Canadian Crossing

2022 CFL Week 10 preview

Editor's note: The U.S. TV for Saturday's game switched from ESPN2 to ESPNews.

Montréal travels to Winnipeg to complete the home-and-home series, the revenge game. The Alouettes were close for 3 quarters at home but playing in Winnipeg is a different matter. The teams play on Thursday night once again.

The southern Ontario battle gets a revenge game with the Toronto Argonauts in Hamilton for Friday Night Football.

The BC Lions play in the late afternoon in Calgary on Saturday. This game was not originally on the ESPN schedule but replaced an earlier cancellation. ESPNews will carry the TSN feed.

Saskatchewan is at Edmonton to conclude the Saturday night doubleheader. This game was originally scheduled for Sunday. There will be a lot of green at Commonwealth Stadium.

The Elks have an 11-game home losing streak, stretching back to 2019.

Ottawa gets to heal for a week.

ESPNews

Saturday
BC @ Calgary, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Montréal @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Friday
Toronto @ Hamilton, 7:30p
Saturday
BC @ Calgary, 7p
Saskatchewan @ Edmonton, 10p

Bye week: Ottawa

Here’s my call. We’re about to go 4 wins in a row (vs BC,SK,OTTx2). That takes us to 6-5 with 7 games left. #GoElks @corn_maze pic.twitter.com/DaeZVWOO2f

— Victor Cui (@victorcui) August 5, 2022

Victor Cui is setting a new tone in Edmonton. A bit of hubris is a bit of a surprise given the Elks current 11-game losing streak. Edmonton could win 3 of those 4 games, just not in Vancouver. The BC Lions had a 44-point win margin in the first meeting in Vancouver and a 32-point win last week in Vancouver. 76 point difference in 2 games. The teams will play in Edmonton in the next to last week of the season.

The Lions took their foot off the gas in the second half. Nathan Rourke went 23-for-26 for 386 yards and 5 TDs in the first half. Rourke went 11-for-11 for 91 yards in the second half for 477 overall; Matt Dunigan's 713 passing yards record for a game is safe. Michael O'Connor, fellow Canadian QB, finished the game for the Lions under 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter.

The CFL on TSN panel, which almost never mocks anything or anybody, took off on Chris Jones heavily rotating players in and out of the roster. No chemistry or communication at times. Edmonton will likely finish last in the West Division but should build something toward 2023. Cui might want to look into that for the Elks.

2022 CFL Week 9 preview

The Montréal Alouettes had several opportunities early and did not take advantage against a more talented Winnipeg Blue Bombers squad. Montréal managed to start the 4th quarter in a 14-14 tie. That is when the hare took over and ran away, leaving the tortoise wondering what happened.

The teams meet again this week, this time in Winnipeg. We will see if the Alouettes can be this scrappy on the road.

2022 CFL Week 8 preview

Calgary coach Dave Dickenson gave over the reins of the Stampeders to special teams coordinator Mark Kilam to serve as the acting head coach due to COVID-19 protocols. The Stampeders had a low-key game in the Calgary win. The Stampeders scored on a defence touchdown as Titus Wall returned an interception for a 46-yard touchdown.

Ottawa didn't score until the last half of the fourth quarter. Caleb Evans gave way to former Calgary QB Nick Arbuckle.

Calgary snapped a 2-game losing skid while Ottawa saw its 1-game winning streak come to an end.

2022 CFL Week 7 preview

Hamilton knows how to start; Toronto knows how to finish. The Tiger-Cats had a 13-0 lead to start the game. The Argos finally took the lead on a special teams touchdown. Toronto's Trevor Hoyte came clean through and blocked the punt; Benoit Marion recovered the ball and returned it 24 yards for the touchdown.

The Tiger-Cats suffered a number of key injuries with receiver Bralon Addison the most significant injury. Matthew Shiltz will likely start at QB for Hamilton.

The southern Ontario rivalry only has 3 games to go. Hamilton needs to energize the home field advantage this week. The Argonauts aren't as good on the road.

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

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

The 2005 BC Lions are the only CFL team in the 21st century to post a remarkable start (11-0). That may not be the best example for Winnipeg. Despite the 11-0 start, the Lions lost 6 of the last 7 games and the West final.

CanadianCrossing.com Balance of Food coverage

Purolator sponsors food drives with the CFL to tackle hunger. The drive will be in each CFL city over a 9-week period starting last week in Vancouver. Here is the upcoming schedule. Food insecurity is a reality in Canada. Every little bit helps. Do what you can. Please.

Date	City
August 6	Vancouver
August 13	Calgary
August 19	Regina
August 25	Winnipeg
September 5	Hamilton
September 23	Montréal
October 1	Edmonton
October 8	Toronto
October 14	Ottawa

 

We get the irony of mentioning the $90 poutine while food insecurity is a major issue in Canada. Such are the pitfalls of society where some have more than enough to eat while others struggle.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Duane Forde were filmed with the l'Alouette poutine but did not touch it. Smith and Forde with John Lu were in Montréal on a humid Thursday night.

Marshall Ferguson and Matt Dunigan with Claire Hanna made an appearance in Ottawa on Friday night.

Smith and Forde were with Matthew Scianitti on Saturday in Toronto. Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor were with Farhan Lalji in Vancouver in the late game on Saturday.

Dave Naylor filled in on the panel on Thursday and Friday.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @victorcui

Canadian film review: Sorry for Your Loss

Sorry for Your Loss presents a lot on the plate of Ken Wall (American actor Justin Bartha). His wife just gave birth recently. Ken wants to open a restaurant. His job isn't going too well. His estranged dad has just passed away.

Ken isn't too eager to go to Winnipeg but his wife Lori (Israeli actor Inbar Lavi) encourages him to make the trip.

Ken encounters Jeff Steadman (Bruce Greenwood) and Vince Kendall (Kevin McDonald). They tell Ken there is an inheritance with one catch. He has to throw the ashes onto the astroturf at Investors Group Field. This is the stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the University of Manitoba. Jeff and Vince can't say how much the inheritance is, but Ken has 48 hours to accomplish the task.

Writer/director Collin Friesen offers a mediocre script and an odd motivation for his protagonist. Bartha, as Ken, comes across as boring and cold in his performance. He doesn't seem excited about the inheritance, which would help him open his restaurant. He doesn't seem happy or excited or angry or even sad about any of these things. Jeff and Vince aren't given a consistent tone in setting up the odd requirements.

Jeff is rather racist and there is a wheelchair used under false pretenses. The themes seemed unnecessary in the otherwise quiet 2018 film.

Greenwood and McDonald know they are in a film stuck with not-so-great dialogue and are valiant in their efforts to keep the film moving along. Lavi also works harder than the film does as well.

Sandrine Holt plays a temptress for Ken. Holt is an amazing actress who is definitely acting to be that interested in the rather boring Ken.

American actor Lolita Davidovich plays Ken's mother Eve. She doesn't have much chemistry with her son, which feels like a choice made by Friesen.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Investors Group Field, now IG Field, looks really great in the film. The stadium looks beautiful and feels like the star of the film. We don't see much of Winnipeg otherwise in the film. Given the context of Ken's dad, those memories would have been at Canad Inns Stadium, which closed down after the 2012 CFL season.

Sorry for Your Loss has a lot of acting talent and the basic structure of a decent film. The writing and direction need a lot of work.

The film is available on Showtime in the United States and Crave in Canada.

video credit: YouTube/Farpoint Distribution
photos credit: Sorry for Your Loss

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for early August 2022

Welcome to the dog days of summer. The Canadian films CBC is showing on Saturday night are not dogs.

The first 2 films selected for August 6 go together quite well for those who remember the idea of a double feature. The 3 films on August 13 are as random as sometimes you might see at a drive-in movie night.

This shows out the variety you can find in Canadian films, even ones on the CBC on a Saturday night.

Some of these Canadian films may have been featured recently on CBC. The films should also be available on CBC Gem. All times are local, adding 30 minutes in Newfoundland.

Here is the schedule for early August 2022.

August 6

9p Giant Little Ones (2018)
11p Closet Monster (2015)
1a Octavio Is Dead (2018)

August 13

9p Monkey Beach (2020)
11p Man Running (2018)
1a Beeba Boys (2015)

Giant Little Ones and Closet Monster are both intriguing coming-of-age films for very different reasons. We have sung the praises of the former film. While the latter film is quieter, the film is worth watching if you don't feel like you fit in somewhere.

Octavio Is Dead is a pretty good film. Sarah Gadon is mostly the reason to watch the film; still worth staying up to watch or running the PVR to watch on Sunday.

Celebrating Pride with Canadian films and television

Canadian film review: Giant Little Ones

Monkey Beach is a film we discovered through the CBC Saturday night Canadian films lineup. A good film to watch with your teenagers.

The final 2 films on August 13 are unknown to your humble narrator. Man Running comes from Gary Burns (Waydowntown) featuring Gord Rand as a "doctor wrestles with a personal and moral dilemma while running a grueling 24-hour marathon over rugged mountain terrain." We have come to know Gord Rand from his appearances on Transplant and Pretty Hard Cases.

We have heard of Beeba Boys but have not seen the film. The description goes like this: "With the help of his recent recruit, a gang leader takes on an established crime lord in a battle for control over Vancouver's arms and drug trade." The Deepa Mehta film, actually set in Canada, stars Ali Kazmi, Ali Momen, and Randeep Hooda.

Canadian film review: Monkey Beach

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late July 2022

A recap of CBC Saturday night Canadian films in late spring and early summer 2022

The Canadian films run through October 8, the Saturday before the start of the NHL season.

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Enjoy the Canadian films!!

logo credit: CBC
photo credit: Giant Little Ones

2022 CFL Week 9 preview

Winnipeg works its way east to Montréal to start the CFL week Thursday night. This is only the 3rd home game for the Alouettes with 5 road games.

Calgary gets a break in not playing Winnipeg. The Stampeders are in Ottawa for Friday Night Football. The RedBlacks are on a 1-game winning streak.

The southern Ontario battle gets a jump start with Hamilton at BMO Field in Toronto. Should have plenty of Tiger-Cats fans on hand in Toronto. The teams play each other 4 times in the next 5 weeks.

The Edmonton-BC game has a lot of potential. The Elks play better on the road and the Lions are much better at home.

ESPN2 carries both Saturday night games like a Hockey Night in Canada doubleheader.

After losing 3 games in a row, Saskatchewan really needs to take it easy this week.

ESPN2

Saturday
Hamilton @ Toronto, 7p
Edmonton @ BC, 10p

TSN

Thursday
Winnipeg @ Montréal, 7:30p
Friday
Calgary @ Ottawa, 7:30p
Saturday
Hamilton @ Toronto, 7p
Edmonton @ BC, 10p

Bye week: Saskatchewan

Calgary had a week to prepare for the revenge game while Winnipeg didn't play its best game in Edmonton. The Blue Bombers had touchdowns while the Stampeders had field goals. 

Nic Demski returned to the Winnipeg lineup with 7 receptions for 69 yards and 2 touchdowns. Brady Oliveira ran with purpose with 15 carries and a season-high 110 yards. This is the first time Winnipeg has started 8-0 as well as winning 5 consecutive road games since 1960.

Imagine if the Blue Bombers had Nic Demski and Greg Ellingson, out with an injury, in the lineup at the same time.

Winnipeg now has the tiebreaker if there is a tie with Calgary.

2022 CFL Week 8 preview

Montréal scored the final 11 points of the game in Hamilton, knocking a 18-point deficit down to 7. The Tiger-Cats scored 14 points in the 3rd quarter to 0 for the Alouettes. Games in Hamilton can have that variance based on the wind in Tim Hortons Field.

Trevor Harris got pulled for a possible concussion before the final play of the game. Vernon Adams Jr. was on the injured list so Dominique Davis came in and threw a game-ending interception.

Hamilton seems committed to Dane Evans with Matthew Shiltz in certain spots. Hamilton has won 2 of the last 3 games. Montréal and Hamilton are both 2-5 and tied for second place in the East Division.

2022 CFL Week 7 preview

Saskatchewan looked good with a 17-4 lead at home against the BC Lions. Cody Fajardo was off to a good start, smiling on the bench.

The Lions got a rare safety in which a running back was tackled in the end zone. Just 2 points. Turns out that was the start of 28 straight points in the BC win.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders looked very tired. Fortunately, the team finally gets a break with a bye week, The defence doesn't look tired; just the offence. The Lions had lost the previous 8 games to the Roughriders.

Sean Whyte became the last CFL kicker to miss a field goal. In fact, Whyte missed 2 field goals, though the first miss led to the safety.

Game started on ESPNU in the States.

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

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

While the undefeated team remained undefeated, the winless team got a win. The Ottawa RedBlacks scored the only points (10) in the second half in Toronto on Sunday.

Ottawa receiver Jaelon Acklin had 144 receiving yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Caleb Evans went 24 for 29 for 286 yards with 2 touchdowns.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The new ALOUETTE poutine that will be served in a football helmet will be waiting for you on Thursday night at the stadium 🤤 Split it with your friends, your family, or try eating it all yourself 💪 More info → https://t.co/TY7aG2HUn4 pic.twitter.com/fPyV7clN8K

— Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) August 1, 2022

Plenty of great places in Montréal to get a wonderful poutine. The newest version at Molson Stadium as of tonight is l’Alouette.

The l’Alouette is served in a football helmet that you can take home and wash it out. There are 4 servings to this dish: 1.2 kg (2.64 lb.).

The list of ingredients exceeds a classic poutine: "red peel potatoes, cheese curds, pork lard and pulled pork from Quebec, caramel popcorn, fried onions, and Avril's signature maple and Amaretto sauce." No, we've never seen caramel popcorn on a poutine.

The cost for poutine l’Alouette? $90 (taxes included).

Our suggestion: walk about 2 km (1.2 miles) east after the game to La Banquise at 994 Rue Rachel East. Order the poutine of your choice (lots of choices) and save about $70.

Don’t look for me on the @CFLonTSN sidelines this week: I tested positive for Covid again. Very mild symptoms. FaceTime interviews 📱 Be back soon 🙏 Mask-up indoors 😷 Get boosted 💉 pic.twitter.com/nL6TLWKgpl

— Matthew Scianitti (@TSNScianitti) July 27, 2022

Rod Smith and Duane Forde with Jermain Franklin (in for Matthew Scianitti) were in Hamilton on Thursday and Toronto on Sunday.

Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor with Sara Orlesky in Regina on Friday and Calgary on Saturday.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @MTLAlouettes; @TSNScianitti

The 1946 Montreal Royals should be a significant part of the Jackie Robinson Museum

We know there will be a Jackie Robinson Museum in Manhattan. We know the public opening will be soon. "Check back in September 2022 for updates on our public opening."

There is a lot that goes into the life and legacy when you explore the museum's Web site.

"The museum celebrates the enduring legacy of one of the most important Americans of the 20th century, chronicling his trailblazing achievements against the backdrop of United States history. Invoking Robinson's role as a champion for racial, social, and economic equality, the Museum's programming places an emphasis on dialogue around critical issues that continue to challenge our society."

The life of Jackie Robinson has been covered in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) and 42 (2013). You would think you would have a really good idea about the story of Jackie Robinson. Yet both films have a missing chapter.

Jackie Robinson's path to the Brooklyn Dodgers is guided in great part for the time Robinson spent with the 1946 Montréal Royals.

By all accounts, Robinson and his young wife Rachel were treated rather well in Montréal, not as much during road games.

Jackie Robinson was honoured at the 2022 MLB All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Oscar winner Denzel Washington paid tribute to Robinson. 2022 marks 75 years since Robinson made his MLB debut and 50 years since Robinson passed away. As Los Angeles Dodgers all star Mookie Betts pointed out, "It's Miss Rachel Robinson's 100th birthday. So on the count of three, I want everybody in here to say, 'Happy birthday, Rachel.'" The crowd obliged.

Rachel Robinson is the connection back to those days in Montréal.

Having opened its doors last Friday, the Jackie Robinson Museum seeks to bring people from all walks together to commune and appreciate each other’s humanity and diverse experiences. Enjoy a glimpse of the ribbon cutting ceremony led by Emmy Award winner @RobinRoberts pic.twitter.com/QyNcQVhWpZ

— Jackie Robinson Foundation (@JRFoundation) August 2, 2022

"Learn details of Robinson’s five months in the Negro Leagues and his signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers’ AAA farm team in 1946 and with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Meet his teammates, see game-worn uniforms, and imagine Robinson’s daring and captivating style of play."

This doesn't say "Montréal Royals" and likely is literally about actual signings of contracts.

This chapter has been mysteriously missing for a number of reasons:

• Actual good treatments of the Robinsons in Montréal confuses the straight-ahead story of what Robinson experienced outside Canada.
• Minor leagues are not major leagues.
• Canadian history is not something Americans want to know.
• Canada is not the United States.

Museums are set up to give more detail for elements that aren't easily explained. Robinson's story with the 1946 Montréal Royals is worthy of a small wing in a Jackie Robinson Museum. We don't get the impression that this will be a part of the museum but would love to be proven wrong.

Kamala Harris, Jackie Robinson, and their association with Montreal

Montreal has more than a supporting role in 42

Jackie Robinson's Montréal apartment honored by Canada and United States

The Jackie Robinson Museum is at One Hudson Square Building, 75 Varick Street in New York City, near the Canal Street subway stop. The phone number is (866) 454-3772. The museum is only open Thursdays-Sundays 11 am to 6 pm. The Web site points out that there are "Timed-entry tickets only. Advance ticket reservations recommended."

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

Toronto Blue Jays had a semi-adventurous MLB trade deadline yesterday. Whit Merrifield, an All-Star in 2019 and 2021 with Kansas City, is headed to Canada for RHP Max Castillo, who has pitched for the big league squad, and minor-league second baseman Samad Taylor.

We could see Merrifield helping out George Springer in centre field (Merrifield can also play 2B). The major issue is that Merrifield didn't come to Canada a few weeks back because he isn't vaccinated. That's a big problem unless he is only playing road games for awhile.

The Blue Jays reacquired reliever Anthony Bass, adding reliever Zach Pop (Canadian), and a player to be named later to the Miami Marlins for shortstop prospect Jordan Groshans, who has great potential in the long term.

The team also got RHP spot starter Mitch White from the Los Angeles Dodgers with infielder Alex De Jesus for minor league pitchers Moises Brito and Nick Frasso.

Toronto traded RHP Jeremy Beasley to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations.

photo credit: me
video credit: MLB
Twitter capture: @JRFoundation

Canadian film case study: The Nest

We know 2020 wasn't a year with a huge number of Canadian films. On the surface, the idea of The Nest making the TIFF Top Ten Canadian films list, well, maybe there should have been 9 films instead of 10 films.

That isn't a fair assessment without seeing the actual film.

Rory (English actor Jude Law) is a commodities trader with a bit of ADD. His master plan is to go from New York back to London. Rory buys a farm in Surrey for his wife Allison (American actor Carrie Coon), who trains horses and gives lessons.

The film addresses the contrast between the United States and the United Kingdom, both countries that are co-producers along with Canada. Rory wants to bring the American Dream to London.

Sean Durkin, writer and director, thinks the film is building chemistry with the pitfalls of what happens to the family once they are in Surrey and London. Durkin is definitely mistaken about this.

There is one argument scene that comes to chemistry between Law and Coon. Good try.

Their children Samantha (American actor Oona Roche), who was Allison's daughter from a previous marriage, and Ben (American actor Charlie Shotwell) have decent chemistry in an early scene in the film. This despite the 12-year difference between the actors. If the married couple had as much chemistry as the children, this film would have been a lot better.

Law gets to look psychotic while Coon gets to watch her life fall apart. The issue is there is no connection to anything within the film to make people want to watch.

Random things happen without any fluid direction. That is not a coherent film worth watching.

Rory pretends to be rich with childhood issues over being poor. This isn't really explored other than a scene with his mother. Again, no connection with a potentially decent subplot.

The dim lighting doesn't build tension but you get confused who is talking. The one sex scene, dimly lit, is so over the top that laughter is more likely than any other emotion.

Perhaps Durkin thought the mansion in Surrey was a parallel to the hotel in The Shining, which would have been more interesting than this film.

There is not a millisecond of "visibly Canadian" content. Canadian actors such as Wendy Crewson, Tattiawna Jones, and Tanya Allen are technically in the film. Crewson had one scene early in the film. Jones is visible and is talking but we don't get to hear what she says. Your humble narrator searched for Allen on screen several times and couldn't find her. We joke that Canadian films in name only don't highlight Canadian actors but The Nest sets a new low.

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2020

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Maybe you are a huge Jude Law fan and you have to see everything he's done. Maybe you are related to Carrie Coon. Maybe you enjoy horses. That would be the potential audience for this film.

The film does have some good songs that you would have heard in the 1980s in London, which feels a bit odd in a 2020 film.

The Nest surprisingly got 5 Canadian Screen Awards nominations but didn't win any awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress (Carrie Coon), and Best Sound Editing.

The Nest has had theatre runs in the United States and Canada. The film is available on Showtime in the United States and Crave in Canada.

video credit: YouTube/IFC Films
photo credit: The Nest

2022 CFL Week 8 preview

Division games. Nothing but division games.

Montréal stays east and on the road with a trip to Hamilton to start the CFL week Thursday night.

The BC Lions make their way to Regina for Friday Night Football. ESPN2 will show the Friday night game.

Calgary comes off the bye with a home game. The bad news is that the Stampeders have to deal with Winnipeg. Revenge, perhaps, for Calgary's lone loss of the season. ESPN2 carries this game on Saturday night.

The Toronto-Ottawa battle is renewed in a rare Sunday game in the late afternoon at BMO Field. Though this is the second straight Sunday game for the Argos because of the COVID-19 delay in Regina.

Edmonton gets to sit out for the week.

ESPN2

Friday
BC @ Saskatchewan, 9p
Saturday
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Montréal @ Hamilton, 7:30p
Friday
BC @ Saskatchewan, 9p
Saturday
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 7p
Sunday
Ottawa @ Toronto, 5p

Bye week: Edmonton

The first 🇨🇦 to rush for 10,000 yards 👏

Congratulations to @andrewharris33 on a remarkable milestone!

MORE: https://t.co/rWiXoY8c3F#CFLGameday | @TorontoArgos @Wpg_BlueBombers @BCLions pic.twitter.com/TaupRFiMkf

— CFL (@CFL) July 24, 2022

Andrew Harris is the first Canadian running back to hit the 10,000 yards mark. Harris needed 75 yards on the ground in Regina and ended up with 143 rushing yards.

Mike Pringle (16,425) leads the way followed by George Reed (16,115), Damon Allen (11,920), Johnny Bright (10,909), and Charles Roberts (10,285). Roberts was someone Harris followed as a boy growing up in Winnipeg. The Damon Allen totals are remarkable since he was a quarterback (yes, Marcus Allen's brother).

Seeing Harris in the double blue may be a bit odd after his time in Vancouver and Winnipeg but he hasn't lost a step. His yardage on the ground and through the air was crucial in the Argonauts win over Saskatchewan.

2022 CFL Week 7 preview

The BC nailbiter over Hamilton gave the West win #14 in head-to-head competition. The Argos swept the season series against Saskatchewan. The Roughriders also lost in Montréal. The West is now 14-3 against the East in 2022 in the CFL.

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

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

Jake Dolegala did better than expected as the Saskatchewan quarterback. Mason Fine was the backup while Cody Fajardo got to rest his knee. COVID-19 did its number on the Roughriders that might have been tied to their time in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Toronto played well enough to win, taking advantage of some Saskatchewan stumbles. The Roughriders lost a couple of points trying for 2-point conversions. Charleston Hughes could have kicked the fumbled ball and scored a touchdown; touching it meant no touchdown.

24 seconds. The power went out at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. TSN and ESPNews both bailed out with the power out. It's the old joke about how you can't say we're off the air if you are off the air.

CFL finally puts a regular season game in Nova Scotia

Blue Bombers QB Zach Collaros completed 7 passes in the Winnipeg win in Edmonton. The Elks home losing streak is at 11. Nigel Tufnel loved 11 but Edmonton fans are almost looking forward to the road games.  

Collaros made good use of those passes. The Alberta road trip's next stop is in Calgary, where the performance will need to be much better.

2022 CFL Week 5 preview

The Ottawa RedBlacks are a really good CFL team that happens to be winless. 0-6 sounds bad though only 3 wins away from Toronto in the East Division. The team doesn't get blown out; the RedBlacks have been within a touchdown in 5 of their 6 losses. The Alouettes have won 5 of the last 6 against Ottawa; the teams have 3 more games against each other.

Caleb Evans shows prowess in the air and on the ground as the Ottawa QB. Nick Arbuckle finally got into a play for Ottawa, throwing a 47-yard pass on a fake short run play. Antoine Pruneau had a most excellent tackle for a safety.

With the 7-point Montréal win, the Alouettes are the only East team with a positive point differential at 174-169.

2022 CFL Week 4 preview

The BC Lions, when a decent team, has a mystique with home games, especially against the East. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats could have pulled off this game late in the 4th quarter but came up empty.

The Tiger-Cats had trouble in the red zone yet are only a game out, win wise, in the East Division. Their red zone playoff calling needs a dose of creativity.

Nathan Rourke had a solid game for BC but knows this wasn't a great game for the Lions.

This might have been the only CFL game without a single 4th quarter point.

TRANSACTIONS | The Elks have acquired 🇨🇦 Jon Ryan (P) from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in exchange for a conditional 2023 8th round pick. #GoElks #CFL

DETAILS | https://t.co/VQEg5j5hAi pic.twitter.com/Gt6WelKahD

— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) July 26, 2022

If you thought Jon Ryan being in the East Division was odd, you might be happy to know Ryan is back in the West Division. The Tiger-Cats, a team that needs a strong punter at home, was eager enough to trade Ryan to Edmonton.

Ryan started his CFL career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2004-2005) before his NFL career. Ryan was in Saskatchewan, a different colour green in 2019 and 2021. Ryan's tenure in Hamilton lasted all of 16 days with no time spent on the field.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Dane Evans and Matthew Shiltz were involved in a creative play for the Tiger-Cats. Glen Suitor pointed out that this year, 2 quarterbacks could be involved in the same play. Didn't realize you couldn't do that before. Flea flickers usually involve wide receivers and even running backs throwing passes.

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

Commonwealth Stadium was in the news this week even with the Elks having the week off. The stadium was used for a mass with Pope Francis I on Tuesday.

You could make a remark about how the stadium had a lot more people for the mass than for the Elks game. Then again, the team has gone over 1,000 days without a home win.

Random appreciation tweet: In the last 48-hours my man Duane just went TOR ➡️ OTT ➡️ TNF ➡️ TOR ➡️ CGY ➡️ EDM ➡️ FNF ➡️ OTT ➡️ TOR.

All while cracking up our crew & providing elite #CFL analysis. Dude is great & does everything possible to make your @CFLonTSN experience better. pic.twitter.com/ySxwSyRTz4

— 🇨🇦 Marshall Ferguson 🏈 (@TSN_Marsh) July 23, 2022

Even in the pre-pandemic era, going Ottawa to Edmonton in back-to-back nights wasn't easy. There seem to be a few extra stops in Duane Forde's itinerary, according to Marshall Ferguson. Having to fly from Ottawa to Edmonton through Toronto and Calgary seems a bit excessive, even for Canadian airplanes in 2022. The return trip to Ottawa also feels odd.

Glen Suitor ended up in Vancouver on Thursday and Regina on Sunday, though the latter game was scheduled for Saturday.

Marshall Ferguson with Claire Hanna were with Forde in Ottawa on Thursday. Farhan Lalji and Suitor with Blake Price hung out in Vancouver on Thursday.

Dustin Nielson was with Forde with Sara Orlesky in Edmonton on Friday. Rod Smith had a single game with Suitor with Brit Dort (from CTV Regina) in Regina on Sunday. All 4 play by play people were on this past weekend.

Dave Naylor was in for Milt Stegall on the panel on Sunday.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @CFL; @GoElks; @TSN_Marsh

Iqaluit takes a bold step to require churches to apply for property tax relief

You've likely asked the obvious question: "why are churches exempt from taxes." This could apply to mainstream churches as well as TV preachers and megachurches.

The city of Iqaluit, the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, passed a bylaw that could require churches to begin paying property taxes. The idea is that churches would pay property taxes but then apply for relief from those taxes.

Those applicants must meet a series of strict conditions; the total annual funding for all groups is capped at $300,000.

The "intent of this bylaw is to provide a fair opportunity, to all community-based organizations, to apply for full or partial property tax relief." — in a statement from a spokesperson for the city of Iqaluit.

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

The timing would seem to be targeted at the Catholic Church's role in the residential schools. Pope Francis will be in Iqaluit on Friday as part of his tour.

The program will kick in beginning in 2023. Local churches could get partial tax relief or no relief.

Nunavut MP Lori Idlout (NDP) pointed out to Global News that Iqaluit is already struggling to pay for basic services. "It's not fair to the rest of the municipality to have to carry the burden of a faith-based group — that itself is part of the history of colonialism."

While this solution might not go far enough to appease those concerned with the tax break that religious institutions automatically get, the solution works in that those religious institutions have to say how they are helping the community.

As we noted in our preview of the Pope Francis trip, "48 Catholic church entities signed on to fundraise $25 million for survivors as part of a settlement agreement with the term 'best efforts.' Somehow, those 'best efforts' resulted in just under $4 million." Maybe Vatican City can cut a check to the local churches.

Religious institutions in Canada are generally exempt from paying taxes. Iqaluit’s new bylaw, first proposed by the mayor last year, requires churches and other community groups to apply for tax relief.https://t.co/C4ZcYclyRT

— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) July 26, 2022

Daily Show pokes fun at Rob Ford's (alleged) crack

TBS cancels Full Frontal with Samantha Bee after 7 seasons

In lieu of the TBS announcement that Full Frontal with Samantha Bee was ending its 7-year run on that cable channel, we fondly think back to a Daily Show moment in 2013. This was around the time of the then-alleged use of crack by Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

Jason Jones and Bee, real-life married couple, had the setup that all Canadians smoke crack. When Jones asked Bee if she wanted to smoke crack, her reply was "Is Iqaluit the capital of Nunavut?"

The regular writers could not have come up with that joke. Now, some people may think of Iqaluit in a different light.

Canadian film review: Iqaluit

Canadian film review: Angry Inuk

Nunavut's high food prices gaining worldwide attention

CanadianCrossing.com Indigenous coverage

CanadianCrossing.com territories coverage

Pope Francis is supposed to spend 3 hours in Iqaluit. 3 hours?? That feels like an insult all its own. 

On top of the purpose of this trip, the pontiff could also weigh in on the food insecurity in this part of the world. That would seemingly be at the heart of a leader of a major church in the world. He and his entourage might learn about those concerns if they were going to be there for more than 3 hours. 

photo credit: @CityofIqaluit
Twitter capture: @globalnews

Canadian film review: Scarborough

Heartbreaking. A very good film but so damn heartbreaking.

There is also joy in Scarborough. The story centres around Bing (Liam Diaz), Sylvie (Mekiya Essence Fox) and Laura (Anna Claire Beitel), 3 children with very different family lives who meet in an after-school program.

The individual stories are set up initially in the film before they ever meet. We learn about their family dynamics.

Bing's mother Edna (Ellie Posadas) loves Bing and works hard literally to give him what he needs, a very supportive mom who has to do it all alone. Sylvie gets love from her mother Marie (Cherish Violet Blood) but is lost in the family shuffle. Her husband is on disability and she can't get a diagnosis for her son Johnny (Felix Jedi Ingram Isaac) who appears to be on the spectrum. This is champagne and caviar compared to Laura's parents (Kristen MacCulloch and Conor Casey), whose portrayal would be labeled as unrealistic, except we know this happens in real life.

Ms. Hina (Aliya Kanani) is our hero, the person who runs the after school program. She is not getting much support from her mostly unseen boss. The e-mail content is infuriating and sadly all too realistic.

The film is often on the kids' level. Bing is lost in his world. Laura takes in a lot and says very little. Sylvie needs attention.

Catherine Hernandez adapted her 2017 novel Scarborough for the screenplay. Her genius move was bringing in filmmakers with a documentary background in Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson. You want this story to not be real; the way this was shot, you know the story is real. As sad as these stories are, the viewer needs to know this is reality in Scarborough.

Even if you don't know Scarborough, you know you are in the actual place. The filming was reportedly in the Galloway Road neighbourhood of Scarborough.

Ms. Hina is working really hard to give these kids a better life and deserves so much more support than she gets.

Scarborough dominates 2022 Canadian Screen Awards for film honours

2021 TIFF wrapup

2021 TIFF preview

The only critique of note is the pacing of the film. We spend about an hour getting to know the kids and their lives before they find the common ground of the after school program. There is also a false ending 25-30 minutes from the end and the film has to regain momentum for the finish. These are very minor issues in an otherwise amazing film.

Sometimes we see a film that dominates the award season and we think that film can't be that good. Scarborough will break your heart but it is that good of a film.

Mike Myers explores the why of Canada in his new book

Saturday Night Live alum Mike Myers is from Scarborough and is very proud to be from there. He even named his character Ken Scarborough in The Pentaverate on Netflix. The Scarborough in the film is very real and very different from the Scarborough of Myers' youth. If all you know is Scarborough from his youth, you should know that the area is a different experience now.

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2021

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The film made the prestigious TIFF collection of the Top 10 Canadian films of 2021.

Scarborough received 11 Canadian Screen Award nominations and won 8 awards. The Canadian film won for Best Picture, Best Director, Liam Diaz for Best Actor, Cherish Violet Blood for Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Casting in a Film, Best Sound Editing, and the John Dunning Best First Feature prize.

Scarborough won the Shawn Mendes Foundation Changemaker Award at TIFF 2021 as well as first runner-up for the People's Choice Award and honourable mention for Best Canadian Feature Film.

Scarborough is available on Crave in Canada. Hopefully, soon, there will be an on demand release in the United States.

video credit: YouTube/Level Film
photo credit: Scarborough

TBS cancels Full Frontal with Samantha Bee after 7 seasons

Full Frontal is leaving TBS to go spend more time with her family.

— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@FullFrontalSamB) July 25, 2022

Sometimes your favourite TV show gets cancelled for bad ratings or low viewership. Sometimes that show is done because the people who love are forced to flee the organisation.

The Warner Bros. (TBS) and Discovery merger earlier this year is why TBS is getting rid of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee after 7 seasons.

"As we continue to shape our new programming strategy, we've made some difficult, business-based decisions," TBS said in a statement.

Translation: TBS new owner (Discovery) is getting rid of new programming on the channel. Other quick cancellations include The Last O.G. and Chad, the latter got axed the same day of its intended second season premiere. They paid to produce a show and that decided at the last minute not to air said show.

Long-time readers might remember a similar decision is why Lifetime didn't carry Season 3 of Mary Kills People. This doesn't explain why Hulu still hasn't picked up the third and final season.

The late-night show has had to bend and break at times with the TBS relationship. The show had to deal with sports interruptions from the NCAA men's basketball tournament each spring. This past spring, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee lost episodes to the NHL playoffs. The show had been featured on Wednesday nights for the first 6 seasons. The show was forced to move to Thursday nights for Season 7 due to wrestling.

"After 7 seasons, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee will not be returning to TBS this fall. We're so thankful for our loyal audience, our amazing team, and that we got to annoy the right people every week — that there wasn't wrestling or baseball or a very special episode of Big Bang." via the show's Twitter feed.

Canadian presence on 2022 U.S. TV upfronts

We have noted the Canadian talents of Samantha Bee as well as Alanna Harkin on the show. The program has aired on the CTV Comedy Channel. That Canadian airing depends on finding a new media organisation of some kind in the United States.

The program has also been filled with fun Canadian theoretical moments in Bee's TV career.

Would Americans get an abortion in Canada?

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

The timing comes at a terrible time given the loss of health care rights over abortion decisions no longer being a federal matter in the United States.

The program has often done a better job in journalism than actual U.S. journalists and on topics that cable news never seems to get around to covering.

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is an established show with an unique format. Bee's extensive time — along with her husband Jason Jones — on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart impact what the new show has become.

There should be a few streaming or cable options for the show. Hopefully, the show finds a home, a good home where the show can grow.

Twitter capture: @FullFrontalSamB
photo credit: Full Frontal with Samantha Bee