B.C. port employers to launch lockout at terminals as labour disruption begins
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Canadian women's soccer coach Bev Priestman said she wants to take accountability and is cooperating with an investigation into a spying scandal involving the women’s soccer team at the Paris Games.
Priestman offered her first public comments on the scandal Sunday in a statement issued by her lawyers.
"I am absolutely heartbroken for the players, and I would like to apologize from the bottom of my heart for the impact this situation has had on all of them," Priestman said.
The statement was sent a couple hours before Canada took on host France in Saint-Etienne.
"I know how hard they have worked following a very difficult year in 2023, and that they are a group of people who care very much about sportsmanship and integrity. As the leader of the team on the field, I want to take accountability, and I plan to fully cooperate with the investigation."
Priestman and two assistants were suspended by FIFA for a year as part of a punishment after an analyst was caught using a drone to spy on New Zealand team practices before the start of Olympic competition.
The assistant coach he reported to and eventually Priestman were all removed from the Olympic team and sent home.
The sanctions also included a six-point penalty — the equivalent of two wins in the tournament — for the defending champion Canadians in Paris and a fine of around $313,000 levied against Canada Soccer.
Earlier Sunday, Canadian sports minister Carla Qualtrough announced that the government is withholding some of Canada Soccer's funding as a result of the scandal.
Speaking during a media availability outside Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium before Canada's game against France, Qualtrough was asked whether she accepted Priestman's apology.
"I certainly do on behalf of Canadians," she said. "But there still has to be consequences for what happened."
Qualtrough said given that the women's program receives funding from Sport Canada, it is withholding funds "relating to suspended Canada Soccer officials" for the duration of their FIFA sanction.
A spokesperson for her office confirmed the funding in question is allocated for salaries, but that Sport Canada is still determining exactly how much should be withheld. The funding will not impact the overall available funding to the women's program, they said.
"Using a drone to surveil another team during a closed practice is cheating," Qualtrough said. "It is completely unfair to Canadian players and to opposing teams. It undermines the integrity of the game itself."
She added there was a "deeply concerning" pattern of behaviour at Canada Soccer.
"We must, and will, get to the bottom of this," Qualtrough said.
She expanded on those thoughts during her media scrum at the venue.
"We are looking into exactly how much money we gave for their three salaries, related to their pay and benefits, and that money will definitely be suspended," she said. "Then we're going to work with Canada Soccer and Own the Podium to see what other financial restraints we can put on."
Canada coach Bev Priestman attends a training session at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, July 30, 2023. (Scott Barbour/The Canadian Press)
Priestman said that Canada's achievements - which include gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 - were legitimately earned.
"This program and team have allowed this country to reach the pinnacle of women’s soccer, and their winning of the gold medal was earned through sheer grit and determination, despite reports to the contrary," said Priestman, who coached the Canadian team in Tokyo. "I fought with every ounce of my being to make this program better, much of which will never be known or understood.
"I wish I could say more, but I will refrain at this time, given the appeals process and the ongoing investigation."
Earlier this week, Canada Soccer said it will conduct an independent external review. Chief executive officer Kevin Blue, who has been on the job for just a few months, said he's investigating a potential "systemic ethical shortcoming."
The Canadian Olympic Committee said it was "exploring rights of appeal" regarding the six-point deduction.
"I do feel it's punitive for the athletes, for the team, to tell you the truth," Qualtrough said. "Because honestly if you want to address the perception of unfair advantage that came with the actions that were taken, you could have done that with a three-point hit.
"To deal with the game in question, with the team in question, it felt like going beyond that is really punishing the players."
Messages left with the COC regarding appeal plans were not immediately returned. The point penalty did not eliminate Canada from the tournament but made its chances of qualifying for the knockout stage much more difficult.
A message left with the Court of Arbitration for Sport was not immediately returned.
Former Canadian goalkeeper and Olympic champ Stephanie Labbé took to social media earlier Sunday to voice her feelings.
"Furious. Fuming. Sad. Heartbroken," she posted. "These players don’t deserve this. They’ve been let down by so many of their own people, not just NT (national team) staff. Standing with these players and every player that has ever been part of this program, and worked so hard to build it, not tear it down."
Canada opened the tournament with a 2-1 win over New Zealand. Canada's Group A finale will be played Wednesday against Colombia in Nice.
"This issue has caused significant distraction and embarrassment for Team Canada and all Canadians here in Paris and at home," Qualtrough said. "It is deeply regrettable."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2024
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Murray Sinclair, who was born when Indigenous people did not yet have the right to vote, grew up to become one of the most decorated and influential people to work in Indigenous justice and advocacy.
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
The prime ministers of India and Canada condemned violence that broke out on Sunday at a Hindu temple near Toronto at a time of escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Peel police say four people were arrested and an officer was injured following several protests in Mississauga and Brampton Sunday afternoon, including one at a Hindu temple that turned violent.
An application to stay a receivership order of Mayfield Investments Ltd., a company that owns multiple businesses in Alberta including the Camrose Resort and Casino, Medicine Hat Lodge and Calgary's Stage West Dinner Theatre, has been denied by the court.
A lawyer for Elon Musk 's political action committee told a judge in Philadelphia on Monday that so-called 'winners' of his US$1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes in swing states are not chosen by chance but are instead chosen to be paid 'spokespeople' for the group.
Canada's housing agency says risks remain in the mortgage market as over a million contracts are up for renewal next year while a growing share of new mortgages are being issued by alternative lenders.
In a 2022 survey conducted by Leger Canada for the Menopause Foundation of Canada, about 46 per cent of women said they don't feel prepared for menopause, even though they know it's coming. At a time when tech-savvy millennials are starting their menopausal journeys, some tech entrepreneurs are stepping up with potential solutions to long-standing health-care deficiencies.
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.
A Windsor teen’s social media post showing off a distinctive Windsor pizza topping has gone viral, drawing millions of views worldwide and sparking new curiosity about Windsor-style pizza.
Auston Matthews has come face to face with his look-alike. On Thursday, the Maple Leafs star met seven-year-old Grayson Joseph, who went viral for dressing up as an Auston Matthews hockey card.
A Halifax junk remover shares some of his company’s strangest discoveries.
When Leah arrived at work directing traffic around a construction site, she never expected to see a van painted in all sorts of bright colours, and covered in eclectic decorations, including a stuffed moose attached to its roof.
After 14 years of repairing and selling bicycles out of the garage of her home, a Guelph, Ont. woman’s efforts have ended – for now, at least.
Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.
Witches and warlocks have been flocking to New Brunswick waterways this month, as a new Halloween tradition ripples across the province.
New Brunswicker Jillea Godin’s elaborate cosplay pieces attract thousands to her online accounts, as well as requests from celebrities for their own pieces.