Canadian Crossing

Election Day 2024 in the United States: What is on the line for Canada?

Montreal - the town to henceforth be known as, "Wherever my parents' job took us."

— Alexander Panetta (@Alex_Panetta) August 23, 2024

Welcome to Election Day in the United States. The idea of endorsements is a ridiculous notion since journalists cover the whole spectrum from a reasonably neutral standpoint. David Sedaris said what needed to be said better than any of us could imagine.

If Kamala Harris is elected to be the next president of the United States, she would be a chief executive who doesn't view Canada as being too foreign. The idea of a U.S. president who lived in a city where the current prime minister of Canada (Justin Trudeau) represents in the House of Commons (Papineau riding east of downtown Montréal).

Of course, we can't talk about Harris' time in La Belle Province, at least on the American side. That is a third rail in American politics.

We were encouraged a bit with Joe Biden and his initial focus on Canada. The choice of David L. Cohen as U.S. Ambassador to Canada is a nice contrast to the 2017-2021 years but Cohen has been rather invisible. Bruce Heyman, former U.S. Ambassador to Canada under President Barack Obama, has been an excellent de facto ambassador and worth following on Twitter, even if you don't like Twitter these days.

We would love for a potential Harris Administration to appoint a diplomat with a background with Canada. We would love a renegotiation of CUSMA and/or enhanced trade negotiations. The dream of the Three Amigos appears to be lost.

This doesn't factor in the Canadian federal election of 2025. The first foreign trip under a new administration should be to Canada and involving at least one night's lodging on Canadian soil. A Harris-Trudeau meeting at a back table at Schwartz's would be apropos (though Trudeau preferred the smoked meat at The Main, across St. Laurent Boulevard).

Harris and Trudeau did meet earlier this year in Philadelphia. Harris is already up to speed should she and Tim Walz win the 2024 election.

A message to Canadians about the whole Joe Biden situation

Joe Biden's visit to Canada as president shouldn't be his last

The impact of the Joe Biden presidency on Canada

The less said about the alternative in the United States, the better. Canada hasn't recovered from the trade disaster and things would only get worse, regardless of whom the prime minister of Canada will be in 2025 and beyond.

I will legalize recreational marijuana, break down unjust legal barriers, and create opportunities for all Americans to succeed in this new industry. pic.twitter.com/MuzCIpr3oP

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 3, 2024

Harris could certainly pick Trudeau's brain in taking on this challenge. The United States has an advantage, given the considerable number of states where recreational marijuana is already legal. Your humble narrator can tell you that shopping for marijuana is more enjoyable in Canada than the United States in part because of the federal legality.

The financial advantages of collecting federal taxes on marijuana would be a selling point. The difference between Canada and the United States is that Trudeau could easily pass legislation where Harris needs Dem votes in the House and Senate.

Politics aside, Trudeau helped Canada become the second country (behind Uruguay) to legalize marijuana. Shocking that he and his government has been shut out by the Canadian media in terms of positive political coverage to get that done.

CanadianCrossing.com marijuana coverage

Kamala Harris, Jackie Robinson, and their association with Montreal

Joe Biden's visit to Canada as president shouldn't be his last

Shouts of "Boomer" (I am Gen X) might abound in caring about foreign policy. We didn't even have a debate on foreign policy in the 2024 U.S. presidential race. Even when foreign policy was discussed, Canada wasn't one of the topics. Usually, countries with oil (Canada has oil) and/or countries involved in war.

Trade matters. Foreign policy matters. How the United States treats or mistreats its friends is really important, even if it isn't on TikTok.

Looking back at when Joe Biden was in Canada

Tucker Carlson shows ignorance of Canada by mispronouncing Ottawa

CanadianCrossing.com trade coverage

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

CanadianCrossing.com U.S. politics coverage

“I’m proud that a woman who spent her adolescence in Montreal is on the threshold of the presidency” https://t.co/tzsiVT2Ye8

— Cult MTL (@cultmtl) August 23, 2024

U.S. citizens living in Canada (and elsewhere) are eligible to vote for the U.S. president. Living in the United States is not a requirement for voting. We know that Stephen Harper made that an issue when he was the prime minister of Canada, an undemocratic rule. The confusion in 2015 for Canadians who weren't sure if they could vote for prime minister still rattles around in my head.

Be a citizen of whichever country where you have citizenship and do your sworn duty as a citizen to make a difference. The only thing that really makes politicians think is a large turnout.

Twitter captures: @Alex_Panetta; @KamalaHarris; @cultmtl
photo credit: CTV News

2023 CFL Week 15 preview

While not an official rivalry, Toronto and Montréal meet for the second week in a row. This time, the game is in La Belle Province and kicks off the CFL week Friday night.

Saskatchewan needs some momentum toward a playoff push. Edmonton isn't the pushover of old. One shade of green (Edmonton) travels to another shade of green (Saskatchewan) in the second half of the doubleheader. The 9:30 pm start time is like the NHL U.S. doubleheaders, not to be trusted.

Winnipeg wants to be in Hamilton for the Grey Cup and the Blue Bombers get their chance to check out Tim Hortons Field. This game kicks off the Saturday doubleheader.

Ottawa gets on a long plane ride to visit Vancouver in September. This is another late afternoon start on the West Coast, which hopefully is boosting Lions attendance.

CBS Sports Network has the weekend off so CFL+ or nothing for our American readers.

Calgary gets to enjoy a pleasant weekend along the Bow River, knowing the Battle of Alberta is over for 2023.

TSN

Friday
Toronto @ Montréal, 7p
Edmonton @ Saskatchewan, 9:30p
Saturday
Winnipeg @ Hamilton, 4p
Ottawa @ BC, 7p

Bye week: Calgary

not a revenge game.#ForTheW pic.twitter.com/6ru2e9kE9j

— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) September 9, 2023

6 straight touchdowns on 6 first half possessions. The Banjo Bowl is when you expect a good team such as Winnipeg to be on their game. The Blue Bombers punted for the first time with about a minute left in the game.

Saskatchewan should realize that despite the point differential, the loss only counts as one loss in the standings. The Roughriders and Calgary will be in a fight as to which team stays in the West for the playoffs and which team might crossover.

2023 CFL Week 14 preview: Banjo Bowl and Battle of Alberta, part II

Not that Toronto needed the tiebreaker with Montréal, but the Argos decisive win gave Toronto that tiebreaker and a playoff spot. Both Toronto and Winnipeg grabbed playoff spots over the weekend.

Alouettes receiver Austin Mack got kicked out of the game for rough play. Somehow headbutting a quarterback (Zach Collaros) isn't worth an ejection.

2023 CFL Week 13 preview: Labour Day rivalries

Hamilton has won the last 10 games over Ottawa. The RedBlacks haven't won a game against a divisional opponent. Ottawa was 3-3 and is now 3-9 with a 6-game losing streak. The Tiger-Cats have 5 wins in 2023, 3 of them against Ottawa.

The Tiger-Cats defence stopped Ottawa in a goal-line stand in the first half. The teams traded field goals in the first half and touchdowns in the second half.

The Redblacks have lost 16 consecutive home games to East Division rivals. Their last home win against an East team came in November 2018 against Toronto.

REDEMPTION FOR THE ELKS!

The Elks come back to win it all at Commonwealth Stadium. pic.twitter.com/ak2y8ko0RG

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 10, 2023

11 yards passing. Tre Ford had 11 yards passing in the first half. Yet the Elks staged their own comeback and won a second home game in 2023.

Calgary had its own comeback on Labour Day and Edmonton returned the favour.

The teams only play twice this year, so Calgary has the tiebreaker. The Stampeders won by 4 points and the Elks won by 2 points, giving Calgary a +2 point differential.

2023 CFL Week 12 preview

Hamilton is 5-7 and right now would make the CFL playoffs. Calgary is 4-9, 2½ games behind Saskatchewan at 6-6. Too early to think crossover but the Stampeders would need a better record than the Tiger-Cats to crossover. Ottawa is 3-9 and Edmonton is 3-10, in case there are upsets on the way.

2023 CFL Week 11 preview

We talk about the excitement of the quarterbacks in the CFL. So many receivers have missed so much time this season. Veteran receiver Greg Ellingson is someone we enjoy seeing on the football field.

Ellingson finally got onto the field for Montréal. He caught a pass for 10 yards. Now Ellingson is back on the 6-game injured list with a knee injury, the same ailment that caused him to miss the start of the 2023 season.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Duane Forde got the Friday game with Claire Hanna in Ottawa on Friday night.

Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor with John Lu were at the Banjo Bowl in Winnipeg.

Smith and Matt Dunigan had the second half of the Battle of Alberta with Ryan Rishaug in Edmonton on Saturday.

Marshall Ferguson and Paul LaPolice started the tripleheader with Kenzie Lalonde on Saturday afternoon in Toronto.

Jim Barker and Dave Naylor filled in on the CFL on TSN panel.

The panel will be on site in Hamilton on Saturday in honour of the 2023 Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees.

Your humble narrator realized that CBS Sports Network had the listing starting at 7 pm when clearly the game was at 7:30 pm. That was a new one for us on the U.S. side. No harm since the recording got the whole game.

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

Joe Biden's visit to Canada as president shouldn't be his last

My friend texted "Roxham Road closed" on Thursday. Joe Biden was on Canadian soil. That sounded about right.

The debate over revising the Safe Third Country Agreement, has been on the table since 2017 with the angry toddler wrecking havoc south of the border. President Joe Biden was in Ottawa and that was the conclusion of the mess that has been border issues between Canada and the United States.

Daily Show explores why refugees are fleeing U.S. for Canada

The speech. The one-on-one meetings. The press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The dinner at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum.

The 27-hour visit had little in the way of side trips for the president but Sophie Gregoire Trudeau introduced Dr. Jill Biden to curling.

The important discussions that won't get the flashy headlines about Biden's crack about the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The chance for those in Ottawa to see the U.S. president, well, from a distance. Supposed to be one of the perks of living in a country's capital.

Joe Biden makes first official U.S. visit to Canada since 2016

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." — Mark Twain

There is a lot of symbolism with the U.S. president on Canadian soil, the first president in a long time to sleep in Canada, and having the U.S. first lady along for the trip. The U.S.-Canada relationship is terribly important. This relationship can survive butting heads in charge, such as Pierre Trudeau and Richard Nixon as well as those who see eye to eye, such as Brian Mulroney and George H.W. Bush as well as Justin Trudeau and Barack Obama.

The relationship doesn't do well when U.S. presidents have a hatred for Canada (2 leap to mind) and Canadian prime ministers who love the United States a little too much (yes, we are looking at Stephen Harper). Friendliness is encouraged; acceptance is enough.

Vice President Kamala Harris lived in Canada during her teenage years. Instead of that being a source of pride, Harris has to hide that fact among the American electorate.

The impact of the Joe Biden presidency on Canada

President-elect Joe Biden should make his first international trip to Canada

The Three Amigos, when working well, is a way to be a budget version of the European Union, but there is too much distrust. Free trade handled poorly under NAFTA and made terribly worse under the CUSMA (USMCA) trade deal. Borders should be much more open. Those in the United States who want to live in Canada. Those in Canada that would love to live in the United States. That should be way easier.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

CanadianCrossing.com U.S. politics coverage

The president of the United States and the prime minister of Canada meeting in each other's countries should be commonplace. We make them a big deal because they are a big deal. Sovereignty is crucial for both countries but commonalities should also be enhanced between the countries.

Ideally, we would insist on an entire debate devoted to U.S.-Canada issues for all presidential and vice presidential candidates. We know that is a pipe dream and not a pipeline dream.

Thank you, Mr. President and Mrs. First Lady for coming to Canada. You are welcome back, maybe for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals between the Toronto Maple Leafs and an American team at Scotiabank Arena. You can have some butter tarts and even a little poutine.

video credit: YouTube/White House
photo credit: CPAC

Where to visit Canada in 2023

"The ArriveCAN app is optional." That might be the most glorious Canadian travel news of 2022.

We have feigned hope for more travel in the last couple of years but that hasn't been a reality. Canadians, who were vaccinated, were encouraged to come to the United States. Americans to Canada? Not so much.

Let's hope 2023 sees a return of Americans to Canada, swayed by beautiful scenery and landscapes as well as a cheap Canadian dollar.

Making up for lost travel time is an ideal goal for 2023, provided you have the time and money.

Experiencing marijuana tourism in Canada

Your humble narrator finally got to be on Canadian soil. As tempting as kissing the ground might be, didn't get that literal in my appreciation for being in Canada. Poutine, ketchup chips, butter tarts, even a decent shawarma were on the menu. All of that went well with legal marijuana in Canada.

Pope Francis I arrives in Canada on Sunday for an expected apology on residential schools

The most famous person who isn't Canadian who came to Canada in 2022 was Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church. The trip was mostly to Alberta with a brief stop in Quebec and an even briefer stop in Iqaluit in Nunavat.

The trip was good in that attention was brought to what happened in residential schools. Unfortunately, after the trip, the issue of reconciliation disappeared from the headlines.

Canada drops all COVID-19 measures at borders as of October 1

Canada to finally lift pre-arrival COVID-19 tests for air and land border crossings

Making travel plans for Canada in 2023 will be a lot easier now that restrictions have been lifted. You should be vaccinated but that isn't a requirement. Just a healthy suggestion.

Touchdown Atlantic 2022 showcased Nova Scotia and its love for the CFL

We are partial to Nova Scotia and happy for those who finally got to see a CFL game in that province. The 2023 version will be in Halifax proper. The donair is a beautiful local food to enjoy as well as amazing seafood.

Stanley Tucci has plenty of love for Toronto

Toronto, among many other Canadian cities, are great eating destinations. We aren't sure how many of those places are still in business. The pandemic did a lot of damage to restaurants.

Greyhound leaves Canada for good

If you want to travel by bus and haven't done so recently, Greyhound abandoned Canada in 2021 with the grand exception of incoming buses to Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver. If we travel by bus, we will share our experiences.

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

A trip back to Montréal. A first trip to Saskatoon. A chance to see relatively new CFL stadiums in Regina and Hamilton. The Icefield Parkway in Alberta. Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. Gander in Newfoundland. Churchill in Manitoba, though that might be a pipe dream. The interior of British Columbia, a world not Vancouver or Victoria.

I've been to Quebec City but would like to try areas of the city I didn't get to see. Stratford, Ontario as an adult: have been there as a kid. Explore the Acadian part of New Brunswick.

The previous 2 paragraphs look familiar for those who remember our 2022 travel guide. We made a trip to Windsor for the film festival. Would love to go deeper into Canada in 2023.

Where to visit Canada in 2022

Where to visit Canada in 2021

Where to visit Canada in 2020

Where to visit Canada in 2019

Where to visit Canada in 2018

Where to visit Canada in 2017

All Canada national parks are free in 2017

Where to visit Canada in 2016

Where to visit Canada in 2015

Where to visit Canada in 2014

Even if you are able to travel, right now, travel sucks. Not what it used to be or what it should be. Do research. Hope that trip will be what you want that to be. Someday. Please make it soon.

CanadianCrossing.com now has stories grouped by provinces and territories

CanadianCrossing.com border crossings coverage

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

Wish the short-term future was better for tourism in Canada. A day trip in Windsor would improve my mood.

Share your Canadian tourism wishes for 2023 in the comments section below. Time to make travel plans.

map credit: Ezilon.com

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.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

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

Experiencing marijuana tourism in Canada

We have talked considerably about the idea that people would come to Canada to experience marijuana in a country where the drug is completely legal, regardless of where you are in the country.

The marijuana tourism idea got derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, where travel was difficult and getting into Canada had unnecessary barriers (ArriveCAN).

Having visited Windsor and being barely in Canada, I wanted to see what, if any, potential perils of purchasing pot there were in Canada.

Despite edibles being legal in Canada in the fall of 2019, Windsor didn't have any visible ways of getting them. The fall of 2022 was an entirely different scene. The average tourist would have 5-6 different places (at least) to purchase marijuana just in the downtown core.

Marijuana is legal in many locales in the United States. Missouri and Maryland just legalised marijuana in those states. The difference is that the shopping experience can be, well, not so pleasant, depending on state rules. Buying edibles in California was a marvelous experience. Buying edibles in Illinois? Not as pleasant. Had to pay for edibles in cash (due to banking issues since marijuana is illegal on a federal level).

Canadian film review: The Marijuana Conspiracy

Canada celebrates 3 years of legal marijuana (2021)

I selected a place at random very close to places I was in my travels. I wanted to see what the shopping experience would be like as well as the product I received.

The place I tried had great hours: 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. No hassles at the door over ID. A nice young person helped me. She talked me through a number of cookie options (cookies are my go to) that I haven't always had in other places. Low pressure sales. I went in mostly for research purposes, figuring I would purchase later. To my surprise, I bought the product in that visit.

Tried a cinnamon cookie and a spicy ginger cookie. The cost was around $4-$7 per cookie, even cheaper if you convert U.S. dollars to Canadian dollars. They were quite fine in terms of taste. Not a gourmet cookie but a pleasant taste. My smoking days were limited and I can't smoke it too well. Also edibles help you get past a number of concerns, such as not being able to smoke in apartments or Airbnb type setups.

I tried different levels within my stay. A whole 10 mg of the cookie is more than I would take in a dose. The packets were resealable so the cookies stayed fresh. In a group setting, you might split a cookie all at once. For those who travel as single people, portion control is a concern.

We do suggest if you get the munchies on Canadian soil to indulge in such Canadian treats as ketchup chips, all dressed chips, and poutine.

Canadian film review: Canadian Strain

As we have noted, 30 grams is the limit to carry on your person (28 grams = 1 ounce). 2 cookies each with 10 mg is not a threat to that limit.

Each province has rules involving the consumption of cannabis and you should follow those laws and rules in that province. Alberta has an 18+ requirement. All the other provinces and territories except for Quebec (21+) are 19+. There are specific rules about transportation with the general requirement of having the product in a sealed package. Consumption in public places is also a concern, depending on where you are in Canada.

A slim chance of marijuana tourism in Canada in 2021

Opening Day (finally) for marijuana edibles in Canada (2019)

Your shopping experience will vary, depending on province and where you are in that province. More competition helps bring better service, even if the prices are comparable. The fact that the experience in Windsor was significantly better than my California experience (my best one in the States) is a very encouraging sign.

The other amusing part was that I also bought acetaminophen with codeine, which you can legally bring into the United States in limited portions under specific rules. The aspirin with codeine was out due to supply chain issues. Buying the pain reliever isn't arduous but there is a dance you need to do.

CanadianCrossing.com marijuana coverage

A very significant point: Even if Ontario and Michigan (as an example) have legal marijuana, you can't legally transport marijuana between the countries. The penalties are not worth the risk. Buy what you will consume in Canada and don't bring back the leftovers.

The marijuana shopping experience in Canada is very friendly. If you come to Canada and choose to participate (provided you are of age), marijuana tourism is an extra incentive to dust off your passport and make a trip to Canada.

Editor's note: There is no specific endorsement of any company mentioned in the article.

photos credit: me

2022 Windsor International Film Festival preview

The experience returns!!📽️💜 #WIFF22

WIFF is back and bigger than ever with an impressive slate of 177 feature films from 32 countries and more than 300 screenings!

📅October 27 - November 6

View the complete lineup and purchase tickets:https://t.co/uJ9UkiR1pL pic.twitter.com/iMV6RYyRSg

— WIFF (@WindsorFilmFest) October 6, 2022

The 2019 Windsor International Film Festival had 10 days and lots of amazing momentum. One of the worst days in 2020 and 2021 was the cancellation of that film festival. 2022 brings an 11-day film festival with plenty of Canadian film, U.S. film, and cinema from around the world.

The 2022 version kicks off this morning. The Windsor International Film Festival is Canada's biggest volunteer-run film festival.

Seeing a bunch of Canadian films and films from other countries is only part of the experience. We've been watching films on various computer screens and on demand for the last 3 years. The joy of film festivals, especially the Windsor International Film Festival, is comparing notes with other people. Their enthusiasm can draw you into a film you wouldn't have thought to watch but then glad you did. Even if you can't fit them all into your schedule, you have a well-crafted list to draw from in the upcoming year.

We've shown this photo (my photo) of the WIFF Alley in 2019 a few times. This was a nice reminder of where this festival had grown to over the years and a notice that we can return to this splendor once again.

A look back to past years of the Windsor International Film Festival

The Windsor International Film Festival is once again awarding a WIFF Prize in Canadian Film. The award carries a $25,000 cash value given to the director of the chosen film. The winner will be selected by a jury of film professionals.

All 10 of the nominated films will be screened during WIFF's opening weekend. The festival will announce the Canadian Film Prize at a special event during the festival on October 30.

These are the Canadian films contending for the WIFF Prize in Canadian Film:

Brother (Clement Virgo)
Eternal Spring (Jason Loftus)
Falcon Lake (Charlotte Le Bon)
I Like Movies (Chandler Levack)
Norbourg (Maxime Giroux)
North of Normal (Carly Stone)
Riceboy Sleeps (Anthony Shim)
Something You Said Last Night (Luis De Filippis)
The Swearing Jar (Lindsay MacKay)
To Kill a Tiger (Nisha Pahuja)

Eternal Spring is the Oscars entry for Best International Feature Film. All but Norbourg and Eternal Spring were at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.

2019 WIFF Canadian films in review

Kuessipan won the WIFF Prize in Canadian Film award in 2019. That film received a $10,000 cash award so the stakes are a lot higher in 2022.

The other Canadian films that contended in 2019 were And The Birds Rained Down; Antigone; Castle in the Ground; Easy Land; Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind; Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger; Matthias and Maxime; Prey; and Willie.

Your humble narrator saw all of the 2019 films list in that year's festival, except for Prey. We will run a film review of Prey during this year's festival.

We normally run a count and list all the Canadian films. Instead, we recommend checking out the list of films and synopses of the Canadian films.

Some of the other Canadian film highlights include:

• Wolves
• Family of the Forest
• Babysitter
• Unloved - Huronia's Forgotten Children
• The Origin of Evil
• Ice-Breaker: The Legacy of the '72 Summit Series
• Arsenault & Fils
• Geographies of Solitude
• The Middle Man
• Slash/Back
• Maria
• So Much Tenderness
• Rosie
• Goodbye Happiness | Au Revoir Le Bonheur
• A Year in the Forest
• Coyote
• Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On
• Hands That Bind
• The Long Rider
• The Last Tourist
• Ever Deadly
• Aline

The festival includes Canadian films we have already reviewed: The Grey Fox (1982); Indian Horse; and Peace By Chocolate. This is far from a complete list.

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Women Talking will also play in the festival, a film technically not Canadian. Plan to see and write about the film in some fashion. We are good at writing about Canadian films in name only, an easier task than doing the opposite.

Canada drops all COVID-19 measures at borders as of October 1

This isn't just about a film festival. Opening up the borders means more cross border travel across the world's longest undefended border between Canada and the United States.

Ketchup chips and butter tarts. Spending loonies and twoonies.

Windsor International Film Festival cancels the 2021 festival

Windsor International Film Festival cancels the 2020 festival

These were 2 of the most difficult stories to write, outside of stories that involved someone dying. The cancellation of a film festival is never an easy call to make. The memories of the 2019 festival had to stretch out longer than we wanted them to stretch. The hope of returning to that world kept a lot of us going.

If this festival isn't within reach, hope you got a chance or will get a chance to discover the joy of seeing films in a local film festival.

The 2022 Windsor International Film Festival runs today through November 6.

Twitter capture: @WindsorFilmFest
photo credit: me

Canada drops all COVID-19 measures at borders as of October 1

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announces the lifting of #COVID19 border measures, including vaccination & testing requirements for all travellers & mandatory use of ArriveCan app. Mask requirements on trains & planes will also be lifted. The changes take effect Oct 1.#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/pT8Garg9Ed

— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) September 26, 2022

The news has been leaked for a few days but is now official: Getting into Canada will be a lot easier as a travel destination when the month changes to October.

The ArriveCAN app will be optional when the change is made.

This had been a great concern especially for border cities whose officials were concerned because American travelers were much less likely to cross into Canada, especially for cross border shopping. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made things easier for Canadians to shop within the U.S. on quick cross border trips but not the other way around.

Travelers won't have to submit public health information through the ArriveCAN app or website or provide proof of vaccination. There are other provisions that will be dropped.

Canada to finally lift pre-arrival COVID-19 tests for air and land border crossings

U.S. to open border to fully vaccinated travelers starting today

The restrictions led to actions such as the service of the Windsor Tunnel Bus to be suspended. You have an international border, the busiest crossing between the countries. Greyhound went to Windsor before the pandemic but now Greyhound doesn't go to Canada (outside of Toronto and Vancouver from the United States). You couldn't cross on foot on the Ambassador Bridge or the tunnel.

We hope the Tunnel Bus and other suspended service will return shortly after the government's announcement this morning.

For those who criticise us for not being critical enough of the prime minister, well, you should read our border crossings coverage. We appreciate the overall diligence of the Trudeau Government on COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic. We do feel the government has carried on good policies far too long.

Where to visit Canada in 2022

This change affects the sports world in that unvaccinated athletes can travel to Canada as of October 1. The Toronto Blue Jays had to deal with that in terms of visiting MLB players and in the acquisition of the previously unvaccinated Whit Merrifield from Kansas City. The Blue Jays host Boston on October 1-2. The team might not play any home playoff games in the opening round, depending on the playoff seeding.

This is more relevant to the NHL teams that won't have to worry about unvaccinated players playing in Canada.

Ideally, people would be vaccinated in coming to Canada. The issue was that the good intentions produced a policy that made traveling to Canada not worth the hassle.

CanadianCrossing.com border crossings coverage

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

The obvious time to make the change would be heading into a travel summer. Hopefully, people can make travel plans to Canada in the beautiful fall and for those who enjoy winter. Our look at where to visit Canada in 2023 is going to be a lot brighter.

Twitter capture: @CPAC_TV
photo credit: me

Canada to finally lift pre-arrival COVID-19 tests for air and land border crossings

Be cautious of third party, fraudulent webpages and apps that may pose as #ArriveCAN and ask you for payment. ArriveCAN, the official Government of Canada platform to provide your information when entering Canada, is free and secure. https://t.co/kdWEXB6imc #FraudPreventionMonth pic.twitter.com/bEGw26pppD

— Canada Border Services Agency (@CanBorder) March 14, 2022

No April Fools here. Starting April 1, fully vaccinated travelers to Canada won't need a pre-arrival COVID-19 test.

The requirement seemed overblown, especially for fullv vaccinated and boosted travelers to come to Canada. Randomized testing upon entry to Canada will continue.

You have to use the ArriveCAN app.

Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra, and Minister of Tourism Randy Boissonnault announced the updated changes this week.“Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travelers will continue to be tested with COVID-19 molecular tests on arrival and quarantine for 14 days,” said Duclos in the news conference.

U.S. to open border to fully vaccinated travelers starting today

Opening Day for fully vaccinated Americans to cross into Canada with caveats

August 9 is the date fully vaccinated Americans can cross into Canada with some fine print

CanadianCrossing.com border crossings coverage

The changes apply to travelers who are full vaccinated. Boosted doesn't seem to be a requirement that we can tell. Boosted is better than being fully vaccinated. 

CBC News has a solid Q&A to help you out on nuanced questions. 

Where to visit Canada in 2022

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

The irony was that the Canadian government made travel easier for Canadians to shop in the United States and return than for Americans, fully vaccinated and boosted, to travel to Canada. This makes a day trip or even a longer trip to Canada much more viable for U.S. travelers.

Your humble narrator is eager to make a trip to Canada.

Twitter capture: @CanBorder
photo credit: CBC News

Convoy wants to act out but has no purpose or solutions

My favourite sign from the counter-protest. pic.twitter.com/ie0cnR6piR

— John Ibbitson (@JohnIbbitson) February 5, 2022

Protest is a necessary part of a functioning democratic society. Train strikes in Europe. Picket signs outside a company that you think is doing damage to society. Letting the government know what you feel.

We usually associate protest with liberal or left-leaning groups. After all, they have to work hard just to come up short in opportunities in society. We've seen police crack down hard, especially in recent years, on protesters.

What we've seen in Canada: Ottawa, Windsor, and many other places — this may look like a protest. They have signs, they seem to have a purpose. It's okay to be upset that the pandemic has upset lives. Here are some missing elements to what is happening in Canada.

• The action is being portrayed as a truckers convoy. Most of the people are not truckers. This is like saying "blueberry" on the front of the food label and finding blueberry to be 9th or 10th in the list of ingredients.
• These people are upset at COVID-19 restrictions. Those fall under the jurisdiction of provinces, which is why some provinces have done okay and some have done awful. The federal restrictions involving actual truckers requires truckers entering Canada to be fully vaccinated. Again, most truckers are vaccinated.
• If you are sincerely protesting, which is debatable, you would have clear messaging for what you want to accomplish. Nazi flags, distorted Canadian flags with swastikas, loud noises waking up people who live in downtown Ottawa, blocking traffic so Canadian nurses can't go to work in the United States, setting up an encampment in Ottawa. This is not about protesting, this is disruption.
• The Ottawa police treating these people with much more kindness than people who are protesting on the opposite side of the spectrum. Their performance has been pathetic. The people of Ottawa need to be defended from these people, not sucked up to by the police force.
• The image of using children as shields is standard "way beyond any real sense of protest."

The auto industry is suffering because of the blockades with the Ambassador Bridge in a time where more cars need to be built. Downtown Ottawa, normally a very boring place, has received too much excitement, especially in a negative light. Other areas of Canada are dealing with selfish, boorish, outright illegal behavior.

U.S. groups financially supporting these people should understand the concept of sovereignty. This is literally not your fight.

Erin O'Toole out as Conservative Party federal leader

The Conservative Party of Canada is sucking up to these people. Candice Bergen won't be the leader of the party when the ramifications truly come but she is loud and proud. "The economy that you want to see reopened, is hurting.” The people Bergen is supporting are hurting the economy.

The Conservatives had many reasons to get rid of O'Toole. The timing of his dismissal as party leader seemed to also be a timing to respond as stronger allies with these people.

United Conservative Party Alberta premier Jason Kenney has been critical of protests that interfere with business yet these people, socially and culturally aligned with conservatives, are doing just that.

2022 Canadian politics preview

We know people have short memories. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been slow on so many challenges, including the convoy. Ford did declare a state of emergency but why did this take so long.

The Ontario election is set for June 2. Will this change minds away from Ford Nation that were previously undecided?

Canadian politics coverage on CanadianCrossing.com

Mick Jagger famously said "Why are we fighting?" at Altamont in 1969. Liberals and left-leaning people are upset at COVID-19 restrictions. We have argued numerous times that Canada is too cautious in pandemic restrictions.

This is frustrating that conservative people are acting out their frustrations, whether that be masks or vaccination requirements or some other kind of "victim" syndrome. We love that Canada acts more as a society and, despite this, Canada is that country.

Those who were tricked into believing the "memorandum of understanding" was a real thing should have to take the test that immigrants have to in order to become a Canadian citizen.

We saw some of this same element, perhaps the same people, with antisocial disturbing behaviour at Justin Trudeau rallies in the election last fall.

Update: Just a few bad apples waving swastika/Confederate flags, stealing food from homeless, dancing on National War Memorial, defacing Terry Fox statue, assaulting journalists, storming Rideau Centre maskless

— The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) January 30, 2022

Stop being babies. Stop throwing tantrums. All of us are sick of having to do what we do. Restrictions and mandates should end based on science, not intimidation from those who haven't wanted to play by the rules.

People who protest know what they want in terms of solutions. These people want to disrupt without an end plan. They have a right to be frustrated but they are not responding like they have a clue or a solution. This is Canada but a small minority.

Twitter captures: @JohnIbbitson; @TheBeaverton
photo credit: CBC News