Kirkland Lake student wins gold at Skills Canada national competition
The winners of the Moblie Robotics competition at the secondary level of the manufacturing and engineering section of the Skills Canada National Competition 2025 in Regina, Sask. Shown are gold medal winners Iurii Kovalev and Liam McBean from Team Ontario (centre,) silver medalists Marek Fournier and Kade Hamre from team Alberta (right,) bronze medalists Brooklynn Gardine And Jacksyn Iron from Team Saskatchewan (left.) (Skills Canada/Flickr)
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Globe and Mail
27 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn joins advisory board of women-led Athena Capital
One of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history is bringing her focus on female representation to venture capital. Skier Lindsey Vonn has joined the advisory board of New York-based Athena Capital, a venture capital firm focused on growth-stage, technology-focused companies nearing public or private exits. The firm, which is set to announce the appointment on Friday, manages about US$6-billion and is composed entirely of women across its general partnership and advisory council. Ms. Vonn is one of the most successful alpine skiers in history, winning three Olympic medals – including gold in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games – along with 82 World Cup race victories and four overall World Cup titles. She retired in 2019 with the most World Cup wins by any woman at the time. The racing legend adds profile to a sector where women remain underrepresented in both capital allocation and leadership roles. Globally, startups founded solely by women received 2.1 per cent of venture capital funding in 2023, according to a study published last month by the Founders Forum Group. In the U.S., companies with at least one female founder secured 25 per cent of venture funding, but those led exclusively by women captured just 3 per cent. A 2024 report by the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub estimates that women-led startups in Canada received about 4 per cent of venture capital funding in 2023. Athena's general partnership and advisory council comprise more than 45 women with backgrounds in growth-stage investing, company building, and executive leadership. Ms. Vonn, who has held corporate board roles and completed a venture capital internship, will advise Athena on investor outreach and fundraising. Her perspective is aimed at strengthening the firm's push to back ambitious companies and outperform in a space that's still not always inclusive, the company said.
CTV News
30 minutes ago
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Stop using charity collection containers as garbage bins: Quebec organizations
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Canadian Hall to welcome former Blue Jays slugger Bautista and rest of 2025 class
Glancing across the Rogers Centre field to see his name on the stadium's Level of Excellence still leaves former Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista with a "surreal" feeling. "It's a good reminder of the time that I spent here, 10 years, it's a long time," Bautista said. "A full decade and a lot of good memories and a lot of good times here." Sporting a white Blue Jays jersey as he took in a recent game with family in a suite at the ballpark, the memories remain strong for one of the franchise's all-time greats. The bat-flip homer in the 2015 playoffs was his signature moment with Toronto but Bautista delivered countless highlights in a Blue Jays uniform. Bautista, who played for eight teams over his 15-year big-league career, will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday in St. Marys, Ont. "I got a call from [Hall director] Scott Crawford and he broke the news to me," said Bautista, who lives in Tampa, Fla. "[He] kind of caught me off guard, but I was extremely surprised but at the same time humbled and honoured. "It was a pleasant surprise for sure and it was really exciting." [SIMAILAR] The Class of 2025 also includes former MLB pitcher Erik Bedard, junior national team head coach Greg Hamilton, and Amanda Asay, a longtime women's national team star. Asay will be inducted posthumously. The Hall's veterans committee has elected former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League legend Arleene Noga and Gerry Snyder, who played a key role in bringing the Expos to Montreal in 1969. Noga and Snyder will be inducted posthumously. Bautista's memorable three-run bat-flip homer came in a wild 53-minute seventh inning in the Jays' 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers. For a team making its playoff return for the first time in 22 years, it was a true 'wow' moment for the current generation of Toronto fans. Bautista also helped anchor the Blue Jays team that returned to the AL Championship Series in 2016. His last season in Toronto came in 2017 and he played for the three teams — the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies — in his final MLB campaign in 2018. Bautista hit a club-record 54 homers in 2010, was a six-time all-star and won three Silver Slugger awards. He formally retired in 2023, the year he was added to the Level of Excellence. "What I'm most proud of is just being available," Bautista said. "Being there ready to contribute and being one of those guys that was just grinding."
