Finding hotel space for wildfire evacuees
CTV's Danton Unger takes a closer look at the challenges in finding hotel space in Manitoba for wildfire evacuees.
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CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
B.C. man to plan dream Alaska fishing trip after $1M lottery win
Mackenzie resident Sim Chua will embark on his dream fishing trip to Alaska after winning $1 Million from Lotto 6/49. When B.C. man Sim Chua first found out he was going to be $1 million richer, he had only one thing on his mind – the picturesque rivers of Alaska and their abundant salmon and trout populations. The Mackenzie resident and avid fisherman had checked his winning ticket at the lotto kiosk inside the Mackenzie Mall on Mackenzie Boulevard, the same place he had bought it from prior to the May 14 Lotto 6/49 draw. 'I passed it to the retailer,' recalled Chua when detailing his win to the B.C. Lottery Corporation. 'Before scanning, she was telling me about how someone won $1 million in Mackenzie. Then she scanned the ticket and then said, 'Hey, it's you!'' Chua said he was most excited to share the news with his sister, whose ear-splitting response was one of pure surprise. 'She was just screaming so much on the phone. She couldn't believe it!' Still coming to terms with news of the life-changing win, Chua says the knowledge that he is now a millionaire still hasn't quite sunk in. 'I don't know what to do with myself,' he said. 'It's still unreal to me.' One thing he does know for certain is how the cash will be spent. Chua plans to use some of his winnings to purchase a new car, and to visit his ultimate vacation destination of Alaska. The 'dream trip' will involve plenty of fly fishing, he said. The odds of winning the main Lotto 6/49 jackpot – which requires matching all six numbers drawn without using the bonus number – are approximately one in 14 million, according to the BCLC. The odds of winning a guaranteed prize of $1 million or more in the Gold Ball Draw depend on the number of tickets sold.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
What's that orange stuff? Algae bloom flourishes at Stanley Park's Lost Lagoon
If you've been to Stanley Park this summer, you may be wondering what the strange-looking orange stuff is on the edges of Lost Lagoon. It's a type of algae that began blooming in early May and continues to flourish, with the organic material stretching metres from the shore into the man-made lake in some areas. 'We're not testing it, doubt that it's toxic algae, but they do happen in various lakes,' said Chad Townsend, the Vancouver Park Board's environmental planner, adding they want parkgoers and their dogs to stay out of the water. Lost Lagoon algae He said they're monitoring the algae but that they can't do much except let it run its natural life cycle: bloom, diminish, then sink to the bottom of the lagoon. 'Due to the decisions of the past, we have a major project with Lost Lagoon. It's human nature, I think, to look for easy solutions and think, 'This one change would, clean up Lost Lagoon.' But it is a major project,' said Townsend. The lagoon used to be a tidal ecosystem connected to Coal Harbour, but a century ago it was closed off for pleasure boating when the causeway was built and the water has no natural circulation. The pond is iconic in the park, but the water has been brackish for years and park board staff expect to present various options for the lagoon's future in the fall. Townsend says the board will work with the port authority and First Nations to determine what the future of the lagoon will look like. In pre-colonial times it was a shellfish harvesting site and has cultural significance for local Indigenous communities. Last Lagoon algae
CBC
12 hours ago
- CBC
Ontario refugee agencies host soccer tournament to build community and friendship
Social Sharing Refugees from all over the world came together for an annual soccer tournament in North York this Saturday organized as a way to help newcomers build connections in Canada, and take their minds off the stress of being in a new country. The tournament was put on by the Ontario Coalition of Service Providers for Refugee Claimants, a group of agencies and refugee housing services that are located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), said, located in Toronto. Francisco Vidal, executive director of Sojourn House, which provides emergency shelter and transitional housing services to newly arrived refugees in the GTA, said the tournament "uses soccer as a tool to build community and promote healthy lifestyles." Participating in the matches also helps improve players' mental and physical health, he said. "Some of [the players] have not had their refugee claim hearing yet," he said. "This puts their mind away into something that can build community and friendship." Event an opportunity to share experiences Dany Abuela attended the tournament for the first time on Saturday. Abuela moved to Toronto from Ecuador in January with his family. They have been staying at Romero House, an organization that provides refugee claimants with transitional housing and immigration support. "We are happy. Canada is a great country," he said. "This event for us is very important because we can speak with the other people, know their experience." Tenzin Khentse moved to Canada from India in 2021 and now works at the FCJ Refugee Centre as a youth leader focused on preventing human trafficking. He said the event is a good distraction for those dealing with refugee and asylum procedures. "Football is something that everybody enjoys. It's something everybody can relate to, and it's a really good distraction, you just forget about your problems for a while," said Khentse. This year, Vidal said there has been "a lot of hype" around the tournament because of the 2026 FIFA World Cup — which will be hosted in Canada, U.S. and Mexico — as well as the story of Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies, who was born in a refugee camp in Ghana before he moved to Canada when he was five years old. Soccer team is like a 'new family in Canada' Some refugees living in refugee houses do not have family in Canada, said Diana Gallego, the co-executive director of the FCJ Refugee Centre, located in York. "To become a member of a soccer team, it's kind of [like] 'This is my new family in Canada,'" she said. Gallego said she fled Colombia 21 years ago with her husband and her son. Her son played in the tournament on Saturday. "When we are forced to leave our countries, we do it because our lives are at risk," she said. "To come here and to find an open home and somebody that can welcome you is really important." The coalition has organized five tournaments since 2018. This year marks the first time an agency from Hamilton participated in the tournament, as a way to engage with refugess outside the GTA, Vidal said.
