Canadian Crossing

2023 Victoria Day notebook: Alberta wildfires starting early

Welcome to Victoria Day 2023, the unofficial start of summer in Canada. We gathered a few recent items of note and reflect on where Canada is at the moment. You don't have to be at the cabin or cottage to enjoy this notebook. Having a Caesar (or a virgin Caesar) and perhaps a bag of all-dressed or ketchup chips wouldn't hurt.

2023 Alberta election preview

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This should be a serious concern in upcoming #AbElection2023. Will be curious to see what voters think. #abpoli https://t.co/ytS52WQRpW

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) May 19, 2023

The Alberta election is a week today. Glad we got the decision that Alberta premier Danielle Smith breached the conflict of interest act. Smith's thought process sadly reminded us of the old Steve Martin joke about how he forgot armed robbery was against the law.

The primary story in the province this month is still the devastating wildfires, even with the election. The conditions are unfortunately ripe for wildfires. We've seen them spread beyond the province in Western Canada.

Can't wait for summer, except when wildfires are involved. Difficult to think about voting for Rachel Notley or Danielle Smith (not directly) when you might have to leave your home or already have evacuated.

We will have more on the Alberta election after we find out the results.

2022 Victoria Day notebook: Alberta in the spotlight

2021 Victoria Day notebook

Victoria Day 2020 notebook: Summer of uncertainty in Canada

Canadian notebook: Celebrating Victoria Day 2019

You likely have read about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas receiving luxury gifts from billionaire Harlan Crow. Sadly, this will likely not results in charges or removal from the bench.

Canada Supreme Court Justice Russell Brown has been on leave since February 1 over allegations in Arizona that involve a physical altercation and allegations of unwanted touching of women.

Action was swift in that the incident happened on January 28-29.

We haven't seen updates of late as to how long the leave will last or whether action can be taken against Brown.

The incidents are different in nature but you do get the sense that the Canada Supreme Court cares about appearances on the court while the same is not true in the United States.

Russell Brown and Clarence Thomas do have one intriguing element in common: both were highly conservative judges at a really young age with little judicial experience. Thomas had not been a judge while Brown was only a judge for 2½ years in Alberta.

Brown is 57. If he stays on the court, he can be there until September 15, 2040, his 75th birthday.

Canadian TV notebook: A much longer wait for Season 3 of Transplant on NBC

There are a lot of Canadian TV shows coming this summer and fall to the CW. One of those "old" shows is Transplant, where Season 3 will be further delayed, as in 2024. Some of that is the writers strike in the United States. That strike may open the flood gates for more Canadian TV.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

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There is a new Canadian film with a following in the United States. Blackberry is about the Canadian phenomena with a phone with a keyboard.

Matt Johnson directed the film from a screenplay from Johnson and Matthew Miller about the rise and fall of Canadian tech company Research in Motion. American actor Glenn Howerton plays Jim Balsillie while Canadian icon Jay Baruchel plays Mike Lazaridis.

Canadians have great stories that should be told by Canadians. Let's hope for more opportunities like Blackberry and fewer like Argo.

Your humble narrator has not seen the film. Just odd that a lot of Americans can easily see this film in theatres.

The End of Sex played in U.S. theatres for a week. The film played in a couple of Chicago suburbs but not in the actual city, where more likely filmgoers would see this film.

Monia Chokri's new film The Nature of Love | Simple comme Sylvain is the lone Canadian film in competition at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. This film follows a wealthy woman who has an affair with a working class man.

The film is in the Un Certain Regard section, the same place as A Brother's Love in 2019. You might recall that Chokri directed and starred in Babysitter (2022). Chokri wrote and directed the 2019 and 2023 films.

CBC News has a nice wrapup of the overall Canadian presence at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

2023 CFL preseason schedule

The CFL preseason starts today at 4 pm Eastern/2 pm Mountain with the Battle of Alberta as the Elks of Edmonton travel to Calgary to play the Stampeders.

The new CFL Preseason Live means all the preseason games are available online in the U.S. (online for 6, TV for 3 in Canada) though there is no on-demand option.

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Gary Bettman's pet project has been a colossal failure in the greater Phoenix area. The latest is a sound rejection of a new arena in Tempe last week.

The argument in Glendale was that fans couldn't get to the arena. The local TV ratings are anemic, barely ahead of what a test pattern (ask your grandparents) would get.

The Arizona Coyotes need a new home and not in the desert. Salt Lake City, Houston, and Kansas City have been mentioned as possible relocation destinations.

The obvious choice is Quebec City and the Quebec Nordiques 2.0. Beautiful new arena, hockey history, fans who like and will support hockey. TSN's Pierre LeBrun, among many others, mentions that Quebec City doesn't have enough corporate money. The idea that the arena would be filled, lots more merchandise would be sold, and a great rivalry in La Belle Province isn't as valuable as corporate money in Salt Lake City is highly frustrating.

The potential ownership has been vetted when Quebec City put up a bid for an expansion team, a setup that was rigged for another desert city and away from an actual hockey city. Time to right a wrong and bring back the Quebec Nordiques.

Canada has a bit of copycat with corporate names for stadiums and arenas. Rogers has the MLB stadium in Toronto and hockey arenas in Edmonton and Vancouver. Scotiabank has the NBA and NHL arena in Toronto and the NHL arena in Calgary.

There is a satisfaction of referring to the large stadium in Toronto as SkyDome, the original name for the stadium. Exhibition Stadium was the home of the Blue Jays (MLB) and Argonauts (CFL). Its replacement has a corporate name (BMO Field).

Taylor Field in Regina, the long-time home of the CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders, was named for Neil J. "Piffles" Taylor, a World War I fighter pilot who served as president of the Regina Roughriders, the Canadian Rugby Union, and the Western Interprovincial Football Union.

Ivor Wynne, as in Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, was athletic director and dean of students at McMaster University.

Mosaic Stadium was also the last name given to Taylor Field. The new Mosaic Stadium is likely to be called that since that field only had that name.

The CFL has corporate names in Regina, Winnipeg, Edmonton (field only), Toronto, Hamilton, and Ottawa.

Vancouver has BC Place and the old Empire Stadium, though one of the Rogers arenas is in Vancouver.

You can find out more about that shirt.

photo credits: Baroness Von Sketch/CBC; uni-watch.com
Twitter capture: @canadian_xing
video credit: YouTube/IFC Films

2023 Alberta election preview

The Alberta election has a very different dynamic than what we've seen in recent provincial elections in Canada. This is a 2-party race: United Conservative Party and New Democratic Party. The race is between 2 women to be premier, though not the first time Alberta has had 2 women running to be premier. The current premier has never been elected to be premier while the other woman was elected premier 4 years ago.

Danielle Smith, then in charge of the Wildrose Party, ran in the 2012 election against Alison Redford, who was then the unelected premier of Alberta and head of the Progressive Conservatives. Smith should have coasted to a win but that didn't happen.

Now Smith is the unelected incumbent against Rachel Notley, who was premier from 2015-2019, snapping the Progressive Conservatives streak.

Welcome to the real Battle of Alberta.

There are 87 seats in the Alberta legislative assembly. The United Conservative Party has 60 seats at the dissolution of the assembly, down from 63 seats in the 2019 election. The New Democratic Party have 23 seats, down from 24 in the 2019 election.

There is an Alberta Party, Wildrose Independence, and the Liberal Party. They may disrupt a close race in some ridings but are not likely to break through. The Liberals had 1 MLA in 2015 and 5 MLAs in 2012.

The NDP will do well in Edmonton. Many rural ridings will stay UCP despite the last 4 years. The parties will do a lot of campaigning for Calgary area ridings.

2023 Stanley Cup notebook: NHL news not related to the playoffs

Calgary voters say no to 2026 Winter Olympics

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Edmonton didn't get provincial help for Rogers Place. Danielle Smith and the UCP made a tentative deal to help give provincial help to a Saddledome replacement in Calgary. The catch: the UCP has to be re-elected into power.

The NDP says the issue need study. The funding fell in great part due to increased costs in building the new arena and surrounding area.

The NDP only had 3 of 26 seats in Calgary going into the election. The party dominates (19 of 20) seats in Edmonton.

There are differing opinions about whether funding for a new Calgary arena will be crucial in the election or may not amount to much in the election.

Being right isn't as important isn't as significant as being popular enough to win Calgary ridings on May 29.

Quite frankly, there should be a mature approach for all levels to get a new arena and football stadium in Calgary. The 2026 Winter Olympics would have been a good push for both but voters (the ones that voted) crushed that dream.

Let’s keep moving forward! 💙#ableg #abvotehttps://t.co/yOvTvDNUyt

— UCP War Room (@UCPWarRoom) April 30, 2023

The Canadian politics strategy in an election loss is to give consternation to whether the party leader should stay. The NDP in Alberta smartly went: "We have a great leader in Rachel Notley. We should hang on to her."

The circumstances were different. The union of the Progressive Conservatives and the Wildrose Party was a dominant force. No matter how well the NDP did in Alberta in 4 years, the momentum was to go back to where things were.

Jason Kenney spent taxpayer money on a propaganda machine. Kenney picked fights with doctors during a pandemic. Countless violations of pandemic protocols by the government. The steamrolling of the original UCP leadership race.

Smith running for UCP leadership on the Alberta Sovereignty Act, yet the teeth on that legislation aren't as sharp as feared.

Smith is being investigated by the province’s ethics commissioner, a definite campaign issue. She also pulled a page from the Stephen Harper 2015 playbook and limited questions from journalists, especially follow-up questions of any kind.

Danielle Smith completes her political comeback to be Alberta's premier-designate

Alberta Wildrose Party comes up smaller than expected

Danielle Smith, Alberta Wildrose Party gain attention for big 'wheels,' not big ideas

"Let me begin by saying to every girl and every young woman watching tonight: I believe in you and never stop believing in yourself. I hope that we have shown you that in your life, anything is possible. Sometimes it can feel like you take two steps forward and then one step back. But may you never ever stop taking those steps forward." — Alberta Premier Rachel Notley in her concession speech on Tuesday.

2019 brought an end to the final of 5 then premiers in Canada for parts of 2013 and 2014. Canada currently has 2 female premiers, though neither of them elected: Smith and Heather Stefanson (Manitoba). That province is scheduled for an October 2023 election. After this Alberta election, one of the 2 female premiers will be elected.

The Alberta NDP has a plan to take pressure off overburdened family doctors and make sure Albertans can get the care they need.

Learn more here: https://t.co/p0uVcfenoY

— Alberta's NDP (@albertaNDP) May 1, 2023

Health care will be a significant issue. The Kenney Government seemed intent on running doctors out of Alberta during the height of the pandemic.

The curiosity in 2015 was whether the NDP could get voters on the fence to vote orange. The idea of that 8 years later seems less surprising.

As Edmonton radio anchor and reporter David Boles noted, Smith is Alberta's 8th premier since 2006. The only one to serve a full term was Rachel Notley.

Jason Kenney to step down as UCP leader and Alberta premier

Alberta notebook: The legacy of outgoing Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Alberta dials back COVID-19 tracking to dangerous levels

The Edmonton Oilers, not the Calgary Flames, are the Alberta team in the chase for the Stanley Cup. Voters might want to get their votes in early in case an Oilers playoff game is scheduled for May 29.

The rhetoric of division in Canada reveals a lack of understanding

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

Democracy itself is on the ballot in Alberta's upcoming election.#ableg #abpoli #yyc https://t.co/xz4VctOrtU

— Thomas A. Lukaszuk (@LukaszukAB) May 1, 2023

Alberta goes back to its conservative ways by electing the UCP

CanadianCrossing.com Alberta coverage

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Alberta Election callout for writers

CBC is accepting pitches for a special opinion project leading up to the spring election. This is a paid writing opportunity open to all Albertans.

Know someone who'd be perfect? Share this with them.

Details at https://t.co/yQB8xzVMic pic.twitter.com/xS6k4ehPnP

— CBC Edmonton (@CBCEdmonton) January 17, 2023

We reserve the right to write more about this election between now and May 29, like we did for the Ontario election in 2022. That depends on what happens and our anxieties. Will be curious how this CBC News project turns out for Albertans.

Those in Alberta can get information on how to vote in the May 29 election via Elections Alberta.

video and photo credit: About That/CBC News Explore
Twitter captures: @UCPWarRoom; @albertaNDP; @LukaszukAB; @CBCEdmonton

Finding a doctor in Canada is a lot harder in real life than in some Canadian films

Feels like I've seen The Grand Seduction twice. In reality, I saw the 2003 film Seducing Doctor Lewis | La grande séduction and the 2013 film The Grand Seduction.

Both films are written by Ken Scott (Michael Dowse co-wrote the English language version) with other directors: Jean-François Pouliot (Francaise) and Don McKellar (English).

The stories are the same, maddeningly. A lot more similar than Delivery Man, the English language remake of Starbuck (both from Ken Scott). The premise is that a small fishing village needs a plant that will provide jobs. The company insists the town have a doctor, something the town has struggled to find.

Big city doctor gets tricked into coming to the small town. The people of the small town work hard to convince said doctor to stay.

Canadian film has certainly tackled the issue of health care. Think Denys Arcand's The Barbarian Invasions, the only Canadian film to win an Oscar in the international film category. The image of patients in hospital beds in the hallway felt like a parody.

What has been a quaint topic in those Ken Scott films is an ever growing reality in Canadian health care: finding a doctor in Canada is a difficult task.

2022 Canada Day notebook

The Grand Seduction matches up well with Quebecois version

"Roughly six million Canadian adults don't have access to a family doctor—up from 4.6 million in 2019. The situation is particularly alarming in rural communities where only 8% of physicians are serving nearly one-fifth of Canada’s population." This according to a Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) report.

The numbers in Ontario alone is about 1.8 million without a family physician. This first person account gives some intricate details on the search for a family doctor.

Please do not capture this out of context as a bash of the medical system in Canada versus the United States. Medical debt and anxiety that only happens in the United States is not a part of the rest of the world. The Canadian health care system is being hit with retirement of doctors due to burnout from the COVID-19 pandemic, Baby Boomers doctors retiring, and difficulty of trained medical doctors from outside Canada to get credentials to practice in Canada. The Jason Kenney government was chasing away doctors in Alberta but that was more about politics.

Those who have watched Transplant either on CTV in Canada or NBC in the United States know the complex route of the pilot episode so Dr. Bashir Hamed can practice medicine in a Canadian hospital. That is not typical though the show gives us a perspective on that struggle, even in getting to practice medicine.

Canada has 2 huge struggles in administering medicine in a single payer system. The country is mostly rural (think The Grand Seduction) and health care is run by the provinces.

Also, the provinces ask for money from the federal government but don't always spend that money on health care.

A recent episode of the Backbench podcast explored some of the many concerns over Canadian health care. Mattea Roach, the Backbench host (yes, that Mattea Roach), has a nice perspective in that she grew up in rural Nova Scotia and now lives in the big city in Toronto. Roach noted that big Canadian cities are starting to see the inequities of the Canadian health care system that rural people have known for a long time.

Would Americans get an abortion in Canada?

Samantha Bee stands up for Canadian health care

Canadian journalism notebook: Canadian cities losing Monday newspaper editions

Jeopardy! champion Mattea Roach finishes amazing run of 23 straight victories

Canadian doctors have plenty of debt when they get out of university, though not nearly on the scale of the debt that U.S. doctors have. The issue with Baby Boomer doctors retiring, plus more old people who need care: these are true in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. The world also had to deal with the damage of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care systems.

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W. Kamau Bell and his United Shades of America show took a look at the reality of health care in Canada in 2018. Some of that was from previous testimony from Dr. Danielle Martin on the realities of health care in Canada in 2017. British Columbia and Vancouver have been on the forefront on opioids in ways the United States could only dream of doing.

U.S. news rarely talks about Canada, even when the U.S. president comes to Canada and spends the night. Often, real TV journalists rely on stereotypes of other countries, especially Bell. We explore Canada and aren't afraid to delve into the true state of the country or talk about Nickleback (how did Nickleback get into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame?).

Health care should not be a profit-making enterprise, even as we saw the significance of private long-term care homes in Ontario. Canada is the closest example of single payer to the United States. Americans should pay more attention to health care north of the border, good and bad.

photo credits: The Grand Seduction; Transplant/CTV

Time to bring needed limits on gambling ads during sports programming

We have been critical of the expanse of gambling ads during Canadian sports telecasts. Our concern goes back years in writing about cigarette ads, spirits ads, and other so-called "controversial" yet legal products.

Canada has chosen a laissez-faire type approach to what is allowed in gambling advertising. The provinces are more in control than one might expect (think health care). The laissez faire approach has not gone over well.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has a proposal to ban the use of athletes and celebrities, who might appeal to kids, in internet gambling advertisements. The AGCO is accepting comments until May 8. New rules wouldn't take effect until 3 months after the publication of final, amended standards.

The ban would only apply to Ontario, though that would take out national advertising in Canada.

The UK instituted similar rules a year ago: that ban affects athletes, reality TV and social media stars who appeal to young people.

The Big 3 in Canada gambling advertising are Connor McDavid, Wayne Gretzky, and Auston Matthews: people who definitely appeal to kids.

The NFL just suspended 5 players, 3 of them indefinitely, for gambling. The NHL doesn't need that kind of grief to the sport.

Under the current setup, gambling ads, in and out of content, go way further than beer and spirits ads. If they stuck to similar principles, we might still hate the gambling ads but they would be much more tolerable.

These are our proposed rules:

1) No person currently playing in the NHL or has any connection to the sport in an on-air capacity shall appear in person or voice in any gambling ad.

2) No ad with updated odds shall appear once the game has started until the conclusion of said game.

3) No gambling content is allowed within pregame or postgame programming on any national or local team broadcast.

4) No in-game ads. Ads would be limited to commercial breaks.

Under these rules, gambling sites can run ads, odds or otherwise, during pregame and postgame programming, just not within content. They can run ads during the game and in intermissions, just not with updated odds.

Cabbie Richards, executive producer of sports betting content for Sportsnet, could be in ads during commercial breaks but can't incorporate Sportsnet personalities into ads, especially within programming.

Sports networks could still run odds in the news scroll at the bottom of the screen.

Rule #1 would definitely apply to Wayne Gretzky (among others). Hiring former NHL players to promote gambling is bad enough but not being actively involved with the league can be a restraint of trade. Having the most significant retired player associated with gambling is a terrible image for the NHL.

Our proposed rules don't go as far as the AGCO proposal, though theirs is limited to internet ads. We wouldn't lose any sleep if its ban were in place.

What about Rogers Sportsnet studio content being sponsored by a betting company? This is the same company that had Huawei as a sponsor when 2 Canadians were held hostage in China, an action tied directly to the telecommunications company. Rule #5 would be that a betting company could sponsor studio coverage but without any content tied to the company. In other words, you could have the logo and say the name of the company but you couldn't add descriptive content, especially from on-air people tied to the sport.

Advocates push to ban gambling ads featuring athletes (The Current)

Brian Masse, the NDP MP for Windsor West in Ontario, was responsible with his federal sports betting bill that paved the way for legal online gambling in Canada. Masse told Matt Galloway on The Current that he is in favour of the proposed ACGO changes.

Paul Burns, president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, also was on the segment with Galloway. Burns insisted they didn't want people who would appeal to children, but McDavid and Matthews absolutely qualify. Gretzky does in many ways.

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The Federal Communications Commission in the United States and PBS have rules and laws over what might appear to be "ads" on PBS. Those rules are considered to be lax, giving leeway to put an "ad" on a network that isn't supposed to have ads.

Limits on ads or even "ads" are easy to compile and enforce.

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There was an era where many active baseball players, including Willie Mays and Stan Musial, advertised cigarettes. They might mention this true statement to justify current NHL players to do gambling ads.

We know cigarettes are addictive. We know gambling is addictive. The mistakes of past eras shouldn't be used to justify the mistakes of the current era.

Gambling ads are so prevalent now that parents have to keep talking to their kids to remind them hockey and football and baseball can be enjoyed without gambling. The on-screen messages present a very different world.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Our American readers might be thinking 21 as the legal age for gambling. You should know the gambling laws in Canada are the same age as drinking laws: 19 in Canada, though 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec.

photo credit: BetMGM

Grocery rebate is helpful for Canadians while Americans struggle without help

We weren't planning on writing about the grocery rebate found in the new Canadian federal budget. BalanceofFood.com, our sibling blog, found the grocery rebate idea as a fascinating topic worth exploring.

Their research took them to Andrew Chang explaining the grocery rebate for the CBC News Explore audience. Chang left The National to do online journalism for CBC News Explore. His explanation of the grocery rebate on the whiteboard was journalism that was simple and informative. A good sign for Canadian journalism if the new service is doing that kind of work.

The money on the table for low and middle-income Canadians is a decent amount ($233 or $467 with seniors getting $225) but won't go too far given the current rising food prices. As our sibling blog noted, the American government with the GOP-led House won't even consider help for Americans unless the Democratic Party wins back the House in 2024.

Grocery rebate is a nice idea but only a short-term solution to rising food prices (BalanceofFood.com)

Food prices are generally higher in Canada than in the United States due to a number of circumstances. Even higher if you consider the cost of groceries in the North, such as in Iqlauit in Nunavut. The Balanceoffood.com story includes links to podcasts that delve into the high food prices in Canada. 

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You can find out more about how to watch CBC News Explore. Americans can watch CBC News Explore live via the Tubi streaming app.

photo and video credit: CBC News Explore

Rogers Centre renovations help but Canada still needs a really good baseball stadium

The new bleachers that are literally RIGHT at the visitors Bullpen… and a bunch of signs saying you can’t ask for autographs… pic.twitter.com/TfN4AU3sz8

— Geoff Rohoman (@RadioRoho) April 6, 2023

The Toronto Blue Jays return home today for the 2023 home opener. Rogers Centre has the first level of renovations done. You've heard Ben Wagner and Dan Shulman talk incessantly about the changes to outfield seating in 2023. This is part of why the Blue Jays started with a long road trip to St. Louis, Kansas City, and Anaheim (with a 6-4 record).

The original plans included grass but that seems to have disappeared. SkyDome was a replacement for Exhibition Stadium when it opened in 1989. The dome was a huge success, unlike the roof at Olympic Stadium in Montréal.

The sad reality is the new changes at Rogers Centre might be the best MLB scenario for Canadian baseball fans. The history of MLB stadiums for Canadian teams is a miserable one.

Consider the 4 new MLB franchises in 1969.

Kansas City moved into Municipal Stadium, the old home of the A's and current home of the NFL team. The Royals got a new baseball-only stadium in 1973 where they still play. San Diego moved into San Diego Stadium, current home of the AFL Chargers.

Seattle moved into the minor league Sicks Stadium that never became terribly viable in the lone season of the Seattle Pilots. The franchise moved to Milwaukee where they had an old major league stadium in County Stadium.

Montréal had a couple of not so great options for the new Expos. The Autostade on Rue Sainte-Catherine E, just east of St. Laurent, was the home of the CFL Alouettes (1968–1971, 1973-1976). The Autostade could have been a truly intimate baseball experience. A number of factors led the group away from Autostade and onto Jarry Park, which was only supposed to be a temporary home for 3 seasons. That turned into 8 seasons.

Jarry Park was a single deck stadium without cover, quaint even for its time. Olympic Stadium hosted Les Expos starting in 1977. The sightlines were great for football, not as much for baseball.

Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, home of the CFL Argonauts, was the Blue Jays first home stadium. The fans had cover in the outfield seats but not over the 3rd-base side.

2023 Toronto Blue Jays preview

2023 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

The best MLB stadium in Canada is a theory and a plan: Labatt Park in Montréal. Downtown. Grass with a dome. Small, intimate, a true baseball stadium.

If Montréal knew the Rays were coming for certain, building a baseball stadium would be a no-brainer. Building Labatt Park for the new Expos would give Canada a true MLB baseball stadium.

Comerica Park in Detroit and even Sahlen Field in Buffalo, permanent and temporary MLB stadiums near the Canadian border, offer more of what Canadian cities should have in a baseball stadium. The Detroit stadium's upper deck is too steep but the lower deck has wonderful sightlines, even from a pedestrian friendly view in centre field from outside the gate.

Not every stadium is going to be Wrigley Field or Fenway Park. Canada teams deserve a better viewing experience at a MLB ballpark on Canadian soil.

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

The practical nature of Toronto and land means revamping Rogers Centre. The improvements look great. Just the idea of not having home runs fall into a pit just past the fences is a substantial change.

I've seen the Blue Jays and Argonauts at SkyDome. I've seen Les Expos at Stade Olympique in Montréal. I've seen minor league baseball in Vancouver and Winnipeg. The Forum and Maple Leaf Gardens were legendary hockey arenas. Canadian baseball fans deserve a similar place for Major League Baseball.

Twitter capture: @RadioRoho
photo credit: @BlueJays

Dennis King, PCs get strong majority in Prince Edward Island election

Dennis King and the Progressive Conservatives won a minority government in 2019 in Prince Edward Island. The King Government won by-elections and formed a majority government.

Calling an election 6 months earlier than required proved to be a good call as King has been re-elected as premier with a convincing majority.

The PCs jumped from 15 to 22 seats, taking 6 of the 7 seats from the Green Party, the previous opposition party in the province, and a seat from the Liberals.

King said his party wants a "brighter future" on Prince Edward Island — noting that this begins with addressing health care, housing, climate change, and cost-of-living problems.

Green Party leader Peter Bevan-Baker and Karla Bernard are the only 2 Green Party in the PEI legislature. Bevan-Baker pulled out his district of New Haven-Rocky Point. Sharon Cameron, the Liberal Party leader who didn't have a seat, chose to run in New Haven-Rocky Point and finished 3rd.

The Greens had a 22% vote share while the Liberals had a record-low 17% share of the vote. The Greens finished second in a significant number of districts.

The Greens lost 6 seats and Liberals lost 3 seats last night.

King and the PCs didn't have seats in Charlottetown, the provincial capital and largest city on the island. Now they do.

The Liberals are now the opposition party, yet their leader doesn't have a seat. Cameron said in her speech that she wanted to be a "pain in the ass." We will have to wait and see if she gets an opportunity to be in the assembly in Charlottetown.

The Greens and Liberals were unhappy with the early call, originally scheduled for October. They only had 25 people running in 27 districts but that wasn't as much of an issue as running more against each other than aiming at King.

The NDP got 4% of the vote but didn't win a seat. The Island Party was likely the majority of the Other at 1% of the total vote. The PCs got 56% of the vote.

2023 Prince Edward Island election preview

There were 51 women of the 119 candidates in the 2023 provincial election. Women won 7 seats in the 2023 election, no mathematical change from 2019.

Seats with women flipped from green to blue (PCs). Jenn Redmond (PC) won District 5: Mermaid-Stratford by just 38 votes over Michele Beaton (Greens). Susie Dillon (PC) took over District 11: Charlottetown-Belvedere, which had been held by Hannah Bell (Greens), who did not run. Joanna Morrison (Greens) finished second.

One of the Liberals to retain a seat was Gord McNeilly, who became the first Black MLA in Prince Edward Island in 2019.

Dr. Herb Dickieson ran for the NDP in District 25: O'Leary-Inverness. Dr. Dickieson, a retired physician, was the MLA from 1996-2000 and is the only NDP MLA ever in the assembly in PEI. Dr. Dickieson's primary motivation in running this time was the threat of the closure of Western Hospital. The doctor lost to incumbent Rob Henderson (Liberal).

Bevan-Baker was a dentist before being elected to the assembly as a Green MLA. Maybe this only happens in Prince Edward Island.

Prince Edward Island has a Greens growth spurt with a minority government

2019 Prince Edward Island election preview

CanadianCrossing.com Prince Edward Island coverage

The voter turnout is what will be remembered from the 2023 election and not in a good way. Prince Edward Island had a 68.5% turnout for this election. While most municipalities in North America would love at 68.5% turnout, that is the lowest ever for the province.

The 2019 election saw a 80.5% turnout and that was slightly lower than the last provincial election.

Generally, lower turnout tends to benefit more conservative parties. The Greens had 30.6% in 2019 (25,302 votes) vs. 21.6% (16,134 votes) in 2023. The Liberals had 29.4% in 2019 (24,346 votes) vs. a record low of 17.2% (12,876 votes). 

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

2023 Canadian politics preview

With this election win, the Progressive Conservatives have won twice in a row for the first time since they won three times in a row from 1996 to 2003.
To date, the Conservatives have won 19 PEI elections, while the Liberals have won 23.https://t.co/Nm04L4iPRj

— Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx (@CraigBaird) April 3, 2023

King has talked about collaborating with the other parties during his first term as premier. That was more necessary when he didn't have a majority. Now the PCs have a strong majority and not much progress on problems getting worse, such as the aforementioned health care, housing, climate change, and cost-of-living problems.

There was a political strategy to calling an early election the day after the 2023 Canada Winter Games held on Prince Edward Island. The strategy worked more on the Greens and Liberals than success by the PCs. In 2027, the focus should be on King and the PCs: will they make life better for those on Prince Edward Island. Will the voters respond accordingly?

photo credit: CBC News
Twitter capture: @CraigBaird

Canadian film review: Love in the Time of Fentanyl

News will label something as "controversial" such as supervised injection facilities in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. The average person might be frightened at the prospect of that type of facility. Love in the Time of Fentanyl shows us what that world is actually like and why it's unusual, but far better in the opioid battle.

The clinic is run by volunteers who are all too familiar with the opioid scene in that area in Vancouver, as in fellow users. The documentary takes us into the people mourning those who have been lost and saving people, so they are still around.

We don't get so close to the action to see actual drug injections but there is an intimacy to watching people do something highly personal that would never been shown on the late news. Safe injection sites have proven to be necessary in the time when opioids can easily be laced with fentanyl.

The film shows us Overdose Prevention Society (OPS) staff members administer Narcan for those who overdose and save their lives. Sometimes, the efforts are too late.

The unofficial narrator is Ronnie aka Narcan Jesus, a gentle giant who is one of the workers at the facility.

Director Colin Askey gives us the intimacy of startling moments without an all-knowing narrator. Sometimes the decisions you don't make are the smartest choices.

The intimacy can be a bit startling but Askey understands we need to see the reality of that world to see the importance of safe injection sites.

British Columbia decriminalizes some drugs but at a really low threshold

CanadianCrossing.com British Columbia coverage

The film reflected the reality in the time of filming. Now those in British Columbia can carry a small amount of drugs, including opioids, without fear of arrest. This includes opioids, which sadly may have fentanyl in them.

Reducing the stigma and the reality of being arrested gives these people a safer environment for themselves and others.

Love in the Time of Fentanyl is a play on the title Love in the Time of Cholera, a 1985 novel Colombian Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez. The book was later turned into a film that was released in 2007.

Canadian film review: Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy

We don't pair films together, like wine and food. If you want to learn more about opioids addiction, the Elle-Maija Tailfeathers documentary featuring her mother is an outstanding watch. While this is geared toward opioids in Indigenous communities, its solutions are just as relevant in the mountains of West Virginia in the United States.

Speaking of Tailfeathers, the part of Vancouver in this documentary is very close by where her earlier film, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, was filmed.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The beauty of documentaries, such as this one, is the way to see what is talked about in the news and show this to an audience who is curious.

Love in the Time of Fentanyl is a great example of showing us a "controversial" world and humanizing the experience. We suggest you watch the film with loved ones and compare notes after watching the film.

Love in the Time of Fentanyl has run in Canada and is available through Independent Lens on PBS. A reminder to our American readers that the PBS version has censored curse words from the documentary. As we have noted, Canadians are far less concerned over the impact of those words than in American society.

video credit: Independent Lens/PBS
photo credit: Love in the Time of Fentanyl

2023 Prince Edward Island election preview

For faster service at the polls today, take along your Voter Information Card and one piece of ID (Like your Drivers Licence) #2023provincialelection #peipoli pic.twitter.com/WnbHStw2vs

— Elections PEI (@ElectionsPEI) March 25, 2023

The 2023 Prince Edward Island provincial election might not seem as significant as the Ontario and Quebec elections of 2022 in Canada. Those provincial elections turned out to be little more than coronations for the incumbents.

Prince Edward Island is an anomaly in North American politics in that voter turnout is traditionally quite high. The dynamic of this election may turn on Premier Dennis King (Progressive Conservative) to call an early election, going from the designated election date of October 2 to April 3.

The PCs had 15 seats in the 27-seat assembly, a slight majority government. The party won a minority government with 13 seats in 2019. The Green Party is the official opposition party, remaining at 8 seats, the same number won in the 2019 election. The Liberals have 6 seats, up from 4 seats in the 2019 election.

Peter Bevan-Baker, the first Green elected to the PEI Assembly, is the Green Party leader. Sharon Cameron is the new Liberal Party leader, taking over in November. Both parties are only fielding 25 candidates for the 27 electoral districts.

Both Bevan-Baker (incumbent) and Cameron (challenger) are running in the New Haven-Rocky Point electoral district. That should prove to be an intriguing battle.

Michelle Neill is the New Democratic Party leader. The party has a full slate but hasn't won a seat in the chamber since 1996.

Cecile Sly aka Ahava Kálnássy de Kálnás is the new Island Party leader. The party is running in 11 electoral districts.

Prince Edward Island has a Greens growth spurt with a minority government

2019 Prince Edward Island election preview

Health care, especially health care workers, will be a key topic in the election. Land use is important. The Greens and Liberals will benefit if they can go over the King Government in its handling of post-tropical storm Fiona damage.

The CBC News debate was held last night. A telltale sign of how the election might go was that the Greens and Liberals are fighting each other more than attacking the incumbent government. That reminds us sadly of the 2022 Ontario election.

Advance polling stations are open March 25, March 27, and March 31 for advance voting from 9 am to 7 pm. Those hours also will apply on April 3.

CanadianCrossing.com Prince Edward Island coverage

We get some teasing for our obsession with CBC News. You can find the election coverage online via CBC Prince Edward Island.

CBCT, channel 13 in Charlottetown, is the only TV station licensed to Prince Edward Island. The CTV station in Charlottetown is a satellite of its signal out of Moncton, NB while the Global station in Charlottetown is a satellite signal from its Saint John, NB station.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

2023 Canadian politics preview

We will have results on April 4.

Twitter capture: @ElectionsPEI
photo credit: CBC News Charlottetown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The impact of the Joe Biden presidency on Canada

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

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

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

CanadianCrossing.com U.S. politics coverage

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

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

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

video credit: YouTube/White House
photo credit: CPAC