While Americans will have to wait until 2026 to have a woman of colour on currency, Canadians now have the new $10 bill with Viola Desmond on the Canadian note.
The new $10 bill is the first to feature a Canadian woman; Queen Elizabeth II is on the $20 bill. The bill is also the first vertical bill in the history of Canadian currency. The Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg is on the back of the new bill.
Wanda Robson (above), younger sister of Desmond, was the first person to make a purchase with the bill.
On November 8, 1946, Viola Desmond bought a movie ticket after her car broke down in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. She wanted to sit in the main floor of the theatre, but the theatre would only sell Desmond a balcony ticket. Desmond sat on the main floor. She was forcibly removed from the theatre, arrested, and spent the night in jail.
Black people weren't allowed to sit in the main floor of the theatre. Desmond was charged with tax evasion over the 1¢ difference between the balcony vs. the main floor ticket.
Desmond was given a pardon in 2010. She passed away at the age of 50 in 1965.
Robson said she would take the $10 bill and buy a book co-written by her and Cape Breton University professor Graham Reynolds about her sister. Robson would then give the book to her 12-year-old granddaughter.
Viola Desmond's story has been made into a Heritage Minute. Canadian actress Kandyse McClure portrayed Desmond in the Heritage Minute feature.
Canada's first vertical bill meets the first Canadian woman to grace a banknote. pic.twitter.com/K1mb40CM9a
I was thinking about Desmond when Cory Bowles was in Chicago for his film Black Cop. The discussion after the Q&A talked about the North End in Halifax and the history of discrimination against black people in Nova Scotia. I said out loud that those stories belonged on the big screen.
Just getting back from Canada, I may not end up with a $10 bill anytime soon. But I hope to hold on in my hands in the next few months. When I do, I'll think of Viola Desmond's courage and struggle in the fight for civil rights in Canada.
photo credit: Global News video credit: YouTube/Historica Canada Twitter capture: @HuffPostCanada
"I didn’t have the courage to do Cleopatra, so I did it in Canada." — a paraphrase of what Dame Maggie Smith said in Tea with the Dames (2018).
Tea with the Dames is not a Canadian film but Smith's comedic timing made a Canadian audience laugh. That is a good way to start out our look at the Canadian films at the 2018 Windsor International Film Festival.
Feature films
Giant Little Ones is about 2 teenage boys — Franky Winter (Josh Wiggins) and Ballas Kohl (Darren Mann) — who are very tight. Both are key members of the school swim team. They have an unseen encounter after Frankie's birthday party. The next day, Ballas accuses Frankie of making a sexual move on him and ends the friendship.
All the signs are there. Franky's best friend is a lesbian (Niamh Wilson) who is trying to come up with a replica phallus. He isn't aggressively into girls. And his dad (Kyle MacLachlan) left his mom (Maria Bello) to be with another man.
Franky starts hanging out with Tash, the kid sister of Ballas. Tash has the reputation of being a "slut" but we find out that was more sexual assault than "slut."
Writer-director Keith Behrman doesn't take the obvious paths for Franky or the other characters. Female characters in these type of films are often 1-dimensional at best. Taylor Hickson as Tash will break your heart with her surprising vulnerability around Franky that no one else gets to see. Wilson as Mouse, Franky's lesbian friend, is sweet and funny in her phallus curiosity.
I did wonder if the presence of American actors MacLachlan and Bello would be overwhelming but both actors respected the story and responded accordingly. This story is a great example of how Canadian film can tell certain stories in a mature adult fashion that an American film could never do.
Splinters is not your typical coming out story from a filmmaker (Thom Fitzgerald) who is stellar in handling gay and lesbian issues on film. Belle (Sofia Banzhaf) returns to her family in the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia for her father's funeral. Belle left the family after the acrimony of coming out as a lesbian to her mother. Now Belle has a boyfriend but doesn't want to tell her mother.
The interaction with Belle, mother Pearl (Deb Allen), and brother Greg (Bailey Maughan) feels like a play at times, even after the boyfriend Rob (Callum Dunphy) shows up anyway.
Belle is wrestling whether to be with Rob or with women. Her ex-fiancee Claire also lives in the small town and Belle and Claire run into each other. Sofia Banzhaf performs well as the lead and has to do a lot in this film.
Fans of The Hanging Garden from deep in Fitzgerald's past will recognize the ghost imagery in both films. Look for folk musician Stewart Legere performing during the wake at the house, a nice Nova Scotia touch.
The Grizzlies is based on the real-life story of a lacrosse team in Kugluktuk, a hamlet that is the westernmost community in Nunavut.
The story follows the path of typical sports films. Russ Sheppard (Ben Schnetzer) is using his time in the North to pay off student debts and parlay that experience into a desired teaching position. Sheppard is there to teach history but it's not the history of the people in the classroom. They have many reasons why they aren't in school. Sheppard tries to motivate them, struggles with that, but then comes up with lacrosse as a way to keep them off the streets.
The difference is this film shows the native actors dealing with real-life saga of teen suicides, choosing between school and hunting for needed food, teen pregnancy, and domestic abuse.
Miranda de Pencier directed and co-produced the film with Nunavut filmmaker Stacey Aglok MacDonald, who is from Kugluktuk. Moira Walley-Beckett, showrunner for Anne with an E, and Graham Yost co-wrote the script.
Will Sasso has a role as the best friend to Sheppard who shows him the ropes of the area.
The film balances the need for a motivational sports title with true-to-life stories about people who live in such hamlets. We learn small things about the culture such as not needing to knock on people's doors.
1991 is the latest installment from Ricardo Trogi in a series of films that reflect moments from his life. In 1991, Trogi is studying screenwriting at UQAM when he goes off to study in Italy mostly to chase after a young woman. If you had seen 1981 and 1987, you wouldn't be surprised about Italy since his family is Italian-Canadian. The humour is similar to the other 2 films where Ricardo Trogi (our protagonist) has a lot of flaws and mishaps.
When Trogi finally finds the Canadian embassy, he does make reference to how much nicer this was than a theoretical Quebec embassy had the 1980 referendum gone through. Trogi also name drops Rene Levesque. At several points, Trogi does speak of being a proud Quebecer.
Baby Blues (2008) is a locally shot film that I picked over a current locally shot film (The Control). Josie is starting over. She has to talk her way into a waitress job at the Whistling Kettle Country Dinner (an actual local restaurant). Her friend Mani helps get Josie the job. She tells Josie "if they order fries, suggest gravy."
Josie meets Max, a musician customer who only orders water and sits at a table for hours. Turns out Josie and Max are both hiding secrets. We see Josie's flashbacks so we know something tragic happened.
The film has a few flaws such as waiting way too long to reveal Josie's issues, wondering what kind of diner allows customers to order only water, and certain elements of her back story. Those who complain that Canadian film looks like well, Canadian film, this film doesn't have the best production values.
The characters are likable and the story is interesting enough. The major issue is that the story keeps the audience too much in the dark for far too long.
Canada is really good at horror films, whether the obvious scare or a more subtle fright. The 2018 Windsor International Film Festival featured 3 different kinds of fright.
Level 16 takes us in what might seem to be a finishing school for teenage girls but set in a prison. Reaching Level 16 is the last level before adoption. The young women have gone through years of obedience in a world where making friends can be dangerous.
Katie Douglas, who you might know from Mary Kills People, is Vivien, a tough girl who demands the best bed when she gets to Level 16. Sophia (Celina Martin) tries to convince Vivien that things are not what they seem in their world.
Sara Canning (Miss Brixil) and Peter Outerbridge (Dr. Miro) are very well cast as the adults in the institution. You might remember Outerbridge from Kissed and Better than Chocolate.
Danishka Esterhazy gives us a world of heightened femininity but also feminist in that no man is literally going to save them. The film works as science fiction and horror but is engrossing if you like neither genre.
What Keeps You Alive is part psychological thriller with plenty of horror to be found. A lesbian couple settle into a cabin in the middle of the woods. The cabin has been in Jackie's (Hannah Emily Anderson, Shoot the Messenger) family since just after Canadian confederation. Jackie's wife Jules meets Sarah, a childhood friend of Jackie's who calls Jackie "Megan." Sarah also reveals that their childhood friend Jenny drowned in the lake next to the cabin when they were teenagers.
Writer-director Colin Minihan takes us through an intense pace with well-drawn characters. You never quite know what is happening. This is a smartly presented horror film. The film was shot in Muskoka, ON.
Summer of ‘84 takes us back to a simpler time when people could genuinely be scared. A group of teenage boys in a suburban area in Oregon get caught up in an adventure searching for a serial killer loose who targets teenage boys.
The time period means the boys have to do old-fashioned detective work such as using walkie-talkies. The references are oddly placed at best and at worst feel false to people who lived through those times, especially in suburban Oregon.
The film takes a long time to develop and with little character development to motivate you to stick with the film. There is a serial killer loose yet the only ones who care are the teenage boys. The twists that come at the end feel cheap. The filmmakers did a good job at giving you a bland horror film from this era. That might be genius in a meta direction but might not be too entertaining.
Documentaries
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch follows the pattern of the previous 2 documentaries (Watermark, Manufactured Landscapes) from Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, and Edward Burtynsky. The films are filled with beautiful photography and minimalist dialogue. The latest installment deals with the environmental messes caused by human beings.
The film takes us around the world; the only Canada mention was the logging of British Columbia rainforests. There is a segment about the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland and another segment from London where a former bomb shelter has been turned into a hydroponics farm. Does the film tell us whether these things are bad or just there? The film just shows us things, such as an accumulation of elephant tusks. We do know that is bad.
Sharkwater: Extinction is the project Canadian filmmaker and environmental activist Rob Stewart was working on when he died from a dive that went very wrong. The film started as a follow-up to Sharkwater (2006) that first brought attention to harvesting sharks for shark fin soup.
The film takes us to Costa Rica, a country where things were bad for sharks. Laws made things better but a change in government meant more trouble for sharks. We also go to Los Angeles and Miami. In the latter city, Stewart and his crew investigate restaurants and grocery stores looking for shark DNA in products such as pet food and beauty products. Stewart notes that 150 million sharks killed each year but 80 million are unaccounted for in terms of how they died.
The film also covers Key Largo, the site of the final dive. The epilogue covers the accident, coverage, and legacy. (There is a documentary called The Third Dive for more on the accident.)
Stewart turns out to be very personable. Even if you are scared of sharks, you will be on the side of sharks after seeing this film. That makes all the more tragic what happened to Stewart.
Unnamed Verses explores the threatened demolition of 121 housing units in North York in Toronto to build condos. But we learn soon into the film that the story is about the residents of Villaways, specifically Francine Valentine, a young teenage girl who likes to write but is shy to share when she has a chance to record her poetry via rap.
The arts studio in the housing project helps the kids learn and appreciate the world outside the project, including a trip to see the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
We learn that the process for trying to get back into the new housing is complicated. But the film is mostly focused on Francine's world. The gentrification angle gets lost as the personification of people who live in a housing project dominates the film.
NBCSN has the Edmonton Oilers in the spotlight Tuesday night in San Jose. There won't be an overrun since the Oilers game is the only game on the schedule.
CBC won't carry the Toronto Maple Leafs for Hockey Night in Canada as the Habs travel to Vancouver for a late afternoon start local time. The Battle of Alberta in Calgary will be the late game.
City TV welcomes Sidney Crosby and his Penguins to the Canadian capital to take on the Senators.
Rogers Sportsnet has Hometown Hockey from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland as the new desert team will be in Edmonton. The regional channels have a pre-U.S. Thanksgiving doubleheader Wednesday with the Maple Leafs in Carolina and an all-Canadian matchup featuring the Winnipeg Jets in Calgary.
Rogers Sportsnet One has its own Wednesday doubleheader with les Canadiens in New Jersey and Vancouver traveling to Anaheim.
Rogers Sportsnet 360 doesn't feel left out on Wednesday with the Ottawa Senators in St. Paul.
ESPN+ has the game that NBCSN and the NHL Network refuse to cover: the Battle of Alberta with the CBC feed Saturday night.
Saturday Montréal @ Vancouver, 7p Edmonton at Calgary, 10p
City
Saturday Pittsburgh @ Ottawa, 7p
Rogers Sportsnet
Sunday Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 8p Wednesday Toronto @ Carolina, 7p Winnipeg @ Calgary, 10p
Rogers Sportsnet One
Wednesday Montréal @ New Jersey, 7p Vancouver @ Anaheim, 10p
Rogers Sportsnet 360
Wednesday Ottawa @ Minnesota, 8p
In the land of Montréal, centres have been hard to find. This didn't apply to Tomas Plekanec, who was more productive defensively than offensively. Plekanec went to Toronto in a deadline deal last spring but signed with Montréal.
The Canadiens and Plekanec reached a mutual decision to terminate his contract. Plekanec did hit the 1,000 NHL game plateau on October 15 against Detroit. Plekanec played 984 of his 1,001 career NHL games with les Habs. We say merci beaucoup et bon voyage.
John Bartlett and Jason York were reunited for Hockey Night in Canada for the Senators game. Bartlett and York worked Habs games for Rogers Sportsnet East. Rick Ball got to cover the Flames for the late CBC game in Los Angeles.
We were hoping for a Bob Cole sighting but he had the weekend off. The countdown to forced retirement only has a few games left.
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The NHL Network showed the whole Hockey Night in Canada feed this week so the U.S. audience got 6 CBC promos. This was all the more significant since the NHL Network is afraid to show the Habs and Canucks this week.
As we have noted, Mystery Mondays promotes the 2 Monday shows Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries. This is the final season for the long-running Canadian comedy Mr. D.
Early game: Anne with an E (1st); Mystery Mondays; Still Standing; Canada's Smartest Person Junior (2nd); Mr. D; Dragons' Den (3rd)
Toronto-Boston matinee rebroadcast: Mystery Mondays (2nd); Dragons' Den (3rd)
7 of the 9 CFL teams have won a Grey Cup since 2010. Hamilton and Winnipeg — the 2 teams that haven't won a Grey Cup in the 21st century — are half of the 4 teams remaining in the 2018 CFL playoffs.
Hamilton dominated the BC Lions from the start in the 48-8 win, dashing hopes for a crossover team in the Grey Cup. The Winnipeg defence combined with Andrew Harris on the ground held off Saskatchewan 23-18.
The Tiger-Cats advance to Ottawa, the team that dominated Hamilton in all 3 games this season.
Calgary has a +5 point differential in its split with Winnipeg this season. The Stampeders won by 13 in Calgary on August 25 though the Blue Bombers won by 8 in Winnipeg on October 26.
Winners advance to the 106th Grey Cup in Edmonton next Sunday.
ESPNews
Sunday Hamilton @ Ottawa, 1p Winnipeg @ Calgary, 4:30p
TSN
Sunday Hamilton @ Ottawa, 1p Winnipeg @ Calgary, 4:30p
There hasn't been a CFL playoff game on Remembrance Day since 2012. The moment of silence during the game was expected. There was a bit of creativity to incorporate the BC Lions with the Pacific Time Zone into the ceremony.
The moment of silence in the East semifinal came just after Hamilton's first punt. The timing was set up for 11 am Pacific time/2 pm Eastern to time with the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
That proved a more ideal scenario than a team with 3rd and goal from the 1-yard line trying to score a major.
All the CFL players wore poppy replicas on the back of their helmets.
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Saskatchewan fans have to wonder after both Zach Collaros and Brandon Bridge get hit in the head by an opposing helmet and no penalties were called. Odell Willis did receive the maximum fine for the Collaros hit.
CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement that "we need to look this off-season at allowing the Command Centre to make the call on plays such as this one, clear matters of player health and safety."
If the Command Centre can check on procedure or offsides calls, then hits to the head should definitely be on the list.
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The Dane Evans fumble that resulted in a Hamilton TD might have reminded long-time NFL fans of the Holy Roller or (Kenny) Stabler Rule. Evans was near the BC goal line and before he was down, Evans fumbled the ball into the end zone where it was recovered by offensive lineman Kelvin Palmer for a touchdown.
Rod Black did his best to make Bralon Addison the new Speedy B. Matt Dunigan was smart enough to call him Speedy A, then changed the spelling to Speedy Eh as egged on by Milt Stegall.
Brandon Banks, who is out for the season, is the Speedy B. If Addison can play anywhere near that level, Ottawa will work to stop that option.
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The wind was surprisingly not a factor in Hamilton. With Tim Hortons Field turned sideways versus Ivor Wynne Stadium, the wind has been more of a concern in Hamilton. I can still recall the Sean Whyte 20-yard field goal try in the 2013 playoffs in Guelph that was blown down short of the goal posts.
The weather in Regina was -10°C but felt like -19°C (14°F/2°F) at kickoff. The 3:30 pm local time kickoff had a bit more sun than normal only because Saskatchewan is geographically located in the Mountain Time Zone but is on Central Standard Time.
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Wally Buono will not be remembered for how he went out. Still, you do have to be impressed with a team that started 3-6 and went to the playoffs. Buono made the playoffs in 23 of his 25 years as a coach with 5 Grey Cup victories. He coached in 450 regular season games and played in 216 games as a player.
Crossover teams have had recent luck. The 2018 BC Lions became the first crossover team to lose their game since the 2014 BC Lions lost to Montréal. The Lions were the first crossover team to lose to an opponent with a worse record since the 2003 BC Lions.
CFL crossover games
Year
Team
Result
2018
BC (9-9)
lost to Hamilton (8-10)
2017
Saskatchewan (10-8)
beat Ottawa (8-9-1), then lost to Toronto (9-9)
2016
Edmonton (10-8)
beat Hamilton (7-11), then lost to Ottawa (8-9-1)
2014
BC (9-9)
lost to Montréal (9-9)
2012
Edmonton (7-11)
lost to Toronto (9-9)
2009
BC (8-10)
beat Hamilton (9-9), then lost to Montréal (15-3)
2008
Edmonton (10-8)
beat Winnipeg (8-10), then lost to Montréal (11-7)
2005
Saskatchewan (9-9)
lost to Montréal (10-8)
2003
BC (11-7)
lost to Toronto (9-9)
2002
Saskatchewan (8-10)
lost to Toronto (8-10)
1997
BC (8-10)
lost to Montréal (13-5)
From all of the time Brandon Bridge has spent playing in the CFL playoffs, Bridge's start Sunday in Regina was the first start by a Canadian quarterback since Gerry Dattilio with the Montréal Concordes in 1984. Dattilio is the last Canadian QB to win a playoff game in 1980 with the Alouettes. TSN posted a graphic that showed the playoff success of other Canadian QBs: Don Getty 3-3 and Russ Jackson 15-10.
While Bridge was effective on the ground, he wasn't able (allowed?) to throw long passes and that hurt the Roughriders offence.
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Despite being bitter rivals, Winnipeg and Saskatchewan hadn't met in Regina in the playoffs since 1975.
Winnipeg has had an intriguing stew of playoff futility and division confusion. The Blue Bombers spent a lot of time in the East but hasn't advanced to the Grey Cup from the West since 1984.
Winnipeg was in the East from 1987–1994; 1997–2001; and 2006–2013.
Dave Randorf mentioned the Blue Bombers win on Hometown Hockey in Winnipeg. Randorf noted to Greg Millen that Winnipeg has a long drought in the CFL and offered to teach Millen more about the CFL. Randorf was the studio host for the CFL on TSN before Rogers hired him to call hockey before the 2014 season.
Outside of Grey Cup weekend, the Rogers telecasts almost never mention the CFL.
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Winnipeg wide receiver Darvin Adams was featured on the ESPN segment during commercial breaks in both games.
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TSN3 is the base channel for both the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders. If Canadian cable subscribers only have one TSN primary channel, that base channel is all they have.
TSN3 showed a NASCAR race and joined the CFL game with 10½ minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.
At my Airbnb in Windsor, I had all the TSN and Sportsnet channels. I do read about people whose cable company doesn't readily offer all those channels.
TSN5 didn't carry the late game but that was because of the Ottawa Senators
Streaming would have been an option for cable and satellite subscribers in Canada.
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The regular announcer teams were in place with sideline help from Matthew Scianitti (Hamilton) and Sara Orlesky (Regina). The studio panel had Henry Burris to supplement the team. James Duthie worked with Jock Climie, who also provided analysis at field level.
Calgary voters had their chances to register their thoughts on their city hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games. They said "no" with 56.4% of the vote, according to unofficial vote totals for the non-binding plebiscite.
The plebiscite attracted 304,774 ballots from 767,734 eligible voters for a 40% turnout.
If the vote had gone to the "yes" side, Calgary's chances of getting the 2026 Winter Olympics would have been very good. The other bids were from Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy and Stockholm, Sweden. After 3 straight Winter Olympics in Asia (the 2022 Winter Olympics will be in Beijing, China) or near-Asia (the debate over whether Sochi, Russia is in Europe or Asia), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would have welcomed a North American Olympics.
The voters had concerns about the current economy, potential cost overruns, money going away from projects that would help everyday activities, and a bit of confusion over what was and wasn't in the Olympics bid.
The Olympics bid didn't include a new arena or stadium but that is more about the nuances of pleasing the IOC, which discourages new buildings as part of the bidding process. The Calgary bid called for ski jumping to be held in Whistler. This was a money-saving point and that the Calgary’s ski jumps aren't up to IOC standards.
The Yes, Calgary side of the debate came out with a FAQ to try to clear confusion over what is covered and not covered in the Olympics bid.
For many, the 2026 Winter Olympics bid was a motivation for Calgary to build a new arena and stadium that would primarily be used by the NHL Flames and CFL Stampeders. McMahon Stadium has been in use since 1960 and the Scotiabank Saddledome has been in use since 1983.
Those pushing for a new arena will find themselves in the same company as Gary Bettman, no matter how icky that must be. Bettman has been a lot less subtle than most on the topic, noting that every other NHL team is in a new arena or heavily remodeled (Madison Square Garden).
CalgaryNEXT was the only major proposal that included a replacement for McMahon Stadium. The proposal was an arena and stadium side-by-side in the West Village along the Bow River. The CalgaryNEXT proposal didn't get much consideration.
By contrast, the Saddledome is in Victoria Park just north of the Calgary Stampede grounds. McMahon Stadium is in the northwest part of the city. Both facilities have easy access to the C-Train.
With a no vote, the money that could have been used on the 2026 Winter Olympics could go to a new arena and stadium that would primarily be used by the NHL Flames and CFL Stampeders.
Calgary voters who voted "no" should know the arenas discussion will only start up once again. If the vote had been "yes" and the IOC had picked Calgary for 2026, there would have been discussion about new facilities.
For the CFL, new stadiums in Winnipeg and Regina serve as reminders for what Calgary could have for the Stampeders. The NHL with new arenas in Detroit and Edmonton offer inspiration for what Calgary could have for the Flames.
The Saddledome, first named the Olympic Saddledome, was built for the NHL Flames, who moved from Atlanta to Calgary in 1980. The Flames played from 1980-1983 at the Stampede Corral, a facility with a capacity well under 10,000. The Saddledome was built as part of the bid for the 1988 Winter Olympics.
The idea of Calgary hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics was that the 1988 Winter Olympics went so well. Hosting again would have cemented the idea of Calgary being an Olympics city. On the strength of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the 2026 Winter Olympics would have been a great showcase for western Canada around the world.
Calgary will have to visit the idea of updated arenas and stadiums. The Winter Olympics could have justified the building of new infrastructure, including a transit line from the Calgary airport to downtown, such as the one in Vancouver.
There was very little proof after spending a week in Windsor that legal recreational marijuana exists in Canada.
The sign above reminds us that you can't take marijuana across the border, but easier to do if there is marijuana in Canada.
For now, the only legal options in Ontario are growing 4 or fewer plants in your own home or online via the Ontario Cannabis Store if the store is working as intended.
A group set up a symbolic injection site tent in an abandoned section on Ouellette Avenue, the main north-south street in downtown Windsor. That was as close as I got to drugs on the trip.
Marijuana tourism won't be going in the other direction in the short term, even though Michigan voters approved legal recreational marijuana on Election Day last week. As slow as Ontario has gone in the process, far behind all of Canada, except for Nunavat, Michigan marijuana will be slower in coming. This will keep the Windsor area a step ahead.
The bus shelter public service announcement (below) reminds us that the age for marijuana is 19, same as alcohol in Ontario. The age gap with Michigan (21+ for alcohol and marijuana) will prove advantageous.
While Michigan said yes to legal recreational marijuana, North Dakota said no but still has medical marijuana. Michigan joins other border states such as Alaska (Yukon); Maine (New Brunswick, Quebec); Vermont (Quebec); and Washington (British Columbia).
Ontario won't open private stores until at least April 1, 2019 and edibles won't be a factor until at least late 2019. The comparison might be that gambling started in Canada with casinos and then Detroit caught up eventually. Getting that head start is crucial.
The steel and aluminum tariffs that still exist, despite a USMCA/new NAFTA, are hurting the region financially. Adding marijuana to auto parts would be a huge financial boost to southwestern Ontario.
Most of Canada is open to legal recreational marijuana so marijuana tourism does exist elsewhere. Anecdotal evidence: Neither border crossing brought up marijuana. Your experience will vary.
"This is The Filmmakers: the place to watch the best Canadian films and meet the people who make them. We pull back the curtain taking you behind the scenes with candid conversations. This season, we're shining the spotlight on female filmmakers."
Johanna Schneller and Amanda Parris start out each episode of Season 2 of The Filmmakers on CBC with their own synopsis of the film before the director interview. Unlike in Season 1, 2 of the 3 segments are devoted to the director with only 1 for the panel.
Each director interview gets a "surprise" early in the second segment where the show plays a video from someone involved in the production.
At the end of each episode, the hosts offer up their take on a scene or element to watch for in the film.
The focus was on female filmmakers with veterans Mina Shum (Meditation Park), Patricia Rozema (Into the Forest), and Ann Marie Fleming (Window Horses). The secondary theme was on female filmmakers without much experience. Gabrielle was Louise Archambault's second full-length film.
The other female filmmakers were showcased with their full-length film debut: Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Angry Inuk); Rebecca Addelman (Paper Year); Stella Meghie (Jean of the Joneses); as well as Sadaf Foroughi (Ava), who was scheduled but did not appear on the show.
CBC ran an episode featuring Mina Shum (Double Happiness) from Season 1 instead of the interview with Foroughi.
The Film 101 segments from Season 1 were informative but interrupted the flow of the program. Having Johanna Schneller and Amanda Parris as hosting equals made for a smoother presentation. The emphasis on the director made sense for the female filmmakers, some of whom are still learning on the job.
Addelman, known mostly as a sitcom writer for shows such as New Girl, said she had to nominate her name to be director since she hadn't thought about directing the film she wrote.
Archambault was the only French-Canadian director on Season 2. Anne Émond, who directed Nuit #1; Our Loved Ones; and Nelly, would have been an outstanding choice.
Anne Wheeler and Alanis Obomsawin would have been easy choices for the list.
The filmmakers from Season 1 were celebrated for their long career in films. Season 2 had trouble celebrating filmmakers with not much experience. Having only 7 new episodes instead of the 10 from Season 1 was also a disappointment.
We are hoping for a Season 3 of The Filmmakers with many of the improvements and curious as to what the theme will be in the 2019 version. The Filmmakers is a great way for Canadians to appreciate the world of Canadian film.
NHL Network carries the CBC feed for Hockey Night in Canada and the Rogers Sportsnet feed for Hometown Hockey.
CBC features the Original 6 matchup of the Maple Leafs in Boston. The Calgary Flames put on their sunglasses for the bright lights of Los Angeles in the nightcap.
City TV follows Ottawa's journey to Tampa Bay on Saturday.
Rogers Sportsnet shows Gary Bettman's new favourite desert team in Montréal aka the Max Pacioretty bowl. Hometown Hockey from Glace Bay, NS has Winnipeg hosting New Jersey. Wednesday Night Hockey has what should have been the Stanley Cup final with Washington at Winnipeg.
Rogers Sportsnet One carries a bonus Sunday game with Edmonton welcoming the Avalanche.
Rogers Sportsnet 360 felt left out and will carry the Vancouver Canucks in Buffalo in a Saturday matinee and a late Sunday game with Calgary in San Jose.
NHL Network
Saturday Toronto @ Boston, 7p Sunday New Jersey @ Winnipeg, 7p
Tape delayed Friday Vancouver @ Boston, 3p Sunday Toronto @ Boston, 1p Tuesday Vancouver @ NY Rangers, 1p Wednesday Montréal @ Edmonton, 1p
ESPN+
Thursday Toronto at San Jose, 10:30p
CBC
Saturday Toronto @ Boston, 7p Calgary @ Los Angeles, 10p
City
Saturday Ottawa @ Tampa Bay, 7p
Rogers Sportsnet
Saturday Las Vegas @ Montréal, 7p Sunday New Jersey @ Winnipeg, 7p Wednesday Washington @ Winnipeg, 8p
Rogers Sportsnet One
Sunday Colorado @ Edmonton, 9:30p
Rogers Sportsnet 360
Saturday Vancouver @ Buffalo, 1p Sunday Calgary @ San Jose, 9p
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Bob Cole continued his Hockey Night in Canada tour in Calgary. Cole worked with Louie DeBrusk for the Chicago game. This was a nice treat since I would have been blacked out of the game at home, but I was in Canada.
Hopefully, Cole got to stay in western Canada during the week. We will be curious to see where Cole goes next on his Canadian tour.
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Craig Simpson asked in the 2nd period about the time a goaltender needs to take off pads and skates when Pittsburgh's Matt Murray took awhile to get an issue corrected. Simpson asked Kelly Hrudey but not like Hrudey could respond right away. The Jim Hughson-Craig Simpson team used to have Glenn Healy who could answer goalie type questions.
NBCSN went the lazy route with the Edmonton Oilers game in western Florida with Tampa home announcers Rick Peckham and Brian Engblom. We sadly expect the same apathetic treatment when Edmonton is in San Jose later this month on NBCSN.
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The NHL Network used the feed featured the Florida announcers. Both games had TSN's Sara Orlesky doing interviews for NBCSN and NHL Network, respectively.
NBCSN had a better sense of Helsinki in its coverage though the NHL Network aired the anthems, including the emphasis on True North in O Canada, even in Helsinki.
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The U.S. audience only got 4 CBC promos since the NHL Network switched to the awful Pittsburgh TV feed for the final 7:09 of the 3rd period. The U.S. channel went into the break with their in-studio analysis in lieu of commercials for a break. When the break was over, the Penguins feed was on the screen and stayed there sans explanation.
The CBC could have ran a promo before the glitch but we're lucky if Rogers remembers to run 6 CBC promos.
We are playing catch up with the CBC promos, including the NHL Network rebroadcast matinee from October 28. The Murdoch Mysteries Halloween special got the mention. We did see brief visuals of promos for Canada's Smartest Person Junior and the Great Canadian Baking Show without any verbal cues.
This is the final season for the long-running Canadian comedy Mr. D.
Early game: Mr. D; Snowboarding (1st); Still Standing; Great Canadian Baking Show (2nd)
The CFL's greatest rivalry comes together in the 2018 CFL West semifinal as Winnipeg travels to Saskatchewan.
The Roughriders took the Labour Day weekend game and the Banjo Bowl 31-23 in Regina and 32-27 in Winnipeg. Sure there was the 31-0 shutout for the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg on October 13.
The teams haven't met in the playoffs since the 2007 Grey Cup when Saskatchewan edged out Winnipeg 23-19 at Rogers Centre.
Winnipeg is 4-5 on the road this season while Saskatchewan is 6-3 at home and has had an extra week of rest.
This will be the first home playoff game in Regina since 2013, which also means the first home playoff game in the new Mosaic Stadium.
BC will travel to Hamilton in the 2018 CFL East semifinal. The Lions pulled off a glorious comeback at home against the Tiger-Cats 35-32 in overtime on September 22. A week later, Hamilton blew out BC at home 40-10.
The teams last met in the 2009 playoffs where the Lions crossed over and beat Hamilton 34-27 in overtime.
BC is 2-7 on the road this season while Hamilton is 4-5 at home.
The winners will travel next week to play Calgary and Ottawa.
ESPN2
Sunday Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 4:30p
ESPNews
Sunday BC @ Hamilton, 1p
TSN
Sunday BC @ Hamilton, 1p Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 4:30p
The 2018 season marks the 3rd in a row and 4 of the last 5 where the crossover is in effect. The last 2 seasons have also seen the crossover team advance to the East final. No crossover team has ever advanced to the Grey Cup. Saskatchewan came very close to doing so in Toronto in 2017.
CFL crossover games
Year
Team
Result
2018
BC (9-9)
playing Hamilton (8-10)
2017
Saskatchewan (10-8)
beat Ottawa (8-9-1), then lost to Toronto (9-9)
2016
Edmonton (10-8)
beat Hamilton (7-11), then lost to Ottawa (8-9-1)
2014
BC (9-9)
lost to Montréal (9-9)
2012
Edmonton (7-11)
lost to Toronto (9-9)
2009
BC (8-10)
beat Hamilton (9-9), then lost to Montréal (15-3)
2008
Edmonton (10-8)
beat Winnipeg (8-10), then lost to Montréal (11-7)
2005
Saskatchewan (9-9)
lost to Montréal (10-8)
2003
BC (11-7)
lost to Toronto (9-9)
2002
Saskatchewan (8-10)
lost to Toronto (8-10)
1997
BC (8-10)
lost to Montréal (13-5)
The CFL on ESPN schedule ended up with the same number of scheduled telecasts with 2 telecasts were dropped but 2 more were added. There were 17 telecasts: 7 in June, 4 in July, 4 in August, 1 in September, and 1 in October.
Let's breakdown the U.S. TV games:
Montréal led the pack with 7 games, 4 of them at home. The Alouettes played in the last 3 games on U.S. TV. Toronto and Edmonton each had 5 games: Argos with 2 home and 3 away while the Esks had 3 home and 2 away.
Hamilton and Winnipeg each had 4 games: Ticats had a 2/2 split while the Blue Bombers had 3 road games.
BC had 3 games: 2 home/1 road. Calgary and Ottawa limped in last with 2 games: all home games for Calgary and all road games for Ottawa. Saskatchewan also had 2 games with a 1/1 split.
The only field we didn't see was TD Place in Ottawa. That will change with the East final.
Jon Gott did not get punished for his celebration though the CFL will address future incidents since they don't want players to endorse alcohol or drugs in TD celebrations.
Ottawa (11-7) is the only East team above .500. Every team in the West had a better record than the 2nd place East team, Hamilton. 2015 was the last season to have more than 1 East team above .500.
Johnny Manziel got his second CFL win though Antonio Pipkin was the dominant quarterback for Montréal in the finale.
Winnipeg rested key players, including kicker/punter Justin Medlock. Receiver Ryan Lankford did an admirable job filling in both duties.
Saskatchewan signed Drew Tate, who announced his retirement after the last season after playing with Calgary and Ottawa. If Zach Collaros is okay, we aren't sure we will see Tate in the postseason.
Marc Trestman was relieved on his duties as Toronto coach. Trestman was in Toronto for 2 seasons and previously coached with Montréal (2008-2012).
Trestman had a reputation for being an offensive genius but in 2 key areas, Trestman was underwhleming on the offence side. James Franklin never seemed to get a good chance to replace Ricky Ray. Franklin went 1-3 after Ray's injury but the offence wasn't set up for Franklin to excel. Duron Carter got even less of a shot to make an impact. Trestman seemed to go out of his way to make sure Carter wouldn't succeed. Carter had 10 catches for 119 yards and a TD not in 1 game but in 8 games.
The Argonauts finished 4-14, a game behind the Alouettes. Toronto went defeated on the road going 0-9 away from BMO Field.
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Chris Cuthbert pulled double duty in the final week, working with Duane Forde in Ottawa on Friday and Glen Suitor in Vancouver late on Saturday. Rod Black and Matt Dunigan were in Edmonton while Gord Miller worked with Forde in Hamilton.
In The Fireflies are Gone, Léo (Karelle Tremblay) is stuck in Saguenay, Quebec. She wants to leave but she doesn’t know what she wants to do.
Léo has daddy issues on several levels. Her dad was a union organiser forced to leave town in part due to the man who is now her mother’s boyfriend, now a conservative radio talk-show host. She spends time with Steve (Pierre-Luc Brillant), her guitar teacher and an older man, who lives in his mother's basement, but is definitely not his girlfriend.
Sébastien Pilote brings us into a summer of angst for Léo. She doesn’t know what to do for a summer job, ending up with a job supervising the ball diamond. Léo doesn’t really spend time with girlfriends but also runs hot and cold with the men in her life. She learns a lot about men throughout the summer.
The pace of the film is slow and not much happens along the way. Watching Tremblay as Léo drift is surprisingly entertaining. Tremblay made a similar impact in Our Loved Ones from Anne Émond. Brillant, who you might remember from C.R.A.Z.Y., does a fine job in the complicated role of Steve.
