Canadian Crossing

Canadian sports notebook: Toronto and Edmonton still NHL hub city options

#Canucks statement on @NHL hub city bid. pic.twitter.com/qs6v4EOO7w

— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) June 25, 2020

Vancouver honourably withdrew from being a NHL hub city because, well, British Columbia considered the NHL approach on those who tested positive to be unsafe. Gary Bettman doesn't like to be told that he is wrong.

"Our advice and our direction was that if there was a positive case that arose, that we would do what we do with all cases that we have here – that we would investigate and there needed to be a contingency in case there were other people that were identified as ill," B.C. chief medical officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said. "It might mean suspension of part of a series for a period of time until that could be done."

Toronto and Edmonton on the Canadian side are still in the hunt along with Las Vegas, Chicago, and Los Angeles. 4 American markets were the first cuts earlier in the process: Pittsburgh, Dallas, Columbus, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. We originally predicted Edmonton and Las Vegas. As we've learned in the Vancouver situation, we would like Canada to get the NHL hub cities but we also want the people of Canada to be safe.

Now that Canadian cities have the green light from the federal government, Canadian NHL teams can train on Canadian soil.

The low COVID-19 rates and the even lower Canadian dollar give Canada an advantage.

It’s the obvious choice to bring the @NHL to #Edmonton.

We look forward to welcoming the league and players here to Alberta to take in the beautiful province we have to offer. pic.twitter.com/kp0iN86vCP

— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) June 22, 2020

Alberta premier Jason Kenney, already known for propaganda with the Canadian Energy Centre, introduced a video for families of NHL players coming to Edmonton. The video is lovely and full of real places in Alberta, none of which is anywhere near Edmonton. These places are near Calgary, but Calgary has the oldest arena in the NHL not the newest arena.

Edmonton would be a great choice for a NHL hub city, but not for the reasons Kenney unveiled.

Jason Kenney, Alberta United Conservative Party launch Canadian Energy Centre propaganda site

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Alberta pitches NHL hub city without showing Edmonton (CBC News)

The Ottawa Senators went into the NHL draft with a rather good chance at the #1 pick, given that the Sens controlled the #2 best odds (its own pick) and #3 best odds (via San Jose). The Senators fell to the #3 pick (via San Jose) and #5 pick (Ottawa) while a playoff team will get the #1 pick.

Canadian Alexis LaFreniere is the consensus #1 pick. Last season, LaFreniere had 35 goals and 77 assists in 52 games for Rimouski in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Though the 8 playoff losing teams in the opening round get an equal chance, you have to wonder if that pick ends up with a prominent American team (Pittsburgh, Chicago). Theoretically, every Canadian team but Ottawa is eligible if they lose in the qualifying round. Perhaps the lottery was sincere, but the league doesn't have a good reputation. Pittsburgh magically ended up with Sidney Crosby after a NHL lockout. We aren't saying the NHL cheated: we are saying if the league cheated, this is exactly the scenario that would have happened.

If the NHL does not resume playing this season, the bottom 8 teams based on points percentage would be in a lottery for the top pick. Montréal and Winnipeg are the only Canadian teams in this category.

The 2020 NHL draft lottery was originally supposed to be in Montréal.

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Vinsanity has come to an end of his NBA career. Vince Carter finally retired as a NBA player after 22 seasons.

Carter was drafted by Golden State but instantly traded to Toronto for Antawn Jamison in the 1998 NBA draft. He was known as a dunk master and earned the nickname Air Canada. Carter led the Raptors to the team's first-ever playoff appearance in 2000 and first playoff series win in 2001.

Carter won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He later was traded to New Jersey in late 2004. Carter was an All-Star every season when he was with the Raptors.

Carter won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2000. The win included a 360° windmill.

Carter is the first NBA player to appear in 4 different decades in 22 seasons, also a league record. He also played for New Jersey, Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas, Memphis, Sacramento, and Atlanta.

Vince Carter became a reason for Raptors fans to get excited and made a huge impact on the history and viability of the Toronto Raptors franchise.

The Toronto Raptors have never retired a number. Carter was loved while in Toronto, booed heavily after he was traded, and eventually loved again. #15 in the rafters would look really nice.

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We are still waiting to hear about sports on Canadian soil.

The Toronto Blue Jays are heading back to Toronto. The Blue Jays want to train and play their regular-season games in Toronto. The team has a good chance of training at Rogers Centre. The team would stay in the hotel at Rogers Centre and quarantine in that fashion similar to what the NHL might do in Canada.

The team had been in Dunedin with Florida recording extremely high COVID-19 case numbers lately. Sahlen Field in Buffalo, home of their Triple A team, could enter the mix if the Jays can't play regular season games in Toronto.

The Canadian MLS teams will play in a tournament in Orlando. Then, Toronto FC, Montréal Impact, and the Vancouver Whitecaps would have trouble playing games in their home parks or country. The NBA Toronto Raptors are playing in Orlando.

The CFL had prided itself in modern times for not having a regular season game lost to a strike or lockout. The pandemic has postponed the start of the 2020 CFL season. We aren't even sure of a season at this point.

The CFL might play in September or not at all. James Wilder Jr., who signed with Montréal, couldn't wait any longer and took a job. DaVaris Daniels, who signed with Toronto, has given CFL Commissioner Randy Ambroisie until Friday to announce plans for a 2020 CFL season.

The other leagues have plans that may or may not happen. The CFL has said "September" but otherwise has been vague.

TSN added a new show called CFL2020 running Fridays at 7:30 pm Eastern before the CFL Encore Fridays. For unknown reasons, ESPN+ hasn't picked up CFL programming via TSN during the pandemic.

For those outside Canada, you can find 2019 highlights on YouTube and discuss whether Hamilton would join the other 8 CFL teams in a 21st century championship and who should replace Chris Cuthbert as the #1 play-by-play person on CFL telecasts.

Chris Cuthbert picks Stanley Cup final over TSN, jumps to Rogers Sportsnet

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Rogers Sportsnet did imply there would be more broadcasting changes after the Chris Cuthbert acquisition. We don't want to report a name without an official announcement but there is apparently a new free agent formerly with Rogers with NHL and CFL television experience.

Speaking of Rogers, Rogers Sportsnet One has debuted a new interview series Top of Her Game with Tara Slone. This is a show that is long overdue and Slone is an ideal host. Profiling women in sports needs to be a part of the current sports landscape.

The news release notes some of the early guests: Stephanie McMahon and Charlotte Flair of the WWE; NHL executive vice-president Kim Davis; Waneek Horn-Miller, the first Mohawk woman to compete in the Summer Olympics; Mathea Olin, Canada’s first Pan Am Games surfing medallist; and Chantal Petitclerc, Canada’s most decorated Paralympian.

The series runs on Sundays at 6:30 pm Eastern on Sportsnet One and is also available on Sportsnet Now.

Twitter captures: @canucks; @jkenney
photo credit: CBC News
video credit: YouTube/CFL

Canadian film review: Luk'Luk'I

About 10 years ago (February 28, 2010), most of Vancouver and Canada was focused on the Golden Goal as Sidney Crosby scored in overtime to give Canada the gold medal in men's hockey over the United States.

Luk'Luk'I takes us to the Downtown Eastside on that day to show people playing a version of themselves. The neighbourhood is known for poverty and drug use.

Wayne Wapeemukwa introduces us to Angel Gates, Joe Buffalo, Ken Harrower, Eric Buurman, and Angela Dawson aka Rollergirl. Angela runs into hockey fans who are clearly lost. Eric is addicted to heroin and is followed by a UFO. Angel is a sex worker.

Joe brings up his past in residential schools. Eric wants to reunite with his adult son. Ken is a gay and disabled man looking for love. Angela has a clash with police. They don't have much connection to each other: just a lens into a day in their lives.

The gold medal game and closing ceremonies come up in bits and pieces throughout the film. Music plays a role in certain scenes.

Vancouver is a contrast between rich and poor even on a regular day. The final day of the 2010 Olympics also points us to the divide of rich and poor trying to often hide certain elements of the population during major events.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

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Luk'Luk'I (pronounced Luck-lucky) is the name in the Coast-Salish language for the Downtown Eastside.

The fictionalised stories are based on real-life stories from the actual lives of the 5 people. Luk'Luk'I is a mix of feature film storytelling, music videos, with sprinkles of documentary.

Canadian film review: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

This is the same area of Vancouver if you saw The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open.

They don't use the video from the gold medal game but you get quite a bit of audio from Chris Cuthbert and Pierre McGuire.

The film celebrates these people with the raw realities on their lives. The film is surprisingly relatively upbeat. These are people you would likely ignore but Wapeemukwa helps you want to learn more about them.

Luk'Luk'I won the award for Best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. TIFF placed the film in its Canada's Top Ten in 2017.

Luk'Luk'I is available in the United States on Amazon Prime.

video credit: YouTube/TIFF Trailers
photo credit: Google maps

Yukon to go to permanent Daylight Saving Time on Sunday

We've heard the rumbles in some Canadian provinces and U.S. states to go to permanent Daylight Saving Time. There are a bunch of logistical issues with going to permanent Daylight Saving Time. Yukon is going ahead with permanent Daylight Saving Time when the clocks change early on Sunday morning in North America.

During Daylight Saving Time, Yukon will be on the same time as British Columbia (its neighbour to the south) and an hour ahead of Alaska (its neighbour to the west), same as the times are now. In the winter, Yukon will be 1 hour ahead of British Columbia (its neighbour to the south) and 2 hours ahead of Alaska. In fact, Yukon will be on the same time as the Northwest Territories, Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, and the western parts of Nunavut in the winter.

This is distinct from Saskatchewan that remains on Central Standard Time year round.

British Columbia has put into motion the concept of permanent Daylight Saving Time contingent on similar movement in Washington, Oregon, and California, its U.S. time zone neighbours. That would put the province 2 hours behind Toronto in the winter.

Daylight Saving Time means having more sunshine in the afternoon when there is more sun. The drawback to having permanent Daylight Saving Time is very dark mornings where the sun doesn't rise for an extra hour. Getting to work and school becomes more dangerous without sunlight. Yukon doesn't get much sunlight at any time in the winter.

Daylight is a distinct point in Whitehorse (Yukon capital) at 60.72 North latitude in southern Yukon vs. Victoria (BC capital) at 48.43 North latitude.

Canadian notebook: Newfoundland time is not the crime

European summer time, as they call it, runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. Most of the United States and Canada switched to Daylight Saving Time on the last Sunday in April through the last Sunday in October until 1987. The first Sunday in April was the new marker from 1987-2006. Since 2007, the second Sunday in March has been the turning point with the first Sunday in November as the point to fall back.

Yukon's population is more than the lower bowl of BC Place but less than the whole stadium in Vancouver, somewhere around 40,000. Most of those people live in Whitehorse. In an area where time might not be as crucial (Yukon and Saskatchewan), not changing clocks isn't seen as important. The more sensible thing for Yukon to do is not to observe daylight time so as to be on the same time as Alaska and an hour behind British Columbia in the summer.

Some of the anxiety of switching would be solved by moving back to a more reasonable time to move up the clocks. That could be the European standard of the final Sunday in March or a Sunday in April.

NHL the month in preview March 2020

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle living in Canada will be easier by staying fewer than 6 months

Where to visit Canada in 2020

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Hockey Day in Canada 2020 took us north into the Canadian territories. The home base was in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories though we did get to visit Whitehorse, Yukon.

If you did win the trip to the north and picked Whitehorse, going in the summer wouldn't change the time difference. You would only see the difference if you stayed in the winter. You might have to make yourself get up in the winter given how dark the sky would be.

photo credit: Google maps

Valentine's Day 2020: Things we love about Canada

Valentine's Day is usually about love, love of people with each other. We have had a bit of fun over the years on that topic.

This year, we want to celebrate our love for Canada that doesn't involve celebrities. We still love Canadian celebrities. Anna Maria Tremonti's new More podcast celebrates an internal push from Canadian celebrities. Our focus is on things we appreciate about Canada that are distinctly Canadian.

Newfoundland in the snow

Newfoundland has its share of storms: last month's snowscape was intense even for Newfoundland. Getting ¾ of a metre (2 ½ feet) of snow is incredible enough. The howling 150+ km winds brought a force to the island.

Stumbled across an impromptu Georgetown block party with bonfire in the middle of what should be a street. Beer and comraderie freely shared with all #nlwx #NLStorm2020 #blizzard2020 pic.twitter.com/QxUlea6rti

— Peter Cowan (@PeterCBC) January 19, 2020

How the people of Newfoundland celebrated the snow from snowboarding down the steep roads that are a part of downtown St. John's to building bonfires in the street to hang out with neighbours. Most of what we saw was from St. John's due to the limitations of covering the rest of the province during a horrible storm. You showed Canada and the world that no matter how intense the blizzard was, you would still have fun.

CBC The National

CBC The National slightly skews its numerous hosts lineup

Canada PM Stephen Harper says he prefers watching U.S. news

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Then Prime Minister Stephen Harper once bragged that he watched American news instead of Canadian news. Most Canadian TV news isn't that meaningful. CTV and Global aren't bad; they just aren't good for a country of 36 million. The National is a nightly newscast that is meaningful to Canada and the world.

You can make fun of the 4 anchor setup. You can poke fun at the ratings compared to CTV and Global (which have American TV shows as their lead-in). Night after night, the best TV newscast in Canada and the United States is The National.

Americans should appreciate that while the newscast has disappeared from cable boxes outside those areas that get the CBC, you can watch the newscast on Facebook and YouTube.

Politeness

Canada isn't always polite. Canada is often more polite, everything else being equal.

When you travel and deal with Canadians, they have a politeness that is refreshing when visiting the country. Canadians are reasonably friendly and helpful. They are polite. Do them a favour and learn a few things about Canada to show how polite you are when you visit them.

Alberta and Saskatchewan

The rhetoric of division in Canada reveals a lack of understanding

They were pretty angry during the election and didn't stop being angry after the election. There will be a Wexit party on future ballots.

These provinces have felt angst from many generations of feeling underrepresented in Parliament.

The Canadian Senate is unelected. Ontario and Quebec get 24 senators each while Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan combined have 24 senators. As we saw in the 2019 election, improving the vote total in Alberta and Saskatchewan doesn't get you that many more seats in the House of Commons.

The area produces some great Canadian resources from beef to potash. Oh, there is oil as well. There are a lot of great people in these provinces. A lot of them are conservative but not in a mean way. Most might be frustrated but they aren't as angry as their elected leaders.

Harry and Meghan

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle living in Canada will be easier by staying fewer than 6 months

I know we said no celebrities. This isn't really about them. Vancouver Island is a gorgeous place in Canada. Having the (former) royals stay there will draw attention to people who otherwise might not have considered the island as a travel destination.

Americans can fly to Seattle and sail from downtown Seattle to Victoria. You can take a bus to Nanaimo and Tofino. Renting a car? Gas is more expensive because, well, Canada and being on an island.

If you are trying to "accidentally" spot the royals (with respect, of course), they are reportedly in North Saanich. That community is south of Swartz Bay, the destination from the ferry from Tsawwassen, an hour by bus to Victoria. North Saanich is also just south of the Victoria International Airport. They will likely be in Victoria and Vancouver, the latter of which is not on Vancouver Island.

If you spend your time exploring the region and/or those two cities, you will have a lovely time, even if you don't spot anyone too famous.

Parlé Francaise

You can and should go to Montréal or elsewhere in Quebec to get a French language perspective on being Canadian. You can elsewhere within Canada to get that Francaise experience: St. Boniface in Winnipeg to Acadia in New Brunswick to numerous Franco-Ontarian cities to Edmonton's French Quarter.

Donut scandals

Justin Trudeau had a scandal (gasp) because the prime minister bought donuts from Oh Doughnuts during a Liberal Party gathering in Winnipeg. On the surface, the scenario is a boss buying donuts for his team. Employees usually want the boss to buy the good donuts for the meeting. Canadians and Americans can relate to this action.

The "scandal" was that Trudeau didn't buy donuts from Tim Hortons, majority-owned by a Brazilian investment firm. Tim Hortons is Canadians in the eyes of Canada. I haven't had Oh Doughnuts but feel comfortable in saying that fresh, local donuts from a locally owned company taste better than donuts that are reheated on site (as Tim Hortons donuts reportedly are).

The "scandal" is a reminder that in a world of Brexit and a highly angry toddler, donut scandals are not a bad speed to be traveling.

National Film Board and TIFF

We were down on them for layoffs late last year. Both organisations celebrate Canadian film. They have online resources to learn more about Canadian film. The NFB allows you to watch certain films within Canada and even outside Canada. The TIFF site has more about Canadian films shown in the festival, the list of Rising Stars, and so much more.

Coolness of Canadian celebrities

This story is about Ryan Reynolds and his generosity.

During the whole Peloton ad saga, Reynolds decided to "save" the Peloton wife (actor Monica Ruiz) and gave her a safe space in an ad for his Aviation American Gin brand.

You could cynically argue that Reynolds was trying to take advantage and increase awareness of his gin brand. Ruiz was concerned about being typecast. Reynolds tapped into the concerns people had over the Peloton ad and gave a break to a fellow actor who needed one.

2019 Valentine's Day: Our love for Sandra Oh

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

If your Valentine's Day is not going the way you want it to go, planning a trip to Canada can be a way to distract you.

video credit: CBC News
Twitter capture: @PeterCBC
photo credit: me; Aviation American Gin

Why is Meng Wanzhou still in Canada?

Rogers Sportsnet briefly toned down the Huawei sponsorship of Hockey Night in Canada after the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou last year. That lasted a single week. In very late 2019, Huawei still has the prominent sponsorship slot on Hockey Night in Canada.

Entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig have now spent over a year in Chinese custody leading lives far more traumatic than the house arrest of Meng Wanzhou.

The United States had an arrest warrant for Meng citing violations of trade sanctions with Iran. The extradition process has gone on for a very long period of time.

We've gone through a number of steps in the process but again, Meng Wanzhou is in Canada, not the United States or China. Canada has paid the only price, an extensive price in human costs and trade restrictions with different human costs.

Canola farmers in Canada latest pawn in China battle over Meng Wanzhou arrest

Among the Five Eyes intelligence gathering countries (Canada, U.S., Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom), Canada has not decided whether Huawei will have anything to do with 5G. The country's Five Eyes status is being threatened if Huawei is involved with 5G in Canada. Canada will likely have a decision in 2020.

NHL the week in preview December 21, 2018

Canada paying a price to go along with U.S. desire to arrest Meng Wanzhou

Huawei's financial ties to Canadian universities are more than $56 million, according to a CBC News story this month. The story also notes that the academic research is part of an overall $164 million on research in Canada in 2018.

Huawei should be more conciliatory since Canada might let the company be a part of the 5G system in the country. Given the reported ties between Huawei and the Chinese government, and how the Chinese government has essentially kidnapped 2 Canadians (Spavor and Kovrig), why would Canada say yes to Huawei?

Meng Wanzhou was arrested December 1 in the Vancouver airport. The 1-year anniversary of the arrests of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig came earlier this month. China has hinted at upcoming trials for Spavor and Kovrig, not that they will be trials in any North American sense. Justice often moves too slowly. This case needs to be settled soon.

Meng Wanzhou 1-year anniversary blog post (Huawei.com)

Is a Canada-China prisoner swap a good idea? (The Current on CBC)

What Canadian universities gain and lose by accepting Huawei funding (Front Burner CBC Radio)

Sanctioned: The Arrest of a Telecom Giant (CBC podcasts)

If you know very little about the Meng Wanzhou story, the CBC podcast series Sanctioned: The Arrest of a Telecom Giant has a basic overview. If you've kept up with our coverage, you won't learn too much more in the series.

photo credit: Rogers Sportsnet

2019 Canada Day notebook: More delays with edibles

Editor's note: We take a moment before the Canada Day celebration to reflect on recent Canadian stories. Canada Day is July 1 on Monday, so we run this today. Have a safe and wonderful long weekend.

The impact of edibles can change marijuana tourism in Canada. Unfortunately for marijuana tourists, that impact is reduced and delayed.

The original idea was that October 17, forever known as marijuana legalisation day, would be the target date for edibles. Existing federally regulated processors can apply to Health Canada on July 15. The October 17 deadline marks 60 days before edibles can be sold in Canada. So Christmas sales, yes, but supplies will be limited.

Each individual package will be limited to a maximum of 10 mg of THC. My expert friends find the 10 mg standard to be a joke. If you are not an expert, 2.5 mg is a good starting point. The types of edibles will be scrutinized by Health Canada. So no to gummy bears if they are appealing to children. Cannabis extracts and topicals (ointments, oils, makeup) will also be available in mid-December.

Edibles will not have alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, or caffeine with exceptions for low amounts of naturally occurring caffeine, such as chocolate.

What's Tempting: Marijuana edibles (BalanceofFood.com)

Your Guide to Canada's Edible Pot Rules (Front Burner CBC Radio)

As someone who went to California over the winter and legally bought edibles, the Trudeau Government is going way overboard in every element. Safety should be a factor and children shouldn't ingest any sort of marijuana product. Education is important but structuring that is difficult when people don't know what the product will look like.

Anna Maria Tremonti to leave The Current this week

The Trudeau Government approved the Trans Mountain pipeline. I learned from The Current series on CBC Radio One that the Trans Mountain pipeline will run parallel to the current pipeline but somehow triple the capacity. The primary issue will be tanker traffic in Burnaby and the difficulty to get the oil to the West Coast. The tankers would have to sail through Vancouver Harbour under the Lions Gate Bridge into the Burrard Inlet.

The argument is that the Liberals aren't pleasing anyone with the decision (lots of pipelines vs. no pipelines). So Jason Kenney and the UCP in Alberta are upset about oil not getting to the West Coast but the current Trans Mountain pipeline gets to Burnaby, the same place the expansion will also end.

Andrew Scheer released the Conservative Party take on climate change. The carbon tax is a conservative idea that isn't that effective in fighting climate change. The conservatives have been fighting the carbon tax, even though households will get reimbursed for most of that money. Scheer's ideas are fine but will have far-less of an effect than even the carbon tax.

I also don't get why they have to send raw bitumen through the pipelines instead of refining the oil in Alberta (more jobs). British Columbia has expressed that concern from an environmental standpoint since bitumen spills are more costly to the environment than regular oil spills.

I really want to understand all of these rationales. I don't know if Canadians know the answers and so the news doesn't talk about it or I am the only one who is curious on either side of the border.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada has a new book on The Art of Diplomacy

Kelly Knight Craft may leave U.S. Ambassador to Canada post for promotion

We thought that Kelly Knight Craft seemed extra invisible in her limited time as U.S. Ambassador to Canada. Craft is the nominee to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Under questioning in front of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, we learned that Craft was gone from her post more than 300 days over 19 months. We also learned that Craft posted social media messages from outside of Canada at times where there was no record of travel. Craft was absent 45 of 54 days between March 21 and May 13; some of her absences involved visits back home to Kentucky.

Craft cited visits to Montréal and Washington, where she said she was part of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer's negotiating team. Montréal trips aren't a concern; Washington trips can be justified. Her presence on the trade negotiating team, if that is true, should be alarming to Canada and the concept of being an ambassador. The ambassador role should be a go-between with the two countries. Her presence on the trade negotiating team is the equivalent of the butcher having a thumb on the scale.

Craft told the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that she received approval for her travel. That means little, especially if those trips were to go back to Kentucky.

The U.S. Ambassador to Canada is supposed to be about Canada. Craft couldn't even pretend otherwise. Her arrogance should be grounds not to get a promotion but the problem for Canada is that she might have to return to Lexington, er, Ottawa to continue to do a poor job in her current position.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

Bill 21 is law in Quebec though the law is being challenged. The bill would ban religious symbols from public servants, defined to include teachers, lawyers, and police officers, while at work. You might remember the previous Liberal government pushed a less severe version of the bill.

Quebec Premier François Legault’s CAQ government along with the Parti Quebecois voted in favour while the Liberals and Quebec solidaire were opposed. The primary target is Muslim women for the hijab or niqab but also affects Sikh men and Orthodox Jewish men. A provision was made for teachers as long as they remain in their position at their school.

The tug-of-war is about secularism vs. targeting religious minorities. The idea of a "secularism police" is remnant of the "language police" of previous times in La Belle Province.

Whatever you might think about these religious symbols, we think that governments requiring them is reprehensible. Having a government say you can't wear something also feels reprehensible.

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

Air Canada tells us the Tiffani Adams story is true, though you would have a hard time believing the story. We definitely advocate for traveling to and within Canada. Just be aware of your surroundings, whether you are the passenger or the carrier.

Canadian sports notebook: Record number of Canadians in the 2019 NBA draft

We normally put several sports stories in the Canada Day notebook. We had too many stories in the sports notebook so we gave them a separate notebook on Wednesday.

photo credit: me
video credit: CBC News

Canola farmers in Canada latest pawn in China battle over Meng Wanzhou arrest

As you watch all of those Huawei sponsorship mentions on Hockey Night in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet, consider that China still has 2 Canadians held captive in conditions much worse than how Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is living in Vancouver. Another Canadian may be put to death.

Canadian canola farmers have been feeling the sting of China's retaliation, at least all of this is "unofficial" retaliation.

Canada sends a lot of canola to China, about $2.7 billion worth in 2018. Suddenly, Chinese customs inspectors said they found "dangerous pests" in Canada canola shipments. Shipments from 3 Canadian companies have been blocked.

• There is no reason to think "dangerous pests" even exist as China hasn't shown any proof.
• Some might struggle with the idea of "China" and "food safety" in the same sentence.

While everything is unofficial, the correlation is clear. China is still upset about the arrest of Meng Wanzhou on Canadian soil at the request of the United States.

Canada paying a price to go along with U.S. desire to arrest Meng Wanzhou

CanadianCrossing.com trade coverage

The original retaliation: 2-for-1 and in horrible conditions vs. living better than most people in Vancouver. A death penalty sentence and canola oil sales to China are icing on an over-frosted cupcake.

Canada could ban Huawei from its 5G networks. Australia is doing that. Australian coal shipments are "suddenly" running into extra scrutiny at Chinese ports, including impurity complaints.

The United States — the country that wanted Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou to be arrested and extradited — hasn't had any retaliation, mostly due to its size and impact of what the country could do in retaliation.

This op-ed provides enough details that, if they are close to being accurate about the conditions where Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig have been suffering for over 4 months, requires swift action.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

CanadianCrossing.com Donald Trump coverage

This scenario will not magically disappear short of Meng Wanzhou being on Chinese soil and a full apology from Canada, neither of which is happening. Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are going to be trapped in deplorable conditions for some time.

Robert Lloyd Schellenberg is in a whole different nightmare. Schellenberg was found guilty of drug smuggling and sentenced to 15 years in November. After the Meng Wanzhou arrest, Schellenberg was retried and sentenced to death over the same charges in a one-day trial in Dalian.

There may be a delay in the very slow process, thanks to Meng Wanzhou filing a civil lawsuit, claiming she was unlawfully detained and questioned for 3 hours without being advised of her constitutional rights. She is entitled to file the lawsuit but you can't help but wonder that Canadians Spavor and Kovrig don't have those rights in China for much harsher treatment.

The Canadian canola farmers are innocent financial pawns. They might find other homes for the canola seeds but they had contracts with China.

China is upset against the Western world but Canada is paying the price. The allegations of the connection between Huawei and the Chinese government have strong credibility. In an open world, the threat of Canada banning Huawei from its 5G networks would be a financial incentive for China to release their "hostages." Canada and other countries don't want to use Huawei in their 5G networks but are seeing the financial impact in a world where denying them may not be possible.

photos credit: me

Canada paying a price to go along with U.S. desire to arrest Meng Wanzhou

Canada and the United States have an extradition treaty agreement to honour each other's request for arrests. Unfortunately, Canada has been put in a really horrible situation with the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou.

Like the Safe Third Country Agreement, Canada's willingness to go along with the United States on an agreement is biting them in the posterior.

We have already seen the Chinese government confirm the detention of 2 Canadians: entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig on "endangering national security." This is on top of the threats that may lead to more negative consequences for Canada.

The United States wants to extradite Meng from Canada to the United States for, well, unofficially over concern that Skycom, an alleged subsidiary company, violated U.S. trade sanctions with Iran.

Meng was arrested December 1 in Vancouver as she was switching planes. Meng was released on $10 million CDN bail Tuesday. Her next court date is February 6.

A Eastern District of New York judge issued an arrest warrant for Meng in August.

Canada did unusual favour for U.S. to arrest Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Chinese tech giant #Huawei. Can we talk #tariffs now? https://t.co/4eDj3ZTCzB

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) December 6, 2018

There is a sense of concern over the Chinese telecommunications giant and its ties to the Chinese government to security issues, especially with the implementation of 5G. Huawei is a major sponsor of Rogers Sportsnet with Hockey Night in Canada. While the visual elements remained in the Sportsnet coverage, there was no audio copy that is usually found in the sponsorship.

"Our extradition partners should not seek to politicize the extradition process or use it for ends other than the pursuit of justice," said Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

To no one's surprise, Donald Trump spoke on just that point. Even before that remark, there was considerable speculation that this was a political arrest. Even if the allegations are true, Meng hasn't violated any Canadian laws. As long as Meng is on Canadian soil, Canada will suffer as a result.

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CanadianCrossing.com trade coverage

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

CanadianCrossing.com Donald Trump coverage

As you might recall in the USMCA/CUSMA negotiations, the United States sneaked a provision that if Canada were to negotiate a trade deal with China (without saying China) that the United States would have to get access to secret negotiation information from Canada. The arrest hurts Canadian trade negotiations with China while helping the United States work out a deal with China.

The arrest of Meng Wanzhou might be justified in terms of the charges but this dispute shouldn't involve Canada. The United States is once again taking advantage of Canada's integrity in international agreements.

As we noted in the above tweet, the United States still has major tariffs in steel, aluminum, softwood lumber, and Bombardier planes (threatened) against Canada. There is a USMCA/CUSMA deal in place and still the tariffs exist. Canada should retain integrity in agreements but find some way to fight back against unfair practices by the United States.

Twitter capture: @canadian_xing

Greyhound Canada to abandon Western Canadian provinces

An Alberta sunset taken from a Greyhound Canada bus.

I've been to all 10 Canadian provinces, traveling on Greyhound Canada in 4 provinces. Greyhound Canada hasn't been a recent option in the Maritimes or Newfoundland and Labrador.

As of November 1, those travel opportunities of traveling Greyhound Canada in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta will be just memories. Greyhound Canada is also bailing out of British Columbia (the Vancouver-Seattle runs are controlled by Greyhound U.S.) as well as the Trans-Canada route between Winnipeg and Sudbury, Ontario will also disappear, so there will be no Greyhound Canada buses west of Sudbury.

I rode Greyhound from Calgary to Edmonton and back in my 2012 Alberta trip. The only other option was a car that I wouldn't have needed in either city. I got to watch an Alberta sunset where you could see the sun go all the way to the horizon.

I rode a Greyhound overnight bus from Winnipeg to Regina in 2016. The driving alternative would have been problematic for lots of reasons. A plane would have been expensive and I didn't need a car in Regina.

Via Rail is not an option for these and many other routes affected by the cuts. Driving and hitchhiking aren't great for a lot of people but may be the only options remaining.

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Greyhound Canada cancelled the Prince George-Prince Rupert route in British Columbia June 1. That cut reflected the issues with hitchhiking with the history of indigenous girls and women on the Highway of Tears that runs down Highway 16 between the cities.

The best viable solution would be a regional bus system such as Maritime Bus out in the Maritimes. I rode from Moncton to Fredericton to Saint John as well as going to and from Charlottetown. The buses were a lot smaller, not as fancy as Greyhound. There were quite a few packages being delivered as well as people.

The Maritime Bus coverage area is relatively compact compared to the long distances in the Prairie provinces.

The Saskatchewan Transportation Company folded in 2017, but we have seen alternative such as Rider Express take over significant routes.

Calgary-Edmonton and Winnipeg-Regina are likely to be covered by smaller companies with smaller buses. The smaller towns and smaller routes are a bigger concern. There is the tourist angle, but there are many people who simply can't drive 800-1000 km across the vastness of Western Canada.

Greyhound Canada cited a 41% ridership decline since 2010. The company also noted bus runs of single-digit ridership at times, which was directly contradicted by numerous examples of buses from half full to almost full.

The company said 415 jobs would be lost with an impact to 2 million consumers.

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CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

We like encouraging Canadians and other people to explore Canada. Cars do have their advantages but not everyone can afford to travel that way. The fact that I could access the bus allowed me to spend more time in Winnipeg before going to Regina. The bus allowed me to mock Rob Ford online for following me on my Alberta adventure.

"I would assume that Ford had more appropriate transportation between Edmonton and Calgary. I took the 8 a.m. Greyhound Express. Extra legroom, electrical outlets, and free wi-fi all included. The scenery is flat between the two cities and you do get to stop over in Red Deer as a bonus."

I wrote that in 2012. Being on the bus allowed me to see the amazing scenery, make notes, and reflect in the middle of an amazing journey. Driving isn't the same. Hitchhiking would have been worse.

Hopefully, smaller transportation companies will rise to the occasion to help out Western Canadians in ways that Greyhound was too big and slow to make necessary changes.

photos credit: me; CTV

Donald Trump does not understand that the American economy benefits from Canadians shopping in the U.S.

Donald Trump would have hated Pirate Joe's.

The United States financially benefits from a flood of Canadians who cross the border to buy gas, spend money on groceries, and yes, buy shoes. The country wants Canada to raise the duties from $200 in a same-day trip perhaps closer to the $800 figure that Americans can bring back from Canada on a same-day trip.

Pirate Joe's, for those who don't remember, was Mike Hallatt who bought a lot of Trader Joe's food and sold it on 4th Street in Vancouver. Hallatt didn't even have to "scuff the shoes" to get the Trader Joe's food across the border.

RIP Pirate Joe's is no more

Trump identified duties as tariffs and as "massive," even though the U.S. benefits from the policy. Canadians spend money in the United States on local businesses and locations of national businesses, and Trump thinks that is bad. Some Canadians may have cut back on those trips thanks to the hostility in the United States, but that isn't what is angering him.

"We can no longer be the stupid country; we want to be the smart country." Donald Trump really said this. Understanding the difference between tariffs and duties and knowing when money is spent in a country: these would be smart traits.

Most Canadians aren't in a practical position to take advantage of cross-border shopping. Figure the Maritimes, short of western New Brunswick, have no U.S. contact. Southern Canadians from the Cascades to Thunder Bay, Ontario have no major shopping areas outside of perhaps Fargo and Spokane. Those in southwestern British Columbia, southern Ontario and Quebec make up the majority of cross-border shoppers.

Those shoppers deal with a 20% currency disadvantage versus the U.S. dollar, lost time, and dealing with customs (with or without scuffed shoes) all to buy U.S. products on U.S. soil. This makes the Trump temper tantrum all the more confusing. Those Canadians deserve a thank you for making significant financial contributions to the American economy.

The beauty of Pirate Joe's was that people in Vancouver could buy desired U.S. products without having to leave Canada. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court ruling bringing the case back to the district court. The problem stemmed from not being able to afford to fight the appeals.

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Americans should appreciate that Canadians do as much shopping as they do in the United States as they do. They might learn a bit more over this aspect of Canadians thanks to this story. Someone besides me on the U.S. side needs to understand this as part of the Canada-U.S. relationship. The tariffs, trade battles, and difficult NAFTA negotiations are detracting away from a normally natural welcoming relationship between these two countries.

photos credit: me; This Hour Has 22 Minutes