Canadian Crossing

Canadian film review: The Pizza City You've Never Heard Of

I've been to Windsor more times than I can count. I've heard a few people from Windsor tell me over the years they have great pizza in Windsor. No one really explained what was so special about Windsor pizza.

The Pizza City You've Never Heard Of is Windsor, just south of Detroit tucked away in a pocket in southwestern Ontario.

George Kalivas has a career in the world of music in Toronto but misses Windsor pizza. So along with director Tristan Laughton and Kalivas as writer, narrator, and host, the film sets out to tell us what makes Windsor pizza so distinct.

The intriguing comparison is New Haven, CT in the United States, a city that has an established pizza identity in a smaller town. Kalivas conveys that Windsor has unique pizza traditions.

• flour crust with cornmeal on the bottom
• sweet sauce using sweeter tomatoes such as San Marzano or tomatoes from California
• Galati cheese company making high fat mozzarella that is stringy when you pull out a slice
• shredded pepperoni
• canned mushrooms

As someone who makes a lot of homemade pizza, your humble narrator sauteed mushrooms before putting them on the pizza. Kalivas and his experts point out that canned mushrooms are used because they never burn, unlike raw mushrooms.

The shredded pepperoni approach is that you get pepperoni in every bite. 

Kalivas starts out at his favourite Windsor Pizzeria. As he takes us to several other places, such as Arcata Pizzeria and Capri Pizzeria (across the street from each other), and Antonino's Pizza, they point out that while the pizzas are similar, people have their favourites from generations back in time.

The documentary traces the story of Windsor pizza back to Volcano in 1957 and how every pizzeria can tie their pizza back to the pizza at Volcano.

One other element of Windsor pizza is the rather large number of toppings. The large super has a lot of toppings though Kalinas does not explain as to what ingredients should go on a large super or whether different pizzerias have unique versions of large super.

For example, Capri defines a super pizza as having "mozzarella, shredded pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms, and green peppers."   

The documentary bounces to different part of the cities but does spend quite a bit of time on East Erie Street, which is the Little Italy section in Windsor.

Cheap pizza is now a thing in Canada

Your humble narrator has an intolerance of mozzarella cheese so pizza isn't high on the call list of potential dinner options. Some New Haven places have a tomato pie type option with Parmesan instead of mozzarella. Indulging in mozzarella produces headaches, so I could try this out for myself.

The super pizza, even with the shredded pepperoni, sounds good. Watching the documentary does make you want to try the pizza.

Kalivas takes us to a lot of pizza choices in a relatively small town. He even interviews Peter Vitti, co-owner of Spago (not that Spago), even though they don't do Windsor style pizza. The film is about Windsor pizza and also about Windsor and food obsession.

Having a pizza obsession in Canada is a bit intriguing because pizza is expensive in Canada. Americans think of pizza as being cheap. This is an expensive obsession in Canada, mostly because of the Canadian cheese being more expensive than cheaper cheese from the United States.

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The pace of the film is strong. The presentation is very straight forward. They resist the temptation to bash other types of pizza; the film exists to tell you how good the pizza is in Windsor and why the pizza is unique.

The Pizza City You've Never Heard Of runs 51 minutes. The film ran on the Absolutely Canadian series that airs on CBC television.

video credit: YouTube/Lrg Super
photo credit: The Pizza City You've Never Heard Of

2022 WIFF Canadian films in review

The 2022 Windsor International Film Festival was a grand 11-day celebration of Canadian film. A plethora of Canadian film. Perhaps as many French Canadian films in a single festival as your humble narrator had seen in the previous 3 years. The wait between festivals was so very long.

We are repeating a split of English, French (and Spanish), and Documentaries. We even thought about having a separate column for the 2022 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film nominees; we will note those that qualified under that banner.

Grouping the WIFF Prize in Canadian Film entries in a 2-day period early in the festival meant a new significance for your humble narrator. I saw 4 Canadian films in a row (one of them not a WIFF prize nominee) to end the first Friday and 5 Canadian films in a row to end the first Saturday. That hasn't happened in the many years of attending the film festival.

There were also stretches without a Canadian film, as will happen over 11 days. As we noted, there were Canadian films in the festival that we had already seen and a few minor ones we were unable to view. We saw 9 of the 10 WIFF Prize in Canadian films entries with To Kill a Tiger drawing the odd straw out. I did see Falcon Lake before the festival (because of 10 films in 8 slots) and including that review.

Riceboy Sleeps wins the 2022 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film

The judges had a difficult decision in determining the 2022 WIFF Prize in Canadian film.

Our sentimental favourites from the list were I Like Movies, North of Normal, and Falcon Lake. When you get asked a lot on the streets of downtown Windsor "what have you liked so far?" — these titles kept coming out of my lips.

Brother, Riceboy Sleeps, and to a lesser extent, Eternal Spring were strong portrayals of difficult stories to tell. Norbourg was very straightforward, The Swearing Jar was a pleasant surprise, and Something You Said Last Night was the only real disappointment. Thoughts on To Kill a Tiger are still to come but since this was the most non-Canadian of the entries, the wait is just a reality.

2022 Windsor International Film Festival preview

The festival includes Canadian films we have already reviewed: The Grey Fox (1982), Indian Horse; and Peace By Chocolate. We did not get to see such titles as Unloved - Huronia's Forgotten Children and a local film, A Year in the Forest. There were Canadian film titles viewed outside of the festival that may receive a future review: Slash/Back definitely will get a review while there is a debate over The Last Tourist and Aline.

2022 TIFF wrapup

2019 WIFF Canadian films in review

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

We saw Women Talking during the festival and will explore that film with the opening of that film in U.S. theatres on Friday. I got to meet Sheila McCarthy at the end of the Q&A for the film. McCarthy was an absolute delight. Truly fun to hear a Canadian film star say there isn't a star system in the Canadian film world. We had a lovely chat about Cardinals, a Canadian film she described (and I concurred) as a film that didn't take off.

I jumped into a conversation of several people, including Maxime Giroux, who I met when he was promoting Felix et Meira. I told him I still wanted to see his previous film to Norbourg — La grande noirceur | The Great Darkened Days. Giroux told me that film is on Apple TV (in Canada).

One cool advantage to the WIFF Prize in Canadian film is that the directors want to come to Windsor to talk about their films.

We should note that the 2022 festival pass itself was comped for the first time in a very long time. We don't feel like that changed our interest in writing and tweeting about the Windsor International Film Festival. Disclosure is paramount.

photos credit: me

Overview English French Documentaries

2022 WIFF Canadian films in review: English

The Middle Man played at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. In that time, Kenneth Welsh passed away in real life. The strength of the English language Canadian film lineup in 2022 was in the WIFF Prize in Canadian Film category. Very memorable films as was The Middle Man.

The Middle Man is Norway meets Canada sprinkled with American flags in a dismal small town. Frank (Norwegian actor Pål Sverre Hagen) gets a big break. The small town where they live needs a middle man, someone to break bad news to people. The pay is good but things are slow for Frank. Soon the bad news gets a little personal. Frank's secretary becomes his girlfriend. Frank starts to change subtly. Canadian actors include Paul Gross, Don McKellar, Rossif Sutherland, Sheila McCarthy, and Kenneth Welsh. The humour is as dark as the Scandivanian rye bread on an open faced sandwich. You almost have to see the film twice to get a true sense of what is happening. This film played at TIFF 2021 so hopefully momentum is building on this film. Not your typical film in a very good way.

Wolves wants to be a lot of different kinds of films, mostly a horror film. Him (Mark Nocent) is a total loser. Not a very interesting loser. We root for his turtle to escape and find a better life. Him becomes obsessed with a serial criminal who mutilates animals. Does Him see himself in this criminal? Maybe. Him fancies himself a detective though his interrogation scenes are more laughable than serious. The skittish neighbour is more funny than creepy. Writer/director Danny Dunlop uses really good music to create fake tension that doesn't lead anywhere. This isn't a good film but the film tries hard. More focus, a sincere purpose, and better editing would have greatly helped.

So Much Tenderness starts out with Aurora (Colombian actor Noëlle Schönwald) smuggled into Canada by Deragh Campbell and Kazik Radwanski (star and director of Anne at 13,000 Feet) as themselves. Lucía (Natalia Aranguren), Aurora's daughter, follows shortly afterward to Canada. Lucía adapts rather easily to her new country while Aurora struggles. Aurora sees someone from her past. Writer/director Lina Rodriguez tells more about the adjustment Aurora makes with almost every aspect of her life. The film is slow and subtle. Interesting but not deeply satisfying. The daughter is more intriguing, especially with some of her conversations, but the film is mostly about the mother.

Hands That Bind reminds us that farming is a sad life, especially when you don't own the land. Andy (Paul Sparks) works on Mac Longridge's (Nicholas Campbell) farm. Mac's son Dirk (Landon Liboiron) comes back, forcing Andy's family out of the house and into a trailer. Dirk doesn't know about farming but has a higher position in the hierarchy. Andy's wife Susan (Susan Kent) can take a lot but only so much. You want to have the energy to yell at the screen to convince her to leave, knowing that will speed up to the end of the film. Bruce Dern is in this film but he doesn't have to suffer as much as we did. Writer/director Kyle Armstrong introduces us to UFO type imagery. A connection would have helped but is more of a distraction. If you want a film that is sad, consistently sad, find this film.

WIFF Prize in Canadian Film

Brother features young Black Canadian men Francis (Aaron Pierre) and his younger brother Michael (2018 TIFF Rising Star Lamar Johnson) growing up in the Galloway Road neighbourhood of Scarborough in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in the early 1990s. Francis is a quiet giant interested in music. He is their mother's favourite. Francis is protective of Michael as both try to avoid the gang life all around them. Michael is interested in Aisha (Kiana Madeira), who becomes a friend of the family. Clement Virgo adapted the David Chariandy novel of the same name. Virgo uses flashbacks to show the dynamic between the brothers in better times. The story is powerful and not upbeat, reflecting the reality of that time and place for young men of colour. The police often come into the film to frisk young Black people with flimsy excuses. The dialogue is difficult to follow at times so you might need subtitles to follow along better. An excellent, emotional film with complex portrayals of young Black men.

I Like Movies tells the story about a teenager who loves films a little too much, as if that was possible. Lawrence (Isaiah Lehtinen) is so convinced he will get into film school at New York University that he doesn't apply anywhere else. Lawrence ends up getting a job at the video store, which he thinks will be great because he loves movies. Except Lawrence has to upsell films that are too broad. Lawrence has an intriguing dynamic with his older boss (Romina D'Ugo) and dealing with his single mother (Krista Bridges). Percy Hynes White and Andy McQueen are great in the film as well. Chandler Levack brings a depth to the surface comedy plot that is lovely and fun to watch. The fact that Lawrence doesn't want to be a Canadian filmmaker is hilarious. Levack does give some Canadian film love to titles such as Last Night, Child Star, and Saddest Music in the World. If you like movies, you will like I Like Movies.

North of Normal is based off the memoir of Cea Sunrise Person, who grew up in part in the Yukon (hence the north of normal). The film shows her as a young age (River Price-Maenpaa) and as a teenager (Amanda Fix) with her hippie mother (Sarah Gadon). The mother-daughter relationship is filled with abandonment as she literally left Cea behind to live with her parents. The teenage version is debating about whether to stay in school or become a model. She wants the independence and her mother's love. The story from Person and Alexandra Weir (screenplay) is compelling as Cea has more questions than answers. She tries to follow her grandfather's advice to "never give into fear." This film exemplifies why you can't give up on most directors. Carly Stone's debut The New Romantic was a terrible film yet Stone does a much better job, helped out because someone else wrote the screenplay. The story and acting are outstanding. In a sea of a bunch of films in a row, this film kept standing out.

Riceboy Sleeps tells a majestic story about Dong-Hyun, a young Korean boy who moves to Canada in a time where that transition isn't that easy. Dong-Hyun is asked to draw a family tree but can't because he doesn't know anything about his father. So-Young (Korean actor Choi Seung Yoon) is the single mother, juggling a new country, a new job, and taking care of her son. Dong-Hyun has issues with violence, which is likely traced back to his father. We see the young version and then teenage version of Dong-Hyun. Writer/director Anthony Shim also casts himself as a suitor for So-Young. The struggles feel real and all too sad for both mother and son. Mother and son finally take a trip to South Korea so the son can meet his paternal relatives. The only flaw of note is the pacing of the ending as we feel like the film ends at different points. The editing is loose making for a longer film than is otherwise needed. Still, the story is so engaging and the acting and scenery is so good that you will enjoy the experience.

Something You Said Last Night celebrates Renata, a trans character, and doesn't treat her as a strange occurrence. The film is about the family, except for the son, at a summer resort. The film should be celebrated for all that it does in showcasing Renata. The major problem with the film is that the story is boring. The sisters have inside jokes that are so inside the audience can't follow along. Renata is having issues in her life. Do we know what they are? No. Why is Anthony not there? We won't know. The mother is a reasonably well-developed character and is the only interesting person in the film. The father is loving but virtually invisible. Luis De Filippis shows us a multi-layer trans character as the lead, a very good idea. Unfortunately, you will count the minutes until the film is over, if you get that far.

The Swearing Jar could easily be dismissed as a conflicted love story but has some meaningful depth. Carey (Adelaide Clemens) is married to Simon (Patrick J. Adams). After trying for some time to get pregnant, Carey is finally with child. Then Carey falls in love with Owen (Douglas Smith). Bev (American actor Kathleen Turner) is Simon's mother who feels abandoned because her husband died on her. The film is interrupted at various intervals with Carey singing with Owen on guitar with songs about relationships. Kate Hewlett wrote the original play, the songs, and the screenplay directed by Lindsay MacKay. The twists are significant and needed. This film treats adults as adults dealing with adult messes. There is a giant leap of faith when the film moves forward that defies logic and throws off an otherwise above average film.

photo credits: So Much Tenderness film; North of Normal film

Overview English French Documentaries

2022 WIFF Canadian films in review: French

François Arnaud and Monia Chokri were in 2 different films in the festival. Arnaud had a lead role in both films while Chokri directed herself in one of the films. Always fun to see Karine Vanasse and Suzanne Clément on the screen, though in separate films.

The phrase in the Ici Windsor ad roughly translates to "wings for the cinema." Ici Windsor is the French version of CBC television. Windsor had a retransmitter of the Ottawa Ici station then the Toronto Ici station until the analog versions were discontinued in 2012. Meaning until 2012, those in Windsor could get CBEFT, Channel 54 (later Channel 35), over the air. Now those in the Windsor area watch the Toronto station CBLFT-DT via cable or satellite.

Babysitter features Monia Chokri, who stars and directs in the film adaptation of the play, both written by Catherine Léger. The film features a lot of misogyny in an over-the-top presentation in a Quebecois farce. Cédric (Patrick Hivon) violates Chantal Tremblay, a female reporter, while she is on the air. His brother Jean-Michel goes to the other extreme on attitudes with women. Chokri may seem like a background character but be patient. The babysitter herself (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) is also not what you think. Misogyny covered by women in a farce is an excellent angle to take this topic. Not much into farces personally, but Babysitter is a film to watch more than once to see all that is there. Chokri shows she is a director to pay attention to in the Quebecois film scene.

The Origin of Evil feels (and is) like a France-Canada co-production about a factory worker trying to escape the poor life by impersonating the long lost daughter of a very rich man. Turns out the patriarch is a bit odd and his daughter a bit cold. Suzanne Clément plays the ex-girlfriend of the factory worker and the actual long-lost daughter. A thriller that was surprisingly deep in the storytelling.

Arsenault & Fils is about a tight-knit family in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. Long after other families got out of the poaching business, the Arsenaults are still at it. The older son Adam (Guillaume Cyr) would rather be running the garage, the front for the poaching business, legitimately. The younger son Anthony (Pierre-Paul Alain) is back in town and wants to heighten the poaching part of the business. Complicated things further is the arrival of radio host Émilie (Karine Vanasse), who falls for Adam and draws the attention of Anthony. The film makes note of being near the Quebec border with New Brunswick, which is intriguing since New Brunswick has almost no major film presence in Canada. An interesting enough story with some cool twists along the way.

Maria has a struggling commercial actor falling into a teaching role. Mariana Mazza is in the title role and co-wrote the film with Justine Philie. Alec Pronovost is the director. Maria is loud and rubs people the wrong way. Her best friends seem to represent potential choices for Maria: one is a lesbian and the other is pregnant with 2 other kids. She discovers that being a teacher suits her, even if her style is atypical. This film reminded me of Guidance from Pat Mills, which we enjoyed. While not a great film, Maria is reasonably good. If you are stuck in your life, you may relate but you won't learn how to get unstuck.

Goodbye Happiness | Au Revoir Le Bonheur is a broad comedy about 4 brothers after their father has passed away and they are deciding what to do about the summer home. This is a Ken Scott film and feels like one even if you don't know who Ken Scott is. François Arnaud plays the primary brother Nicolas, who has several children each with different mothers. You will recognise Antoine Bertrand and Julie Le Breton if you saw Starbuck. English Canada has few broad films, unless there is an English language version of a Scott film. Stick with the subtitles and see his original films en Francaise.

Rosie is a little Indigenous girl whose mother dies. Her aunt Fred is Quebecois, both girls ripped from their worlds and placed in a family together. Fred's life is not going terribly well and struggles to figure out how to care for this girl in her life. Fred's best friends are 2 drag queens, who have actual subplots of their own. Gail Maurice tells a deeper story in her directorial and writing debut than is obvious within the film. Viewing the film within the glass of abandonment will help the film make a bit more sense. An inconsistent film with a great message.

Coyote focuses on Camilo, a Mexican immigrant trying to rebuild his life as a chef in La Malbaie, Quebec. Camilo's plans are put on hold after his adult daughter goes into rehab and he is forced to take care of his grandson, whom he meets for the first time. Camilo is fluent in French and Spanish while the grandson doesn't know Spanish. This is Katherine Jerkovic's second film after Roads to February, which was set in Uruguay. A slow yet intriguing look at the life of an immigrant turning his life around.

WIFF Prize in Canadian Film

Falcon Lake gives us an unusual friendship with Bastien (French actor Joseph Engel), 13, from Paris visiting a small town in Quebec. His mother (Monia Chokri) knows Chloé's (Sara Montpetit) mother (Karine Gonthier-Hyndman). Chloé is 16 and is trying to find her ground with the boys in the tiny community. She teases Bastien, seeing him as an opportunity to have some control over a boy. Bastien is a bit of a puppy dog but not too much. Charlotte LeBon, who co-wrote and directed the film, is delicate with the dynamic of Bastien and Chloé as they grow closer. Bastien is the protagonist (Bastien Vivès wrote the original graphic novel Une sœur and co-wrote the screenplay) yet LeBon gives time and energy to Chloé's struggles much to the benefit of the audience. LeBon also uses the calmness and natural beauty of the rustic setting to set the tone and mood of the film in an ideal proportion. Montpetit had trouble as the lead in Maria Chapdelaine (not her fault) but shows great potential in this complex role. This is a film you will remember for some time to come.

Norbourg describes the straightforward story of the actual Norbourg scandal from 2005. François Arnaud is excellent as the arrogant company president Vincent Lacroix. Vincent-Guillaume Otis is complicated in his portrayal of vice-president Éric Asselin. Maxime Giroux told this story in part because his parents were affected by the scandal. Watching the company executives thwart the regulators is sad and likely very accurate. One funny scene involves Olympic Stadium, which is amusing in itself. The pace matches what is necessary to tell the story. A film that you wish wasn't real but is.

photo credits: Babysitter film; Ici Windsor; Falcon Lake film

Overview English French Documentaries

2022 WIFF Canadian films in review: Documentaries

We don't often get Canadian documentaries in French but Family of the Forest. Somehow, we got French subtitles on Geographies of Solitude, which is a great way to learn a language. We even had a pair of documentaries in the WIFF Prize in Canadian Film category.

Family of the Forest asks the question about whether the next generation wants the same things. The family moved from Belgium to Sainte-Foy in Quebec. The parents live this rural farm life with their 3 young men. They are building houses for their sons in the hope they will stay. The mother expresses nuanced contrasts between her sons that will warm your heart. If you thought about being isolated, you might take notes. Their story is still rather interesting if you enjoy the idea of living in a large, urban area.

Geographies of Solitude has a setting more ideal after going through the heart of a pandemic. Zoe Lucas, a naturalist and environmentalist, lives and works on Sable Island where she studies the path of horses, birds, and other animals who have very little human contact. Sable Island is about 100 miles south of the mainland of Nova Scotia. The film is a bit nuanced; trying to find live bugs in horse waste may not make for scintillating cinema. If you fall within the obvious audience for this film, this will be very satisfying.

The Long Rider has a tough task of summing up a 2-year journey in about 90 minutes. The horse ride from Calgary to Brazil is filled with border issues. The task of getting a horse across an international border proves to be more harrowing than one might imagine. We get an expert with a bad mustache as if completing some kind of documentary bingo. The end of the journey should have been the end of the film yet our rider is obsessed with long rides that he can't stop. We don't learn much along the way except this quest is hard, which we could have guessed. If you do watch the film, you can leave when the journey is done.

Ever Deadly presents the world of throat singing with Tanya Tagaq, who stars and co-directs with Chelsea McMullan. The film starts with an intense duet of throat singing. Once you get past that beginning, the film bounces back and forth between Tagaq's world and the world she lives in, such as the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous girls and women. The film feels like 2 documentaries in one viewing experience. Boring, no, but you might not be sure how you feel after you see the film.

Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On was covered in an earlier review.

Becoming a Queen spotlights Joella Crichton as the reigning queen of Carnival in Toronto in her final run. She has won 7 in a row and 9 overall titles. Her older sister, Mischka Crichton, is a past champion in the female individual category. Mischka is also competing for the final time. This is the centrepiece of a larger story about the Caribbean culture in Toronto and why Carnival is a big part of that culture. We learn the complexities of the costume making and how a team is needed behind each contestant.

Fire of Love covers the dual worlds of volcanologists Katia Krafft and Maurice Krafft. They studied volcanoes together; a couple destined to die together in a volcano explosion. Knowing this doesn't distract from a wonderful story that is more about volcanoes than love yet a bit of both. There is an amazing amount of footage, as if this documentary was foretold many years ago. If volcanoes are your jam, you are in luck.

Ice-Breaker: The Legacy of the '72 Summit Series tells the straightforward presentation of the 1972 Summit Series with Canada and the Soviet Union. The 4 games in Canada are spread out to Montréal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver all in arenas that no longer exist. By contrast, the Soviet games were all in the same arena in Moscow. The documentary interviews fans and experts. You can view the documentary through the lens of the Cold War or hockey.

Canadian film review: Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On

Canadian film review: Eternal Spring

WIFF Prize in Canadian Film

Eternal Spring was covered in an earlier review.

To Kill a Tiger was the film we had to skip. We hope to see and review the film at some point.

photo credit: Ever Deadly film

Overview English French Documentaries

Canadian film review: Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On

Ahead of her time. Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On does a very solid job at showing who this person was as a singer, songwriter, and activist. You also learn of the many wonderful thoughts and ideas where Buffy Sainte-Marie was way ahead of the rest of us.

Or as Buffy Sainte-Marie tells us, sometimes you have to "carry the medicine for a long time."

She was way ahead on opiods, writing a song called Cod'ine in 1964. Sainte-Marie had been diagnosed with a bronchial infection and was treated with codeine. Robbie Robertson describes in the documentary about how you can get pain reliever from the drugstore that has codeine in Canada.  

Sainte-Marie was calling what happened to Indigenous people as a genocide decades before a lot of others weighed in on the topic.

She appeared in The Heritage episode of The Virginian in 1968. Sainte-Marie insisted that actual Indigenous people play the extras.

They say the strength of a songwriter is measured in how often others want to do a cover version of a song. The Universal Soldier became so popular than many (sadly) thought Donovan wrote the song. Until It's Time for You to Go was covered 157 times since its original release in 1965. Elvis Presley was a big fan of the latter song.

Sainte-Marie won an Academy Award for co-writing Up Where We Belong from An Officer and a Gentleman. During the time where she was blacklisted from having her songs on the radio, she became a frequent guest on Sesame Street. Sainte-Marie breastfed her son Cody on Sesame Street. She said it wasn't controversial then but would be now.

Later in her career, Sainte-Marie made music with computers, again ahead of her time.

We also learn about her activism. There is a teaching moment, as she points out, when someone in the crowd asks about the red dress hanging on stage. Sainte-Marie points out the dress represents the missing and murdered Indigenous girls and women.

Sainte-Marie was born on the Piapot 75 reserve in Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan to Cree parents. As part of the then government policy, she was taken as an infant and adopted by Americans in Wakefield, Massachusetts.

The documentary shows her in Yorkville in Toronto, playing the folk scene in Canada's largest city. 

Some of the Canadians in the documentary include Robbie Robertson, Joni Mitchell, and George Stroumboulopoulos.

CanadianCrossing.com Indigenous coverage

CanadianCrossing.com music coverage

My parents had Buffy Sainte-Marie records when I was a kid. I had no clue she was Canadian. The thought of her being Indigenous back then wasn't even a thought. They liked folk music and she was a significant artist in their collection. My father has been gone for 22 years and my mother has dementia. They would have loved to see a look at the life and career of Buffy Sainte-Marie.

Canadian rock and roll documentary makes Independent Lens debut on PBS

Sainte-Marie was in Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, a Canadian documentary that has also aired on PBS. If this documentary makes you more curious, this other documentary will help satisfy some of that curiosity.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Director Madison Thomas incorporates some reenactments in the film to show moments that weren't captured in the moment. Thomas has a lot of ground to cover. The documentary answers a lot of questions yet keeps the viewer curious to learn more, simply because a documentary, any documentary can only cover so much ground.

Whether you do or don't know much about Buffy Sainte-Marie, this documentary will teach you a lot.

The film premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8.

Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On debuts tonight on PBS as part of the American Masters series. Check your local listings for the PBS station in your area and when the station will show the film. Canadians can watch PBS through cable or satellite as well as antenna in limited areas. The PBS version may be censored in some parts, depending on the station. The film is available in Canada on Crave.

video credit: Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On/PBS
photo credit: Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On

Toronto Argonauts thwart Winnipeg's 3-peat hopes in 2022 Grey Cup

This championship belongs to you, Toronto.

Celebrate with us this Thursday at Maple Leaf Square! 🌊 pic.twitter.com/5CDYGzIHxb

— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) November 21, 2022

The Toronto Argonauts 6-game Grey Cup streak went up against the 3-peat hopes of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2022 Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan.

The game itself was kind of a snoozefest in the first half though in typical CFL style, the end of the game was exciting.

The Argos bested the Blue Bombers in a 24-23 battle to win the 109th Grey Cup.

The kickers were definitely in the spotlight.

Toronto's Boris Bede missed a 36-yard field goal attempt early in the second quarter but did get a single. That was theoretically the difference in the 1-point win. Winnipeg's Marc Liegghio missed a convert after Janarion Grant's Grey Cup record-setting 102-yard punt return.

Liegghio made a 45-yard field goal but had a 47-yard field goal attempt blocked. Bede was 3-6 in field goals, missing from 36, 52, and 42 yards, one of those being a blocked field goal attempt.

The kicker could be to blame, depending on which team won the Grey Cup. Many Blue Bombers fans haven't been happy with Liegghio for some time.

THE MAN IS SOMETHIN’ ELSE

pic.twitter.com/ZInSGU4Zz9

— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) November 21, 2022

Chad Kelly has had very few chances to shine as the Toronto backup quarterback. McLeod Bethel-Thompson barely was a .500 quarterback, going 15-for-28 for 203 yards before dislocating his thumb in the fourth quarter. Kelly went 4-for-6 for 43 yards with a key scramble that set up a late touchdown.

Zach Collaros was relatively human, going 14-for-23 for 183 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Collaros was dealing with an injured ankle. Credit to the Argos defence for putting considerable pressure on Collaros. The Argos defence had 4 sacks and 2 interceptions.

Earned & Deserved! 😤 @HenocMuamba pic.twitter.com/6GcnorGdIW

— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) November 21, 2022

The idea of the same winning player winning the Grey Cup most valuable player award and most outstanding Canadian award seemed impossible. Andrew Harris changed that in 2019 and now Toronto middle linebacker Henoc Muamba pulled off the feat in 2022.

Muamba had a key interception late in the fourth quarter.

Getting back to the Grey Cup had been a long road for Muamba, who played for Winnipeg in 2011 when the Blue Bombers lost to BC. That was Muamba's rookie year and only Grey Cup appearance before last night.

Speaking of Andrew Harris, this was his 4th Grey Cup win and 3rd in a row. 

Teagan Littlechief delivers an O Canada rendition that incorporates English, French, and Cree. 🇨🇦 #GreyCup109 pic.twitter.com/qLqaxh1Owm

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 20, 2022

Toronto's Robbie Smith, who just a few plays earlier had extended the game with a 15-yard face mask penalty, also blocked Legghio’s kick. A fine line between goat and hero.

AJ DOES IT AGAIN!!!! pic.twitter.com/JXMGV7mqFQ

— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) November 21, 2022

The Toronto Argonauts did lose the Grey Cup in 1987 to Edmonton. Since then, the Argos won the Grey Cup in 1991 (Calgary), 1996 (Edmonton), 1997 (Saskatchewan), 2004 (BC), 2012 (Calgary), 2017 (Calgary), and 2022 (Winnipeg).

The Edmonton franchise has the only 2 streaks of longer than 2 straight Grey Cup wins since the modern CFL era started in 1954.

Years	Team	Streak
1978-1982	Edmonton	5
1954-1956	Edmonton	3
2019, 2021	Winnipeg	2
2009-2010	Montréal	2
1996-1997	Toronto	2
1968-1969	Ottawa	2
1961-1962	Winnipeg	2
1958-1959	Winnipeg	2

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats wouldn't mind just winning a single Grey Cup. The Ticats streak dates back to 1999.

2022 CFL Grey Cup preview

2022 CFL division finals preview

2022 CFL playoffs preview

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The Toronto Argonauts are now 7-0 in Grey Cups over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. True, those previous wins came between 1937 and 1950. The Argos were victorious in 1937-1938, 1945-1947, and 1950.

Taking in my first #CFL game as a fan in almost 20 years! Should be a great game! Love both teams but cheering for @Wpg_BlueBombers today! pic.twitter.com/1jTGsD0RnL

— Sara Orlesky (@saraorlesky) November 13, 2022

Was odd not seeing Matthew Scianitti or Sara Orlesky on the sidelines at a Grey Cup game on TSN. Scianitti is in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup and Orlesky works for the Winnipeg Jets. Claire Hanna and Farhan Lalji did really well on the sidelines for the 2022 Grey Cup.

We should also note that this was a season free of screwups from the ESPN channels, ESPN+, and TSN. No audio issues from the TSN studio or technical issues from the ESPN folks. Hopefully, that will keep going in 2023.

CFL Commissioner Randy Ambroisie leaked out that the league will switch to Saturday playoff games though the Grey Cup stays on Sunday. If this sounds familiar, the CFL did this in 2008 and then switched back in 2009. We may start to care in about 11 months.

The 110th Grey Cup will be in November 2023 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.

Twitter captures: @TorontoArgos; @Wpg_BlueBombers; @TorontoArgos; @TSN_Sports; @TorontoArgos; @saraorlesky
logo credit: CFL

Elizabeth May is back as the Green Party of Canada leader along with Jonathan Pedneault

The race to become the next leader — or leaders — of the Green Party of Canada will come to a close Saturday evening. https://t.co/xARNRrmcyL

— CBC News (@CBCNews) November 20, 2022

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss a couple of bosses back. This time, she has a co-leader.

Elizabeth May, along with co-leader Jonathan Pedneault, won the voting to be the new Green Party of Canada leaders. May won the race on the 6th ballot with 4,666 votes.

Just over 8,000 people (36%) of the 22,000 eligible cast a ballot. Almost 24,000 people voted in the 2020 leadership election, with Annamie Paul being the victor.

Having co-leaders requires an amendment to the party's constitution. Pedneault will serve as deputy leader for now. Pednault finished 3rd in the leadership race.

Anna Keenan and Chad Walcott ran as a team; Keenan finished second in the leadership race. Sarah Gabrielle Baron and Simon Gnocchini-Messier ran as individual candidates.

May (Saanich-Gulf Islands) was the only candidate who is a current MP. Mike Morrice (Kitchener-Centre) is the other Green Party MP in the House of Commons.

Amita Kuttner served as the interim leader of the Green Party of Canada from November 24, 2021 to November 19, 2022. They are the first transgender person to lead a federal party in Canada.

Pierre Poilievre wins Conservative Party of Canada leadership race

2022 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

The new Green Party leadership will have plenty of time to get organised and gain momentum before the next federal election, scheduled to be October 20, 2025.

Twitter capture: @CBCNews
photos and video credit: YouTube/Kelly Green

2022 FIFA World Cup preview for Team Canada

Group F 🇧🇪🇨🇦🇲🇦🇭🇷#CANMNT #WeCAN #FinalDraw pic.twitter.com/cypz9cTTx0

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) April 1, 2022

For the first time since 1986, Canada is relevant in a men's World Cup of football (soccer). Canada is in Group F in Qatar, site of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Canada's opponents in order of appearance are Belgium, Croatia, and Morocco. Canada went 0-3 in games and 0-5 in goals in 1986, the only other World Cup appearance for the men's team.

Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) and Jonathan David (Lille) led the Canada squad.

Midfield stars include Stephen Eustaquio (FC Porto) and Atiba Huchinson. Hutchinson would be the oldest player ever to play at a World Cup at 39 years, 9 months, and 3 days.

Canada will not be at full strength. Goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau fractured his leg while playing for LAFC in the MLS Cup. His team had a better day, pulling off the comeback. Centre back Scott Kennedy suffered a shoulder injury with German club SSV Jahn. Toronto FC centre back Doneil Henry was injured during warmups before a friendly match with Bahrain.

The goalkeepers will be Milan Borjan (Red Star Belgrade) and Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United) along with CF Montréal goalkeeper James Pantemis, who replaces Crepeau.

John Herdman will lead the way as head coach of the Canadian men's national soccer team.

YOUR #CANMNT WORLD CUP SQUAD. 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/Kzq0auPgJw

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 13, 2022

Here is the Canadian schedule:

Date	Opponent	Time	Stadium	City	U.S. TV
November 23	Belgium	2p	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium	Al Rayyan	Fox
November 27	Croatia	11a	Khalifa International Stadium	Al Rayyan	FS1
December 1	Morocco	10a	Al Thumama Stadium	Doha	FS1

Times listed are Eastern time. Qatar time is 8 hours ahead of EST.

CTV and TSN have the coverage in Canada with both outlets carrying the Canadian matches. The Bell Media outlets have extensive pregames for the Canada games and coverage starting 15 minutes before the times listed in the above table.

Fox Sports has the coverage of games in the United States. JP Dellacamera, Cobi Jones, and Geoff Shreeves will have the first Canada match on Fox. Dellacamera and Jones call the other Canada matches on Fox Sports 1. 

The tournament starts tomorrow though Canada won't play until Wednesday.

Toronto, Vancouver in; Edmonton out for FIFA 2026 World Cup host cities

Canada played Morocco in 2016, a friendly game that Morocco won 4–0. The countries played 2 other matches against each other. The only time Canada played Belgium was a friendly game in 1989. Belgium won 2–0. Canada has never played Croatia.

Canada, ranked at 41, is the lowest seed based on October 2022 FIFA rankings in Group F. Belgium is ranked at 2, Croatia is at 12, and Morocco ranks at 22.

Toronto Life has a bandwagon guide for those catching up on football (aka soccer). 

Canada draws Group F for the 2022 World Cup

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

The Canadian women's team in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup learned its opponents: Australia (co-host), Ireland, and Nigeria in Group B.

The women's team has made 8 World Cup appearances since its debut in 1995. The team's best result was 4th in 2003. The women's team is the defending gold medal champions from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Twitter captures: @CanadaSoccerEN; @Sportsnet
photo credit: FIFA

2022 CFL Grey Cup preview

Our ears are still ringing...#GCPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/kyIYzed5Up

— CFL (@CFL) November 14, 2022

The Toronto Argonauts have the Grey Cup rematch they wanted in 2021. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are looking to do something very rare in the modern era: win 3 Grey Cup titles in a row.

Toronto and Winnipeg will play in the 109th Grey Cup to determine the CFL champion at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Argos running back Andrew Harris has some very unfinished business, having signed with Toronto after leaving Winnipeg. Harris has 3 Grey Cup rings, 1 with the BC Lions (2011) and the Blue Bombers (2019, 2021).

This is the first time since 2018 that both top seeds made the Grey Cup. Calgary defeated Ottawa that season for the Grey Cup.

While this is the first trip for the Argos to the Grey Cup since 2017, Toronto has won the last 6 Grey Cups as a participant, a streak that goes back to 1987.

Due to the quirk in the scheduling where not every team plays each other home and home, the only time these teams met was on July 4 where Winnipeg edged out Toronto 23-22 at BMO Field. The Argos missed an extra point late in the game.

ESPN2

Sunday
Toronto vs. Winnipeg at Regina, 6:30p

TSN

Sunday
Toronto vs. Winnipeg at Regina, 6:30p

Ja'Gared Davis has been to every Grey Cup since 2016 when he first started playing to the CFL. The defensive end still hasn't had to buy a ticket to the CFL title game.

Davis played for Calgary (2016-2018) and Hamilton (2019, 2021) before moving on to Toronto in 2022. Despite playing in the last 5 Grey Cups, Davis only has a single Grey Cup ring with the Stampeders win in 2018.

Hank Ilesic has the record with 7 consecutive Grey Cups (1977-1983). Ilesic won 6 of those 7 Grey Cups (Edmonton 1978-1982, Toronto 1983). He started with Edmonton in 1977 straight out of high school as a punter.

2022 CFL division finals preview

Ryan Dinwiddie is in his first Grey Cup as a head coach for the Toronto Argonauts. Dinwiddie's first Grey Cup as a player came in his first CFL start. He came in off the bench for Kevin Glenn for the 2007 Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Blue Bombers won the East but Glenn suffered a broken arm in the East final.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders snapped a 18-year streak by winning the Grey Cup in 2007.

Mike O'Shea has won 2 Grey Cups as a head coach for Winnipeg. O'Shea's 4 other Grey Cups were with the Toronto Argonauts. He was a part of the Grey Cup winning teams in 1996, 1997, and 2004 as a linebacker and 2012 as a special teams coordinator with the Argos.

2022 CFL playoffs preview

Dave Naylor plays a bit of "what would have happened" in terms of Zach Collaros and the 2 teams in this year's Grey Cup.

But in terms of moments than changed CFL history you only need to go back to October of 2019.

That’s when then Argos GM Jim Popp negotiated a contract with Collaros whom Toronto had acquired from Saskatchewan a few weeks earlier.

Collaros hadn’t dressed for Toronto while healing from a head injury he suffered while playing for the Roughriders. But Popp was betting on him to be the Argos starting QB in 2020.

He scheduled a meeting with Argos president Bill Manning to get the deal approved. But when he got there, Manning fired him and the Collaros contract was never signed or registered to the league.

Three days later, the Argos new management team traded him to Winnipeg. The rest, as they say, is history.

A reminder that Jim Popp is a football talent genius. Anthony Calvillo played for Las Vegas and Hamilton in the CFL before landing in Montréal. Collaros had several stops in the CFL before finding a really good match in Winnipeg. Some people questioned whether Collaros could come close to where he was at that point in his career. 

2022 CFL Week 21 preview

Winning back-to-back Grey Cups in the CFL modern era (since 1954) is pretty rare. Only Edmonton has had a longer streak in that time: 5 times (1978-1982) and 3 times (1954-1956).

The Ottawa team with the streak was the original Rough Riders.

Winnipeg went 14-2 in 1960, the only year between 1958-1962 where the Blue Bombers didn't make or win the Grey Cup. Winnipeg lost 2 out of 3 to Edmonton in the CFL playoffs and didn't advance to the 1960 Grey Cup.

Years	Team	Streak
2019-	Winnipeg	2
2009-2010	Montréal	2
1996-1997	Toronto	2
1978-1982	Edmonton	5
1968-1969	Ottawa	2
1961-1962	Winnipeg	2
1958-1959	Winnipeg	2
1954-1956	Edmonton	3

2022 CFL Week 20 preview

The last time these teams played each other in the Grey Cup was the 1950 title game known as the Mud Bowl at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. The Argos posted the last Grey Cup shutout 13-0 over the Blue Bombers.

2022 CFL Week 19 preview

We hope in great earnest that the Grey Cup revelry has returned in 2022. Sometimes, the Grey Cup week parties were more amazing than the actual game. The folks from out east aka the Atlantic Schooners would even have a party. A team that has never existed has represented at the site of the Grey Cup.

Hopefully, if you are in Regina this week, you will find things relatively close to normal in a 2019 kind of way.

This is the first Grey Cup in the new stadium in Regina. Surprisingly, Regina has only hosted 3 Grey Cups at the old Taylor Field: 1995, 2003, and 2013.

Things you don't see everyday:

A 126-yard missed convert return for 2 points for the @BCLions 😳#GCPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/URitlqxu4W

— CFL (@CFL) November 13, 2022

Terry Williams made CFL playoff history with his 126-yard return on a missed Winnipeg extra point. The Lions got 2 points that could have made a huge difference.

Montréal and BC played rather well in the division final. Both Toronto (34-27) and Winnipeg (28-20) played better and stronger when they needed to do so.

The idea of building on 2022 to go further sounds a little corny but may be the case for both of those teams. The Alouettes getting past Hamilton was huge psychologically and the Lions defeating a tough Calgary team will give some encouragement to the fan bases in Montréal and Vancouver.

Nathan Rourke won't make the Grey Cup. If there was a 3rd place bowl, we could have called it the Vernon Adams Jr. Bowl since the quarterback played for both teams in 2022.

Rourke became the first Canadian quarterback to lead his team to a playoff victory since Quebec-born Gerry Dattilio did it in 1980 for the Montréal Alouettes. In 2018, Brandon Bridge was the first Canadian QB to start a playoff game since Dattilio in 1984.

2022 CFL Week 18 preview: Thanksgiving Day weekend

Not wanting to move ahead to 2023, yet Hamilton acquiring the playing rights for American quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell. The Tiger-Cats still need to sign the long-time Calgary QB when free agency starts in February. Hamilton gives up its 3rd-round pick in 2023, 5th-round pick in 2024, and future considerations.

Mitchell will show up as part of the CFL on TSN coverage.

#JordanDavis, #JoshRoss and #TylerHubbard share what their walk-in song would be to amp them up for the @CFL #GreyCup2022 half-time show! 🎶🏈

Catch it Nov. 20th on @TSN_Sports pic.twitter.com/wl0PfFgR40

— MuchMusic (@Much) November 14, 2022

ESPN2 will have Grey Cup with pregame coverage a week from Sunday starting at 5:30 pm Eastern with a simsub of the TSN feed.

Though we have listed this before now, recapping the music artists for Sunday: The Grey Cup halftime show will feature Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line, Jordan Davis, and Canada's own Josh Ross. Canadian indie-alternative band Valley will play during the pregame show. Teagan Littlechief will sing O Canada in Cree, English, and French.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Duane Forde with Claire Hanna were in Toronto for the East final. Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor with Farhan Lalji were in Winnipeg for the West final.

Smith said some beautiful words to the crew he was working with in Toronto. Heart on his sleeve. Smith and Suitor will call the Grey Cup while Nielson and Forde should be calling the Grey Cup on radio.

The TSN coverage is extensive leading up to kickoff.

Twitter captures: @CFL (x2); @Much
logo credit: CFL