Canadian Crossing

Canadian journalism notebook: The loss of a daily paper in Newfoundland and Labrador

The pressroom is quiet now. Newfoundland and Labrador’s last web press just finished printing the province’s last daily paper. When I started my career in journalism, I never thought I’d see this day. It doesn’t feel real. pic.twitter.com/36hgLuiWvV

— Juanita Mercer (@juanitamercer_) August 24, 2024

We reported earlier this summer that Postmedia had taken over the SaltWire collection of newspapers. Postmedia doesn't have a track record of helping the beleaguered newspapers purchased by the American hedge-fund controlled Canadian newspaper company.

Shortly after the takeover, Postmedia slashed 30 percent of its editorial staff with layoffs. This included all the photojournalists. While there is some dispute over the latter part, there is likely semantics involved.

The other major story is that Newfoundland and Labrador is the first Canadian province in over 100 years to not have a daily newspaper. Postmedia has said The Telegram will only be published on Fridays with an online version the rest of the week.

Canadaland news editor Jonathan Goldsbie, in a podcast episode with editor-in-chief Karyn Pugliese, that from his research, he believes the last province without a daily newspaper was Saskatchewan in the fall of 1905 with about 10 weeks difference between the start of the province (September 1, 1905) and the Regina Leader switching from a weekly to a daily newspaper.

We can hear some of the remarks now:

"Nothing happens in Newfoundland." "The paper is still every day but without expensive newsprint." "These decisions have to happen because of capitalism."

Decisions about journalism in Newfoundland and Labrador are being made in Toronto from people who aren't concerned about the quality of journalism in the province. People smarter than your humble narrator would point out that Postmedia has to acquire more debt to feed its American hedge fund corporate overlords and are stripping these papers for parts.

The traditional names are there but they are a shell of what they once were. News does happen in Newfoundland and Labrador. Journalists need to protect the public interest through investigations.

For those who say Postmedia will only do this in Newfoundland and Labrador, Atlantic Canada is next.

Newfoundland and Labrador didn't have a daily newspaper outside of The Telegram. Smaller communities have weekly newspapers. St. John's has 2 TV stations: CBNT (Channel 8) with the CBC and CJON (Channel 21) with NTV (Newfoundland Television). Here is a list of radio stations in the province.

Yes, The Telegram readers can go online every day to read the news. The idea of sitting at Rocket Bakery right there on Water Street in St. John's and not seeing people reading the newspaper makes your humble narrator very sad.

Canadian journalism notebook: Will there continue to be a Global News in Canada?

New Brunswick switches out one newspaper monopoly for another one

Canadian journalism notebook: Canadian cities losing Monday newspaper editions

📚 Bookends with Mattea Roach, CBC's new author interview show, premieres Sept. 8!

Tune in on CBC Radio or catch it as a podcast. 📚https://t.co/ulv7zuISP4

— CBC Radio (@cbcradio) August 27, 2024

We love listening to Mattea Roach as the host of Backbench through Canadaland. Roach now has a second podcast in their repertoire, this time with CBC Radio. Bookends is an author interview show where Roach explores the creative process for writing with novelists and authors.

Bookends airs Sunday afternoons at 1 pm local time (1:30 NT, 3 PT) on CBC Radio and CBC Listen with repeats on Wednesdays at 1 pm (1:30 NT). The program essentially replaces Writers & Company as Eleanor Wachtel has retired. Roach interviewed Wachtel for the final episode of that show.  

Roach has shown their literary bonafides, winning Canada Reads in 2023 when they championed Kate Beaton’s graphic novel Ducks.

Tom Power interviewed Roach recently on Q. They have some commonalities: relatively young people who excelled in other areas besides radio. Both are from out east: Power from Newfoundland and Roach from Nova Scotia.

Roach noted that they didn't think they would end up hosting a podcast. We were waiting for Roach to mention their current podcast. While Roach referred to a political podcast, they never mentioned the name of the podcast or its primary source.

We also are in favour of more recognition for Canadian authors though we know the podcast will have Canadian and international authors.

U.S. listeners can listen live through CBC Listen and, of course, download episodes of the podcast.

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com radio coverage

ICYMI Gill Deacon is leaving the CBC. A good friend, an outstanding broadcaster I've known for 30 years. The place won't be the same without her. https://t.co/5U05AStr3B

— Tom Harrington (@cbctom) September 4, 2024

Gill Deacon had been the host of Here and Now on CBC Radio yet hadn't been "here" and "now" in awhile. Deacon had been dealing with long COVID, which is very real even if you don't believe in it. 

The good news is that she has recovered from long COVID. The bad news is that Deacon is leaving Here and Now and CBC Radio.

Deacon has hosted the afternoon show for more than a decade and filled in on many CBC Radio shows. You can read more about her story.

Deacon's voice, brain, and thoughtfulness were traits that made her really good at this job. Good luck in her future endeavors.

Here and Now will find a permanent host down the line.

Canadian politics notebook: Very little of Canada in latest CPC ad

Bell Media making deep cuts to W5, CTV local newscasts

A guide to quality Canadian journalism in lieu of Meta and Google being childish

CanadianCrossing.com journalism coverage

Stephen Harper was subtle about the CBC. Death by several thousand cuts. Recent Conservative Party leaders have not been subtle about their take on the CBC: Pierre Poilievre and Erin O'Toole leap to mind.

Kerry-Lynne Findlay is the chief opposition whip in the House of Commons for the Conservative Party. Findlay released a video this summer on the party's position on getting rid of the CBC. The original video made a case to keep Radio-Canada as well as English language radio programming.

Then the Conservative Party took down the video and the video came back up minus the part about radio programming.

We should note that the Conservative Party playbook is to separate English from French in their thought process. There are 2 strategies to this distinction: Conservatives really want votes in Quebec where they have struggled outside of the Brian Mulroney years. The vast majority of their base would never access Radio-Canada so they wouldn't know any potential negative coverage.

From the National Post:

"Let's talk about the radio part of all this for a moment," Findlay says at one point in the slickly-produced video, filmed in what appears to be West Block on Parliament Hill. On Friday, Findlay reposted the video with that section removed.

"Because radio is very low production cost and the CBC radio programs and Radio-Canada, they do still serve a purpose, particularly in smaller communities and I think (are) fairly well listened to, so I think there can be a case made to keep that," she said.

Poilievre has not directly said the same when it comes to radio programming.

The Conservative Party video we discussed last week was yanked without posting it in some form. This video was yanked, edited, and reposted as if the section never happened. You might wonder why we are quoting from the National Post, the right-wing national newspaper owned by Postmedia, this is because no one else reported on this story (that we could find).

We did get a sense of conservative logic from this sentence: "Findlay also touched on its history, arguing that because 'every Canadian can be their own broadcaster' the need for a national one to unify the country is no longer necessary." Postmedia has issued a single editorial and forced its many newspapers to run the same editorial. The American hedge fund controlled Canadian newspaper chain has a monopoly, controlling both major newspapers in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa.

National unification is fine for them but only with conservative voices. Also, francophones can have national unity, just not anglophones.

The acclimation is that the "cost" is too high (it's not) but there would still be a cost to Radio-Canada funding.

Per the story at the top of this column, imagine Newfoundland and Labrador journalism without CBC TV and CBC Radio.

Twitter captures: @juanitamercer_; @cbcradio; @cbctom
photo credits: SaltWire/The Telegram; Q/CBC Radio
video credit: Q/CBC Radio

2024 TIFF preview

The best of Canadian cinema lives at #TIFF24. 🍁

Tell us your favourite Canadian film. 👇 pic.twitter.com/JfWlo5vGJi

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) September 2, 2024

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival begins tonight, though full days don't kick into tomorrow. The film festival runs today through September 15.

The buzzy part (can we come up with a better word than buzzy) is mostly about films with marketing budgets that they don't deserve and stars you actually recognize. Some of these films will play in the next 2-3 months in theatres or even come into your home via streaming. Aim for the films that don't get the hype and stick in your mind years after the flavour of the week.

You can check out Elle Canada's take on Canadian films in the festival. The Globe and Mail weighs in on the "buzziest" films at TIFF24 if you are one of the privileged few who can read the whole article.

That Shelf, which is a good resource, has their top festival picks. There are no Canadian films in the significant profiles, though the "Also excited for:" area lists Bonjour Tristesse, The Canadian Press "buzzy" list does not list any Canadian films.

RDV Canada has a nice wrapup of Canadian titles at TIFF24.

We inadvertently added Heretic to our Canadian film preview since there was a maple leaf. We have updated our Canadian film preview.

Universal Language is Canada's entry into the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

I have been on the case for years for TIFF to bring back the Best Canadian First Feature Film. The award was last given out to The Twentieth Century from Matthew Rankin in 2019.

TIFF has finally conceded the need to recognize up and coming Canadian filmmakers. The festival is now presenting the Best Canadian Discovery Award with the new name and criteria. The award will now be an option for first- or second-feature films of those "in Official Selection by Canadian filmmakers are eligible for this award."

The winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000, same as the winner of the Best Canadian Feature Film Award, which specifically excludes first- or second-feature films.

The irony is that Universal Language | Une langue universelle would be eligible since this is Matthew Rankin's second feature film.

2023 TIFF Rising Stars

2022 TIFF Rising Stars

We get back an award that had been missing for 5 years and then we lose TIFF Rising Stars. While we haven't seen an official announcement, TIFF is not doing Rising Stars in 2024. The festival has been promoting young Canadian talent since 2011. The initial exercise was to spotlight young talent, even if they didn't have a film in that year's festival. The last few years has seen a shift where the Rising Stars specifically had films in the festival.

We were thinking about the benefits that, as an example, Sara Montpetit would get as a TIFF Rising Star. Montpetit was the lead in Maria Chapdelaine, co-lead in Falcon Lake, and the lead in Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person | Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant.

2015 TIFF Rising Star Deragh Campbell had 2 films at TIFF24. 2016 TIFF Rising Star Sophie Nélisse is very busy in 2 languages in 2 countries. 2017 TIFF Rising Star Théodore Pellerin is in high demand, mostly in French. 2018 TIFF Rising Star Devery Jacobs is juggling success in TV and film.

TIFF should be rewarding young Canadian talent. Hopefully, we won't have to wait 5 years for that to happen again.

We are a bit envious of Eric Tisch, The record-setting pace of seeing the most films in a festival would be rather impressive on its own. I know the Windsor International Film Festival record is 77.

More impressed on some level is that Tisch, programming manager for National Canadian Film Day, is out to watch every single Canadian film at TIFF. My Windsor experience would be very different if I could watch all of them at TIFF. Of course, Windsor adds Canadian films that don't play at TIFF.

His goal is 80 films. Tisch caught 63 films, including every Canadian film, at TIFF 2023.

Good luck to Tisch in his film-going adventure. We recommend a hearty cereal that doesn't need milk or granola to keep your energy up to absorb all those films.  

#TIFF24's @cameron_tiff shares which Canadian filmmakers are already making waves at the festival this year 🇨🇦✨ pic.twitter.com/fiMHb6ULvE

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) September 3, 2024

TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey mentions the obvious in the Canadian films coming to TIFF: David Cronenberg, Guy Maddin, and Matthew Rankin. Bailey also mentions Sophie Deraspe's new film Shepherds. You might feel like there are a lot of current French-Canadian female filmmakers named Sophie and you have a difficult time remembering which ones are the ones you like. We would argue they are all good, except of course, for Sophie Dupuis.

2024 TIFF Canadian film preview

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Oh, Canada played at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, though the film is definitely not a Canadian film. Richard Gere plays the older version of a writer who goes to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War. Uma Thurman is also in the film, written and directed by Paul Schrader.

Leonard Fife, the character played by Gere and Jacob Elordi as a younger version, is a documentary filmmaker living in Montréal.

Ironically, a film about running away to Canada was not actually shot in Canada. I don't have a crystal ball but I doubt his character will reflect someone who has lived in Canada, much less Montréal, for well over 50 years. Hopefully, the character will be more "Canadian" than Sandra Bullock's lame presentation of a Canadian in The Proposal.

Tegan and Sara, the Canadian music duo, are the subject of a documentary coming to TIFF24. Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara of is not a Canadian film yet telling a Canadian story. Our American readers can catch the documentary on Hulu starting October 18.

Saturday Night from Canadian director Jason Reitman makes its Canadian premiere at TIFF24. The story is the lead up to the debut of Saturday Night (later Saturday Night Live) in 1975. Canadian characters in the film include Lorne Michaels (creator of the show), Dan Aykroyd (writer and performer), and Paul Shaffer (part of the band).

BC native Pamela Anderson is back in The Last Showgirl, playing a seasoned Vegas showgirl trying to find her next act in life. The film is from Gia Coppola.

Denis Villeneuve will be at TIFF24 to talk about his very non-Canadian films, the Dune films.

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs through September 15.

Twitter captures: @TIFF_NET (x2)
photo credits: @NFB_Jennifer; Seeds/@levelFILM
Facebook capture: Reel Canada/National Canadian Film Day

Canadian politics notebook: Very little of Canada in latest CPC ad

A family in Tuscany. Guns and fields of crops from the United States. A university in Slovenia. Russian fighter jets. An elementary school in Serbia. Foothills in Indonesia.

The federal Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) released a 3-minute video of its leader — Pierre Poilievre — giving a speech at the 2024 Calgary Stampede.

The video was made to seem like all of these lovely images were Canadian since the speech itself talks about Canada, perhaps one some feel like we haven't seen in awhile (if ever). The obvious problem is that the party used footage from everywhere else but Canada. The image of the school guard welcoming the students is from Canada. The rest of the footage isn't from Canada.

Okay, mistakes get made. Even huge mistakes. What is intriguing about this instance is that the party pulled down the ad almost immediately. No acknowledgment that any mistakes happened or any explanation. Pulled down. Nothing to see here.

Let's acknowledge the true Canadian heroes. Calgary-based Twitter user @disorderedyyc, who tracked down the information about the misleading footage. Using Utah's Rockies and not even the Canadian Rockies?

Tom St Denis, who saved the footage of the original video for all to see.

"We're home" is the message but the visuals in the ad are anything but, well, home, as in Canada.

The teacher greeting the students when the video shows us a school crossing guard greeting the students. Celebrating sobriety with alcohol. Somehow hearing the sounds of nails into Canadian lumber. Why are grandpa and grandma looking west?

The images aren't Canada (all but one) and the words are about a Canada that never existed.

CNN thought it was news.

The Guardian thought it was news.

Yet most Canadian news organizations didn’t, or used the Canadian Press reporting if at all.

That’s a problem. https://t.co/ZKcVVo0fCa

— Greg MacEachern (@gmacofglebe) August 23, 2024

This was newsworthy, even significant. If the Liberals or the NDP were this foolish, the story would be high on news pages throughout Canada.

Pierre Poilievre does this? Crickets. Typical was this response from The Current on CBC Radio One (Matt Galloway on vacation) where the ad was barely mentioned and the attitude basically was "no one will care in a year and why care now."

The CPC isn't even confronted on pulling the ad without explanation. The party knew the mainstream press wouldn't challenge them.

The 2 Canadian heroes did what we normally call journalism. The actual journalists? They wanted the story to go away.

Canadaland was a lot better, though even they took their time getting to this story. A conservative episode glossed over the ad, dismissing it like most of Canadian mainstream journalism.

The use of the overseas footage was one concern. At a time when Conservatives in Ontario are closing safe consumption sites, having a part of a speech where they celebrate sobriety with alcohol is really insensitive. That segment on The Current could have mentioned that point.

CanadianCrossing.com journalism coverage

Canadian travel notebook: Brittlestar talks up Atlantic Canada

Brittlestar as well as This Hour Has 22 Minutes put more energy into commentary over the ad than all the mainstream Canadian journalism combined. Not just the origin of the ads but the running commentary.

Season 32. September 17th at 8pm on @cbc & @cbcgem. pic.twitter.com/51mcZtbHq1

— 22Minutes (@22_Minutes) August 30, 2024

This Hour Has 22 Minutes made sure to capture its take on the CPC ad. We will run our look at the CBC television fall lineup next week.

The official news release on the collapse of @voteBCUnited pic.twitter.com/nIKaoFPT0b

— Rob Shaw (@RobShaw_BC) August 28, 2024

Usually a political party in Canada will ask the leader to step down. Kevin Falcon, BC United leader, took the unusual step of resigning the party for the upcoming British Columbia election, scheduled for October 19.

The scramble is for the 140 candidates combined for the BC United Party, formerly known as the BC Liberal Party, and the relatively new BC Conservative Party for 93 ridings. This has forced some incumbents to not run next month. Shirley Bond and Todd Stone are 2 of many who aren't running for re-election. Both served as cabinet ministers in what was then the BC Liberal Party.

Some BC United members might find an easy path to support John Rustad and the BC Conservatives. Falcon, who is not running for re-election, throw his support to that party. The BC Conservatives were a spinoff of the BC United Party over significant disagreements.

Many other BC United politicians are caught in the middle without a place to land or some will shift to David Eby and the NDP government currently in power. Some of the BC Conservatives takes on issues, such as vaccines, were not in the comfort zone of some BC United members and presumably voters.

At the time of the announcement, the BC Conservatives have 5 MLAs and 83 candidates while B.C. United had 23 MLAs with 57 candidates. Vote splitting was a concern in some of those ridings, which would increase the chances for the NDP candidate in a riding.

Falcon kicked Rustad out of BC United and then threw his support behind Rustad. The name switch from BC Liberals (which included Liberals and Conservatives) was likely a hindrance. Money was also likely a concern, as in raising funds for the party.

My name is David Eby, but I approve Kevin Falcon's message. https://t.co/KddcerEHsc

— David Eby (@Dave_Eby) August 29, 2024

The NDP has been in charge in the province since shortly after the 2017 election. While the Liberals won the most seats, that party was unable to form government. The NDP and Green Party then formed government. The NDP won a majority government in 2020. The Liberals had been in charge from 2001-2017.

This is a developing story and very new territory. The closest parallel in Canadian provincial politics was when then Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith, the then Opposition Leader in the Alberta legislature, led a floor crossing to the Progressive Conservatives in 2014.

The writ is expected to drop on September 21 for the October 19 election. We will run a preview for that race as well as provincial elections this fall in New Brunswick (October 21) and Saskatchewan (October 28).

2024 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com British Columbia coverage

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

This isn't #journalism, it's stalking.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is confronted during his family holiday by Keean Bexte of Rebel News on a Tofino, B.C. beach.https://t.co/6GlG3z5bub via @thehilltimes

— André Picard (@picardonhealth) July 25, 2024

We have seen a couple of "gotcha" type moments against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the last month or so. There was the stalking of a right-wing person with Trudeau on a BC beach while the prime minister was on vacation. The more recent incident was an infiltration with another right-wing person impersonated a steel worker to complain about paying 40% in income taxes (the numbers didn't even come close).

We get that some would love for Trudeau to leave. Paul Wells is obsessed about not knowing the prime minister's schedule when Wells conveniently ignores the efforts that right-wing people are doing to confront Trudeau. Even if you are someone who doesn't agree with Trudeau's policies, the prime minister deserves decent Canadian respect.

Liberals and NDP people were far more frustrated with Stephen Harper in 2015 and behaved in a civil manner.

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

— Alexander Panetta (@Alex_Panetta) August 23, 2024

Not so much Canadian politics but politics that can't say "Montréal" or "Canada." U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is running for the top job, president of the United States. The convention speech is a time to introduce yourself to voters who may not know who you are.

Harris lived in Montréal from 1976 to 1981 because her mother got a job at McGill University. She was a teenager who couldn't control where she lived. The vice president just couldn't realistically say the word "Montréal" in her convention speech. What if she speaks French? Does she have friends affiliated with the Parti Quebecois? Does she endorse Bill 101? When (if?) Harris went to a Montréal Expos game at Stade Olympique, did she sing O Canada in French and English? All English? Not at all? Sacre bleu!!

photo credit: Conservative Party of Canada
Twitter captures: @gmacofglebe; @22_Minutes; @RobShaw_BC; @Dave_Eby; @picardonhealth; @Alex_Panetta
video credits: Tom St Denis; Brittlestar

Universal Language is Canada's entry into the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

Press Release - 'Universal Language' is Canada’s Choice in the race for Best International Feature Film at the 2025 Oscars®@MetafilmsInc @OscopeLabs @TheAcademy https://t.co/LRnh8MHHNo

— Telefilm Canada (@Telefilm_Canada) August 27, 2024

Telefilm Canada has selected Universal Language | Une langue universelle as Canada's entry into the Best International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards for next March.

The Matthew Rankin film did well at Cannes and seemed to be the logical pick for the Oscars. Rankin is the director and co-writer of the film along with Pirouz Nemati and Ila Firouzabadi.

The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and its North American debut will be at TIFF on September 10. Universal Language | Une langue universelle will have a theatrical run in Canada starting September 20. Any qualifying film needs a theatrical run for at least 7 consecutive days between November 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024.

The film stars Rojina Esmaeili, Saba Vahedyousefi, Pirouz Nemati, Mani Soleymanlou, and Matthew Rankin. The languages are French and Farsi within the film.

Screen Daily reported that there were 28 entries for last year's Oscars in this category. Telefilm Canada picked Rojek out of that group. There were 16 films 2 years ago and 10 films 3 years ago. Telefilm Canada doesn't release the list of films under contention.

The publication also reported that Telefilm Canada gives up to $100,000 in promotional support with $40,000 for submissions that make the shortlist of 15 titles.

This is the first feature from Canada in 3 years in this Academy Awards category. Telefilm Canada went with documentaries in the last 2 years with Rojek last year and Eternal Spring 2 years ago. Drunken Birds | Les Oiseaux ivres was the last feature in this category 3 years ago.

The hope is that Universal Language | Une langue universelle will be part of the worldwide conversation for the Best International Feature Film for the Academy Awards.

Canadian film "A Shrine," directed by Abdolreza Kahani, is in the final list for Canada's Oscars entry in the International Feature Film category at the 96th Academy Awards. The final representative will be announced in two weeks. #Oscars2024 @AbdolrezaKahani pic.twitter.com/w2u7CesPVC

— Reihane Taravati (@reihanetaravati) August 14, 2024

We almost never know any other nominees than the one Telefilm Canada picks for the honour. Stumbled upon this tweet. Surprised more films don't announce their status.

We should clarify that while the tweet says "96th Academy Awards," the films are up for the 97th Academy Awards. More like #Oscars2025.

We were curious if Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person | Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant made the shortlist.

Matthew Rankin's new film was a highlight at Cannes 2024

France and Poland had prominent debates last year over the film selected for the Best International Feature Film. Poland selected The Peasants over The Green Border more than likely due to government interference. Though Anatomy of a Fall won major "foreign film" awards, France picked The Taste of Things | La Passion de Dodin Bouffant for its official selection.

In these instances, there were 2 strong films and a discussion. In Canada, there is no talk or speculation — at least in English language circles — as to what films missed the cut.

2024 TIFF Canadian film preview

Universal Language won the first-ever Chantal Akerman award at Cannes: an audience prize presented to the best film in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes film festival. Akerman is one of our favourite filmmakers, regardless of country. She is known for Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles and Je Tu Il Elle.

Looking back at the last 20 Canada Oscars entries for international films

Looking back at Canada's Oscars entries for international films

This might seem early for Canada to make its submission to the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, but these countries have already submitted their entries: Austria, Germany, Iraq, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Palestine, Taiwan, Turkey, and Uruguay.

All countries submitting films have until October 2.

Rojek misses the Oscars shortlist cut for Best International Feature Film

Canadian film case study: Rojek

Rojek is Canada's entry into the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Your humble narrator is looking forward to seeing Universal Language | Une langue universelle with the idea of joy at seeing Canada'e entry into the Oscars. Watching Rojek was a legit chore. I have seen the last 27 Canadian entries in the Best International Feature Film category. The most recent one I haven't seen is Not Me! | Sous-Sol from the Oscars in 1997.

We will know the films to make the shortlist on December 17. The Oscars nominations get released on January 17, 2025 with the Academy Awards ceremony on March 2, 2025.

Twitter captures: @Telefilm_Canada; @reihanetaravati
photo credit: Universal Language | Une langue universelle
video credit: Telefilm Canada

Canadian travel notebook: Brittlestar talks up Atlantic Canada

Brittlestar has wonderful content about Canada and being Canadian. His take on tourism videos in Atlantic Canada makes us want to go back to that part of the world, especially in late summer. His take on Halifax: a lot of walking uphill. Brought back great memories of my time walking a lot uphill in downtown Halifax.

Canadians aren't stereotypically good at conveying how good Canada is, especially as a travel destination. Shy about self-promotion is good, unless you want to get people to come visit you.

Even among Canadians, traveling to Atlantic Canada is not high on the list of travel destinations. I might have thought the same thing until I went there to find out for myself. Prince Edward Island, a popular tourist destination, is trying to figure out the best way to manage tourism marketing.

Brittlestar said it well in one of his recent Substack entries:

One of our poorest character traits as Canadians is to dismiss anything Canada has to offer until it is celebrated elsewhere then we become annoyingly patriotic.

Here’s the reality…
We don’t have to wait for some other place to tell us our place is cool.
Our place is cool.
Occasionally cold, but still cool.

You can catch his YouTube videos or find him on a platform that is more your speed, such as TikTok.

See Canada through Canadian road films

How Canadian film can show U.S., North Korea what Canada looks like

We are in the dog days of late August. We wrote a piece a long time ago on the beauty of road trip Canadian films. Maybe you've done your summer travel or travel is too expensive for you. Watching Canada through road trip films can serve a travel requirement where you can sleep in your own bed.

Highway 61, Cas & Dylan, and One Week are just some of the Canadian film titles we mentioned. I miss the type of films that Tatiana Maslany used to do as a film actor. Maslany was influenced by Gena Rowlands, who just recently passed away, and John Cassavetes. From the Guardian:

When Tatiana Maslany was 20, she wondered whether acting was really for her. The Canadian was already 11 years into her career, having begun working as a child, and had recently relocated from Regina in Saskatchewan to Toronto in order to be where the jobs were. "I suddenly had this urge to re-evaluate why I was doing it," she says. "Was I just doing it because it was this thing I did as a kid?" But then she watched John Cassavetes' 1974 film A Woman Under the Influence, in which Gena Rowlands' suburban housewife reaches breaking point. "And I thought: 'Yes, that's it! That's what I want!'" she exclaims. "I wanted that level of freedom and inventiveness and presence and connection. It was so powerful to watch. That movie showed me what was possible."

Come back to Canada and do those kind of films (not with Joey Klein).

If you have a favorite Canadian travel film — English, French, or whatever language — please let us know.

Just had a realization-- Is there seriously no other regional rail offerings besides GO Transit (ON) in all of Canada?

BC? AB? QC? There's no non-VIA passenger rails between cities outside of Ontario? Why?

You'd think Calgary-Edmonton or Vancouver-Whistler would be easy wins.

— Olivier Bourgeois (@olivi_eh) April 29, 2024

This is a topic where we have gone into detail. Whatever our criticisms of Amtrak are in the United States, there are stretches where trains are a great option to get from Point A to Point B. You could fly from Rome to Florence but having been on the train between the 2 Italian cities, you know the train is the only way to go.

This person mentioned Calgary-Edmtonton and Vancouver-Whistler. We would add Regina-Saskatoon. You can take Via Rail from Winnipeg to Saskatoon but that isn't terribly convenient from a schedule standpoint. I took the overnight bus (Greyhound RIP) from Winnipeg to Regina that worked out well enough.

High-speed rail brings people closer together, even in wide open spaces such as Alberta

I took short buses in between Atlantic Canada points: Charlottetown-Moncton as one example. Trains to and from Prince Edward Island have a major barrier in the Atlantic Ocean. Halifax-Yarmouth would take you across Nova Scotia.

I've done Vancouver to Victoria in a seaplane. Gorgeous trip though frighteningly expensive. Downtown to downtown travel is psychologically freeing on vacation. Compare that by contrast to Vancouver to Tsawwassen and then BC Ferries to Swartz Bay to Victoria. Speaking of Victoria ... .

For those who don't follow the CFL, the league has had Touchdown Atlantic as a way to draw interest in getting a team into Atlantic Canada. Regular season games have been held in Moncton, NB as well as games (finally) in Nova Scotia in Wolfville in 2022 and Halifax, the ideal site for the Atlantic Schooners, in 2023.

Touchdown Atlantic has shifted to Touchdown Pacific in Victoria. The BC Lions host Ottawa on August 31 (Labour Day Weekend) at Royal Athletic Park. The stadium is about 2 km away from the water's edge in downtown Victoria. You do move uphill away from downtown but not nearly as steep as Halifax or St. John's.

I recommend Red Fish, Blue Fish for dinner after the game if you are going to the British Columbia capital for the game. Beautiful seafood and a view of the sunset into the harbour. The government building lights up at night in the harbour. Munro Books is just down Government Street.

Victoria is also a good stepping point to explore Vancouver Island: Nanaimo as well as Tofino and Ucluelet.

We talk about travel to Canada tied to sports events. I went to New Brunswick in part because of Touchdown Atlantic in 2013. The Toronto Blue Jays were recently at Wrigley Field, which draws Canadians to come in part because of sports. Met a very nice father and son who came in from Bathurst, New Brunswick. They drove to Bangor, Maine and then flew to Chicago.

Canadians and Americans can get along better if they know each other's country. That leads us to the final news story.

Yesterday, met a guy at a gas station, he asked where I was from and I said Manitoba Canada and he goes how do you say hello in your language?? He was American

— Marni Cramer (@CramerMarni) August 17, 2024

We started this blog many moons ago to get a better understanding of Canada by Americans. Whatever progress we have made, well, there is a long way to go. Americans are not taught to be curious about the world. Those who are curious know a lot, such as your humble narrator.

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

Say hello, bonjour, Nǐ hǎo (Mandarin), Tansi (Cree), or Taanshi (Métis). Do say hello in some form.

video credit: Brittlestar
photo credits: Cas & Dylan; Brittlestar; CFL
Twitter captures: @olivi_eh; @CramerMarni

2024 Civic Holiday notebook: Jasper is the latest Canadian city to suffer from wildfires

#JasperStrong #JPLHeart pic.twitter.com/3lr4QYiz1F

— Jasper Park Lodge (@FairmontJPL) July 30, 2024

Hi. Welcome to the first Monday in August, otherwise know as a Civic Holiday on some level throughout the country. Details are at the end of this story. No holidays in August in the United States while Canada gets one.

Our output has been less than normal. We are only human and we know there is more than just the CFL to cover. Next week, we should have a full list of Canadian films coming to the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

We traditionally run a few sample stories of interest from around Canada. The Olympics in Paris. The Canadian soccer drone scandal. Summer McIntosh winning 3 gold medals for swimming. This time, I want to focus on one topic: the wildfires that hit Jasper, Alberta.

Your humble narrator has been to all 10 Canadian provinces, a mark few Canadians know. I haven't traveled as much lately, which is terribly unfortunate. Even with being to all 10 Canadian provinces, there are a few places where I have not been and would love to go. Saskatoon and Jasper are at the top of that list.

I imagined getting a car in Calgary and then driving upon the Icefields Parkway and spending time in Jasper. I have been to Banff and Lake Louise, a glorious trip.

The trip between Jasper and Banff is 288 km (179 miles) with lots of distracting scenery. You can take either the Icefields Parkway (AB-93) or the TransCanada Highway (AB-1), yet every guide says to take the Icefields Parkway.

30 percent of the town of Jasper, Alberta in Canada has burned down due to wildfires in Jasper National Park. Parks Canada says it's the worst recorded wildfire in 100 years.

As climate change accelerates, it's about to get worse. Here's why: https://t.co/ajoVh70iYa pic.twitter.com/CW1dlDHnP0

— WIRED (@WIRED) July 29, 2024

Fort McMurray, Alberta. Lytton, British Columbia. Countless other Western Canadian destinations have been affected by wildfires stemming from the climate crisis.

There have been growing concerns over preparedness in Alberta for wildfires. The Guardian reported that "This year, (Alberta Premier Danielle) Smith’s government significantly increased funding for the province’s wildfire response unit, reversing years of cuts under both her United Conservative party, and the leftwing New Democratic party. Critics say austerity measures, which included scrapping Alberta’s elite aerial fire service team and cutting the number of fire watch towers in 2019, have left the province with a 'skeleton crew'."

There are critics that noted Smith's denial of the climate crisis as well as her reluctance to call in federal help to fight the wildfires that affected Jasper.

I wish this story had been my memories of Jasper and how I was grateful I had been before the wildfires did their damage. Unfortunately, this story is about wanting what was and still wanting to see what is there.

Yes, this is a reminder to travel to Western Canada to see some of these places as they are now and build good memories.

High-speed rail brings people closer together, even in wide open spaces such as Alberta

CanadianCrossing.com Alberta coverage

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

I have traveled by ViaRail from Montréal to Quebec City. I have contemplated a Toronto-Windsor trip but the times and expense were more than I could handle. Now that Greyhound doesn't have any inter-Canada routes, the train may be necessary if not convenient.

The exception might be a Winnipeg-Saskatoon-Jasper trip where I would spend some time in Saskatoon and then get on another train. This route is highly infrequent and train travel is rather expensive in Canada, yet this may be better than local buses.

If ViaRail could match Amtrak in timetables and expenses, train travel in Canada would be more viable. Perhaps this train trip and then take a sightseeing bus down the Icefields Parkway toward Banff and later Calgary.

2023 Civic Holiday notebook: Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau get a separation

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian society coverage

[This copy is the same as we ran in the 2023 Civic Holiday notebook.]

"Americans" complain that there are no holidays in August. Canada, well, most of Canada, celebrates a civic holiday on the first Monday in August. The name depends on where you are: Civic Holiday in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. British Columbia Day, New Brunswick Day, and Saskatchewan Day are obvious.

The holiday is also Heritage Day (Alberta), Natal Day (Nova Scotia), and Terry Fox Day (Manitoba). There are different names in some Ontario cities, such as Simcoe Day (Toronto), John Galt Day (Guelph), and Colonel By Day (Ottawa).

Enjoy the holiday wherever you are in Canada. Canadian summers are too short.

Twitter captures: @FairmontJPL; @Wired
map credit: Google
photo credit: ViaRail

Canadian journalism notebook: Will there continue to be a Global News in Canada?

I don't like speculation articles, especially in the middle of summer. I had heard about the cuts at Corus, owners of Global TV in Canada.

The cuts were announced in mid-July with another round of layoffs at the end of this month. The full-time workforce is expected to be cut by 25% — nearly 800 jobs — compared to September 2022.

You might wonder whether this is along the lines of the Bell Media (CTV, TSN, and more) cuts we have discussed ad nauseam. Well, this feels a bit different.

Jesse Brown in a recent Short Cuts episode on his Canadaland podcast noted that Corus had been linked to Shaw. Rogers, owners of Citytv, recently took over Shaw in yet another merger that should not have been approved. Brown referred to Corus as a "penny stock" that can't be good for business.

Corus co-chief executive officer Troy Reeb did say in an earnings call that local news, particularly in small markets, is challenging while national news operations perform "quite well."

The company said it had "made some changes" at Global News. That never means "add more reporters."

The company suffered a financial setback when Rogers signed deals with NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery for their popular lifestyle and entertainment brands in Canada. Those companies had been with Corus.

2024 Canadian TV upfronts highlights

Bell Media wants CRTC to allow reducing local news

Corus with Global is in an unique position in Canadian entertainment and journalism. Bell Media is the dominant force among the English language private networks followed by Corus and Rogers. CTV and Global have national newscasts while Citytv does not.

We noticed in the 2024-2025 Canadian TV upfronts that both of Global's truly Canadian TV shows are on U.S. television. Shows such as Mary Kills People and Robyn Hood likely won't make it to Global anytime soon.

Deep cuts at Global Okanagan trigger effort to save local TV.

City councillors and former TV Journalists Mohini Singh and Rick Webber look for solutions.

Full story: https://t.co/FDqTIWxOie pic.twitter.com/BPHcSGYnmV

— KelownaNow (@KelownaNow) July 23, 2024

We also worry about the impact of cuts at Global News would mean to the 2025 federal election in Canada, among many notable news stories. Cuts at the local level impact the quality of the national news and vice versa. This is why most networks have local and national news.

The U.S. shows that dominate the Global, CTV, and Citytv lineups aren't as bountiful as TV shows once were to the bottom line. This reduces the desire to produce more and interesting Canadian television.

For now, this is speculation but we aren't blind to the trends in Canadian television.

An expert who tracks Canada’s mainstream media industry says Postmedia’s pending purchase of Atlantic Canada’s largest newspaper chain is almost certain to result in job cuts and a reduction in local content.
MOREhttps://t.co/UATmAdv7kLhttps://t.co/UATmAdv7kL

— Global Halifax (@globalhalifax) July 30, 2024

We have noted in the past that the Postmedia dominance of local newspapers in Canada didn't extend into Atlantic Canada.

New Brunswick was the first domino to fall in 2022 when Brunswick News (Irving) sold their newspapers to Postmedia. Now Postmedia wants to buy the SaltWire chain of newspapers. That company publishes more than 20 papers in Atlantic Canada, including The Chronicle Herald in Halifax, The Guardian in Charlottetown, and The Telegram in St. John's.

SaltWire has had its problems, including a move to stop publishing printed copies on Mondays.

This CBC News article noted: "In the release, the Canadian news media company said the potential acquisition aligns with Postmedia's commitment to preserving local journalism and supporting communities." Your humble narrator wouldn't take that statement with a grain of Salt(Wire).

New Brunswick has French-language newspapers that are relatively independent in Canada. English language journalism newspaper readers would like more independent sources of journalism in Canada.

New Brunswick switches out one newspaper monopoly for another one

Canadian journalism notebook: Canadian cities losing Monday newspaper editions

We feel terrible about writing negative events within Canadian journalism instead of positive and active sources of quality Canadian journalism. You just have to search harder than normal. The beauty of the Internet is that the searches are easier.

Getting Canadian news directly through apps

A guide to quality Canadian journalism in lieu of Meta and Google being childish

CanadianCrossing.com journalism coverage

Feel free to let us know if there is a great source that we don't have on our lists. Canadian journalism is worth having and being done well. Thanks.

photo credit: Corus/Global
Twitter captures: @KelownaNow; @globalhalifax

A message to Canadians about the whole Joe Biden situation

Hi. We know Canadians consume a lot about the United States. That is awesome. Americans kind of know Canada exists. They don't know Pierre Poilievre and not looking forward to having to explain him anytime soon.

A lot of Canadians might have been nervous for the 2024 U.S. election even before Sunday's announcement of U.S. President Joe Biden withdrawing for re-election later this year. U.S. history is filled with examples of changing vice presidents in mid-stream but not usually the person at the top of the ticket.

Vice President Hubert Humphrey ended up at the top of the Democratic ticket in 1968. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller watched as President Gerald Ford ran with Bob Dole on the 1976 GOP ticket.

While we don't know what the Dems will do in Chicago next month, Vice President Kamala Harris is likely to be at the top of the Democratic ticket in November. Yes, Harris has a history with Canada, having lived in Montréal as a teenager.

Of note to Canadians: If Kamala Harris is elected president, she’ll have a personal understanding of our country as a former Montreal resident. That’s very helpful given how critical the cross-border relationship is. However, due to that history, she may also hate the Leafs.

— Josh Matlow (@JoshMatlow) July 21, 2024

Kamala Harris, Jackie Robinson, and their association with Montreal

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

The impact of the Joe Biden presidency on Canada

Looking back at when Joe Biden was in Canada

Tucker Carlson shows ignorance of Canada by mispronouncing Ottawa

We feel confident that Kamala Harris will be a friend of Canada if she is president in 2025. There are some who imagine a meeting of Harris and Chrystia Freeland, somehow being the leaders of their country at some point.

We know the nominee for the GOP is not a friend of Canada.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

CanadianCrossing.com U.S. politics coverage

Canadian politics do not have the equivalent of the vice president. The primary system used in the United States is a post-Watergate political reality. The next scheduled Canadian federal election will be in 2025.

Updates will follow as needed.

photo credit: CTV Montréal
Twitter capture: @JoshMatlow

2024 Canada Day notebook

🤔 You know, we Canadians are the nicest, politest people on Earth...😇
...things change. however when you threaten our f***ing wild salmon!!! 🤬
You get THIS! 👉🏻🖕🏼.
Don't be a 🍆 be an 😇 and say #FckOffFishFarms #FOFF!
Much Love, Bill the proud Canadian ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jhUcG3CM7a

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) June 20, 2024

Welcome to Canada Day 2024. The day used to be Dominion Day. Quebec is not the biggest fan of this day while Newfoundland celebrates Memorial Day on this day.

We agree with the video above for the quality of those fish in the life they lead and how they taste on the plate. The omega-3s are in part because of salmon being wild.

The video is there mostly for perceptions of Canadians and stereotypes and William Shatner being around for another Canada Day.

The 2024 Calgary Stampede starts Friday and runs though July 14. You can lead horses to the Calgary Stampede but what if there is no water. The recent water shortage has been a concern for Calgary residents. Factoring in thousands of tourists and 4-legged tourists means more water usage.

Barry Hertz at The Globe and Mail has been diligent on keeping up with the CRTC and Bill C-11 as well as the 25 greatest Canadian actors ever.

This Canada Day comes hours after a temporary reprieve for Revue Cinema in Toronto, which was under threat for its existence. There is a long way to go in the matter. Independent cinema in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada needs to be protected.

Edmonton Oilers fell short of the dream of winning the Stanley Cup

Celebrating Donald Sutherland and his love for Canada, especially the Montreal Expos

The less said about the Stanley Cup final. Not the best written story but plenty of frustration. A good way to catch up if you are a casual fan or bystander.

Bob Clark (with the beard and microphone) sings the anthems in Edmonton. The loud crowds inside and outside Rogers Place are pleasant memories from the spring of 2024.

We get that "not all Canadians" were rooting for the Edmonton Oilers, especially in Calgary. The people who were rooting against Edmonton because they were Canadian: that was an odd choice.

We won't write obituaries for every Canadian luminary. We did find some Donald Sutherland stories that reminded us of how Canadian he was. Go Montreal Expos.

CANADA IS NOT AMERICA
(https://t.co/Pv6yUzii32) pic.twitter.com/aV0kib21FF

— Brittlestar (@brittlestar) June 24, 2024

Canada Day is a good day to point out that Canadians are not Americans. Brittlestar, whom I absolutely adore, says that better than I would.

Random thoughts about Orphan Black finale and beyond

Examining the legacy of Orphan Black

Orphan Black: Echoes is a sequel to the original Orphan Black. The program debuted on June 23 on AMC, AMC+, and BBC America. Couldn't find if the show will air on CTV Sci-Fi Channel.

While I wish this program much success, your humble narrator will not go down this rabbit hole. There are 10 episodes in Season 1 for those who chose to go down the rabbit hole.

I was not aware of the original show right away. I started watching toward the end of Season 1. That pilot episode is one of the best I've seen for any show.

Anna Fishko created Orphan Black: Echoes from the original Canadian science fiction television series created by John Fawcett and Graeme Manson. The sequel stars American actor Krysten Ritter.

If you try the new show and like it (or hate it), let us know.

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

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2019

2019 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award is selected

We often feature the Canadian film shown where I live that shows the Wednesday before Canada Day. This year's entry is an old and very good film from 2019: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open.

Not everyone is as up on films or Canadian films as your humble narrator. Recommended especially if you haven't seen the film.

2024 Toronto Blue Jays preview

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

The Toronto Blue Jays should be in their red home uniforms for Canada Day as the team hosts the Houston Astros for Canada Day. The Blue Jays are in the middle of a homestand, having played 4 games against the New York Yankees and 4 coming up with Houston.

The team will then go on a West Coast trip to Seattle, San Francisco, and Arizona before the All-Star Game break.

Today's 3:07 pm (Eastern) start will be on Rogers Sportsnet and simulcast on the MLB Network (outside the Houston market) in the United States.

We will have more on the Blue Jays' collective woes in 2 weeks.

Congratulations to Naheed Nenshi, the new leader of the Alberta NDP! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/ZFuRbChQdZ

— Alberta NDP (@albertaNDP) June 22, 2024

The Alberta NDP elected a new leader, allowing Rachel Notley to leave politics. Notley left the leadership as well as representing the Edmonton-Strathcona riding. Notley's replacement is significant in that Naheed Nenshi is the new party leader.

Nenshi is the former mayor of Calgary and a very popular politician who didn't have a political color. Liberals are red, Conservatives are blue, and NDP is orange.

Nenshi will have time to get acclimated to this level of politics. He will have to win a seat to get into the legislature, perhaps Edmonton-Strathcona.

This does mean one fewer female opposition leader and former premier at that. We will be curious if Notley has a different political future, perhaps on a national scale.

2023 Canada Day notebook

2022 Canada Day notebook

Canada Day 2021: A time for reflection and some celebration

Celebrating Canada Day 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic

2019 Canada Day reflections

2019 Canada Day notebook: More delays with edibles

How to celebrate Canada Day 2018

The Canada Day notebook has a lot of variety. Feel free to check out some versions from recent years.

CBC has Canada Day celebrations on television, radio, and streaming via CBC Gem. Canadians and Americans can access CBC Radio via the CBC Listen app.

Twitter captures: @WilliamShatner; @brittlestar; @albertaNDP
photo credit: Rogers Sportsnet/ESPN/NHL
video credit: AMC/BBC America

Edmonton Oilers fell short of the dream of winning the Stanley Cup

No one ever asks whether Charlie Brown will kick the football, other than Charlie Brown. Everyone but him assumes Lucy will lift the football and Charlie Brown will fall flat on his face. We are supposed to be encouraged by Charlie Brown's resilience.

Such are the fanbases of Canadian teams that have come close to winning the Stanley Cup. Calgary with the stolen goal. Edmonton with the injured goalie. Ottawa with questionable officiating. Vancouver with borderline criminally bad officiating. Montréal with not enough gas left in the tank. Edmonton had the valiant comeback but Gary Bettman's will is stronger than even the Edmonton Oilers.

Connor McDavid had 34 assists, the most assists of any postseason in NHL history. 8 goals with that for 42 points in the playoffs, the 4th most in any postseason in the league. McDavid had 8 points over 2 straight Stanley Cup final games. He also won the playoff MVP.

Wayne Gretzky had the precious record for assists in 1988.

Leon Draisaitl. Zach Hyman. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Stuart Skinner in goal. Trade deadline acquisition Adam Henrique. Evander Kane.

Warren Foegele. Ryan McLeod. Mattias Janmark. Connor Brown. Dylan Holloway. 

Darnell Nurse. Vincent Desharnais. Cody Ceci. Philip Broberg. Mattias Ekholm. 

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, who came in to rescue the team after Jay Woodcroft got fired early in the season.

These are most of the names (sorry for not mentioned everyone) whose names should be on the Stanley Cup. 

Thanks for all the mentions of the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs in the last 2 weeks.

Uh, pic.twitter.com/iAKm8hVpun

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 11, 2024

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Edmonton plays Florida for the Stanley Cup

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Edmonton defeats Vancouver in Game 7

That DOES impress us much. 💃 @ShaniaTwain rocked the @Rogers Festival at the Final ahead of Game 4 in Edmonton! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/TQMJrNkRQq

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 15, 2024

The Edmonton Oilers had concerts before the home games outside Rogers Place in the Stanley Cup final. Our Lady of Peace, who played for the Montréal Alouettes 2023 home opener in, had a pregame concert before Game 3 in Edmonton. Shania Twain had a concert before Game 4 on Saturday.

Canadian music and sports and even American acts with Canadian sports prove quite popular. Just ask the BC Lions of the CFL. As "liberal" as Edmonton is compared to the rest of Alberta, Edmonton loves its country music.

Snoop Dogg filled that role before Game 6.

Canadian singing icon Alanis Morissette sang both anthems before Game 7 last night.

2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

A special thank you to Kate. She is an Oilers fan who got drunk (her words) and showed her bosom at an Edmonton Oilers game. The video is out there. Kate posted a follow up video responding to those critical of what she did. Life is too short to give much to small-minded critics. Kate harmed no one and brought a lot of joy. 

Sarah Nurse was lovin' that Darnell got on the scoresheet! 😁 #StanleyCup https://t.co/jR2TsbON0Y pic.twitter.com/8jTQN6TsaZ

— NHL (@NHL) June 16, 2024

Her brother took a lot of grief in this playoff run. Glad to see family love and support.

Connor McDavid has once again proven he is in a league of his own. 🤯🍎 #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/BD1yGB9EDX

— NHL (@NHL) June 16, 2024

Canadian rap star Drake placed a $500,000 bet on the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. Drake posted a screenshot of the bet on Instagram: "Oilers are self-explanatory."

In a league that allows active players to do ads for gambling, even if Drake won his gigantic bet, the U.S. audience hasn't been as inundated with gambling ads as much as the Canadian audience. Thanks, Sportsnet.

Drake places $500K bet on Edmonton Oilers to win Stanley Cup Final https://t.co/PMhKCNl3OD

— CTV Edmonton (@ctvedmonton) June 6, 2024

Awful Announcing has a nice analysis on the uproar over the CBC not carrying Games 5 and 6 of the Edmonton-Dallas series (feels so long ago). The Sundays weren't too much of an issue until Game 6 of the Oilers conference final.

The timing was also bad because of the Rogers Sportsnet decision to not allow CBC Gem to stream the NHL playoffs.

Your humble narrator envisions chaos when Canadians try to figure out where Monday Night Hockey (Amazon Prime Video) is in Canada.

Citytv simulcasted the ABC feed during the Stanley Cup finals. Rogers covers the bases for the Canadians who somehow prefer the ABC feed (and Ray Ferraro) over the Sportsnet feed. For those who aren't familiar with simsubbing: the Citytv feed with Canadian commercials overrides the ABC feed on cable and satellite.

KABC in Los Angeles was getting viewers ready for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and -- Carolina Panthers? pic.twitter.com/asevhg8ZmC

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 9, 2024

Every time people think that the NHL is finally making a foothold in the U.S. market, we get this. Canadian TV doesn't make mistakes such as this one. At least they didn't put in the Houston Oilers instead of the team from Edmonton. The NFL Network had way worse mistakes in the time where the channel carried the CFL in the United States.

Loser gets vaccinated. https://t.co/UA6p1fUWxK

— Dave (@darthvanderlaan) June 5, 2024

We didn't report too much on government officials betting on the Stanley Cup playoffs. We did see British Columbia Premier David Eby wearing an Edmonton Oilers sweater after the Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks in the division final series.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis probably have a lot in common. Whatever I might think o Smith politically, she is way smarter than DeSantis (low bar). Their Stanley Cup final wager was Alberta-made whisky versus Florida rum. DeSantis also threw in key lime pie, the official state pie.

Can't go wrong wagering with alcohol, though elk (Alberta) vs. alligator (Florida) would have been a more interesting wager.

2024 Stanley Cup notebook: Vancouver plays Edmonton in the second round

2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

Lotta games. Lotta miles. Lotta laughs. Here’s to one of THE best. It’s been a privilege, Rick.

Best of luck in Chicago my friend. Gonna miss ya more than you know. #TheMusicalGuest ⁦pic.twitter.com/ivufPyW0RO

— Ryan Leslie (@ryanlesliemedia) June 6, 2024

The Calgary Flames will have a new TV play-by-play person this fall. Rick Ball will call NHL games for the Chicago team with Darren Pang, Ball replaces Chris Vosters. who was the replacement for Pat Foley.

Shades of Dave Randorf, who left Canada to call games for the Tampa Bay team, though Rogers laid off Randorf before he took the job.

Rick Ball worked Vancouver Canucks games on radio and BC Lions as well before coming to Calgary at the start of the Rogers national contract in 2014. Ball was a gigantic step up from Rob Kerr on Flames TV games.

Ball started on Hockey Night in Canada in the CBC days in 2011 and became the lead Western play-by-play announcer in 2013.

Ball gives up national games in Canada for Rogers Sportsnet, though IMHO Sportsnet didn't use him too often on national games.

Ball had a single TBS appearance during the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. On Saturday, April 22, Ball, Jennifer Botterill, and Aly Lozoff called Game 3 of the opening round series in Winnipeg.  Turner could use Ball in the regular season and playoffs, maybe even sending him back to Canada.

Ball and Darren Pang (most games) will call the Chicago team on the new Chicago Sports Network, replacing NBC Sports Chicago for the White Sox, Bulls, and NHL team. [Our editorial policy prohibits us from mentioning sports team nicknames that are offensive to the Indigenous community. The Ryan Leslie tweet has been altered to meet our editorial policy.]

Harnarayan Singh could be a solid replacement for Ball in Calgary, maybe with a local backup during national telecasts. Derek Wills, the long-time Flames radio voice, could get the job or be that backup. Winnipeg made a bold move with Dan Robertson taking over for Dennis Beyak. Ball was somewhat known when Calgary got him to call the Flames games.

Calgary's loss is Chicago's gain. Some Chicago sports fans like a "homer" guy on the call. Ball is enthusiastic but definitely not a "homer."

Ball may have picked good timing to leave calling the Flames games given the state of the franchise.

Speaking of the Flames, the team traded goalie Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey for defenseman Kevin Bahl and a (top 10 protected) 1st-round pick in 2025. Calgary is retaining 30% of Markstrom's salary through 2025-2026 and avoided a signing bonus.

The Flames had talked with Toronto and Ottawa. The Maple Leafs would have made sense with Brad Treliving as GM. This is sad if, as the Flames claim, this was the best deal. Ouch. 

New Jersey gets Markstrom for 2 seasons (at least). Ottawa traded a lot more to get goaltender Linus Ullmark from Boston for what will likely be 1 year. The Senators got a good goaltender for forward Mark Kastelic, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, and a 2024 first-round draft pick. The Sens also retain 25% of Korpisalo's salary in the deal. 

📣 Sportsnet and Edmonton Oilers Announce 11-Year Broadcast Partnership Extension@Sportsnet remains Canada's home of the @EdmontonOilers through 2035 📺🤩

Details 👇 https://t.co/v8uKiO1Z6q

— Sportsnet PR (@SportsnetPR) June 7, 2024

Rogers Sportsnet added a long-term deal to keep the Edmonton Oilers rights to 2035. The outlet announced a similar deal with the Calgary Flames not too long ago.

The 2026 NHL rights deal in Canada will change the national rights but Rogers Sportsnet definitely wants to stay in the local rights business.

On the U.S. side, Kevin Weekes will be a free agent from ESPN and the NHL Network. Weekes has come a long way from working on CBC, including the late Hockey Night in Canada game with Mark Lee.

My memory (not guaranteed) says ESPN had Weekes call a game on play by play and the Calgary Flames job is open. Not likely but an interesting thought if Weekes want to stretch himself.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

We say every year that we have had enough of covering this league. No hasty decisions but your humble narrator is so tired.

photo credit: Rogers Sportsnet/NHL
Twitter captures: @Sportsnet (x2); @NHL (x2); @ctvedmonton; @awfulannouncing; @darthvanderlaan; @ryanlesliemedia; @SportsnetPR