Proudly Canadian: Ross Video
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CTV's Peter Szperling has more on Ross Video, the Ottawa-based company making high-end video production equipment and software.
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Globe and Mail
18 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Pro squash gets studio treatment in Toronto ahead of Olympic debut at '28 Games
Much has changed on the pro squash scene since Lee Beachill was last in Toronto as a tour player nearly two decades ago. The broadcast product has improved exponentially. Replay challenges have helped match flow and cut down on player-referee interaction. And the biggie, of course, is squash can finally be called an Olympic sport. The SmartCentres PSA Tour Finals, which started Monday at the Revival Film Studios in the city's east end, are serving as a dress rehearsal of sorts for the Los Angeles Games in 2028. 'I just think the tie-in with the whole film side of it and the fact that we're going to be on the 'Back to the Future' lot in Universal (Studios) in three years time is just quite a nice tie-in,' said Beachill, now the Pro Squash Association's chief operating officer. The Toronto studio, which lists Good Will Hunting, Cinderella Man and Pixels among the 200-plus films on its credit list, is hosting the five-day competition. With limited invites to the top eight men's and women's players in the world, the all-glass showcourt shines brightly in the heart of the 12,000-square foot Stage 3, complete with a backcourt grandstand with theatrical touches throughout. A set that mimicked the Harrow School – a facility near London, England where squash was born nearly two centuries ago – has been erected behind the court. Photos of the sport's greats adorn the walls inside the doors – Hashim Khan, Nicol David and Canada's Jonathon Power to name a few – along with an Olympic poster featuring the L.A. Games logo. 'I think we'll be the talk of LA28 in terms of the venue being so unique,' Beachill said. 'I think it'll be one of those tickets that people will want to get their hands on to come and watch. 'Not just necessarily because it's squash but just the experience of going to watch an Olympic sport at Universal Studios is probably a once-in-a-lifetime (opportunity).' Beachill, a former world No. 1, made several appearances as a player in Toronto when the city hosted the YMG Capital Classic (later called the Pace Canadian Squash Classic) at nearby Brookfield Place. Cathal Kelly: Summer McIntosh's star set to soar with Olympics still three years away Opinion: Eight months out from the Milan Olympics, is Canada ready to go to war? When plans to hold the 2004-25 Tour Finals in Bellevue, Wash., fell apart, the Ontario capital moved to the forefront as a host city. Beachill said it helped that Toronto has always been a solid squash market. 'I want to continue to try and bring this level of event and this level of athlete back here year after year,' he said. 'So that's what we're going to be working on, hopefully we can have a few conversations this week and see where we go for next year and the years to come.' An image of Power's diving frame is imprinted on the top of the 'Power Court' that's being used for the US$635,000 tournament. Each eight-player field is split into two pools for group play with competition continuing through the finals on Friday. In afternoon play Monday, top-ranked Mostafa Asal of Egypt dumped England's Marwan ElShorbagy 11-1, 11-3 and Joel Makin of Wales defeated Egypt's Youssef Soliman 11-5, 11-8. In the women's draw, Japan's Satomi Watanabe outlasted Egypt's Fayrouz Aboelkheir 11-7, 9-11, 13-11 and American Olivia Weaver topped Malaysia's Sivasangari Subramaniam 11-9, 11-9. In evening matches, top-ranked Nouran Gohar of Egypt beat American Amanda Sobhy 11-6, 10-11, 11-6 and England's Georgina Kennedy defeated Belgium's Tinne Gilis 11-10, 6-11, 11-3. Toronto-based Diego Elias of Peru defeated Egypt's Karim Abdel Gawad 3-11, 11-6, 11-6 and New Zealand's Paul Coll posted a 11-10, 11-4 win over England's Mohamed ElShorbagy. Toronto has a rich history with pro squash. In addition to the YMG/Canadian Classic era, legendary rivals Jansher Khan and Jahangir Khan met in a memorable match at the 1990 Mennen Cup. The city has hosted several editions of the national championships. Squash was also played at Exhibition Place in west-end Toronto when the city hosted the 2015 Pan Am Games. The Canadian Women's Open was added to the tour in 2023 and rose to silver status last year.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Pro squash gets studio treatment in Toronto ahead of Olympic debut in 2028
Much has changed on the pro squash scene since Lee Beachill was last in Toronto as a tour player nearly two decades ago. Article content The broadcast product has improved exponentially. Replay challenges have helped match flow and cut down on player-referee interaction. And the biggie, of course, is squash can finally be called an Olympic sport. Article content Article content The SmartCentres PSA Tour Finals, which started Monday at the Revival Film Studios in the city's east end, are serving as a dress rehearsal of sorts for the Los Angeles Games in 2028. Article content 'I just think the tie-in with the whole film side of it and the fact that we're going to be on the Back to the Future lot in Universal (Studios) in three years time is just quite a nice tie-in,' said Beachill, now the Pro Squash Association's chief operating officer. Article content The Toronto studio, which lists Good Will Hunting, Cinderella Man and Pixels among the 200-plus films on its credit list, is hosting the five-day competition. Article content With limited invites to the top eight men's and women's players in the world, the all-glass showcourt shines brightly in the heart of the 12,000-square-foot Stage 3, complete with a backcourt grandstand with theatrical touches throughout. Article content A set that mimicked the Harrow School — a facility near London where squash was born nearly two centuries ago — has been erected behind the court. Article content Photos of the sport's greats adorn the walls inside the doors — Hashim Khan, Nicol David and Canada's Jonathon Power, to name a few — along with an Olympic poster featuring the L.A. Games logo. Article content Article content 'I think we'll be the talk of LA28 in terms of the venue being so unique,' Beachill said. 'I think it'll be one of those tickets that people will want to get their hands on to come and watch. Article content 'Not just necessarily because it's squash but just the experience of going to watch an Olympic sport at Universal Studios is probably a once-in-a-lifetime (opportunity).' Article content Beachill, a former world No. 1, made several appearances as a player in Toronto when the city hosted the YMG Capital Classic (later called the Pace Canadian Squash Classic) at nearby Brookfield Place. Article content When plans to hold the 2004-25 Tour Finals in Bellevue, Wash., fell apart, the Ontario capital moved to the forefront as a host city. Beachill said it helped that Toronto has always been a solid squash market. Article content 'I want to continue to try and bring this level of event and this level of athlete back here year after year,' he said. 'So that's what we're going to be working on, hopefully we can have a few conversations this week and see where we go for next year and the years to come.'
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
No opt-out program for new Winnipeg water meters, report recommends
Winnipeg homeowners may have no choice but to accept new digital water meters from the City of Winnipeg, whether they want them or not. The new meters will automatically transmit encrypted water-usage data to the city. The city had been considering offering an opt-out program, after some residents raised concerns about potential health impacts from the signals used to transmit the data, while others worried the data would not be secure. In a report to be considered at the water and waste committee's meeting on Friday, however, city staff recommend against the idea of an opt-out program, after studying the experiences of other jurisdictions, as well as the health safety, privacy issues related to the new technology. "Opt-out programs in other cities have shown low participation rates," Lucy Szkwarek, manager of finance and administration with the water and waste department, wrote in the report. "These programs have also been shown to lower the efficiency of AMI technology, by adding costs to customers who opt-out, maintaining legacy systems, and by requiring additional staff to perform the related works." Health Canada states there are no health risks from exposure to the radiofrequency from the smart meters, the report says. An opt-out program would cost between $235,000 and $252,000 a year to maintain the old analog meters and hire a full-time meter reader to physically read the meters. The city estimates an opt-out program would have a participation rate of 0.1-0.2 per cent, with customers who choose to opt out paying between $569 and $1,059 per year, not including the one-time opt-out fee. Water and waste committee chair Coun. Ross Eadie says some cities allow homeowners to choose where on the property the antennas are installed, and the times of day they transmit the signal. "What other cities have done is, they can install the antenna just on the outside of the foundation or building where it's located," Eadie said. "Or, if an individual wants, the antenna could be set up at the property line. The other cities, they don't do that for free though." The city's plan to replace 221,000 analog water meters with the new "smart" meters is set to start next year and take five years to complete, at a cost of $135 million. The new meters are expected to be more accurate — old meters tend to underestimate water usage — and detect leaks more quickly than the analog meters. Abandoned waste complaints drop The number of complaints about abandoned garbage in inner-city Winnipeg neighbourhoods dropped by nearly half last year, after the city increased the number of proactive "sweeps" it does through targeted neighbourhoods, according to a new report. Reports of abandoned bulky waste fell by 47 per cent from 2023 to 2024, after the city doubled the number of hours its bulky waste sweep program operates from 1,000 to 2,000 hours a year, and making the program year-round rather than seasonal. The city also centralized the process for taking in complaints about bulky waste, with all 311 calls being forwarded to the water and waste department, leading to all complaints being reviewed within 48 hours, and cleanups completed within five days after the review. The city's waste diversion rate ticked up slightly last year, from 27.6 per cent to 28.3 per cent. City council set a goal in 2011 to increase the amount of waste diverted from city landfills to more than 50 per cent by 2022. Total residential waste collected increased by 4.8 per cent to 274,080 tonnes, with the average Winnipegger tossing out 244 kilograms per year. A total of 63.3 tonnes of organic waste was collected from 16 City of Winnipeg sites between Oct. 15 and Dec. 31, after the city launched its interim organics drop-off program. More sites are expected to be added this year. A citywide organics pick-up program is expected to be ready by 2030. Combined sewer overflows more than doubled The volume of diluted sewage that spilled into Winnipeg waterways last year more than doubled from the year before. The city's combined sewers dumped 12.2 billion litres of diluted sewage into rivers in 2024, compared to 5.4 billion in 2023. A city report, to be presented to the water and waste committee on Friday, blames wet weather for the increase. Combined sewers carry both sewage and storm water. About one-third of the city, mostly in older areas, have combined sewers. A plan to replace all the combined sewers in the city is expected to cost between $1.15 and $2.3 billion, and could take until 2095.
