the Toronto Raptors first draft pick (number 7 overall) and won the 1995-1996 Rookie of the Year award.

Toronto Coach Nick Nurse had some love for Canada, quoting Bono about how "the world needs more Canada. The world just got it."

Toronto Mayor John Tory said Raptors Way is the new name of Bremner Boulevard around York Street near Jurassic Park.

The parade route started at Princes' Gates at Exhibition Place. The parade went down Lake Shore Boulevard West past BMO Field and Rogers Centre (aka SkyDome), the first home of the Raptors. The route went north up York Street to University Avenue and then followed University Avenue to Queen Street. The parade went east on Queen before turning north to Nathan Phillips Square. The rally was in a very full Nathan Phillips Square.

NBA TV carried the Bell Media feed with Lisa LaFlamme (CTV) and James Duthie (TSN) anchoring the Bell Media coverage. Adrienne Arsenault and CBC Toronto anchor Dwight Drummond anchored the CBC coverage that was available online. Didn't watch the Rogers feed but know that Tim Micallef and Sid Seixeiro with Breakfast Television’s Dina Pugliese anchored for Rogers Sportsnet and Citytv. We saw reports from the multiple properties of Bell Media: CTV, TSN, CP24, eTalk, and The Social.

The traffic became a subplot. Traffic was stopped on the eastbound lanes in the Gardiner Expressway to watch the parade. Later, subway stops were closed including the Queen, Osgood and Dundas stations.

Crowd estimates were at about 2 million people for the celebration. Toronto chief communications officer Brad Ross said that estimate is at the "lower end." The GTA is just over 5.9 million.

Superfan Nav Bhatia was the honourary parade marshal. Bhatia also got out of the vehicle and walked part of the route. There wasn't a second choice for that honour.

Chip and dip; load management; plant guy; Spicy P; Fun Guy; Kwactus — these are some of the phrases that will be remembered long after the parade grounds have returned to normal. “I don’t want my chips plain. I want my chips with the dip. So bring them dips. That dynasty’s over." — Drake

People are getting out of their cars on the highway just to catch a glimpse of the @Raptors' championship parade. 😲 pic.twitter.com/Yo5BpUKQsI

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 17, 2019

There has been talk about players from Spain and Cameroon. There was Chris Boucher, the only Canadian player on the Raptors, who is now the 7th Canadian to win the NBA title as a player.

We hadn't heard an official number for the total of Jurassic Parks. The number 59 was floated during the parade coverage.

We had been surprised Justin Trudeau wasn't more prominent in the Raptors run. The Canadian prime minister was at the rally. The Bell Media cameras captured Trudeau shaking hands with Ontario premier Doug Ford with Toronto Mayor John Tory looking on. Ford was booed heartily when introduced at the rally.

The Toronto Maple Leafs (Nazem Kadri) and the Toronto Argonauts (Pinball Clemons) were represented on one of the buses.

2018-2019 Toronto Raptors are NBA champions

The not-so-pretty history of NBA Canadian teams

The impact of Toronto playing in the NBA Finals

2019 Toronto Raptors NBA Finals preview

Toronto Raptors make first trip ever to NBA finals and will play Golden State

Toronto Raptors advance to NBA Eastern Conference finals for first time since 2016

Toronto Raptors move on to Philadelphia in 2019 NBA playoffs second round

2019 Toronto Raptors NBA playoffs preview

2019 Toronto Raptors NBA playoffs scoreboard

CanadianCrossing.com NBA coverage

"Now, the question is, do they get an invite to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or 24 Sussex Drive or both?"

My friend Leroy asked this question. I gave the smart aleck answer to note that the Trudeau family doesn't live at 24 Sussex drive because of the deteriorating conditions at the prime minister's residence.

Leroy has a serious question: the Toronto Raptors may be caught in a void in the time-space continuum. The Raptors are Canadian but there is no apparatus to welcome a winning team in Canada. Toronto FC didn't get that luxury in winning the MLS Cup in 2017. Grey Cup champs don't have that option.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson wants the Toronto Raptors to come to Parliament Hill.

The White House does have that tradition but the current regime doesn't like Canada. Really doesn't like Canada.

Most of the Raptors aren't likely to want the invite, even if they live in the United States. Normally, we might see a lack of invite as a snub but in the current circumstances, a snub won't feel so bad.

Raptors co-owner Larry Tanenbaum said he would take the team to Israel if the Raptors win the NBA title.

The Raptors could visit Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States, who saw Game 2 in person in Toronto. That would be pretty sweet.

Toronto stories from a resilient city

Toronto sports cornucopia is a small portion of what makes Toronto a worthy destination

This section was going to devoted to the wonderful spirit of Toronto based on 2 horrific attacks in 2018. There were a bizarre combination of shootings and stabbings around Bay and Albert streets (NE corner of Nathan Phillips Square) as well as the Eaton Centre (NE of Bay and Albert) during the Raptors rally. There were reports of serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Matt Devlin, Raptors TV voice and master of ceremonies, came out to calm down the crowd. From all reports, police acted swiftly and effectively. We hope all of those affected recover quickly.

I love how Toronto comes together in good times and horrible times. My heart sank for those in the 2018 attacks who lost their lives, the injured, and those lives affected as a result. Toronto gets teased by most of the rest of Canada. When the time arrives to come together, few do it better than Toronto.

A NBA championship was won for the first time in Canadian history. Toronto came together to celebrate. There was some minor damage to a police squad car but no injuries reported after celebrating the Raptors NBA title.

I would love to live in Toronto not just for the sports or an actual competitive newspaper market but for the companionship I find in the people I meet in Toronto. A big city with a lot of heart.

Canadian Heritage Minute: pic.twitter.com/Nc5wq7Zbfo

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) June 14, 2019

Headlines from the major Toronto newspapers after the Toronto Raptors win:

Champions — The Globe and Mail

We The Champs — Toronto Star

Prehistoric — Toronto Sun

The Canadian TV numbers for the Raptors have been impressive. The Numeris data has 7.7 million Canadians for Game 6, though that is the combined numbers for TSN, CTV (with the ABC feed), and RDS (en Francaise). Bell Media says nearly 16 million Canadians watched some part of the title-clinching victory.

The numbers showed that 82% of TV viewers were watching in Toronto and Hamilton.

photos credit: CBC News Network all but photo 2: CTV/TSN; photo 6: TSN
Twitter capture: @TSN_Sports; @TIFF_NET
map credit: Google

Celebrating Mary Kills People in humanizing assisted suicide

Mary Kills People ended its 3-season run on Global in Canada last night. We are still quite hopeful for a U.S. outlet for Season 3, whether Hulu, a cable TV channel, or both.

There are no spoilers for the series finale but some mild Season 3 spoilers ahead.

The summer setting disappears as winter is here, to borrow from Game of Thrones. Winter changes the dynamic of Season 3.

In Season 3, the foil changes from a traditional criminal element to a more subtle criminal. Elizabeth Saunders stars as Francine Thorp, a nurse at Eden General (the hospital where Mary worked). Thorp may parallel what Mary has done on the surface but not when you take a closer look.

As an America who pays attention to Canada, Francine Thorp seemed to be patterned after the real-life case of Elizabeth Wettlaufer. Wettlaufer was a registered nurse who was convicted of killing 8 senior citizens and 6 attempted murders in southwestern Ontario between 2007-2016. Insulin was involved in both the real and fictional cases.

Francine Thorp has proven to be far more creepy than those who were chasing Mary in seasons 1-2. The fiction and the real-life story were both a lot about passing the buck.

The other major addition to Season 3 was Rachael Ancheril as Lucy Oliviera. Lucy proves to be a ethical temptation for Des.

Nicole (Charlotte Sullivan) became a bigger part of the show since her name was on the lease for the hospice. The hospice proved to be a co-star creating the kind of environment that Des and Nicole wanted and Mary could tolerate.

Jess, Mary's older daughter (Abigail Winter) and her best friend Naomi (Katie Douglas) kicked up their game in Season 3. Jess knew more about what her mother did. Naomi tested her friendship with Jess with her suicide attempts. Their relationship has gone through ups and downs. Their symmetry was about sisters, though Jess has a younger sister, friendship, and deciding to end life.

Naomi has a lot of problems and has shown a lot of immaturity. We've seen peeks in Season 3 as to Naomi's mindset. Douglas has a difficult task in making Naomi remotely likeable. See her in Level 16 to find out how good she is as an actor. Lola Flanery as Cambie, Mary's younger daughter, got a stronger voice in Season 3.

While Annie (Grace Lynn Kung) didn't have as much of an impact in Season 3, Kung felt like a real nurse in approach and attitude in the show.

Mary Kills People debuts final season in Canada but doesn't have a U.S. TV home

Canadian TV dramas are hot on U.S. television lately

Revisiting the Strange Empire: finding more Canadian TV in the United States

CanadianCrossing.com TV coverage

Tara Armstrong, Tassie Cameron, Marsha Greene along with Caroline Dhavernas: the feminist approach to assisted suicide was intriguing to watch. Dr. Mary Harris was angelic in her approach to her patients and seriously flawed. You had to watch every movement, every facial look from Harris/Dhavernas. She was surrounded by strong, flawed female characters that portrayed an enriching story and gave humanity to a difficult issue for a lot of people.

Lifetime made a great choice to pick up the show but a poor choice to not carry the show to the end.

Mary Kills People has only 18 episodes, but told a fascinating, real, emotionally torn drama. Mary Kills People is a good argument against the perception that Canadian TV is boring.

photo credit: Mary Kills People/Global

2018-2019 Toronto Raptors are NBA champions

Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Danny Green — these were the primary players that brought Toronto and Canada the first NBA championship. The Toronto Raptors defeated Golden State 4-2 to win the 2018-2019 NBA title.

The Raptors fell short of winning at home in Game 5 but went undefeated at Oracle Arena in Oakland: 3-0 in the playoffs and 1-0 in the regular season.

The Toronto Raptors had long droughts very late in the games they lost in Toronto: Game 2 and Game 5. Game 6 had several key baskets down the stretch. After losing the first 2 games to Milwaukee, the Raptors finish the playoffs with a 8-2 run.

Nick Nurse, who took over for Dwane Casey as the Raptors coach, won in his first year as a head coach. Nurse threw off the Dubs by introducing an old-school box-and-1 on defence.

Kawhi Leonard, the major pickup from San Antonio along with Danny Green for DeMar DeRozan, scored 732 points in the playoffs. Only Michael Jordan (759 in 1992) and LeBron James (748 in 2018) scored more in a single NBA playoffs run.

Leonard, the MVP of the NBA Finals, had 14 games with 30+ points — tied for 4th all time — 8 on the road.

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri pulled off the Leonard trade and acquiring Gasol from Memphis. VanVleet was undrafted. The team had no lottery picks on the roster.

The championship parade is Monday.

Jurassic Park multiplied in the 2019 NBA playoffs. The gatherings spread mostly through Ontario but spread out to Halifax and Regina, among other places. Was proud of Windsor being one of those places. In the shadow of the United States, Windsor rose to the occasion to come out for the Raptors.

The lines to get into the Jurassic Park 1.0 outside Scotiabank Arena grew long. The fans proved to celebrate in style without excess.

Holy $%!t I'm singing the Canadian Anthem at Game 6 of the @NBA finals tomorrow night!! xoS #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/LcEJVkFl8a

— Sarah McLachlan (@SarahMcLachlan) June 12, 2019

The NBA Finals gave Americans a chance to hear O Canada in a non-hockey environment. The NBA brought out The Tenors, Alessia Cara, Tenille Arts, Walk Off the Earth, and the Raptors crowd with Doug Tranquada in the first 5 games of the series.

You can check out the unique O Canada interpretations.

Opponent	Rogers Sportsnet	TSN
Orlando	1-1 (via Sportsnet One)	3-0
Philadelphia	3-1 (1-1 on Sportsnet One)	1-2 (1-0 on CTV)
Milwaukee	2-1	2-1
Golden State	2-1	2-1

Rogers Sportsnet and TSN always seem happiest when things are equal. Both Canadian media outlets went 8-4 in the NBA playoffs. TSN might have had the tiebreaker since Bell Media got the series-clinching game. Rogers Sportsnet would have carried Game 7 if the game was needed.

Citytv and CTV2 jumped into the mess simsubbing the ABC feed during the playoffs. CTV took over for CTV2 for Game 6. The idea behind the simsubbing is that those watching ABC in Canada (on cable or satellite) would have to sit through the Canadian ads.

The Rogers Sportsnet pregame coverage included ESPN personalities, a bit of a surprise since ESPN partially owns TSN. Stephen A. Smith and Brian Windhorst carried SN microphones and were much less bombastic on the Canadian airwaves. That footage reminded me of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

The not-so-pretty history of NBA Canadian teams

The impact of Toronto playing in the NBA Finals

2019 Toronto Raptors NBA Finals preview

The ABC telecasts are actually ESPN on ABC broadcasts. I still thought ABC would bring some really solid coverage to the NBA Finals. I confess to not being impressed.

I got a chance to see the Rogers Sportsnet coverage of Game 5. You saw the players introductions and the excitement leading up to the game. ABC was in a long commercial breaks for those moments.

Their halftime coverage was slightly longer than what NBCSN does at halftime for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

In Game 2, ABC went into a break with We're an American Band by Grand Funk Railroad. That was not only jingoistic but also lame since the song is severely overplayed. Would have been funny if they played American Woman by the Canadian band Guess Who. The network could have balanced out with Takin' Care of Business by BTO.

ABC seemed to have orders to not mention Drake or the Superfan Nav Bhatia. Bhatia was on the ESPN cameras after Game 3 in Oakland but was in the background. The network did check in during the 4th quarter of Game 4 with the Jurassic Parks in Toronto, Mississauga, Halifax, and Regina. Halifax and Regina rarely get mentioned on over-the-air U.S. television.

Toronto Raptors take 'wrong bridge' to Oakland before Game 3 of NBA Finals https://t.co/KK93UK0ncQ pic.twitter.com/duNP9q6EXV

— CTV News (@CTVNews) June 6, 2019

The Toronto Raptors were undefeated in Oracle Arena, home of the Dubs in Oakland, in the regular season and the NBA Finals. The team posted a bridge photo shortly before Game 3 in Oakland.

The team had the most iconic bridge in the region: the Golden Gate Bridge. However, the San Francisco Bay Bridge takes you to Oakland.

Sometimes, Canadians get U.S. geography wrong. Americans know a lot less about Canadian geography.

Toronto Raptors make first trip ever to NBA finals and will play Golden State

Toronto Raptors advance to NBA Eastern Conference finals for first time since 2016

Toronto Raptors move on to Philadelphia in 2019 NBA playoffs second round

Justin Trudeau has been surprisingly absent from the Toronto Raptors successful run. The Canadian prime minister did make a friendly wager with U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi's 12th Congressional district is entirely within the city of San Francisco. Golden State, for the moment, plays in Oakland but will play in San Francisco in the fall.

The battle is over hometown delicacies: Ghirardelli chocolate, California wine, and a selection of almonds and walnuts vs. a basket of locally made goods from across Canada. Was hoping the Canadian basket would have had elk jerky and ketchup chips.

Trudeau would have a guarantee of receiving the winning basket by beating with Pelosi instead of the angry toddler, who would almost certainly renege on a bet.

2019 Toronto Raptors NBA playoffs preview

2019 Toronto Raptors NBA playoffs scoreboard

CanadianCrossing.com NBA coverage

Lots of great signs in Jurassic Park. Best one to your humble narrator: the only KD we care about is Kraft Dinner. Canadians call KD Kraft Dinner what Americans call Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Really. KD in Golden State terms stood for Kevin Durant.

The obvious pun was Golden State player Kevon Looney since loonie is slang for the $1 Canadian coin. Didn't see that in a sign.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

We note when provincial political ads run during Stanley Cup playoffs. If you've been watching the Canadian feeds during the finals, you've seen political ads for the fall federal election.

The Conservative Party of Canada bought ads. There were also ads from Unifour and Engage Canada that weren't tied to a party. Shaping Canada's Future ran anti-Trudeau ads.

Elections Canada allows third-party ads as long as there is no correlation between outside groups and political parties. Outside parties can only spend up to about $1 million nationally from June 30 to the election.

Toronto Raptors playoffs history

2019	Golden State	4-2
2019	Milwaukee	4-2
2019	Philadelphia	4-3
2019	Orlando	4-1
2018	Cleveland	0-4
2018	Washington	4-2
2017	Cleveland	0-4
2017	Milwaukee	4-2
2016	Cleveland	2-4
2016	Miami	4-3
2016	Indiana	4-3
2015	Washington	0-4
2014	Brooklyn	3-4
2008	Orlando	1-4
2007	New Jersey	2-4
2002	Detroit	2-3
2001	Philadelphia	3-4
2001	New York	3-2
2000	New York	0-3

photo credit: @Raptors; City of Regina
Twitter captures: @SarahMcLachlan; @CTVNews

2019 Toronto Raptors NBA playoffs scoreboard

Toronto vs. Golden State Toronto wins series 4-2
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
May 30	Toronto 118, Golden State 109	9p	ABC	Sportsnet
June 2	Golden State 109, Toronto 104	8p	ABC	TSN
June 5	Toronto 123, Golden State 109	9p	ABC	Sportsnet
June 7	Toronto 105, Golden State 92	9p	ABC	TSN
June 10	Golden State 106, Toronto 105	9p	ABC	Sportsnet
June 13	Toronto 114, Golden State 110	9p	ABC	TSN

 

(2) Toronto vs. (1) Milwaukee Toronto wins series 4-2
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
May 15	Milwaukee 108, Toronto 100	8:30p	TNT	Sportsnet
May 17	Milwaukee 125, Toronto 103	8:30p	TNT	TSN
May 19	Toronto 118, Milwaukee 112 (2 OT)	7p	TNT	Sportsnet
May 21	Toronto 120, Milwaukee 102	8:30p	TNT	TSN
May 23	Toronto 105, Milwaukee 99	8:30p	TNT	TSN
May 25	Toronto 100, Milwaukee 94	8:30p	TNT	Sportsnet

 

(2) Toronto vs. (3) Philadelphia Toronto wins series 4-3
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
April 27	Toronto 108, Philadelphia 95	7:30p	TNT	SN One
April 29	Philadelphia 94, Toronto 89	8p	TNT	TSN
May 2	Philadelphia 116, Toronto 95	8p	ESPN	SN One
May 5	Toronto 101, Philadelphia 96	3:30p	ABC	CTV, TSN
May 7	Toronto 125, Philadelphia 89	8p	TNT	Sportsnet
May 9	Philadelphia 112, Toronto 101	8p	ESPN	TSN
May 12	Toronto 92, Philadelphia 90	7p	TNT	Sportsnet

 

(2) Toronto vs. (7) Orlando Toronto wins series 4-1
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
April 13	Orlando 104, Toronto 101	5p	ESPN	SN One
April 16	Toronto 111, Orlando 82	8p	TNT	TSN
April 19	Toronto 98, Orlando 93	7p	ESPN	SN One
April 21	Toronto 107, Orlando 85	7p	TNT	TSN
April 23	Toronto 115, Orlando 96	7p	NBA TV	TSN

Times are Eastern Daylight
+ if needed

The not-so-pretty history of NBA Canadian teams

The impact of Toronto playing in the NBA Finals

2019 Toronto Raptors NBA Finals preview

Toronto Raptors make first trip ever to NBA finals and will play Golden State

Toronto Raptors advance to NBA Eastern Conference finals for first time since 2016

Toronto Raptors move on to Philadelphia in 2019 NBA playoffs second round

2019 Toronto Raptors NBA playoffs preview

CanadianCrossing.com NBA coverage

2019 CFL Week 1 preview

The 2019 CFL season has finally arrived. The Thursday night opener doesn't feature either 2018 Grey Cup team as the Saskatchewan Roughriders head east to Hamilton. The start time has been moved up 30 minutes to 7 pm Eastern to accommodate Game 6 with the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals.

The TSN split works like this for Thursday night: TSN3 and TSN5 for the CFL while the Raptors are on TSN1 and TSN4.

ESPN2 gets into the groove with Montréal going west for the Trevor Harris debut in Edmonton on Friday. The channel will also be in Vancouver for the Mike Reilly home debut against Winnipeg late on Saturday.

ESPNews carries the rematch of the 2018 Grey Cup with the Ottawa RedBlacks in Calgary early on Saturday night. If the ESPNews game is not showing up in your listings on Saturday, run the DVR (PVR) anyway.

Toronto gets more time to sit back and root for the Toronto Raptors tonight in Game 6 in Oakland.

ESPN2

Friday
Montréal @ Edmonton, 9p
Saturday
Winnipeg @ BC, 10p

ESPNews

Saturday
Ottawa @ Calgary, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Saskatchewan @ Hamilton, 7p
Friday
Montréal @ Edmonton, 9p
Saturday
Ottawa @ Calgary, 7p
Winnipeg @ BC, 10p

Bye week: Toronto

Mike Sherman lasted longer than he should have in Montréal. The horrendous timing of being fired 6 days before the season started is the latest chapter in the downfall of Les Alouettes. Khari Jones, originally assigned to be the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is taking over his first-ever head coaching job.

As we noted briefly in the CFL preview, the CFL does have control over the Montréal Alouettes. This accounts for the timing; as bad as the timing is, the move will likely be a good thing for the team. Even before the change, the CFL had been involved in the club’s day-to-day operations in recent months.

The franchise had slipped in recent years under the Wetenhall family with curious hires in the general manager and head coach roles. The name Dan Hawkins inspires shivers and shaking of the head. The Johnny Manziel trade that cost the team 1st-round picks in back-to-back years. Why Kavis Reed is still the GM is one of those unsolved mysteries.

There was talk that the CFL was interested in Montréal entrepreneur Vince Guzzo as the new owner. That idea has been shelved for now.

We should recognise that Bob Wetenhall rescued the Alouettes in 1997 and took on the organisation's debts. Wetenhall then brought in people and established a long, successful run for the team. That run has flipped to the other extreme. Als fans would like to see a turn-around or at least a chance to field a reasonably competitive team.

The new Montréal Alouettes logo (above) hopefully was the first of positive changes for this franchise.

2019 CFL preview

2019 CFL preseason schedule

CFL risked a lot in delaying negotiations for a new contract with players

The CFL announcers got to shake off their cobwebs and call some CFL preseason games. The games and announcers are listed below.

May 31 – Saskatchewan @ Calgary (Dustin Nielson, Glen Suitor)
June 1 – Hamilton @ Ottawa (Rod Black, Duane Forde)
June 6 – Ottawa @ Montreal (Gord Miller, Duane Forde)
June 7 – Calgary @ BC (Chris Cuthbert, Glen Suitor)

Dustin Nielson made his CFL debut with the game in Calgary. Rod Black almost had to pencil himself in for the game in Ottawa since he had to be in Toronto the next night for Game 2 of the Raptors series on TSN. Black's Raptors duties took him to Oakland on June 7 and tonight for Game 6.

You can find CFL TV schedules from around the world, including a game of the week package on Mexico's MVS. You can also check out the TSN info.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

A hearty congratulations to retiring CFL quarterback Kevin Glenn after 18 seasons in the league. Glenn was an employee of all 9 current teams though he never suited up for Toronto and Ottawa and didn't take a snap for Edmonton last season. 

Glenn came close to a Grey Cup championship in 2007 with Winnipeg but got hurt in the Eastern final. He was the Calgary QB in 2012 but the Stampeders lost to Toronto in the Grey Cup.

He finishes as the CFL’s sixth all-time leading passer with 52,867 yards along with 294 touchdowns in 268 games.

Glenn might un-retire if the Atlantic Schooners join the league but that is literally speculation.

logo credit: Montréal Alouettes/CFL

2019 CFL preview

One might get dizzy with all the changes in the offseason leading up to the 2019 CFL season. If you do get dizzy, you can get great Canadian health care. If you are in the United States, good luck.

Starting with quarterbacks feels unfair with 23 other players on the field, plus kickers and punters. We start there anyway because quarterbacks get paid more, especially after this offseason.

Quarterback	Old team	New team
Mike Reilly	Edmonton	BC
Trevor Harris	Ottawa	Edmonton
Jonathon Jennings	BC	Ottawa
Brandon Bridge	Saskatchewan	Toronto
Ricky Ray	Toronto	Retired
Travis Lulay	BC	Retired
Johnny Manziel	Montréal	Released

Ottawa — Holdover Dominique Davis won the job but Jonathon Jennings will get his chance.
Montréal — Antonio Pipkin should have been the quarterback anyway. Vernon Adams Jr. is one of a cast of several behind Pipkin.
Toronto — James Franklin will get the first shot though McLeod Bethel Thompson and Brandon Bridge will push Franklin into playing better or getting out of the way.
Hamilton — Jeremiah Masoli; Winnipeg — Matt Nichols; Calgary — Bo Levi Mitchell; Edmonton — Trevor Harris; BC — Mike Reilly

Travis Lulay would have been a logical backup in Vancouver given the strong friendship with Reilly. Kevin Glenn is unsigned.

Canadian quarterbacks count for the ratio this season but they are hard to find. Brandon Bridge and Chris Merchant were among the late roster cuts.

As for Johnny Manziel, if calling yourself John will help, go for it. Advice to the human: get your life back together. More to life than football.

Coaches

June Jones went from Hamilton head coach to associate head coach and offensive coordinator to make room for assistant head coach Orlondo Steinauer to be the next coach. Then Jones left the Tiger-Cats last month for the XFL.

The Tiger-Cats instantly announced that Tommy Condell was promoted from within to be the team’s offensive coordinator. Jones went 14-14 in 1½ seasons as the Hamilton coach.

Ottawa also lost its offensive coordinator when Jaime Elizondo also left for the XFL to work for former CFL coach Marc Trestman. That move did not go over well with the RedBlacks. Ottawa receivers coach Winston October will call plays.

That drama would be enough for an offseason except for Chris Jones. When last we left the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Chris Jones was vice-president of football operations, general manager, and head coach. In January, Jones signed an extension for all those jobs. A week later, Jones was headed to Cleveland as a senior defensive assistant for the NFL Browns.

Jeremy O’Day was promoted from within to the GM position. Special Teams Coordinator Craig Dickenson, brother of Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson, to head coach.

In relatively normal hirings, the BC Lions hired Calgary defensive coordinator DeVone Claybrooks to replace the retired Wally Buono. Claybrooks hired defensive guru Rich Stubler as the team's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Recent CFL retirees Nik Lewis, Ryan Phillips, and Drew Tate are now on Claybrooks' staff.

The Toronto Argonauts got experience with Corey Chamblin as the team's new head coach. Chamblin won a Grey Cup as the Argos' defensive coordinator in 2017. He was a head coach with the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2012-2015, including the Grey Cup in 2013.

Montréal firing Mike Sherman wouldn't be a surprise but the timing was absolutely awful, 6 days before the start of the season and just after the league took over the team. Khari Jones, originally assigned to be the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, took over the head coaching duties.

Anthony Calvillo had worked in various offensive roles for Montréal and last year with Toronto. Now Calvillo is part of the coaching staff at the University of Montréal under Danny Maciocia.

The new costs cap on non-player football operations was an offseason factor. Edmonton let go Mike Benevides. Personal reasons were cited for Jerry Glanville leaving the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but the cap might have been an issue. The cap could have played a role in the Jones departure from Saskatchewan.

Hamilton GM Eric Tillman took a job with the Atlantic Schooners. Shawn Burke and Drew Allemang will be senior directors of personnel and co-managers of football operations. Former Toronto GM and TSN panelist Jim Barker joins the team as a football operations consultant.

Announcers

You might remember Derek Taylor as the details guy for the CFL on TSN. Taylor even filled in for Rod Smith as the host on the desk last season.

Taylor is leaving TSN to do radio play-by-play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders replacing Rod Pederson, who spent the last 20 years in that role.

Dustin Nielson, host of The Nielson Show on TSN 1260 Edmonton, will call 8 regular season CFL games on TSN this season. Nielson's Twitter bio notes that he has called Canada West football and University of Alberta Golden Bears football.

We are curious to see who gets a break with Nielson in the rotation. The CFL has more weeks in the season so announcers won't have to double up every week.

Jock Climie will not be a part of the studio show for TSN. Climie will be badly missed.

Canadian influence guides Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl XLIX

You could argue that a new punter in Saskatchewan is not the biggest offseason CFL deal. Getting Jon Ryan is a big deal in Saskatchewan. The former NFL and CFL punter signed a 1-year deal worth approximately $100,000 including incentives. Ryan was born and raised in Regina. He was a punter for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before going to the NFL in Green Bay, Seattle, and Buffalo.

Yes, Ryan is the only Canadian punter to have thrown a TD pass in the NFL playoffs.

The Roughriders released Josh Bartel to make room for Ryan. Bartel was a member of the Riders for 4 seasons. Ryan's sister Jill is married to Conservative federal leader Andrew Scheer.

Solomon Elimimian didn't stay unemployed for long. The BC Lions released Elimimian late in the season and Saskatchewan won the battle.

Saskatchewan switched out Willie Jefferson (to Winnipeg) for Micah Johnson from Calgary.

Ottawa lost running back William Powell (Saskatchewan); Greg Ellingson (Edmonton); SirVincent Rogers (Edmonton); and Diontae Spencer (NFL).

Derel Walker (Edmonton) and Chris Rainey (BC) signed with Toronto in the offseason.

Analysis: Could Moncton host a permanent CFL franchise?

The 2019 Touchdown Atlantic game will be at Stade Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium on the grounds of Université de Moncton. The Montréal Alouettes will be the road team again just like in the 2013 Touchdown Atlantic game. The Toronto Argonauts will sacrifice a home date to be the hosts on Sunday, August 25.

Saint John, New Brunswick and Antigonish, Nova Scotia were also in the running to host the game.

This is the site of the last Touchdown Atlantic, which your humble narrator attended live in person. Back in 2013, there was the promise of Anthony Calvillo until he got injured. Hamilton fans did travel well.

The Touchdown Atlantic start was 7:30 pm ADT but now has moved to 1 pm ADT.

The CFL will continue to be on the ESPN networks and ESPN+. The sides agreed on a "multi-year agreement." The number of games is given as a minimum of 20 games, including one Division Final and the Grey Cup. All other games will air on ESPN+.

All of the games will be on a ESPN channel (likely ESPN2 and ESPNews) or on ESPN+. The list of TV games are being released on a monthly basis.

The press releases noted that the coverage in 2018 averaged 163,000 viewers, up 19% vs. 2017. A bit of that increase could be tied to Johnny Manziel's debut, which drew about 400,000.

2019 CFL preseason schedule

CFL risked a lot in delaying negotiations for a new contract with players

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The actual CFL schedule has some twists, mostly negative. The holidays are greatly diminished. The CFL has no games on Thanksgiving Monday. The league has also taken the Montréal-Ottawa rivalry from Labour Day weekend. Both moves are befuddling and without explanation.

The Alouettes will play home games outside of the traditional Sunday afternoons in the fall. McGill University had set rules that limited the CFL team to Sunday afternoons.

Toronto is the "home" team in the Touchdown Atlantic game in Moncton on August 25.

If you are used to tying the Grey Cup schedule to fall after U.S. Thanksgiving, this will be the last season where that is true. The 2020 Grey Cup will happen on the second last Sunday in November.

logo credit: CFL
photo credit: @ESPNPR

Sensitive Skin shows the shadows of dark Canadian humour

When we talk about Canadian humour, you mostly hear light (Schitt's Creek) or way out there (Letterkenny). Sensitive Skin is not a comedy but there is plenty of dark humour.

The world of Sensitive Skin revolves around Davina Jackson (Kim Cattrall) as she tries to find something new after reaching a certain age. Davina and her husband Al (Don McKellar) move from the suburbs into a condo in a "sketchy" area of Toronto.

Davina's sister Veronica (Joanna Gleason) isn't happy that her sister is far away. Her husband Roger (Colm Feore) has his own issues.

Bob Martin is someone we don't speak much of and that is a shame. Martin co-created Slings and Arrows and appears briefly in that series. He co-created (with McKellar) Michael: Every Day | Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays and also starred in the show.

Martin and McKellar co-wrote the book for the musical The Drowsy Chaperone. They won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical and Martin was nominated for a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical.

Don McKellar directed all 12 episodes (2 seasons). Bob Martin wrote all 6 episodes of Season 1 and appears in the show. The Season 2 writers — Rosa Labordé, Lynn Coady, Susan Coyne — each wrote back-to-back episodes. Coyne co-created Slings and Arrows with Martin and Mark McKinney.

Cattrall as Davina is as insecure as Samantha Jones (Sex and the City) was secure. She captures the demeanor of a woman who goes with the flow, all while questioning her role and purpose in all of this.

McKellar plays his "usual" neurotic, socially awkward character. Feore is strong and vulnerable as his character juggles a lot. Gleason picks up the nuance of a bitter older sister. She has been an actress who has worked a lot on both sides of the border and delivers wonderful performances.

Clé Bennett (Private Eyes, Homeland, Rookie Blue) might seem out of place as a drug dealer. Theodore also has a real estate license. His character might remind you of Benson on Soap except Theodore was even cooler.

Nicolas Wright as Orlando, son of Davina and Al, inherited Al's neurosis and blames his parents for not having a sperm count.

Many outstanding Canadians also help out on screen: Marc-André Grondin (Les Affames | Ravenous; C.R.A.Z.Y.); Mary Walsh; Matt Watts, Jennifer Podemski, and Rick Roberts. Elliott Gould appears as the token American, er, Al's doctor.

CanadianCrossing.com TV coverage

The show uses Toronto really well from the position of where they are to Lake Ontario to the streetcar to the suburban perception of the big city. Season 2 explores more of life on the Toronto Islands. The show even throws in a reference to the nude beach that actually exists on the island (at Hanlan's Point).

Season 1 of Sensitive Skin was nominated for 6 Canadian Screen Awards and won four, including Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role and Best Direction in a Comedy Program or Series for Don McKellar.

Sensitive Skin is a remake of a British series with Joanna Lumley. The program ran on Movie Central/The Movie Network in Canada and is currently on Netflix in the United States.

photo credit: Sensitive Skin TV show
video credit: YouTube/Shock Entertainment

The not-so-pretty history of NBA Canadian teams

Editor's note: The Toronto Raptors are up 3-1 in the 2019 NBA Finals with Game 5 tonight in Toronto. This is a good time to explore the history of the other Canadian professional basketball teams.

Young NBA fans may barely know of the existence of the Vancouver Grizzlies. We aren't sure if Bigfoot exists but the Grizzlies were real.

They came in as Canadian twins — Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies — for the 1995-1996 season.

Expansion teams are normally welcomed and encouraged. Gary Bettman stacked the deck for the desert team in the recent NHL expansion. Expansion isn't normally that generous.

What the NBA did to the teams from Canada, and haven't done before or since, was deplorable.

Both the Raptors and Grizzlies were not allowed to have a top 5 pick in the team's initial draft. The Canadian teams were not allowed to have the top draft pick for the subsequent 3 seasons. The teams were not allowed to use their full salary cap for the first 2 seasons.

Former NBA commissioner David Stern has admitted that letting the Grizzlies leave Vancouver was one of his biggest regrets. "As it turns out, I wish we hadn't had the Vancouver experience," Stern said. "Great city, and we disappointed them and we disappointed ourselves."

Stern was responsible for the onerous terms for the NBA Canadian teams. That should be a bigger regret.

The NBA lockout in 1998-1999 was very bad timing in Vancouver. The struggling franchise went 8-42 in the limited 50-game schedule.

MLS fans know that Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland have a symbiotic relationship with the Cascadia Cup that goes back before the teams joined the league.

So the NBA was in Seattle and Portland when Vancouver arrived in 1995. The Grizzlies would have been perfect in the Pacific Division. The NBA puts Vancouver in the Midwest Division with Dallas, Denver, Houston, Minnesota, San Antonio, and Utah. No other teams in its time zone and only Denver and Utah a time zone away.

Expansion teams have initially ended up in poor situations (Winnipeg Jets in the Southeast Division; NHL from 1967-1980). Vancouver would have thrived in the Northwestern Division, which wasn't created until 2004, 3 years after the Grizzlies left Vancouver.

The Vancouver Grizzlies made poor personnel decisions. Eric Lindros was mature compared to Steve Francis in his refusal to play in Canada.

The Grizzlies had an intimate arena while the Raptors played in the cavernous SkyDome. Air Canada Centre was originally built for the Raptors only before being changed for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Toronto Raptors struggled to get out of its NBA-determined horrible situation. The Raptors get a lot of credit for sticking through such a rough start. The Vancouver Grizzlies deserved better.

Part of the regret from Stern and the NBA over Vancouver is that the city is more desirable financially than in 2001 when the team was moved. Vancouver was never an ugly duckling but is now a beautiful swan. The NBA craves attention from China yet shabbily treated the North American gateway to China in Vancouver.

As much as Vancouver should return to the NBA, we also think Seattle and Vancouver should be a package deal. The NHL will benefit from the pairing in a few years. Current NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says expansion isn't in the works. The NBA's loss is also Vancouver's loss.

The Raptors and Grizzles are the only Canadian NBA teams. The Toronto Huskies were in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) during the 1946–47 season. The Huskies went 22–38.

Having 4 coaches in a single season didn't help. Playing second fiddle schedule-wise to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens was a drawback.

The Huskies would have made Bill Veeck proud from offering free stockings to all women as well as free tickets on opening night to people taller than the Huskies' tallest player 6'8" George Nostrand.

The impact of Toronto playing in the NBA Finals

2019 Toronto Raptors NBA Finals preview

Toronto Raptors make first trip ever to NBA finals and will play Golden State

Besides the Huskies, Maple Leaf Gardens hosted 16 games from the Buffalo NBA franchise (now Los Angeles Clippers) from 1971-1975. The legendary Toronto arena also hosted 6 Raptors games during the first 4 seasons.

The Toronto Raptors played the vast majority of its games at SkyDome, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this month, from 1995-1999. The Raptors took advantage during that period to play at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton for 3 games.

2019 Toronto Raptors NBA playoffs scoreboard

CanadianCrossing.com NBA coverage

The Toronto Raptors had a 4-1 edge in the Naismith Cup, an annual preseason game with the Vancouver Grizzlies.

Vancouver won the game in Halifax (1997) while Toronto won in Winnipeg (1995), Calgary (1996), Edmonton (1999), and Ottawa (2000). The 1998 game in Vancouver was cancelled due to the NBA lockout.

The Toronto Raptors have played NBA preseason games in a number of Canadian cities.

Vancouver (2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018)
Montréal (2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018)
Halifax (1995, 1996)
Ottawa (1996, 2015)
London (2004, 2009)
Saint John (1995)
Saskatoon (1995)
Hamilton (1997)
Winnipeg (2005)
Edmonton (2008)
Calgary (2016)

St. John's (2003) was going to host a game but the game was cancelled due to poor conditions.

The NBA Canada Series (named that as of 2012) included NBA preseason games in Canada that did not involve the Raptors. Those games were in Winnipeg (2012, 2015) and Montréal (2013).

photos credit: NBA; NBA Properties via Basketball Association of America

Oakland, Green Bay to play NFL preseason game in Winnipeg

We finally have a confirmation of a NFL preseason game in Winnipeg on August 22 at 7 pm CDT with the Oakland Raiders as the home team against the Green Bay Packers. 

The Raiders are in the process of moving from Oakland to Las Vegas. There was a conflict with the Oakland A's over the Week 3 NFL preseason game.

The game at IG Field (formerly Investors Group Field) in Winnipeg will be the first NFL game in the province of Manitoba, and only the second game ever in western Canada. Outside the Buffalo Bills series in Toronto, the last NFL preseason game in Canada was on August 15, 1998 when the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks played at BC Place in Vancouver.

Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 am CDT. Prices range from $75-$340 Canadian. If you are going to the game, the sightlines are rather good there. Even the end zone seats are pretty nice.

NFL exhibition games in Canada used to be more common. Previous NFL exhibition games in Canada have primarily focused on Eastern Canada in Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa, and Hamilton.

American fans of a different kind of football will be familiar with what was then called Investors Group Field when the 2015 U.S. Women's World Cup soccer team played in Winnipeg. The stadium got some NHL focus with the 2016 Heritage Classic. IG Field also hosted the 2015 Grey Cup.

See you soon, Canada. 🇨🇦

We’re heading north of the border for the first time ever, hosting the Packers in Winnipeg this preseason.

Release » https://t.co/mSRqNCFJTH
Learn more » https://t.co/tJgQbKrUPb@NFLCanada | #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/a6aVF1CoUz

— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) June 5, 2019

The Week 11 CFL schedule was a determining factor. Winnipeg is in Edmonton on Friday that week. The Blue Bombers did not want the NFL game to be on the same night as the CFL game.

Oakland's first choice was Mosaic Stadium in Regina, home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Roughriders, hosting Ottawa on Saturday night, felt the field conversion would cut too close. The Raiders then looked east to Winnipeg.

Touchdown Atlantic is Sunday so the CFL didn't ideally want a game in Canada opposite the game in Moncton.

The Valour FC Canadian Premier League soccer match for August 22 at IG Field will have to be rescheduled.

After seeing Winnipeg on TV, you should go see for yourself

Winnipeg the true winner of the 2016 Heritage Classic

The Heritage Classic shines NHL spotlight on Winnipeg

CFL in the Prairies is where the league shines

2015 Women's World Cup notebook: Canada on the world stage

Aaron Rodgers may be the biggest name to play in the game, but the loudest cheers might be for Luke Willson, actual Canadian NFL player. Willson played mostly with Seattle but played for his nearby hometown team Detroit last year. Willson is from LaSalle near Windsor in Ontario. The Oakland Raiders signed Willson in March.

CanadianCrossing.com NFL coverage

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The game will be carried by the Oakland and Green Bay local networks. U.S. fans should get a tape-delayed version of the game via the NFL Network. TSN and RDS will have the game live in Canada.

photo credit: me
Twitter capture: @Raiders

Canadian journalism notebook: The risk of taking money from government

There is a grand debate over whether journalism organisations should accept government money in the new Canadian federal budget proposals.

Postmedia wants some of that money. A 2018 on-air rant from Paul Godfrey, then CEO of Postmedia Network, focused on the thought that the money won’t help existing media such as Postmedia. An argument for Postmedia getting government money is undermined by the fact that the majority of ownership (about 66%) of the very large and very conservative newspaper organisation belongs to New Jersey-based hedge fund Chatham Asset Management and billionaire Leon Cooperman. The U.S. hedge fund also owns about 80% of AMI, owners of the National Enquirer. Cooperman reportedly owns 14% of Postmedia.

Postmedia is working on grabbing government money but this money isn’t from Ottawa but in Edmonton via Alberta premier Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party (UCP).

The UCP is creating an "energy war room" with $30 million in taxpayer money. The setup is designed to target groups and individuals who spread what Kenney says are "myths and lies" about the energy sector. Richard Nixon would have been proud.

Postmedia wants to produce content for the energy war room. Postmedia owns a lot of newspapers across Canada, most notably for this story: Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, Calgary Herald, and the Calgary Sun.

You might think that Postmedia might have some trouble getting that money. Don’t worry. Postmedia hired Nick Koolsbergen, Kenney's former chief of staff. That just might work.

"We're not talking about producing propaganda for widgets here. We're not talking about producing propaganda for detergent or soap," Mount Royal University journalism professor Sean Holman said on CBC Radio’s Day 6. "We're talking about producing political propaganda, and that is an abrogation of what the news media should be trying to do."

"It is very difficult for hardworking, really strong journalists to do their work with credibility when in the public mind people say, 'Yeah, but your paper is helping the premier produce propaganda,'" Canadian Senator Paula Simons said on CBC Radio’s Day 6. Simons is a former journalist and former columnist at the Edmonton Journal.

Postmedia newspaper cuts mean even fewer Canada journalism voices

Postmedia dominates the newspapers in the largest Alberta cities. After taking over the Sun Media properties, Postmedia gutted the newsrooms of the Sun newspapers and runs those papers with content from Postmedia.

If reporters at those papers were critical of the "energy war room," they likely wouldn’t have the backing of their bosses. If coverage was allowed, readers would wonder if they were able to get the whole truth.

Trudeau Government proposes ways to help out Canadian journalism

Proposed money for Canadian journalism about sprouting non-profit news templates

Here are the 8 associations involved in the independent panel for the potential federal funding:

News Media Canada
Association de la presse francophone
Quebec Community Newspaper Association
National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada
Canadian Association of Journalists
Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec
Unifor
Fédération nationale des communications

"You have people who are dead set against the government giving any kind of money to media. We've got some people who feel that something is necessary because it's important to keep news going," Karyn Pugliese, head of the Canadian Association of Journalists, said.

How does the new CBC The National fare in the news landscape?

Canada PM Stephen Harper says he prefers watching U.S. news

Stephen Harper famously said he didn’t watch Canadian news. Andrew Scheer says he wants the CBC to tell enough Canadian stories.

"When we look and see how much coverage is devoted on CBC to U.S. politics, the inner workings of U.S. politics, making sure that it's focused on the things that are going on here in Canada — I think that's something that many Canadians have said we should ensure that it's focused on the core mandate of being concentrated on Canada."

Conservative politicians usually talk about "many" when they actually mean "a few like-minded people that they know."

As someone who pays more attention to CBC than Scheer does, CBC has plenty of Canadian stories, mostly on the radio side. Radio has more time to tell those stories. In many smaller markets, CBC has a huge media presence.

I could agree with the federal Conservative Party leader that CBC focuses too much on U.S. politics. I find that CBC's coverage of U.S. politics is too inside the Beltway and should be more independent. Scheer might disagree with my last point.

The interconnection between U.S., Canada, and other countries is important in covering international news. CBC does an amazing job of drawing that world perspective, outshining most Canadian media outlets. CTV, Global, and Citytv aren’t that focused on the world outside North America and most of the Canadian newspaper industry barely covers what is happening nationally in Canada.

Scheer could be focused only on The National, which is prominent but a small part of what CBC covers in news. Regular listeners to CBC Radio's World at Six and World This Weekend know there is plenty of Canadian content on those broadcasts.

The criticism of most mainstream news in the United States is that they don’t pay attention to news outside the United States. The little time they devote to tariffs is about China, not Canada and Mexico. A nationalistic approach leads to an ill-informed constituency.

You don't hear Liberals or the NDP or the Greens rant on about conservative news coverage in Canada. The conservatives knock each other over who will do the most damage to the CBC.

Canada is smarter than the United States thanks in great part to the CBC. Scheer may not understand that concept.

CanadianCrossing.com journalism coverage

Most of this 25-minute interview with Richard Stursberg on The Agenda with Steve Paikin on TV Ontario on April 24 focuses on foreign entities not paying tax in Canada.

Stursberg, who has had a long career in media including prominent positions with CBC and Telefilm Canada, was promoting his new book The Tangled Garden: A Canadian Cultural Manifesto for the Digital Age.

Stursberg talks about the financing of news toward the end of the interview (in case you don't want to watch all 25 minutes).

He notes that Canada funds cooking shows but not news and that other countries subsidize news. Stursberg points out that France contributes just over 1 billion euros per year and that you can find 15 newspapers at Paris newsstands with different viewpoints in the political spectrum.

Stursberg recommends subsidies to news be designed in such a way for government to not make editorial judgments. Those tax credits should only be labour-based: reporters, editors, photographers.

"News is fundamental to the democracy, fundamental to the country itself," Stursberg said. "What kind of country are we going to have if we have no Canadian news." He says France knows "this kind of discourse is fundamental to the society and fundamental to the democracy."

Paikin asked Stursberg about a single idea for discussion for the upcoming fall federal election. Stursberg said one idea for the election was a "vibrant Canadian media landscape fundamental to our democracy and our sense of ourselves as a people."

photo credit: CBC News
video credit: YouTube/The Agenda with Steve Paikin/TVO