News
The Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital (PECMH) Foundation received $10,000 from the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 78 Poppy Fund, in support of its campaign to replace the hospital’s aging mammography machine. The new machine will cost $1M, of which $646K has been raised to date. The equipment provides clearer imaging, faster results, lower radiation exposure, and improved accuracy, all critical benefits for early breast cancer detection.
And Enbridge Gas Ontario is providing $125,000 to 25 Ontario fire departments, including Prince Edward County Fire and Rescue to purchase educational materials. This is the most recent of 394 grants that have been provided to Ontario fire departments since 2012 for additional firefighter training.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is travelling to China this week in an effort to improve relations with President Xi Jinping. This is the first visit to China by a Canadian prime minister since 2017. Carney will engage the Chinese president and other government and business leaders in trade, energy, agriculture and international security talks in a 5-day visit. The visit to China will be closely watched by the Prairie provinces, which have called on Carney to lift duties Canada imposed on Chinese-made electric vehicles in 2024. China retaliated by slapping tariffs on canola, seafood and pork. Ontario Premier Doug Ford is urging Carney to stand firm on the EV tariffs in an effort to protect our automotive sector, though last Thursday, Ford called on China to set up a manufacturing plant in Ontario.
A crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests in Iran has killed at least 538 people according to activists speaking on Sunday, while Tehran warned that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators. Over 10,600 people have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous rounds of unrest in Iran in recent years. U.S. President Donald Trump has offered support for the protesters, and he and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by either U.S. or Israel – this according to White House sources.
Donald Trump has told Cuba to “make a deal” or face unspecified consequences, adding that no more Venezuelan oil or money would flow to the communist-run Caribbean island that has been a US foe for decades. As Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela, braced for potential widespread unrest after Nicolás Maduro was arrested and taken to New York, the US president ramped up his threatening language yesterday via social media. Venezuela is Cuba’s biggest oil supplier but amid a strict US oil blockade, shipping data shows that no cargoes have left Venezuelan ports headed to the Caribbean country since last week’s capture of Maduro by US forces.
Finally, Toronto-based aerospace company Kepler Communications launched 10 satellites yesterday, cementing its position as the operator of the largest fleet of Canadian-built spacecraft to date. The cluster of 300-kilogram satellites – each one about the size of a large desk – were among 47 payloads carried into orbit on a Space X rocket that lifted off at 5:44 Pacific time yesterday morning from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Sunday’s launch was a crucial one for the Canadian company, which has pioneered the use of optical communications in space. Instead of radio signals, its satellites communicate with each other and with ground stations using laser light. Kepler’s satellites also carry significant computer power for speedier processing of data in orbit that improves real-time awareness of conditions around the globe, including the ability to scan Earth landscapes to detect and monitor the development of wildfires in real time.
Sports
Our Wellington Dukes were in action yesterday afternoon, travelling to Markham to race the Royals. The Dukes’ William Mitchell opened the scoring in the 2nd with his 6th goal of the season, and Landon Marleau followed up with his 17th, but after two in response by the Royals the game locked down until 3.41 of the second overtime. The Royals Andrew Brees scored his 8th of the season for the win.
Wild card weekend in the NFL and we’re going to have a new Super Bowl champion, after the San Francisco 49ers eliminated the Philadelphia Eagles in a 23-19 slugfest. In the early game, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills were in tough, visiting the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars. The star quarterback once again delivered for the Bills Mafia, putting the ball into the endzone for a 3 point lead with just over a minute left in the game. And following a Bills’ interception, that’s how it ended – 27-24. In the late game, neither the LA Chargers nor the New England Patriots could get their offences out of second gear and the first TD of the game was enough to win it for the Pats, 16-3. Tonight the Texans meet the Steelers.
Scottie Barnes made a free throw with 0.8 seconds left on the clock as the Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 116-115 in a wild overtime victory on Sunday. Barnes finished with 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the undermanned Raptors (24-16) eked out a win in a game with 16 lead changes.
Finally, Toronto FC has submitted a bid to Norwich City FC of the English Championship for 25 year-old forward Josh Sargent. The US international has 56 goals in 157 appearances for Norwich, and TFC are confident they can get the deal done. Norwich’s manager suggested that Sargent will not be moving during this transfer window, though he was sat for Sunday’s game.
