The rematch of the 2019 Grey Cup, a very distant memory, kicks off the 2021 CFL season tonight in Winnipeg against Hamilton.
The return of Friday Night Football has the BC Lions going east to Regina. The game is sold out.
The Saturday doubleheader is confined to the province of Alberta. Toronto is in Calgary early while Ottawa will be the first opponent of the Edmonton Elks in the late game.
The Montréal Alouettes have waited a long time to play. The team will have to wait a week longer.
ESPN2 has the first and last games of the weekend. The Friday game originally was on the U.S. schedule on ESPNews.
ESPN2
Thursday Hamilton @ Winnipeg, 8:30p Saturday Ottawa @ Edmonton, 10p
TSN
Thursday Hamilton @ Winnipeg, 8:30p Friday BC @ Saskatchewan, 9:30p Saturday Toronto @ Calgary, 7p Ottawa @ Edmonton, 10p
We spent an extra year on the CFL preview so we invite you to read all or most of our preview. Some readers are well versed about the league while others may be curious to discover Canadian football.
We are happy to have Canadian football back but we know the quality of football will be subpar for awhile. No preseason games. A lot of new people being shuffled in and out with teams.
The pattern had been established for years: Chris Cuthbert worked out west while Rod Black worked out east, most of the time.
Will Rod Smith call 2 games a week most weeks? Will Rod Black cut back his workload? They do have help with Dustin Nielson and Marshall Ferguson along with Farhan Lalji. The games are out west to start so the east-west dynamic isn't relevant.
The announcers might be a bit rusty, especially with the turnovers on CFL rosters. Be patient. Things should look good by Labour Day.
Matthew Scianitti of TSN has a lovely essay about how the CFL is about family.
A reminder to our U.S. fans that ESPN+ will have all the games that do not appear on the TV side. In years past, repeats of TV games were on ESPN3. You can find out which games are on U.S. TV and the others on ESPN+. Any cable schedule will be subject to change.
The TSN feed is used regardless of whether the games are on TV or ESPN+. NHL fans should have ESPN+ for the fall.
The price of ESPN+ is increasing again, as of August 13. The current $5.99/$59.99 price goes up to $6.99/$69.99. The Disney Bundle price (ESPN+/Disney+/Hulu) remains at $13.99 per month.
Welcome to the 2021 CFL season. The league has an abbreviated 14-game schedule with the 2021 Grey Cup in Hamilton on December 12. Preseason games? The league won't have any.
This is the 25th anniversary of the last Grey Cup in the Steel City. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the only CFL team without a Grey Cup in the 2010s. The Tiger-Cats lost the 2019 Grey Cup to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, whose previous Grey Cup win was 1990. The Montréal Alouettes have the second-longest drought, not having won the Grey Cup since 2010.
Speaking of drought, the CFL didn't play in 2020. If we still seem bitter over that move, we are still bitter. That is getting better. We miss the game.
The CFL schedule is adjusted to play games out west early in the season. West is defined as every CFL team west of Hamilton and east of Vancouver. The rational was that the western provinces would be more lenient on larger crowds. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will have 100% capacity at IG Field. One crucial point: fans have to be fully vaccinated to attend. IG Field holds 33,500 fans.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders will also have a sellout Friday night.
The big story over the lost pandemic time was the announcement that the Edmonton CFL franchise changed its nickname. The Elks is an excellent choice for a new nickname.
We now will use all of the nicknames of the CFL teams.
Kick is a Canadian film that still needs to be made about Canadian football. The plot from Toronto-born writer/producer Chris Bickford stems around a group of young boys very much into the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The team in the film starts out 0-7 before launching a comeback. Sounds a bit like the 2017 Tiger-Cats that started 0-8 before winning 6 of the last 10 games.
NFL QB Jake Plummer has agreed to star as the quarterback.
Sports movies in Canada centre around hockey, curling, maybe even lacrosse. Certainly not a film about football.
3Down Nation was reporting last month that the film was targeting "Canadian actors such as Jay Baruchel, Anna Paquin, Hayden Christiansen, Molly Parker, and Jason Priestley for roles in the film."
The CFL flirting with the XFL has ended without a resolution. The premise never made much sense. The theory is that the large markets (Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver) were more interested. MLSE hasn't done a lot for the Argonauts, the Alouettes just got new owners, and the estate of David Braley still owns the Lions. The large markets may settle for revenue sharing, which sounds a lot better than getting involved with the XFL.
The Touchdown Atlantic game hopefully will happen in 2022. A regular season game in Halifax was scheduled for 2020. That would be a real joy to see that happen (and even better to be there). Halifax deserves a regular season CFL game and an actual team: Atlantic Schooners.
We have some of the many changes in personnel in the 2 offseasons. You can keep better track on your favourite CFL players.
Retirement. The rest of the world will celebrate "normal" as the word for 2021. The CFL knows the word for 2021 is "retirement."
Long-time Calgary punter Rob Maver retired long before it was cool to retire.
Solomon Elimimian retired. Elimimian is now the president of the Canadian Football League Players Association. John Bowman didn't retire but Montréal did not re-sign him.
Brad Sinopoli, who had more than 1,000 yards receiving in four different seasons, retired a lot more recently.
Given the anxiety over 2020, the uncertainty of 2021, and the fact that CFL players don't get huge salaries, the retirement wave is a bit understood. The wave of retirements, especially when the 2021 season was going to happen, was overwhelming.
Coaches
Refreshing memories just a bit. When we left the CFL stage, Rick Campbell was in Ottawa. The RedBlacks fired Campbell so he went to coach the BC Lions. Edmonton fired Jason Maas, who went to Saskatchewan to be the offensive coordinator. The Elks hired former Toronto coach Scott Milanovich, who then left for the NFL. Jaime Elizondo, the new Edmonton coach, is a former offensive coordinator for Ottawa.
Ottawa hired former Winnipeg offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice to be the team's second head coach in its brief history. LaPolice, a former TSN employee, hired TSN analyst Mike Benevides (and former BC head coach) as defensive coordinator.
The new Toronto head coach is Ryan Dinwiddie, who was the quarterbacks coach in Calgary. Dinwiddie hasn't been in a coordinator position, unless you count his short-term stint where he was co-offensive coordinator with Anthony Calvillo in Montréal.
Campbell is also the co-GM in Vancouver with Neil McEvoy. Ed Hervey stepped down from the GM role for personal reasons.
You can keep better track of all the assistant coaches on your team.
Owners
S and S Sportsco (Sidney Spiegel and Gary Stern) take over the Montréal Alouettes. The new GM in town is Danny Maciocia since January 13, 2020.
Spiegel died last week before getting to see the Alouettes play. Stern is Spiegel's son-in-law.
The estate of David Braley still owns the BC Lions. Braley had previously owned the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts, the latter team concurrently with the Lions.
Quarterbacks
Matt Nichols and Nick Arbuckle played the Kevin Glenn game about being on a team and never playing for that team. Nichols left Winnipeg when the Blue Bombers picked Zach Collaros. Nichols signed with Toronto.
Arbuckle was traded from Calgary to Ottawa and signed with Ottawa.
Well, Nichols is now in Ottawa with his former coach Paul LaPolice. Arbuckle is now in Toronto.
James Franklin went from Toronto to Saskatchewan and then retired. Antonio Pipkin went from Montréal to Edmonton to Toronto.
Mike Reilly has been "replaced" by Michael Reilly for the BC Lions. To honour his late mother, Reilly wants to go by Michael.
In a sea of backup quarterbacks coming to the rescue in 2019, Brandon Bridge, an actual Canadian quarterback, was an after thought, even when brought in to play in Montréal and BC. Bridge left football to work as an officer for the Peel Regional Police. Bridge has had steady employment during the pandemic, something most CFL players could not say. He is missed on the field but likely made a good decision for himself off the field.
Other notable transactions
Montréal signed former Argos running back James Wilder Jr. (who retired to get a job) then signed with Edmonton. The Alouettes and Argonauts swapped kickers with Boris Bede going to Toronto for Tyler Crapigna. Montréal released Crapigna and then Winnipeg signed the kicker.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats signed receiver DeVier Posey, who played for BC and Montréal in 2019. Toronto signed DL Odell Willis, WR DaVaris Daniels, and RB John White IV.
Justin Medlock is a free agent. The long-time Winnipeg punter and kicker is available. Medlock also played for Toronto, Edmonton, and Hamilton much earlier in his CFL career.
We gave a number of solutions for the departure of Chris Cuthbert for the CFL on TSN. Looks like Rod Smith will be that person with Kate Beirness now being the new panel host.
Beirness had been the host on Thursday night games with Smith calling those games. The release also noted that Smith will call games along with Rod Black, Dustin Nielson, Marshall Ferguson, and Farhan Lalji. Didn't have Ferguson on the list of potential people; he called the Hamilton games on radio from 2015-2019. Gord Miller is not on the release.
We noted the sideline reporters who should get more opportunities if they want them. We accidentally left out Ryan Rishaug and Claire Hanna from our list.
TSN sports radio stations carrying CFL teams has a certain logic. Well, Bell Media dumped the sports formats in several markets, including Hamilton, Winnipeg, and Vancouver, in February. The Tiger-Cats had been on TSN 1150 in Hamilton and the Lions were on TSN 1040 in Vancouver.
The BC Lions have a new radio home: AM 730 CHMJ, a Corus station in Vancouver. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats waited until yesterday afternoon to announce a new radio home, its long-time home, 900 CHML (Corus). The Tiger-Cats will stream its coverage at listen.ticats.ca and the Ticats All Access app.
The streaming package is a great idea to offer a progressive alternative. The idea of only having a streaming option would have been a blow to southern Ontario radio listeners after going most of 2021 without a separate radio feed for the Toronto Blue Jays. A highly rare Grey Cup season where the title game will be in Steeltown needed a stronger presence, not a weaker one.
RJ Broadhead, whom we've seen on minor league hockey and Hockey Night in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet, replaces Marshall Ferguson on play by play. Ferguson will work some games for TSN. Luke Tasker will handle colour analysis on Tiger-Cats radio.
TSN 1290 in Winnipeg also disappeared from the sports radio world. The Blue Bombers and the Jets are on 680 CJOB, a Corus station.
Chris Schultz was a force on the CFL on TSN panel. His lineman perspective was a nice contrast to the offensive perspectives of Jock Climie, Matt Dunigan, and later Milt Stegall. Back then, CBC and TSN each had their own panel. TSN had Dave Randorf with Climie, Dunigan, and Schultz while the CBC had Elliotte Friedman, Sean Millington, Greg Frers, and Darren Flutie. Khari Jones was also part of that mix, according to my memory.
I liked both panels, but the TSN panel had the edge (and carried more games).
As a player, Schultz was an offensive tackle for Dallas (NFL) and Toronto (CFL).
A few years back, Schultz disappeared from the CFL on TSN panel. Not sure why that happened. The CFL coverage wasn't as good without him. Schultz did spend the 2018 and 2019 doing colour work for the Toronto Argonauts on radio.
Schultz passed away from a heart attack on March 4 at the age of 61.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has had a "do the right thing but we don't want to make you do the right thing" approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even by Alberta standards, the United Conservative Party has gone too far.
The new extremely relaxed approach is in 2 stages. As of last Thursday, quarantine for close contacts will be recommended not mandatory; contact tracers will no longer notify close contacts; and asymptomatic testing will no longer be recommended.
If you test positive for COVID-19, isolation is strongly recommended but not required. There will be no isolation hotels and quarantine supports.
Testing will be available for symptomatic people for patient care decisions. After August 31, testing for COVID-19 will be available only when symptoms are severe.
Masks will no longer be required on public transit, or in most continuing care facilities and definitely not in schools.
Kenney was the first politician anywhere to declare that the COVID-19 pandemic was over. "Such a joy to connect with Albertans during Canada’s first major event after the pandemic," referring to the 2021 Calgary Stampede.
We all want this to be over. Not just a little bit but as over as we can be about COVID-19. We have been critical about Canadian decisions, mostly on the federal level, on being too cautious. This is the other extreme.
Florida and Texas have been egregious in how poorly the tracking of COVID-19 cases have been in those states. Even those U.S. states are looking at Alberta's new rules and asking, "can we do that too?"
The "open for business" mentality has been on message since the party came into power in the spring of 2019. The message is broad ("who doesn't want to be open for business") in concept but narrow in execution. The province spent $1.5 billion, plus a $6-billion (all Canadian $) loan guarantee on the never will be finished Keystone XL pipeline. We have been critical of Justin Trudeau and the federal government buying the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion; the difference is that the expansion will get built.
The UCP government spent taxpayer money on a propaganda tool designed to intimidate journalists who are objectively covering the oil and gas beat.
It’s the obvious choice to bring the @NHL to #Edmonton.
We look forward to welcoming the league and players here to Alberta to take in the beautiful province we have to offer. pic.twitter.com/kp0iN86vCP
The UCP focus is "business" if oil and gas are involved but not so much in other areas. The Kenney tourism video is a grand exception, but so mistimed since the families and players wouldn't be able to travel to the parts of Alberta, well away from Edmonton, during the pandemic.
The cruel irony in being "pro-business" is that you have to be perceived as careful about people's safety during a pandemic. Right now, Alberta isn't perceived as safe, thanks in part to these new rules.
Those "driving to Alaska" who vacationed in Alberta in 2020 felt safer than they likely would now.
We get the minimalist "keep government away from us" approach to the prairie areas in Canada. Objectively, this approach doesn't work during a pandemic. The best results are to do as little as possible while providing protection to its citizens. The rules should be different in Calgary, Lethbridge, and Edmonton than they are in Red Deer or Medicine Hat.
Most of the province doesn't have to deal with mass transit; hopefully, individual cities can make exceptions. As Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi noted in a recent radio interview, cities in Alberta have limited options in this area as compared to cities in Ontario.
Decisions on dealing with a pandemic need to be science-based, not relying on cynical politics.
Alberta's vaccination rates are mixed compared to the rest of Canada. As of July 27, 75.2% of Alberta's (12+) population has had a first dose vs. 80.6% for the country. Alberta's 63.6% of fully vaccinated is around the national average.
Saskatchewan has similar rules in place to what Alberta is doing. Nothing personal to that province, but travel to Alberta is more of a concern. As of July 30, 63% of eligible people in Saskatchewan are fully vaccinated. The delta variant has greater potential for damage among the unvaccinated.
Alberta is a beautiful place to travel. The tourism video is a small slice of what the province has to offer. Even as Americans can travel to Canada, we recommend being cautious in going to Alberta right now.
"Wear a mask- social distancing- being sensible- washing your hands." Jann Arden's advice is smart. You may stand out in a mask in Alberta but that is alright.
The beauty of Alberta will be there in subsequent years. Worth the wait can be difficult words to hear in 2021. As Alton Brown would say, "your patience will be rewarded."
The New York Yankees played the 1974-1975 seasons at Shea Stadium while Yankee Stadium was being renovated. Fans might have had a longer trip but could still sleep in their own beds.
The 2020 Toronto Blue Jays tried to play in Pittsburgh and Baltimore before going to the AAA stadium in Buffalo. Road games would be in MLB stadiums where their players got to sleep at home.
The 2021 Toronto Blue Jays did the slow march north, staying in Dunedin after spring training in April and May, Buffalo in June and most of July, and now, finally, homeward bound to Toronto as of tonight.
The Blue Jays start a homestand tonight with Kansas City, Cleveland, and Boston. The team will have played a home series with the Red Sox in each of the 3 cities.
670 days. That is the length of time since the team has played at Rogers Centre in Canada.
The Blue Jays went 10-11 in Dunedin from the start of the season, losing its final 6 home games in Florida to Boston and Tampa Bay.
The team went 12-11 in Buffalo since June 1.
The Blue Jays are 51-48 overall, 22-22 at home and 29-26 on the road. Toronto is 9½ games off the pace for the division and 4 games behind the second best wild card team. Seattle and the New York Yankees are ahead of the Blue Jays with Cleveland and Los Angeles of Anaheim a game behind Toronto.
The team did acquire LHP Brad Hand from Washington for minor league catcher Riley Adams. The MLB trade deadline is today at 4 pm EDT.
Hyun Jin Ryu, Marcus Semien, George Springer: some of the Blue Jays players that have never played a home game in Toronto. The only time Ryu has pitched on Canadian soil, he got the win for Los Angeles (NL) on July 22, 2013.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, and Bo Bichette did play in Toronto in 2019 but that feels so long ago.
Semien could go in a trade deadline deal hours before the return to Toronto.
ESPN used up its lone Toronto Blue Jays telecast at Fenway Park. Karl Ravech made sure the game was mostly about Boston. Yawn.
MLB Network will have the Saturday matinee at Rogers Centre as well as the Simcoe Day/Civic Holiday matinee with Cleveland. Many Canadians celebrate the first Monday in August under different banners.
Here's hoping they use the Rogers Sportsnet feed.
I’m back in Toronto! Thrilled to be part of @Sportsnet expanding coverage of the #BlueJays return with the radio broadcasts starting Friday night! There’s no substitute for the home town crowd - we are ready to be there too! 🗣🎙📻⚾️ pic.twitter.com/TH0VkeJA9H
The other big news is the return on radio broadcasts. As you might remember, Rogers Sportsnet went with a radio/TV simulcast. Ben Wagner was sent out to be a field reporter, of sorts, when they were in Dunedin.
Mike Wilner was dropped from the radio broadcasts over the winter; Wilner now writes as a columnist for the Toronto Star.
We don't know who will work with Wagner for the rest of the season.
One advantage the Blue Jays will have back is protection from the elements for home games. The July 17 and July 20 games in Buffalo was one of a few home rainouts the team has had during the pandemic.
Being at Rogers Centre has distinct advantages. There are some drawbacks. For the first time since 2019, the Blue Jays will play on artificial turf. The stadium has new turf and a new sound system. The players will have to learn the advantages to the new turf.
The team hasn't had to deal with customs since 2019. The unvaccinated players on the team will have to deal with a harsher living arrangement than they did in Buffalo or other U.S. cities.
Going to a game involves major activities such as your favourite player hitting a home run or making a diving catch. The little things matter as well. Your humble narrator has been to Rogers Centre quite a few times for the Toronto Argonauts as well as the Blue Jays.
I was particularly impressed in my 2014 visit at the array of condiments for hot dogs at the stadium. No U.S. stadium I've seen can compare. Will be nice to have options back at the stadium.
This element might be limited or curtailed because of the safety precautions.
Baseball fans have had a chance to see their home team since the spring. Today marks Toronto's turn.
Violation is a film that is necessary in the annals of filmmaking and society. Violation is a difficult film to watch.
You might read a film review that says a film is difficult to watch. This time, they are right.
Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli wrote, directed, and produced the film. Sims-Fewer, TIFF Rising Star 2020, is also the lead as Miriam, a woman who is definitely angry.
Miriam and husband Caleb (Obi Abili) are having martial troubles. Communication and a lack of sex are the primary issues. She is only interested in having sex with Caleb when she is drunk, which he really doesn't like.
Miriam meets up with her sister Greta (Anna Maguire) and her husband Dylan (Jesse LaVercombe) at a cabin in the woods. As much as Miriam and Caleb are having problems, Miriam and Dylan have a free and easy chemistry.
There is an incident with Miriam and Dylan. Is it sexual assault? Is it part of something larger?
The revenge factor is the part that is difficult to watch. Very difficult. The timeline throws off what has happened versus what will happen.
Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli do a masterful job of using imagery and music to set up the film and build suspense. The drawback is that setup is better than the story itself.
Miriam is an incredibly flawed character, a woman not usually featured in films. Miriam dominates the film. You don't know why she does a lot of what happens and you aren't going to find out.
The character who suffers most from this is Caleb. He comes across as a nice guy but we know so little about him. This is also unfortunate since he is the only character of colour in the film.
The sisters dynamic is surprisingly underexplored, especially since there is a lot of tension in the relationship.
The story of sexual assault deserves a more substantial platform than the film is willing to give to the subject. The female revenge angle is great to see as a reversal of usual trends. Sims-Fewer showcases herself well in that regard.
The question is whether we can recommend Violation. If you have the stomach, chances are you will appreciate the film on some level. If you can fast forward past the more gruesome parts, you'll find some decent parts. This is a film to be studied more than watched.
For a debut feature film, there is a lot to like from the efforts of Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli. Know about this film and see what they come up next.
Violation received 5 Canadian Screen Award nominations: Best Actress (Sims-Fewer), Best Supporting Actor (LaVercombe), Best Sound Editing (Matthew Chan, Ida Marci), Best Sound Mixing (Matthew Chan), and the John Dunning Best First Feature Award. The film did make excellent use of sound.
video credit: YouTube/Shudder photo credit: Violation film
Outdoor Life Network (OLN). Versus. NBC Sports Network. NBCSN.
The NBC contract with the NHL ends after the 2021 Stanley Cup final. The NBCSN role ended after Game 2 of the 2021 Stanley Cup finals, though the channel did provide post-game coverage to the NBC telecasts. The channel is going out of business at the end of the calendar year.
We wanted to say a few words on behalf of the channel, since the channel won't have anything Canada-related outside of the Tokyo Olympics.
OLN acquired cable rights to the NHL in 2005 with regular season games on Mondays and Tuesdays and the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. OLN became Versus in April 2006. Versus became NBC Sports Network on New Years Day 2012. The NBCSN brand was converted in August 2013.
The Versus approach to covering the NHL, most notably with John Forslund, was that when a Canadian team played an American team, the "national" part of the broadcast was to root for the American team. Broadcasters such as the late Dave Strader ignored that mantra and called the games in a neutral manner.
Back in the Versus days, the idea of an all-Canadian matchup was unheard of for American television.
There were some nice moments when NBC Sports Network in 2013 carried the Ottawa-Boston game via the Rogers Sportsnet East feed. The game had been postponed due to the 2013 Boston Marathon attack.
NBCSN did have Gord Miller, Chris Cuthbert, and sometimes Ray Ferraro as of 2014 after Rogers took over the national NHL deal in Canada.
Versus was involved in the NBC snafu where overtime of Game 5 of the Ottawa-Buffalo Eastern Conference final shifted from NBC to Versus for pre-race coverage of the 2007 Preakness Stakes.
The channel did cover all of the playoff games for the last decade. That should be a given but had not been in the previous decade. We enjoyed that more when NBCSN carried more simsubs from Canada. NBCUniversal later switched to producing every playoff game shown on the network.
Canada would carry multiple NHL games opposite each other. The NBCSN approach was that no other telecast could air at the same time, so often the NHL Network had to change its plans and not carry Canadian teams on a Saturday night.
The channel is also remembered for its CFL coverage in 2012-2013. The 2012 coverage went pretty smooth.
The 2013 CFL coverage featured tape-delayed coverage in October, a refusal to carry division semifinal playoff games, and tape-delayed conference finals.
The haunting headline of the 2013 Labour Day game sums up the CFL on NBCSN.
NBCSN has been involved in a lot of Canadian sports programming, mostly through hockey, and most of that with an anti-Canadian bias. The NBC path to growing hockey in the U.S. was to promote the Americans playing the games and the top American teams.
ESPN and TNT will make their own mistakes. A fresh start was needed.
Thanks to NBCSN for your efforts for all these years, good and bad.
"The scenery is amazing and well worth the price of watching, but you get a cool story about a place that is Canadian and aboriginal with majestic beauty."
I didn't even know about Haida Gwaii before the documentary. Haida Gwaii is an archipelago near Prince Rupert and Terrace in British Columbia. You might know Haida Gwaii by the settler name Queen Charlotte Islands.
The exciting part of Edge of the Knife | SG̲aawaay Ḵ'uuna was the idea of an entire film in the Haida language. Like a lot of Indigenous languages, the Haida language is in trouble of becoming irrelevant.
The film takes place in the 19th century. One family has traveled over to the island of Haida Gwaii for the summer. We meet Gaas, a young boy with the family on the island. Kwa, father of Gaas, and Adiitsʹii are best friends.
One morning, Kwa can't find Gaas. Kwa finds out Adiitsʹii went off with Gaas. Kwa looks for Gaas and discovers that the boy has died.
Adiitsʹii is missing. He turns into Gaagiixiid, a supernatural being who is ravenous. The villagers go and look for Gaagiixiid to turn the being back into Adiitsʹii. Kwa is also angry over Adiitsʹii, feeling that he is responsible for his son's death.
The cast had to learn the Haida language. The words are spoken in a cadence that feels like they are almost speaking phonetically.
After the death of Gaas, there are a lot fewer words in the story. The transformation of Gaagiixiid is essentially noises and eating.
The film is more about the language and the scenery than the story but understanding the relevance of the story is important as well.
Edge of the Knife | SG̲aawaay Ḵ'uuna won Best Canadian Film and Most Popular Canadian Feature at the 2018 Vancouver International Film Festival. The film placed in the TIFF Top 10 Canadian films of 2018.
Edge of the Knife | SG̲aawaay Ḵ'uuna is available in Canada on Crave.
video credit: YouTube/TIFF Trailers photo credit: Edge of the Knife | SG̲aawaay Ḵ'uuna film
The news we've known for a few months is finally official. U.S. President Joe Biden has nominated David Cohen to be the country's ambassador to Canada.
Cohen has worked as a lawyer, lobbyist, and fundraiser for Comcast. His "more relevant" experience was 5 years as chief of staff to then Philadelphia mayor of Ed Rendell in the 1990s.
No diplomatic experience. No known ties to Canada. Ugh.
We had this scenario with President Barack Obama. A late pick in the first year in office. Fundraisers. Now Obama's picks turned out to be way better than anticipated (low bar). We expected better from Joe Biden, who served as the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when he was in the U.S. Senate. Biden was vice president to Obama.
The United States has had 3 acting ambassadors since the end of the disgraceful run from Kelly Knight Craft, which ended on August 23, 2019. Richard M. Mills Jr. served from August 23, 2019 to November 9, 2020. Katherine Brucker took over until May 28, 2021. Arnold A. Chacón took over and is currently serving in the role.
Cohen has had time to study about Canada since his name has been linked for some time. Has he been to Canada? Does he speak French? Can he name all 10 provinces and 3 territories?
The confirmation process will be arduous, unnecessarily. So Cohen being the pick means he'll be there in the fall, not right away.
David Jacobson didn't get sworn in until October 2, 2009. Craft waited a bit after getting approved and didn't start until October 23.
A special nod to Bruce A. Heyman, who served as U.S. ambassador to Canada from March 26, 2014 until January 20, 2017. Heyman has been visible as the de facto ambassador since Craft left. There has been a giant leadership hole; acting ambassadors aren't visible. Heyman has been positive, upbeat, professional, and visible. Thank you for your extended service.
Kirsten Hillman, Canada's Ambassador to the United States since March 26, 2020, was promoted from within to the top role. Cohen will have a steep learning curve on a portfolio where the United States is massively behind already. We want to be pleasantly surprised by Cohen but we have doubts.
We wrote back on February 23 about being "still hopeful to return to the Three Amigos approach of the relationship between Canada, United States, and Mexico. We are not optimistic but hopeful." Not even sure we are hopeful anymore.
In the time since Chris Cuthbert left TSN for Rogers Sportsnet, Cuthbert called the 2020 NHL playoffs including a conference final, the 2021 reduced regular season, and the 2021 playoffs, including a Stanley Cup final. The CFL still hasn't been on the field.
Chris Cuthbert has called 25 of the last 28 Grey Cup games, the last 16 for TSN and 9 with CBC. You can't just replace a Chris Cuthbert on the CFL telecasts. TSN limped along in the regular season without replacing Cuthbert on the NHL telecasts.
Gord Miller — Miller has a day job calling play by play for TSN hockey coverage. Calling the CFL has been a secondary passion and Miller picks up on calling games rather easily. Miller can work games early in the season. TSN may save Miller to call the Western semifinal, Western final, and Grey Cup. They haven't found a hockey replacement for Cuthbert so having one would certainly help.
Rod Smith — Smith has a day job as the host on the CFL on TSN panel. Smith has called Thursday night games during the summer. Smith and Miller are the only realistic choices for the major playoff games. TSN has more options to host in studio than to call the big games.
Dustin Nielson — Nielson has a day job as the morning host on TSN 1260 in Edmonton. His weekend schedule is more flexible. Nielson called all of 7 games, all in 2019. He brings a strong enthusiasm but needs more experience to call the really big games. Nielson could be a wild card in calling the Labour Day games out west but not the playoff games.
Rod Black — Have not forgotten about Mr. Excitement. Black is as versatile and solid a broadcaster as TSN has in its family. Black will be the #2 voice, calling the Eastern semifinal and Eastern final. There is a slim chance Black moves up on the depth chart to call the Grey Cup but would best be suited in his current role.
Dave Randorf — Randorf was a free agent and a desired choice to call the 2020 CFL season. Randorf's free agent status disappeared after signing to call the Tampa Bay Lightning games. Randorf could call games until mid-September and on select weekends, depending on border availability.
Farhan Lalji, Kate Beirness, Sara Orlesky, Derek Taylor — Lalji calls an occasional game with the last one in 2019. Beirness has hosted the CFL on TSN panel with success on Thursday night games. Orlesky is a champion with hosting the Winnipeg Jets coverage and covering the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on the sidelines. Taylor is a former TSN employee who calls the Saskatchewan Roughriders on radio. Anyone of these along with John Lu and Matthew Scianitti should increase their experience if they want to do so.
Matt Devlin, Dean Brown — Devlin has a tremendous amount of experience as the voice of the Toronto Raptors. Brown is the radio voice of the Ottawa Senators. Devlin did call some CFL games from 2012–2017. Brown has CFL experience on TV and radio. Both have very busy day jobs.
Mark Lee — Mark Lee called the Grey Cup for CBC in 2005-2007. Nobody thinks TSN will borrow Mark Lee, though worth mentioning actual Grey Cup experience. Steve Armitage also called the CFL for CBC after the public broadcaster let Cuthbert get away.
Rick Ball — Ball has a day job with the Calgary Flames on Rogers Sportsnet. Ball has experience calling BC Lions on radio. This would require a generous loan by Rogers to TSN, which will never happen.
Jock Climie — Climie seems definitely retired from football and analyzing football. He is knowledgeable and versatile, hosting the panel and being on the panel. If TSN promised this would only be for 2021, maybe, possibly, hopefully.
Tim Micallef — This might be the game changer if TSN wants a bold move. Micallef has a day job at Rogers, hosting Tim and Friends. Sid Seixeiro leftTim and Sid to move over to Breakfast Television early in 2021. Micallef has shown a passion and interest in Canadian football.
Don Wittman called the Grey Cup on CBC from 1981-1995. Cuthbert took over for Wittman in 1996; he was already calling CFL games and moved up to the top spot. Someone was ready and there was a smooth transition. This transition will not be smooth; the person calling the 2021 Grey Cup may not be the same person calling the 2024 Grey Cup.
There may be an opening on the CFL on TSN panel. Henry Burris joined the Chicago Bears coaching staff for the 2020 as a seasonal coaching assistant. Burris is now a full-time, offensive quality control coach with the Bears. Davis Sanchez is the logical pick to be on the panel. TSN will need to find someone to fill in for Matt Dunigan on the panel.
A reminder to U.S. based CFL fans: The ESPN deal will cover a limited regular season schedule, mostly on ESPN2. All playoff games, including the Grey Cup, should air on the ESPN channels. The rest of the games will be on ESPN+: the service is relevant to MLS fans now and for NHL fans come this fall.
Circle August 9 on your calendar for fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents in the U.S. to come to Canada without a quarantine. Those who fall short of being fully vaccinated will quarantine for 14 days.
We would love to dance and celebrate by spending time in Canada. Let's go through some of the potential hazards.
"Those crossing the border still need to get a COVID-19 molecular test result before they arrive in Canada."
"However, the government announced today that it plans to launch a new surveillance program at airports and land border crossings starting Aug. 9. Fully vaccinated individuals will not need a post-arrival test unless they have been randomly selected to complete a COVID-19 molecular test."
Technically a contradiction but clarifies that the policy is changing. The same article also notes this:
"All travellers must use the government's ArriveCAN portal to submit their information. If they meet the government's criteria, they will not have to quarantine upon arrival in Canada."
In other words, you can plan a trip to Canada but still be denied a quarantine-free stay.
If you are planning to fly into Canada on August 9, international flights had been limited to Toronto, Montréal, Calgary, and Vancouver. The good news is you can add Halifax, Quebec City, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Winnipeg to the list. That list could get longer; check with Transport Canada to make sure about your destination. Presumably, if you land in Toronto via Porter Airlines as an example, flying domestically to Moncton or St. John's would fall under a domestic flight once you are on Canadian soil.
The Canadian plan is to allow fully vaccinated travelers from everywhere else on September 7. The transition might be a bit smoother for that second deadline.
We do think if you present legitimate evidence of vaccinations, while you might get a harder time, they will let you into Canada. Entering a country is never a guarantee but this feels a little less sure than the usual patterns.
My vision has been on the first day of eligibility, cross over into Windsor and spend the day eating and buying ketchup chips, just being on Canadian soil. Well, August 9 is a Monday and several places, if still open after the pandemic, won't be open on Monday. Waiting until the following weekend has some advantages, even if that takes part of the fun out of opening day.
The Windsor International Film Festival is sponsoring upcoming events to showcase films. Under the Stars at Charles Clark Square is this weekend: July 23-25. The "drive-in style" version, like the festival did in 2020, runs August 20-September 11. Americans can't go to the first event but could travel to the second event.
There are thousands of events on the Canadian side where Americans haven't been able to cross. The opening of the border allows for this to change.
Surprisingly, the White House has not yet announced a reciprocal deal. As much as we present this from the standpoint of customs on the Canadian side, we are curious about the reaction at U.S. customs to Americans coming back from Canada.
They would have to let you back into the country but that could run into snags as well.
If you go, be patient and cooperative. You might need a quarantine plan in case you get denied. Be asymptomatic upon arrival. Have an itinerary (good advice anytime). If you literally travel on August 9, understand that customs hasn't gone through this process in almost 18 months. Appreciate the opportunities from crossing the border.
