Canadian Crossing

Where to visit Canada in 2023

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

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

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

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

Experiencing marijuana tourism in Canada

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stanley Tucci has plenty of love for Toronto

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

Greyhound leaves Canada for good

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

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

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

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

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

Where to visit Canada in 2022

Where to visit Canada in 2021

Where to visit Canada in 2020

Where to visit Canada in 2019

Where to visit Canada in 2018

Where to visit Canada in 2017

All Canada national parks are free in 2017

Where to visit Canada in 2016

Where to visit Canada in 2015

Where to visit Canada in 2014

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

CanadianCrossing.com now has stories grouped by provinces and territories

CanadianCrossing.com border crossings coverage

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

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

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

map credit: Ezilon.com

Experiencing marijuana tourism in Canada

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

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

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

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

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

Canadian film review: The Marijuana Conspiracy

Canada celebrates 3 years of legal marijuana (2021)

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

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

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

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

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

Canadian film review: Canadian Strain

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

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

A slim chance of marijuana tourism in Canada in 2021

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

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

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

CanadianCrossing.com marijuana coverage

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

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

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

photos credit: me

Canadian ads from fall 2022 NHL Center Ice free preview

In my fast food days, I wanted French fries and onion rings. Most places didn't have onion rings. If they did, the fries were often better.

Harvey's allows you to have both French fries and onion rings aka frings. Both look good, based on the ad that ran during the NHL Center Ice free preview of Canadian NHL teams feeds to start the 2022-2023 NHL season.

The preview was not long: 4 days.

Your humble narrator hasn't spent much time in Canada, because, pandemic. Haven't been to a Harvey's in a lot longer period of time. Poutine. Deep fried pickles. Fries with rings. This is not the Harvey's I remember.

Canadian ads from fall 2021 NHL Center Ice free preview

Canadian ads from spring 2021 NHL Center Ice free preview

This Rogers Communications ad came on the heels of the huge outage in July of this year. A outage so huge that Wikipedia literally has a page devoted to the impact of that outage.

The only thing Canadians can agree on is that the large telecoms (Rogers and Bell) suck at what they do.

Does this ad convince you Rogers (or anyone else) will do better in customer service? No. Do the people in these boardrooms think these ads are great? Do workers fear telling their bosses that the ads aren't that great? Absolutely.

Bad apologies are often better than no apologies, up to a point.

Your humble narrator has severely cut down on French fries consumption during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been especially true at home. The idea of having a bad day and making it a McCain's "fry-day" is cute. Each member of the family has their terrible moment of the day and feels better with frozen French fries baked in the oven. This ad ties in emotions well.

One can celebrate with carbohydrates but do so responsibly.

CanadianCrossing.com territories coverage

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

We are a sucker for Canadian tourism ads because the toughest audience of those to see parts of Canada is, well, other Canadians. Some of the Northwest Territories are south of the North of 60. This refers to 60° latitude, ⅔ the way to the North Pole from the equator. 

Hockey Day in Canada in the winter of 2020 was based in Yellowknife, a rare look into the territories. They had a contest to win a trip to the north to Whitehorse (Yukon), Yellowknife (Northwest Territories), or Iqaluit (Nunavut).

You can still find trees in Yellowknife at 62° latitude but the treeline is not far away where trees do not grow. The area is beautiful and quite remote.

Love the cleverness of the campaign to tie in stories with the experience of traveling there.

Canadian government promos in the COVID-19 era

Canadian ads from winter 2021 NHL Center Ice free preview

Sidney Crosby and Nathan McKinnon are excellently talented Canadian NHL players who play for American teams. They have become the spokespeople for Tim Hortons trading cards. 

They don't speak much. Crosby offers to trade his card of himself to a kid. A guy yells out from his truck once the players are outside. "Hey, McKinnon. Where's the Cup?" McKinnon holds up a Tim Hortons cup. The guy in the truck was asking about the Stanley Cup, which McKinnon finally won over the early summer.

I saw a Joe Fresh ad with mindless models wearing okay clothes. I know Joe Fresh sells clothes but I automatically assume Joe Fresh is a grocery store. Even when I know, I still make that assumption.

We hate gambling ads because they are geared toward an audience that knows about same game parlays. Gambling ads are not trying to get the casual person involved. If you know the world, you are invited.

The idea of a guy sitting in a bathroom at a party, obsessing over how to bet. The bathroom is larger than almost any bathroom you have seen. Suddenly, American actor Jon Lovitz pops into the bathroom. Lovitz is louder than the guy wants him to be. Lovitz points to a bet on the guy's phone and tells him to pick that bet.

We don't normally post ads that are terrible but this one needed attention. Most gambling type people likely don't know who Lovitz is. I do know who Lovitz is (he is very talented) and I knew that was a problem for this ad.

Made me miss Jon Hamm doing ads for Skip the Dishes.

Citytv, a Rogers property, is generally fourth among the 4 major Canadian networks. The network produces fewer Canadian TV shows of note and doesn't offer a national newscast.

Citytv+ allows customers to stream content from Citytv, FX, FXX, as well as Omni. All of this is available for $4.99/month through Prime Video.

Canadians can stream Citytv programming for free, just like Americans can do for its over-the-air networks. Then again, most Canadians can't get Citytv with an antenna.

KFC was advertising its Bacon Lovers Sandwich. I loved what KFC was doing a few decades back. While we are not a fan of the Baconator at Wendy's, that was a sandwich that celebrated bacon. A huge, likely tasteless piece of fried chicken with the orange sauce would take away from the presence of the bacon.

Real bacon lovers will stay at home and make a great BLT to appreciate the bacon.

CanadianCrossing.com advertising coverage

Thanks for checking out our collection of Canadian advertising.

photo and video credits: the companies

2022 Windsor International Film Festival preview

The experience returns!!📽️💜 #WIFF22

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

📅October 27 - November 6

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

— WIFF (@WindsorFilmFest) October 6, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2019 WIFF Canadian films in review

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

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

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

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

Some of the other Canadian film highlights include:

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

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

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

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

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

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

Ketchup chips and butter tarts. Spending loonies and twoonies.

Windsor International Film Festival cancels the 2021 festival

Windsor International Film Festival cancels the 2020 festival

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

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

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

Twitter capture: @WindsorFilmFest
photo credit: me

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

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

— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) September 26, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where to visit Canada in 2022

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

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

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

CanadianCrossing.com border crossings coverage

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

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

Twitter capture: @CPAC_TV
photo credit: me

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

There's a saying in Atlantic Canada that if you're not of this place then you're from away, but if you come to this place, come to stay.@TSNScianitti takes a closer look at the CFL's Touchdown Atlantic tradition, and what makes this CFL event and Atlantic Canada so unique. pic.twitter.com/zukf1Nljmt

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 16, 2022

Wolfville was not Halifax; the CFL finally played a regular season game in Nova Scotia with Touchdown Atlantic 2022. The wind off the Atlantic Ocean played havoc with some of the kicks, not unlike the wind at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.

The streets of Wolfville and Halifax were filled (mostly) with the green of the Saskatchewan Roughriders fans who made the trip. There were a number in double blue, rooting for the Toronto Argonauts.

The Argos, a seafaring team based on the nickname, were victorious 30-24 at Raymond Field in Wolfville, home of Acadia University. Sure the cliche is true: everyone involved were winners on Saturday.

Football is family 💚🏈

A special moment for @brettlauther in front of the home crowd 🙌#CFLGameday | #TDAtlantic @sskroughriders pic.twitter.com/DPgy9jdDwR

— CFL (@CFL) July 16, 2022

Brett Lauther's family and friends represented 180 of the 10,000 fans. Lauther is from nearby Truro, Nova Scotia and played university football at St. Mary's Stadium in Halifax (where the 2020 Touchdown Atlantic was scheduled).

This is one of the selling arguments to having a presence in Atlantic Canada. Players from the region making the CFL and either playing for the Atlantic Schooners or coming as a visiting player. The TSN crew interviewed Acadia University head coach Jeff Cummins, a former CFL player.

We know the NHL uses this as a theory for keeping a particular team in a city where the maximum capacity next season will be 5,000 because of Auston Matthews. The theory in Atlantic Canada and the CFL is a lot stronger.

Lauther made 3 of 4 field goal attempts for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Remembering an amazing grilled sourdough bread in Halifax

Celebrating advantages of the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market

Searching for a good lobster roll in Nova Scotia

The seafood is amazing on the East Coast. TSN used part of the halftime to talk seafood. The Bar Down segment was a bit baffling. 3 Saskatchewan players looked at pictures of seafood. Their reaction was mostly negative based on pictures, especially the player in the centre who wasn't into seafood.

The seafood is way better than what was portrayed in that segment. We needed to see them eat Atlantic Canada seafood.

Wolfville is normally a town of 4,000 people. There were 10,886 fans plus the TSN personnel and other relevant people. That is a lot to ask on a place without that kind of infrastructure. Credit to Wolfville for rising to the occasion.

We were glad to see Halifax get some of the celebration for Touchdown Atlantic 2022.

2022 CFL Week 6 preview: Touchdown Atlantic comes to Wolfville, NS

CFL finally puts a regular season game in Nova Scotia

CanadianCrossing.com Nova Scotia coverage

McLeod Bethel-Thomson played for Toronto in Moncton in 2019. Boris Bede played for the Alouettes in 2019 and the Argos in 2022 for Touchdown Atlantic. Brandon Banks signed with Hamilton in 2013 after the Touchdown Atlantic visit to Moncton.

We noted Brett Lauther's local roots earlier in this story. Toronto linebacker Hénoc Muamba played his second Touchdown Atlantic, having played for Montréal in 2019 in Moncton. Muamba played for St. Francis Xavier University in nearby Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

.@ESPNPR @ESPN WTF? Show the @CFL game from @TSN. Huge game in terms of the league and you won't show us the feed. We literally pay your salary. Give us what you promised.

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) July 16, 2022

We hate to mention the major blemish on the U.S. streaming side. ESPN+ picked a horrible time to be asleep at the wheel. The U.S. fans lost the pageantry and the first 2:01 of the game.

Who knows how many American viewers left because the game wasn't on their screen.

ESPN made things even worse by refusing (at press time) to carry the rebroadcast of the game. Every other CFL game is available, except for Touchdown Atlantic 2022.

TSN lost its own feed and missed the first Toronto Argonauts touchdown live.

2020 Touchdown Atlantic in Halifax: What would have been

If CFL plays in 2020, have all the games in the Maritimes

As for the actual game itself, Toronto linebacker Wynton McManis picked a great time for a Pick 6, returning an interception from Cody Fajardo to give the Argos a 30-24 win. Saskatchewan had won 8 straight over Toronto dating back to 2016.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson went 26 for 37 for 276 yards with 2 TDs and an interception. Fajardo was 24 for 34 for 284 yards with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

Andrew Harris passed TSN panelist Milt Stegall and is now 4th all-time in yards from scrimmage. Stegall finished with 15,209 yards.

Harris had 39 yards rushing, 25 yards receiving for 64 yards for the day. He only needed 46 to pass Stegall.

The veteran running back is still short of 10,000 rushing yards. When Harris reaches that mark, he will be the first Canadian and the 6th CFL player to hit that mark.

Rod Smith and Glen Suitor called the game on TSN with Matthew Scianitti on the sidelines and in the crowd.

The panel made the trip with Kate Beirness, Davis Sanchez, and Milt Stegall there on Friday and Saturday. Matt Dunigan made the trip from Winnipeg on Friday to be there on Saturday in Wolfville.

Stegall talked about how this was his first trip to Atlantic Canada. Sanchez says he thinks Stegall would be someone from Atlantic Canada if he were Canadian.

CFL once again comes to Moncton for 2019 Touchdown Atlantic

Analysis: Could Moncton host a permanent CFL franchise?

CFL hits Moncton, showcasing New Brunswick

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

We know the idea of building a stadium in Halifax to house a team got sidelined during the pandemic. We know the decades-long uphill battle this has been. Let's hope Touchdown Atlantic is a CFL game every year until the Atlantic Schooners start playing for real.

Twitter captures: @TSN_Sports; @CFL; @canadian_xing
photos credit: TSN/CFL

CFL finally puts a regular season game in Nova Scotia

The idea of Touchdown Atlantic has been to spark interest in a potential expansion franchise in the Atlantic Schooners. The team would be based in Halifax, the largest city in the region or possibly a split with Halifax and Moncton in New Brunswick.

The first CFL game in Atlantic Canada was on June 11, 2005, a preseason game with Hamilton and Toronto that finished in a 16-16 tie. That game was played at Huskies Stadium at St. Mary's University just south of downtown Halifax. The game drew 11,148 with expanded seating.

The CFL scheduled a 2006 preseason game on June 3 for that same stadium. That game was cancelled since the Ottawa Renegades, the host team against Montreal, folded.

When the concept returned in 2010, the CFL focused on the regular season in Moncton since the city has an established stadium. Moncton Stadium, now known as Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium, hosted regular season games in 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2019. The attendance was around 20,000 for the first 2 games, falling to about 15,000 in 2013 and 10,000 in 2019.

The CFL finally figured out that putting a game in Nova Scotia was a smart move. The league scheduled a game at Huskies Stadium in 2020. Oops.

The @CFL is in @TownOfWolfville at @AcadiaU setting up.

The @sskroughriders vs @TorontoArgos July 16 at the Touchdown Atlantic event.

The 7,000 temporary seats will help triple the population of Wolfville.#CFL #TouchdownAtlantic #Wolfville #AcadiaU #Football #NovaScotia pic.twitter.com/62HI73FiBm

— Acadia Athletics (@AcadiaAthletics) July 5, 2022

The league shifted the 2022 version to Raymond Field in Wolfville, 90 km north of Halifax.

The facilities in Atlantic Canada have been a concern. Huskies Stadium and Raymond Field needed considerable temporary seating to get to 10,000-11,000. The Atlantic Schooners would have been a reality long ago if there was a viable stadium in Halifax.

There are high schools in Texas that have a nice enough stadium that if you put that structure in Halifax along the water, there would be a 10th team in the CFL.

There has been a hesistancy to build a stadium of any kind in Halifax, despite the potential for expanded tourism. The soccer team HFX Wanderers FC of the Canadian Premier League play at Wanderers Grounds on the Halifax Commons. A larger stadium to suit both teams would be highly logical.

2020 Touchdown Atlantic in Halifax: What would have been

If CFL plays in 2020, have all the games in the Maritimes

CFL once again comes to Moncton for 2019 Touchdown Atlantic

The CFL said the 10,000 seats for Touchdown Atlantic 2022 sold out within an hour after going on sale.

Hopefully, that is a great sign for enthusiasm for the CFL in this region.

We don't know much about Wolfville, so we are intrigued. Touchdown Atlantic starts Saturday at 3 pm Atlantic time, 2 pm Eastern, and 11 am in Vancouver. Saskatchewan serves as the "road team" and Toronto is the "home team": the same teams scheduled for the 2020 contest.

TSN will have the game in Canada with ESPN+ taking the TSN feed in the United States. Rod Smith and Glen Suitor are scheduled to call the game from Wolfville.

Analysis: Could Moncton host a permanent CFL franchise?

CFL hits Moncton, showcasing New Brunswick

Traditionally, the prince searches for the person who fits the glass slipper. Cities beg for teams to come their way. If Halifax showed any kind of enthusiasm for a stadium, this would be a done deal. Playing a regular season game in Nova Scotia is a step way over due, and quite frankly, in the wrong location. Small steps indeed.

CanadianCrossing.com Nova Scotia coverage

We will have tomorrow's preview that will cover the full week of the CFL.

photo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @AcadiaAthletics

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

FIFA announces Toronto and Vancouver as host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™! 🇨🇦🏟

Toronto and Vancouver will join 11 host cities in the USA, and three host cities in Mexico as competition venues for the largest FIFA World Cup™ in history.

MORE 🔗: https://t.co/lDhELwSCee pic.twitter.com/imj5XIkT3k

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) June 16, 2022

FIFA announced the 16 North American cities for the 2026 men's World Cup of football (soccer). Canada was originally supposed to get 3 cities but one of those slots went to the United States. Mexico got 3 locations while the United States received 11 cities.

Toronto and Vancouver were the Canadian cities invited to host games; Edmonton didn't make the cut.

The Canadian cities will host 10 games though we don't know how many will end up in each city. The United States will get 60 games while Mexico also gets 10 games. The consensus is that the U.S. cities will host the significant games in the tournament.

Toronto will be in the East section along with Boston (Foxborough), Philadelphia, Miami, and New York/New Jersey (East Rutherford, NJ).

Vancouver will be in the West section along with Seattle, San Francisco (Santa Clara), Los Angeles (Inglewood), and Guadalajara, Mexico.

The Central section consists of Kansas City, Dallas (Arlington), Atlanta, and Houston in the U.S. as well as Monterrey and Mexico City in Mexico.

Reminder: The Government of Alberta took the unusual step of demanding Edmonton host at least five of Canada's 10 allotted 2026 FIFA World Cup games. It also demanded Edmonton host two round of 32 or round of 16 knockout games.

Edmonton is now shut out of the World Cup.

— Kevin Nimmock (@KevinCTV) June 16, 2022

While Edmonton was the only Canadian city that missed the cut, the U.S. finalists that didn't make the cut were Cincinnati, Denver, Nashville, Orlando, Pasadena (CA), and Washington, D.C./Baltimore.

Montréal showed interest early. The Alberta government put conditions on funding that likely didn't help the Edmonton bid.

Canada defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in a World Cup qualifying game last November in front of 48,806 at Commonwealth Stadium. Don't mistake the selection process for the best places in Canada to host the tournament.

U.S. uses sun, speed to win 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

Canada has never hosted a World Cup game on the men's side but did host the 2015 FIFA women's World Cup. That tournament was held in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montréal, and Moncton, NB.

Montréal and Edmonton hosted the semifinals; Edmonton also hosted the 3rd place game while Vancouver hosted the final game.

You may recall that the 2015 tournament was the first time games were played on artificial surfaces, much to the dismay of the players. This is why BC Place will put in a grass surface.

BMO Field in Toronto will get more seating for FIFA requirements. The 30,000 seat stadium will get bumped up to 45,500, still by far the lowest capacity of any of the 2026 World Cup cities.

Canada draws Group F for the 2022 World Cup

The Canadian men will play later this year in Qatar in the 2022 World Cup. This will be the first trip for the men's team since its one and only appearance in 1986.

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

The World Cup is normally in June/July (the 2022 World Cup moved to the fall due to heat concerns in Qatar). The CFL will have to adjust the schedule as needed.

Adjustments depend on when the stadiums will be used in the World Cup and any adjustments in removing the grass surface in Vancouver. MLS will steer clear as well, but their primary issues are in a number of U.S. cities also taken up by the 2026 World Cup.

The Toronto Argonauts could play home games at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton or an early Touchdown Atlantic game.

BMO Field will also get a name adjustment just like the Winnipeg and Ottawa stadiums had in 2015. FIFA doesn't allow corporate sponsored names. 

TSN/CTV and Fox have the 2026 World Cup rights in their respective countries.

Twitter captures: @CanadaSoccerEN; @KevinCTV
photos credit: @CanadaSoccerEN/FIFA

CUSMA/USMCA punishes Canada for wanting to export baby formula

That media talks about baby formula shortage w/o knowing whats going on is amazing. Trump's USMCA restricted imports of formula from Canada, so we imported no formula from Canada in 2021, leaving us vulnerable to domestic shock. The shock hit when Abbott plant was contaminated.

— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) May 14, 2022

The United States has baby formula shortages. Canada makes baby formula and would want to increase its exports to the United States and please a top trading partner.

Too bad the dreaded, horrible, terrible USMCA (CUSMA) made this impossible.

From Fortune magazine:

"As part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), negotiated by President Donald Trump to replace the North America Free Trade Agreement in July 2020, Canada agreed to impose an additional surcharge of $3/kg if the total volume of its global formula exports—not just exports to the U.S.—broke a certain threshold. That threshold is currently set at 40,480 metric tons for the current "dairy year" of August 1 2021 to July 31 2022.

"The new duties seemingly closed off Canada as a source of infant formula. The U.S. imported a grand total of zero tons of baby formula from its nothern (sic) neighbor in 2021, yet has shipped tons of domestic formula into Canada. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S.-manufactured infant formula made up the largest component of U.S. dairy exports to Canada in 2021, accounting for 22% of all northbound dairy trade."

The crybaby toddler who somehow had a lot of power was rather vindictive toward Canada on multiple fronts. We didn't factor in baby formula.

Abbott accounts for nearly half of the domestic production of the U.S. baby formula market. The U.S. makes 98% of its formula domestically.

That is a problem with a February recall of Abbott Nutrition formula contaminated with bacteria from its Sturgis, MI factory. 4 infants became sick with bacterial infections; 2 of them died.

The irony is that United States standards are much more lax than Europe or Canada in terms of the quality of the formula. This isn't a matter of Canada or Europe formula meeting those standards because their formula exceeds the U.S. standards.

Podcast: Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, and the politics of breastfeeding (BalanceofFood.com)

The United States lags behind the Western World on maternal elements, such as leave. Improved standards for women might encourage more breastfeeding. As much as we (and our sibling blog, BalanceofFood.com) endorse breastfeeding, there is a reality for baby formula that needs to be addressed.

Cheap pizza comes to Canada but at what cost

Canada milk producers threatened with invasion of cheaper American milk

Canadian milk holds a higher standard on milk, not allowing recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), an artificial growth hormone allowed in American milk. The anger by the crybaby toddler is over this difference in milk. If this were a baby formula shortage in Canada, importing formula from the United States would be a concern over bringing rBST into Canada.

Canada secretly passes heavily flawed CUSMA during the COVID-19 corornavirus pandemic

NAFTA 2.0, er, USMCA is a nightmarish trade deal for Canada

The party of the crybaby toddler is the party that is trying to take advantage of the political ramifications of the baby formula shortages. As little as we think of Canadian journalism, U.S. journalism is the grand leader of cluelessness. Kurt Eichenwald being a grand exception as noted in the top of the column.

Balanceoffood.com Canada food policy coverage

Trade deals can be tricky when all involved parties are acting in free will. The CUSMA/USMCA trade talks were a shambles and the complete opposite of an ethical trade deal process. Innocent people get hurt when a trade deal goes this poorly.

Would Americans get an abortion in Canada?

We noted that Americans might drive to Canada to get an abortion. We can't condone, under any circumstances, the illegal importation of any product from Canada into the United States. We can point out that they sell baby formula in Canada.

American mothers who rely on baby formula should be able to access quality products without a monopoly and heavy-handed political tactics.

Twitter capture: @kurteichenwald
photo credit: Dairy Farmers of Canada

Would Americans get an abortion in Canada?

Canadians can access abortion services, though like most healthcare, getting an abortion is a lot easier if you live in a large Canadian city. The United States, even before the leak of a decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, has been a place where getting an abortion was extremely difficult unless you lived in a large urban setting.

Canadians don't have the draconian laws of their southern neighbours.

Karina Gould, Canada's minister of families, affirmed that Americans can access abortion services in Canada. “If they, people, come here and need access, certainly, you know, that’s a service that would be provided,” Gould told CBC News.

This may be notable in states such as Michigan that border Ontario.

Matt Galloway talked about abortion in a recent segment on The Current on CBC Radio One. The emphasis was mostly on Saskatchewan, pointing out that access was easier in Regina than even Saskatoon.

Canada is a safer place for abortion though access should be improved

Prince Edward Island eases abortion restrictions (2015)

Abortion definitely an issue in New Brunswick election (2014)

The Trudeau Government had recent announcements on already assigned funding: more than $3.5 million in funding for 2 initiatives to improve access to abortion services and reproductive health information.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Action Canada would get $2.1 million over 3 years to improve information and referral services. The funding will also cover travel and accommodation costs for people seeking abortions.

The National Abortion Federation Canada will get $1.4 million over 3 years to help train health care providers to perform abortions and ensure facilities have the capacity to provide the service.

The U.S. helped out Canada on the abortion front in the late 1980s before a key decision from the Canadian Supreme Court.

The CBC News report noted the passport concern for Americans traveling to Canada for an abortion. Americans also need to register via the ArriveCAN app and be vaccinated to come to Canada, ideally in a land crossing.

CanadianCrossing.com health care coverage

Canada was a destination for same-gender marriages while the United States did this on a piece meal basis. The dreams of marijuana tourism have been thwarted by a delay on edibles and the pandemic. Plus, if you are an American wanting to do marijuana tourism, a flight to California has better weather at the destination and may be cheaper, depending on location.

Abortion tourism won't be marketed but might be a small slice of desperately need tourism money for Canada. As much as any kind of tourism would be helpful, abortion is the type of procedure where you want to be in your own bed after the procedure.

Home is an option for drugs that induce a miscarriage. That can make the process easier on women in Canada, the United States, and around the world.

There are groups of people who will particularly struggle with this not so distant future: poor women; women of colour, especially Indigenous women; and young women.

Women should have the full and complete right to decide when and how they get pregnant and how they deal with the situation should they become pregnant. Full stop.

photo credit: Full Frontal with Samantha Bee/TBS
video credit: CBC News