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CBC
a minute ago
- CBC
South Asian Family Sports Day in Waterloo Park
CBC K-W was at Waterloo Park on Sunday cheering on participants at South Asian Family Sports Day. Teams from a variety of local organizations took part in games like cricket, volleyball, soccer and throwball. Many also stopped by the CBC booth to meet local radio personalities and win some fun prizes.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Indigenous teams still in it to win it on Amazing Race Canada
The race is on! From hockey shootouts and chiseling ice sculptures, to roping tests and cracking riddles, the 11 teams on the 11th season of The Amazing Race Canada 2025 have been faced with many challenges—and it's just the beginning. On July 8, the series kicked off in Edmonton at the Commonwealth Stadium where the 2024 race winners were crowned. Three of the teams are comprised of six Indigenous people who come from communities across Canada. 'I think over the course of the series, we've seen more and more Indigenous teams on the show,' said Mark Lysakowski, co-chief content officer and executive producer. 'I think when the community sees 'Oh, I can go on the show and do well,' you think 'this can be for me'.' Grace Dove and Joe Syme are siblings from Prince George, BC, who are not afraid of being on screen. Grace has received the Canadian Screen Award nomination as an actress and has filled roles on The Revenant, Alaska Daily and How it Ends. amazing race canada Joe Syme and Grace Dove are siblings from Prince George, B.C., competing in season 11 of The Amazing Race Canada. (The Amazing Race Canada) Married couple Skylene and Blair Gladue, also known as 'Superfan Magoo' from Edmonton, hope their time on the show inspires Indigenous people by demonstrating strength, joy and perseverance despite being faced with difficulties. Superfan Magoo Amazing Race promo Skylene and Blair Gladue, also known as Superfan Magoo, on Season 11 of Amazing Race Canada. (Credit: Amazing Race Canada) The last Indigenous team, known as the Rebeccas, consists of Rebecca Merasty from Meadow Lake, Sask., and Rebecca Watt from Wrigley, N.W.T. The best friend duo are currently roommates in Vancouver. Their determination to win the race pays tribute to those who have played a pivotal role in shaping them into the woman they've become, they say. 'We were both raised in smaller communities and raised in the bush. I think, just that in itself, shaped us to who we are today,' said Watt. 'We're both very strong and very resilient individuals that honestly aren't scared of anything.' Watt describes Merasty as the more athletic one, but she too enjoys an active lifestyle with regular activities. 'Rebecca is more of an athlete than I am,' said Watt. 'I like to hike. I play whatever sports and do anything to get my body moving.' But no matter who is more athletic, the duo has been killing it. Amazing Race - The Rebeccas Best friends and roommates, Rebecca Merasty and Rebecca Watt, are competing on Season 11 of the Amazing Race Canada. 'The experience overall, honestly, is a once in a lifetime. I'm so grateful for the opportunity and to be able to do the entire time with my best friend,' Watt said. 'We had the best time. I couldn't have asked for a better person.' Each and every morning, the Rebeccas pray 'for a good day.' 'And to thank the Creator and (ask for the) backing of our ancestors and everybody that came before us. You know, to just push us through and get us to that next level, that next leg,' Watt explained. She is a strategic lead for mental wellness, and owner of the company Auntie's Insights. She works with youth through mental health and substance programming. The business was established in response to a gap for Indigenous youth in cities who were missing out on essential advice from aunties in the community. 'There was a gap just in a lot of the knowledge and teachings in terms of harm reduction and prevention education for youth under 12,' Watt said. The Rebeccas are hoping their participation in The Amazing Race Canada will encourage younger generations to embrace new experiences. 'It was so important for us to get out there and represent, not just Indigenous people and Indigenous women, but also just be that representation we didn't have as kids,' she said. From rugged coasts and busy cities, the remainder of the season will see contestants move across the country. 'My philosophy of this show is, yes there's tourism in every place we go, but I don't always want to show tourism… With everything that's happening in the world geopolitically and how people are traveling less, I think our show is a great show that lets people say 'hey there is still a whole massive country to explore',' Lysakowski said. One of the highlights will be when the contestants travel to the third coast—the Arctic Ocean. Watch The Amazing Race Canada Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, and the CTV app, and streaming next day on Crave. By Crystal Local Journalism Initiative Reporter,
The Province
4 hours ago
- The Province
Cops, crime, creeps and keeping cool in creeks: The summer life of a B.C. police dog
Hot dogs: As the weather heats up, keeping cool and fresh is a big part of a dog's life — especially the working ones. Const. Ross Findlay and Police Service Dog Kanto take a cooldown break in Coquitlam on Wednesday. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO / PNG A man plays with his dog in a wooded Coquitlam glen, tossing a ball with a splash into the crystal-clear waters of their top-secret swimming hole. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors It's a warm summer day, the heat not quite reaching oppressive levels, but the air is still thick and heavy. The dog marks his appreciation for the dip by shaking off a cloud of water right beside his minder. The scene is an idyllic, if common, moment. Man. Dog. Ball. Slobber. Gun. Badge. The latter two might not be commonplace, but they're what set Const. Ross Findlay and his partner, Kanto, apart. Plus, they're on duty. While some of their fellow officers can cool off in a coffee shop or pull on some striped cargo shorts for a bike patrol, Kanto doesn't have that option. But Findlay's unmarked SUV does have some special features built-in to keep his partner from turning into a hotdog. There are fans built into two rear windows, pulling in strong drafts of air to the rear compartment, plus internal fans that keep it circulating. The heavy-duty air conditioning can run when he's away from his vehicle, as a secure idle system allows the vehicle to remain running to keep the interior cool while maintaining security. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. There is also a temperature monitoring system for the truck with a dedicated control panel; it will alert Findlay if the car is getting too hot by honking and flashing the lights, or by buzzing a remote he keeps with him if he's out of earshot. The cruiser also has literal buckets of water for Kanto to drink. But nothing beats a splash in the creek. 'They're gonna get out of the truck and a chance to lay in the shade or something a handful of times a day,' said Findlay, 'but in the peak of the summer like this, on day shifts, I'm getting him out once a day for a swim.' Police Service Dog Kanto peers out from the back of his ride beside Const. Ross Findlay. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO / PNG The location of their secret spot, close to a major highway, will remain unreported, lest Findlay draw the ire of his fellow dog-handlers who also frequent it — and there are many of them. The Lower Mainland District Integrated Police Dog Service (LMD IPDS) is the largest in Canada, and one of the biggest overall in North America, with 48 pairings that provides 24/7 coverage to five cities and 28 RCMP-policed communities. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The joint RCMP and municipal police program answers more than 10,000 calls per year, from the Lower Mainland, to Pemberton, to Boston Bar. Findlay, a member of the IPDS for seven of his 15 years in law enforcement, is with the New Westminster police. He's been paired with Kanto since he was a puppy, his first canine partner. 'It's different. They don't talk as much,' he laughed, when asked the difference between having a canine and a human partner. 'They are good listeners. He listens very well, actually. 'It's a perfect job. We get paid to hang out with a dog all day. And they're our best friend, right?' All of the RCMP's dogs come from the same place — Innisfail, Alta., where they have established a formal breeding program for German shepherds that's now into its 25th year. The Police Dog Service Training Centre (PDSTC) sees 50 per cent of their puppies become working dogs; when they bought puppies before, only one-in-six would make the cut. When Findlay — who was, ironically, studying to be a veterinarian in university before switching to law enforcement — first met Kanto, he was sure he would be one of them. 'My first impression was, 'Well, I've got a lot of work to do, to get him to like me.' Understandable. He was just put on a plane and in a truck, and then came out to me,' he said. 'But I could tell he was … from the second we started doing a little bit of training. I'm like, 'Oh, he's a strong dog. He's gonna be worth it when we get to a good place.' ' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Step 1 was just getting used to each other. Findlay would just sit in Kanto's dog run for hours on end, sometimes just reading a book. Then he added in some hand-feeding. And the bond began to grow. 'Animals, they're not machines. They're like us. They need the time to bond and build that trust,' he said. 'Some are quicker than others. He took a while. It was probably a good six, seven, eight months until he started to like me … It's a unique experience. Building that bond can take a long time, a lot of one-on-one time, just immersing yourselves kind of together. They're going to become your best friend and partner. So it just takes time.' Now, they're experts at communicating with each other. A tongue click from Findlay, a verbal command or even body language gets his point across. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But some day in the not-too-distant future, Findlay will be starting with a new dog, as Kanto — who turns eight in September — is closing in on retirement age. He's lived with his handler for most of his life, but now will get a new appreciation for the couch and the hearth instead of the back of a black Chevy Tahoe. Findlay says he'll probably still come for rides in a non-working capacity, and fully expects him to be a 'bull in a china shop' — he'll make sure anything of value is put away — for the first few weeks of his retired life before settling in. Ross Findlay walks with Kanto, then a puppy, during a 2022 event in Surrey. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO / PNG Then there will be his new role: pet. 'He likes me. He likes my wife. And then my two kids (one and four); it's been a good progression since they were born,' he said. 'Now it's at the point where they can pet him a little bit, and he's fine with it, but you can just tell by his body language, 'Like, why are you touching me?' ' You know, as pesky little siblings can be. 'I think he just sees me as dad. Not an alpha. Not a food source. It's just … 'That's dad,' ' said Findlay, joking that he has better success getting his partner to heed his wishes than his children. 'Kanto knows to listen. You only have to tell him once. Kids, they may take a couple times.' jadams@ Read More Vancouver Whitecaps BC Lions Vancouver Whitecaps NHL Vancouver Whitecaps
