Canadian Crossing

Ontario-Quebec border will close on Monday

The Canada-U.S. border is approaching 14 months of closure. We've written about border communities struggling without the rest of the community. Now we can add Ottawa and Gatineau to the list.

The Ontario-Quebec border will be closed as of tomorrow thanks to the impact of variants in the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Standard exceptions are in place, such as going to and from work, seeking medical care, transporting goods and exercising Indigenous treaty rights.

Ontario is also closing its border with Manitoba. There aren't too many border communities in Canada. The Lloydminster twins (Alberta and Saskatchewan) leap to mind. The stretch of where New Brunswick and Nova Scotia meet before you go to Prince Edward Island. Ottawa (Ontario) and Gatineau (Quebec).

I have crossed provinces by bus (Manitoba to Saskatchewan); mini bus (New Brunswick to Nova Scotia and the reverse); and walking (Ottawa to Gatineau and back). The Royal Alexandra Interprovincial Bridge, aka Alexandra Bridge or Interprovincial Bridge, runs just north and east of Parliament Hill across the Ottawa River to Gatineau, Quebec.

There is a joy of crossing jurisdictions by walking over a bridge. The Cross Border Xpress (CBX) bridge from the United States to the Tijuana airport. The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge from Cincinnati (Ohio) to Covington (Kentucky) is a personal favourite, having crossed that bridge. The Confederation Bridge between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island is 12.9 km.

How the Canada-U.S. border closure has affected border towns

Remembering the COVID-19 'anniversary' in Canada

CanadianCrossing.com trade coverage

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

Metro in Washington DC in the U.S. capital crosses between Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Ottawa buses regularly travel to Gatineau.

Young people have had a ritual of going from Ontario to Quebec to buy alcohol (19 vs. 18) and now from Quebec to Ontario to buy marijuana (21 vs. 19). Some government workers may live in Quebec and commute into Ottawa because housing may be cheaper. They will be able to cross now but their commutes will change.

We believe in a world where borders are a minor inconvenience, if that. The nationalism we've seen creeping through Europe and North America during the pandemic has been depressing. Going from London to Quebec City might not be advised but restricting traffic within border communities is inhumane.

The Canada-U.S. border won't open until provincial borders are open. Let's hope that is soon.

Canadian film review: Bon Cop Bad Cop 2

CanadianCrossing.com border crossings coverage

The premise for the original Bon Cop, Bad Cop is that a body is found on the Ontario-Quebec border. So a cop from Ontario and a cop from Quebec work together on the case. The premise is a bit out there but funny for a movie. The pandemic version would have each cop on his own side of the border; not nearly as funny.

photo credits: Google maps; Bon Cop, Bad Cop film

2021 MLS preview

The 2020 Major League Soccer (MLS) season had the Canadian teams start out "normal" before the COVID-19 pandemic. Each Canadian MLS team had a home game before the shutdown and then 3 home games on Canadian soil in September. Otherwise, they were wandering nomads in the U.S. desert.

Vancouver even had to play Portland in a "home game" in Portland.

2021 still has the Canadian teams in the United States. Toronto FC will start the 2021 season playing home matches in Orlando.

The Reds were in East Hartford, Connecticut as their U.S. base following the brief trip on Canadian soil. Like the Toronto Blue Jays, the logic of playing in Florida in the spring makes a lot of sense. The team might be back in East Hartford, Connecticut later in the season if not BMO Field in Toronto.

CF Montréal is playing at the Inter Miami CF stadium in Fort Lauderdale after playing in Harrison, NJ last season. Montréal got a home game at Olympic Stadium before the pandemic and 3 at Stade Saputo in the late summer.

Vancouver will establish a base at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah outside Salt Lake City as a base until the team can get back to BC Place.

The Montréal Impact have rebranded as Club de Foot Montréal, or CF Montréal. CF Montréal has a new logo as well as part of the rebranding.

Wilfried Nancy, an assistant coach with the team since 2016, takes over for Thierry Henry, who left after a single season. Henry was mentioned in the rumour mills to leave to coach Bournemouth.

While that team decided to retain its interim manager, Henry then left CF Montréal for family reasons.

Henry's single season for Montréal led to a 8-13-2 record and a playoff game, the first for the team since 2016.

Toronto FC, Montreal Impact gone from 2020 MLS Playoffs

Chris Armas is the new Toronto FC coach. Armas replaces Greg Vanney, who resigned. Vanney is now the coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Armas was the New York Red Bulls head coach for slightly over 2 years from 2018-2020.

Vanney took over Toronto FC in August 2014, the team's 9th coach in 8 years. He provided a much needed stability and brought success to the team. Vanney finished his Toronto career with a regular-season record of 87-68-48. The team went to 3 MLS Cups in his tenure: 2016, 2017, and 2019 winning the title in 2017.

The Reds qualified for the playoffs under Vanney in all but one of his 6 full seasons.

2017 was a stellar year for Vanney: MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield, and the Canadian Championship.

This makes Marc Dos Santos the longest running coach of a Canadian MLS team. Santos has been in charge of the Vancouver Whitecaps since November 7, 2018. The Whitecaps haven't made the MLS playoffs since 2017.

2020 MLS playoffs preview

Toronto, Montreal make 2020 MLS playoffs

2020 MLS preview

Montréal "hosts" Toronto to start the MLS season on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale. Vancouver hosts Portland in Utah on Sunday. The Toronto "home" opener in Orlando will be next Saturday against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

The only U.S. TV appearances for the Canadian MLS teams in 2020 came as a result of the Orlando tournament. The COVID-19 pandemic took out the spring TV schedule for CTV in 2020.

None of the English and Spanish channels in the U.S. have any telecasts with Canadian teams, again. Ugh.

TSN will carry Toronto FC and Vancouver FC matches as well as select CF Montréal contests. TVA Sports will carry all CF Montréal matches en Francaise.

CTV will simulcast the TSN feed on Saturday telecasts this spring:

April 17 Toronto FC @ CF Montréal, 2 pm
April 24 Vancouver FC @ Toronto, 3 pm
May 1 Columbus @ CF Montréal, 3 pm
May 8 CF Montréal @ Vancouver FC, 3 pm
May 15 Toronto FC @ New York City FC, 1 pm
May 22 Cincinnati @ CF Montréal, 1 pm
May 29 Toronto FC @ Columbus, 3 pm

All games are available on ESPN+. Once (if) the CFL resumes, ESPN+ is a better acquisition for your humble narrator.

MLS Canadian teams playoffs results

Year	Date	Teams	Winner	Score
2020	November 24	Nashville @ Toronto	Nashville	1-0 (ET)
2020	November 20	Montréal @ New England	New England	2-1
2019	November 10	Toronto @ Seattle	Seattle	3-1
2019	October 30	Toronto @ Atlanta	Toronto	2-1
2019	October 23	Toronto @ New York City FC	Toronto	2-1
2019	October 19	D.C. United @ Toronto	Toronto	5-1 (ET)
2017	December 9	Seattle @ Toronto	Toronto	2-0
2017	November 29	Columbus @ Toronto	Toronto	1-0
2017	November 21	Toronto @ Columbus	Tie	0-0
2017	November 5	New York Red Bulls @ Toronto	NY Red Bulls	1-0
2017	November 2	Vancouver @ Seattle	Seattle	2-0
2017	October 30	Toronto @ New York Red Bulls	Toronto	2-1
2017	October 29	Seattle @ Vancouver	Tie	0-0
2017	October 25	San Jose @ Vancouver	Vancouver	5-0
2016	December 10	Seattle @ Toronto FC	Seattle	0-0 (5-4 PK)
2016	November 30	Montréal @ Toronto FC	Toronto FC	5-2 (ET)
2016	November 22	Toronto FC @ Montréal	Montréal	3-2
2016	November 6	Montréal @ New York Red Bulls	Montréal	2-1
2016	November 6	Toronto FC @ NYCFC	Toronto FC	5-0
2016	October 30	NYCFC @ Toronto FC	Toronto FC	2-0
2016	October 30	New York Red Bulls @ Montréal	Montréal	1-0
2016	October 27	Montréal @ D.C. United	Montréal	4-2
2016	October 26	Philadelphia @ Toronto FC	Toronto FC	3-1
2015	November 8	Portland @ Vancouver	Portland	2-0
2015	November 8	Montréal @ Columbus	Columbus	3-1 (ET)
2015	November 1	Vancouver @ Portland	Tie	0-0
2015	November 1	Columbus @ Montréal	Montréal	2-1
2015	October 29	Toronto FC @ Montréal	Montréal	3-0
2014	October 29	Vancouver @ Dallas	Dallas	2-1
2013	October 31	Montréal @ Houston	Houston	3-0
2012	November 1	Vancouver @ LA Galaxy	LA Galaxy	2-1

logo credits: MLS

Seek More embraces inclusion in Canadian television and film

#SeekMore #inclusion #cdntv is at its best when we all are involved in front of and behind the camera. Same for #cdnfilm

We tweeted this out yesterday when we first heard about the Seek More campaign from Made | Nous. Our regular readers know Made | Nous is set up to promote Canadian content, projects defined as Canadian and those shot in Canada.

Coming on the heels of the end of Kim's Convenience, the timing of #SeekMore is great in that there is so much Canadian content from people of colour. The campaign features the 3 Canadian stars in the video: Simu Liu, Shamier Anderson, and Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs along with the 3 other ambassadors: Mélissa Bédard, Adib Alkhalidey, and Cynthia Wu-Maheux.

"What every Canadian can do is realise that they can vote with their eyeballs and with their wallets and watch and support content that reflects the world that they live in," said Liu in the video.

Each of the ambassadors has Canadian content to recommend that ties back to the Seek More message. Their recommendations are a great guide to finding Canadian content that may be new to you.

Canada is a melting pot; the kind of country the United States thinks it is but isn't as strong in multiculturalism as compared to Canada.

As Made | Nous points out, "Canada’s home to some of the best talent in the world. Different perspectives are what set our content apart. But now is the time to push beyond what we know and seek a greater variety of voices. Seek More inspires Canadians to search out more content and creators from more backgrounds, cultures, and communities."

Your humble narrator has marveled at the excellent Indigenous films that Canada has produced. Jacobs has starred in a pair of films from Jeff Barnaby: Rhymes for Young Ghouls and Blood Quantum. The immigrant experience comes up often from Monsieur Lazhar to Kim's Convenience.

Clicking on a recommendation leads to other recommendations. I clicked on Rhymes for Young Ghouls and saw that Amanda Brugel recommended Tallboyz.

Other voices include Hamza Haq, Kaniehtiio Horn, Cassandra James, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and Drew Ray Tanner.

Kim's Convenience ends its run after 5 seasons

Celebrating Pride with Canadian films and television

Jay Baruchel MADE road trip takes us through Canada for Canadian content

Canadian content notebook: Made | Nous gets love at TIFF 2019

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian TV coverage

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

As a film reviewer and sometimes TV reviewer, the skill set is to embrace cultures that are not your own and give them an objective — as objective as anyone can — perspective. I fail as every mortal human does, but I do try.

Kim's Convenience is a great example: an immigrant story, an Asian story, a Korean-Canadian story, a funny story, sweet and clever from people who may look like you or who don't.

Give some of these Canadian films and TV shows a good chance. Seek the rainbow of perspectives. Seek More.

video and photo credit: Made | Nous

Canadian film review: One Pandemic Day

One Pandemic Day dives into the early COVID-19 world on April 14 in Oakville, Ontario. The documentary explores the lives of Oakville residents about a month into the pandemic.

Oakville is west of Mississauga about halfway between Toronto and Hamilton on Lake Ontario. The town is about 200,000 people.

April 14, 2020 — a year to today — we see very few masks in the community. That is a bit of a surprise. The documentary is about how the lives of people are adjusting to the new "normal."

The residents film themselves. The quality of most of the video is shockingly good. The one resident who struggles with the video is Oakville Mayor Rob Burton with his “one-handed lifestyle for the day.”

Those without kids will see what online learning is like in 2020. The scene of kids in a hot tub for recess is a way for their mother to do her own homework for a writing course.

We see clips of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Rob Ford. We hear more from local politicians such as Pam Damoff, MP from Oakville North-Burlington.

Jeff Kroll, Oakville town & regional councillor, is pretty much the star of the film. We see Kroll in his role as a politician and his day job as the CEO of the Film.Ca Cinemas. You have to read the credits to find out Kroll is an executive producer on the film.

Kroll weighs in on the difficulty of getting financial help from his business during the film. Kroll does give an otherwise missing perspective, which is running a business and dealing with how to get the CEBA (Canadian Emergency Business Account) assistance. That said, the conflict should be upfront in the film.

The look back is fascinating yet incomplete. No one is mentally exhausted from the pandemic only being a month into what is happening. Current audiences might be wishful for that time as a more innocent time.

April 14 last year started out warm and sunny yet snow arrived by the afternoon. While that might seem abnormal in some areas of the North America continent, that was somewhat normal compared to the lives upended by the pandemic.

Too much emphasis is placed on those in great situations versus those struggling financially. Perhaps that is what Oakville reflected on that date. The news coverage has greatly emphasized the same type of people featured in the documentary.

Watching people go through the pandemic while we are still in the pandemic can be jarring for some. Others want to learn from the mistakes made a year ago.

Director/editor Mikelle Virey lets the residents speak for themselves. There isn't a sense of who was picked and why.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

One Pandemic Day is worth watching whether today or maybe a few months from now when you might be ready.

One Pandemic Day is available in the United States on Amazon Prime Video.

video credit: YouTube Film.Ca Cinemas
photos credit: One Pandemic Day film

Kim's Convenience ends its run after 5 seasons

"OK. See you."

The play Kim's Convenience started out at the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival. I've been to fringe festivals in my Canadian travels in Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Victoria. You never truly know what you will find.

The play moved to the Soulpepper Theatre in 2012. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Jean Yoon played Appa and Umma in the play. Ins Choi, creator of the play, played Jung. Grace Lynn Kung played Janet in the Soulpepper production and national tour.

Kim's Convenience — the TV show — debuted in 2016 on CBC. The story was about the contrast between 1st and 2nd generations of the immigrant experience with the prodigal son mixed in and growing up Korean-Canadian.

Choi and Kevin White co-created the TV show but by all consensus, Kim's Convenience the everything was Ins Choi. The producers noted that Choi's departure was the reason the show is coming to an end after 5 seasons.

Kim's Convenience has been a major hit in Canada on CBC and outside Canada on Netflix. Lee and Yoon were joined on the TV show by Andrea Bang as Janet and Simu Liu as Jung along with Andrew Phung (Kimchee) and Nicole Power (Shannon). The series finale airs tonight on CBC.

The significance of the mostly Korean descent cast has been crucial and the show has gone out of its way to cast all hues in the smaller parts. Toronto is truly a multicultural, multi-ethnic metropolis in North America.

We also learned about the significance of Korean history, even in scenes where Appa tested a young Korean man who was going to take out Janet.

CBC will have a lot of holes to fill in the 2021-2022 television schedule

Kim's Convenience to end after Season 5; Frankie Drake Mysteries ends its CBC run

Top 10 best Canadian TV shows in the 2010s

Canadian culture notebook: Kim's Convenience and more Canadian content on Netflix

To my fellow costars. @bitterasiandude @jean_yoon @SimuLiu @NicolePower3 and Andrea Bang, it was the greatest honour to watch you act, learn from you, and act alongside you. Every day with you with an absolute joy. I’m so proud of everything we created and cherish all moments... pic.twitter.com/dL6tgRvrNO

— Andrew Phung (@andrewphung) March 8, 2021

If you look back at Schitt's Creek, 6 seasons made sense since they were telling a story about characters who progressed over time. Kim's Convenience had its own set of conflicts but also was about family. The core family was absolutely key; family could also be used for the collective on-screen people and off-screen people. You got the impression that like Schitt's Creek, Kim's Convenience was a fun experience.

A Season 6 would have made the departure of the show a bit easier to handle. Leaving a bit early in the TV landscape is heralded; some shows need more time to tell stories rarely heard in that TV landscape. Kim's Convenience feels like one of those shows that needed more time and episodes.

We do want to mention a few of the many on-screen people who made an impact on Kim's Convenience. John Ng (Mr. Chin); Ben Beauchemin (Gerald Tremblay); Michael Musi (Terence Pepler); Derek McGrath (Frank); Amanda Brugel (Pastor Nina Gomez); Sugith Varughese (Mr. Mehta); Ishan Davé (Raj Mehta); Gabriella Sundar Singh (Chelsea Chettiar); and Akosua Amo-Adem (Stacie).

Could build an all-star Canadian TV lineup out of shows that are leaving

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian TV coverage

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

The CBC lineup will be without Kim’s Convenience next season. The 2 new shows feature actors from the show in new settings. Strays is the only Kim's Convenience spinoff featuring Shannon (Nicole Power) relocating to Hamilton. The optics of having the only non-Korean descent major cast member getting the only spinoff is odd at best. Kevin White created the show. Can't think of too many spinoffs of Canadian TV shows.

Andrew Phung is the co-creator and lead in Run the Burbs about a stay-at-home dad with an entrepreneur wife and 2 kids.

These shows have been in the planning stage for some time so a potential Season 6 of Kim's Convenience might not have had everyone back.

The show didn't really have a lot of colour behind the scenes outside of Choi. That is an unfortunate legacy of the show.

We hope to see more of the actors from the show. We know Liu has been cast as the superhero Shang-Chi for Marvel with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. We know Lee was in a couple episodes of The Mandalorian. We don't want to forget about Yoon and Bang and hope to see them in future Canadian films and TV shows. Bang had a small role in the Canadian film Adventures in Public School.

If you are new to Kim's Convenience, come along with the journey. The saga is specific and also timeless. Congratulations on the 5 seasons and the impact felt on Canadian television.

Kim's Convenience is available in Canada on CBC and CBC Gem. The show is available on Netflix in the United States with Season 5 to air later this year.

photo credits: Kim's Convenience/CBC; Hockey Night in Canada/Sportsnet
Twitter capture: @andrewphung

Telefilm Canada presents the Canadian Movie of the Week

Canadian Movie of the Week sounds more like a title for a TV-movie from a bygone era. Telefilm Canada is using the moniker to promote Canadian films in a modern era through the Apple TV app.

These films are available in Canada for 99¢. A loonie for a Canadian film is a really good deal.

"Discoverability is key to making Canadian filmmakers and their works thrive in an increasingly crowded marketplace," said Christa Dickenson, Telefilm Canada executive director. "Hosting Canadian Movie of the Week on the Apple TV app makes it easy for viewers to explore Canadian films, from festival favourites to contemporary classics and much more."

There is a healthy mix of very new films and some older Canadian films. Here is the lineup:

March 30-April 5 The Rest of Us
April 6-12 Les Boys
April 13-19 Wander
April 20-26 Canadian Strain
April 27-May 3 Target Number One
May 4-10 Maudie
May 11-17 Crash (4K restoration)
May 18-24 Gabrielle
May 25-31 Nadia, Butterfly
June 1-7 The Incredible 25th Year of Mitzi Bearclaw
June 8-14 Porcupine Lake
June 15-21 Starbuck
June 22-28 1991
June 29-July 5 The Kid Detective

We have seen all of these films except for Wander; Target Number One; Crash; Nadia, Butterfly; The Incredible 25th Year of Mitzi Bearclaw; and The Kid Detective. All but Crash and The Incredible 25th Year of Mitzi Bearclaw have come out within the last year.

The release notes that these titles are subject to change.

Telefilm Canada helps you find Canadian films on streaming services

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2020

Breaking down the Barry Hertz list of Top 10 Canadian films of 2020

Canada Screens was a pioneer in bringing Canadian film to Canadians

Nadia, Butterfly has been an elusive film for your humble narrator. The border may not be open by then.

Target Number One aka Most Wanted in the United States is available in the U.S. on Amazon Prime Video. The Kid Detective is available in the U.S. for rent. Wander looks like a violent American film and is a Canada co-production.

There are a few French-Canadian films in the mix: Les Boys; Gabrielle; Nadia, Butterfly; Starbuck; and 1991.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

We previously covered the Telefilm Canada See It All collection, drawing attention to Canadian films on various online and streaming platforms.

photo credit: Telefilm Canada

Cheap pizza is now a thing in Canada

Pizza is considered a cheap food … in the United States. Pizza in Canada may be relatively cheap but expensive compared to the United States.

Over the many years we have tracked Canadian ads through MLB Extra Innings or NHL Center Ice, we have noticed the shockingly high prices of pizza in Canada. The pizzas in the ads didn't look that great and the prices were through the roof.

You would see side deals involving soft drink bottles and movie tickets to make the pizza seem not as expensive.

The usual explanation for why pizza in Canada is more expensive is the cost of high-quality Canadian cheese. This explains stories every few years about pizza cheese shenanigans in Canada.

There are conditions to get a pizza in Canada for $7.99 or a similar low price. You have to buy multiple pizzas or provide a code or know the sale is for a very limited time.

Little Caesar's is offering a classic with Crazy Bread for $7.99. Pizza Hut is offering a buy one, get one free pizza. Domino's is offering unlimited, 2-topping pizzas for $7.99. Greco is offering the $7.99 12" mediums when you buy 2 or more pizzas with regular toppings.

Farmers benefit more than consumers with Canada supply management

CUSMA | USMCA aka NAFTA 2.0 allowed cheaper, lesser quality American-based cheese to come into Canada. We don't know for certain, but that is the most logical reasoning behind the sudden arrival of cheaper pizza in Canada.

Domino's mentions Canadian cheese. Are the pizza companies using a mix of Canadian and American-based cheese? Are they using Canadian cheese only but desperate to lure customers over to pizza?

There is (sadly) the possibility that some Canadians don't care that their pizza cheese is American. They may think a cheaper price on a pizza in Canada is worth eating inferior cheese. They may like Canadian cheese but not at the prices they were paying.

Normally, your humble narrator would weigh in on the experience of eating pizza in Canada and compare this to the American standards. Unfortunately, due to an intolerance to mozzarella cheese, I am sadly not the expert. I can vouch for the Crazy Bread since there is no mozzarella.

Pandemic pizza is not a thing but can imagine that pizzas are more popular in a pandemic since you don't have to cook and pizzas come pretty quickly to your home. Having cheaper pizza is an advantage if you lost your job and/or CERB (and similar programs) not stretching far enough.

Canada milk producers threatened with invasion of cheaper American milk

BalanceofFood.com Canada coverage

As our sibling blog — BalanceofFood.com — would note, quality food does cost more. The question for Canadian dairy is whether the quality is worth the higher prices.

If our American readers crossed over to Canada to eat better quality cheese on Canadian pizzas, we wish you much luck in finding that once the border has reopened. Perhaps a local pizza chain might do better than a national chain.

CanadianCrossing.com trade coverage

The quality of food in North America is not as easy to find as opposed to Europe. You search more and you definitely pay more. Wages haven't kept up in North America so the pressure of cheap food is a reality for most people on the continent. Would be a shame to lose something that is of quality and distinctly Canadian thanks to a lame trade deal that dumped cheap cheese in Canada.

photo credit: Greco pizza
video credits: individual pizza companies

Canadian film review: Kayak to Klemtu

Kayak to Klemtu is a simple story with a larger message. Ella (Ta'kaiya Blaney) is 14 with a mission. Her late Uncle Bear (Dave) wanted her to testify against oil tanker traffic running through the Inside Passage amidst the Great Bear Rainforest on the west coast of British Columbia.

To truly get the sense of the area in question and to spread the ashes of her late uncle, Ella wants to kayak up to Klemtu, where the hearing is and also a place that has family ties.

The trip starts out with Ella, Cory, who is Dave's widow (Sonja Bennett), and her son Alex (Jared Ager-Foster). Ella's other uncle Don (Lorne Cardinal) refuses to go at the start. When the group gets stuck early, he decides to come along on the journey.

In a story about Indigenous tradition and story, the opening dynamic of 2 white people and a Indigenous person was really awkward. Cory, who didn't want to cry over her husband's death, proves useless after a single day of rowing. Don ends up rowing his sister-in-law in what is known as a "divorce boat."

The group has various adventures. Ella and her step-cousin Alex have memories of spending time with Uncle Bear. Ella sprinkles some of her uncle's ashes throughout the journey.

You know somewhat how the film will turn out. The joy is in the journey. The area is really lovely. They encounter a lot of nature along the way.

CanadianCrossing.com Indigenous coverage

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Blaney gives a strong performance. Her character wrestles with doubt but also hope of pulling off the testimony.

Cardinal always seems to have fun on the screen. Bennett does her best with what has to be a highly frustrating character.

Zoe Leigh Hopkins, who directed and co-wrote the script, gives us a mostly good story that tells necessary truths. I did wonder in watching the film why oil tankers would take the inner passage instead of being out on the ocean. There are relevant real-life examples revealed right after the film ends. A nice touch. This film is fiction but based on real concerns.

Kayak to Klemtu is more of a family film but for more mature kids, given a scene or two. Definitely a film to watch with your kids. As Ella takes in the territory, the viewer sees why this area is so valuable.

The flaws in Kayak to Klemtu are relatively minor. The story is a bit cute but relevant and told well.

Kayak to Klemtu is available in the United States on Amazon Prime Video and should be in Canada on CBC Gem.

photo credit: Kayak to Klemtu film
video credit: YouTube/Cine Las Americas

The Last Blockbuster sparks nostalgia for independent video stores

The Last Blockbuster is a documentary on Netflix where we are supposed to be nostalgic. The doc focuses on the last Blockbuster location in Bend, Oregon.

The documentary talks about the decline of Blockbuster: was it Netflix or incompetent management decisions. Fortunately, the documentary spends very little time on the topic. The wave is nostalgia but is that nostalgia about Blockbuster Video?

The nostalgia of the film is about Blockbuster as well as video stores and the small city of Bend.

The film paints a world (mostly) where people went to rent videos but could only do so at Blockbuster Video. This was sadly true for a lot of people living in small towns.

Your nostalgia being different than other people's nostalgia doesn't make your memories better or invalidate someone else's memories. Nostalgia aside, we do want to remind people of the limits of that Blockbuster legacy.

Blockbuster Video marketed itself as a video store for the whole family. This didn't include parents who wanted to see sophisticated films, such as NC-17 films. The chain banned NC-17 films in 1991. Since Blockbuster was a dominant chain that put many smaller video stores out of business, the decision meant a lack of distribution for such films. In many cases, films produced versions of those films that were more "Blockbuster friendly."

Unofficially, films that fell into more mysterious categories (foreign films, LGBTQ films) were much more difficult to find at a local Blockbuster. Renting a film with tons of violence? That was easy to find at Blockbuster Video.

Your humble narrator did frequent Blockbuster in its early days. Living in small towns meant Blockbuster or nothing for films. This meant seemingly a lot of choices, more than in smaller video stores, yet a lot of those choices were similar.

When I moved to the big city, I discovered real video stores. The one in the basement of a restaurant. Most of them were holes in the wall, staffed by people who wore dark clothes and didn't say much. Foreign films, lesbian films, Radley Metzger films. Blockbuster wouldn't know who Radley Metzger was.

I was in love. These films were the secrets that Blockbuster would never carry. These stores might have had staff picks but they were more authentic than the staff picks at Blockbuster. Small video stores were like the extra pages on a menu that were censored in small towns.;

When I watched The Last Blockbuster, I grew nostalgic for video stores. Nostalgic for Blockbuster? To be honest, I cheered when the company went down. The company imploded from within. The cheering came from its arrogant policies on shutting out good films and forcing the censorship of some of those films.

The documentary does have a few words from Troma founder Lloyd Kaufman; the major segment is called "112 seconds with Lloyd Kaufman." Kaufman comes across as bitter since Blockbuster wouldn't carry his films.

We learn about the revenue sharing plan where Blockbuster convinced the studios to sharply reduce the cost of the videos in exchange for giving them some of the revenue later on. This allowed Blockbuster to carry more of new products and helped eliminate its competition of small video stores. Small video stores could survive in the big city but harder to do in small towns.

The documentary never mentions the issue with NC-17 and censorship because that isn't nostalgic.

Buying a film versus renting a film in the digital landscape

Canadian films on streaming video need a lot more publicity

Marvel superhero films have place in film landscape but shouldn't crowd out independent films

Celebrating Pride with Canadian films and television

Canadian film review: Better Than Chocolate

Independent video stores, smaller video stores had less space to show off films yet the films they carried had categories not seen in a Blockbuster films. Better Than Chocolate, a film that clicks the Canadian and LGBTQ boxes, almost certainly wouldn't have been found at a Blockbuster.

There was a time in the life of your humble narrator where Canadian films didn't exist as a category. Hard to believe. Canadian film isn't a category even in quirky independent video stores. I've found French-Canadian films under French in some places.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

I found quirky wonderful films that happened to be Canadian. Le Déclin de l'empire américain looked like a promising film to rent as did The Sweet Hereafter. I didn't put together that they were both Canadian films right away.

I saw Léolo and Le Sexe des étoiles | The Sex of the Stars years before I thought of Canadian films. They happened to be the 1992 and 1993 entries to what was then the Best Foreign Language Film (now the Best International Feature Film) category. I also saw C.R.A.Z.Y., the 2005 entry to the Best Foreign Language Film category for the Academy Awards.

Those small video stores developed my love for Canadian film. If I had only access to Blockbuster films, my film world would be so incomplete.

Even in a world where you can stream films, I miss the local video store where you could find titles you still can't stream. That is my nostalgia.

I spent some of my Toronto vacation in 2016 hitting video stores to find more Canadian film titles. I even bought some used videos from those places. Most if not all of them are now gone.

Everyone in those stores were beyond nice and generous to an American wanting to learn more about Canadian film. Was fun to finally find an independent video store with a category marked "Canadian film."

video credit: YouTube/1091 Pictures
photo credits: The Last Blockbuster film; me

Canada surpasses 1 million COVID-19 cases

We have said Canada has had a better experience with COVID-19 as compared to the United States. Better federal government action on the virus and financial help for its citizens. A slower pace of cases and deaths than the southern neighbours.

Canada, west of the Atlantic provinces and south of the territories, is going through a rough patch in what is the third wave in the country. The Brazilian variant has been particularly troublesome for the population. The numbers are tracking toward younger people getting sick.

Over the Easter weekend, Canada went over the 1 million mark in COVID-19 cases.

The focus in Canada has been more on the vaccine numbers as in "why are Americans getting more vaccine." The Toronto Star reported as of Friday, "101.8 million people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, 31 per cent of the adult population. In Canada, the number is five million first doses, or just shy of 14 per cent of the adult population." In the spirit of disclosure, your humble narrator has had the first dose, something that may not have happened in Canada.

My Twitter feed has exploded with how vaccines are getting to the people who need them, especially in Ontario. The idea of getting a first shot and then waiting 4 months before the second shot seems like something Canadians should not have to confront, yet they are in some places.

Here is to hoping the vaccine situation gets so much better in Canada. Even if you are partially or completely vaccinated, still take precautions on masks and social distancing.

How the Canada-U.S. border closure has affected border towns

Remembering the COVID-19 'anniversary' in Canada

We wanted to give some perspective on the countries in a side-by-side COVID-19 comparison. These numbers are courtesy of Worldometers as of last night.

Cases and deaths

Country	Cases	Deaths	Active Cases
United States	31,420,331	568,777	6,904,851
Canada	1,003,988	23,062	58,402

The United States ranks 1st rather easily. Brazil and India have just under 13 million cases. Canada ranks 23rd on the list.

Canada has a 2.30% death rate (death/cases) versus the U.S. with a 1.81% death rate. This doesn't factor in the undercounting of cases, especially in certain U.S. states.

Canada is in much better shape with active cases. The U.S. has a 22% active cases rate (active cases/overall cases) while Canada has a 5.8% active cases rate.

Canada has about 11% of the population of the United States. The chart (below) factors in a similar comparison of per million people to give a proper comparison.

Cases and deaths per million people

Country	Cases	Deaths
United States	94,505	1,711
Canada	26,426	607

Number of positive cases climbing within the Vancouver Canucks. More than 20 players/coaches combined have tested positive. Variant symptoms include vomiting, cramping and dehydration. Family members are getting it. Scary situation. Next 5-7 days will determine scheduling.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) April 4, 2021

The NHL is not indicative of the whole Canadian experience with COVID-19. The Vancouver Canucks situation is getting really bad. TSN's Darren Dreger reported yesterday that more than 20 players and coaches have tested positive.

The Vancouver Canucks haven't played since March 24. They don't expect the team to start playing again on April 8.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Last month, the Montréal Canadiens became the first Canadian team to postpone games due to the COVID-19 protocols. The Habs lost 4 home games but those games have been rescheduled. That was far more mild than what the Canucks are dealing with on COVID-19.

The season is scheduled to end on May 11. The Vancouver Canucks might not start up again this season. Here is hoping that players, coaches, and family members recover well.

photo credit: CBC News
Twitter capture: @DarrenDreger