Latest news with #MarkParsons
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Angel City sign Iceland F Sveindis Jonsdottir
May 21 - Angel City Football Club signed Sveindis Jonsdottir, a forward on the Iceland women's national team, through the 2027 season on Wednesday. Jonsdottir, 23, will join Angel City from Wolfsburg in Germany at the end of the UEFA European Championship this summer. With Wolfsburg, she scored 22 goals and added 16 assists in 93 competitions. "We are delighted to welcome Sveindis to Angel City," sporting director Mark Parsons said. "She is a key signing for us as a dynamic attacking player who has consistently impacted the biggest games in UEFA Champions League and at the international level. Sveindis has important qualities with and without the ball that will complement our group of forwards while also bringing an incredible work ethic and hunger to win. At 23 years of age, we believe Sveindís can have an instant impact while continuing to grow and develop at our club over many years." She also has played for Kristianstads DFF in Sweden and in 2020, won the Icelandic championship with Breioablik. That season, she was named the Úrvalsdeild Player of the Year and won the Úrvalsdeild Golden Boot award. The following season, she was named the Icelandic Women's Footballer of the Year. With the Iceland women's national team, she has 48 caps, contributing 12 goals and 12 assists. "I am so excited to join Angel City," Jonsdottir said. "I can't wait to get to know my teammates, who are all so talented. Training and playing with such amazing players will improve my game and I know the coaching staff will as well. I want to be a part of something big and game changing in women's football and that is why I decided to join Angel City. I want to win titles and I know that is Angel City's goal as well." --Field Level Media
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Angel City FC moves into ‘new era,' signing Iceland forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir through 2027
Angel City FC has signed Iceland women's national team forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir through 2027. Speaking to The Athletic before the announcement, Jónsdóttir said she was drawn to the talent on the Los Angeles team and to the high level of competition across the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Advertisement 'This team can do something really cool and great, and I'd love to be a part of it,' she said. 'It's in LA, that's amazing as well. I've been there once, and I loved it. I'm excited to live in a new place.' The 23-year-old free agent will join her new team this summer from Wolfsburg in Germany, where she scored 22 goals and recorded 16 assists in 93 competitions over four seasons. Wolfsburg were Champions League finalists in 2023, falling to Barcelona 3-2. Angel City sporting director Mark Parsons said the club's ability to sign a young star of Jonsdottir's quality reflects the magnitude of the club's growth. 'Angel City is moving into a new era,' he said. 'The first significant moment was hiring (incoming head coach) Alex Straus. Another is that Sveindís accepted Angel City's offer over top clubs.' Parsons added that while he's excited about the on-field qualities Jónsdóttir will bring to the team, he's 'most excited for the NWSL, that a top talent at a young age, who's played in the biggest games on the biggest stage, is choosing Angel City.' Jónsdóttir could add another weapon to Angel City's already lethal attack alongside forwards Riley Tiernan and Alyssa Thompson, who have scored five and four goals this season. Tiernan is tied for second in the NWSL Golden Boot race, behind Gotham FC's Esther González on seven. When they began the recruitment process, Angel City staff presented Jónsdóttir with their perception of her qualities and how they planned to further develop her as a player, Parsons said. 'Her ability to run in behind, go one-v-one, manipulate space, press and counterpress, and her movement in the box when she's waiting for the pass or cross, where she explodes and gets a critical touch,' he said, were among the traits the club is most excited about. Jónsdóttir recently shared a pitch with Thompson, though on opposing sides, last October when the U.S. women's national team took on Iceland in a pair of friendlies. The U.S. won both times, and Jonsdottir easily recalls Thompson's impact. Advertisement 'She's just a great player, so young, but you can see how talented she is,' she said. 'She scored an amazing goal, cutting in and shooting with her right foot, top corner. I'm really excited to play with her.' Jónsdóttir is also looking forward to playing for Straus, a manager who led Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg's biggest rival in the Frauen Bundesliga. 'It's quite funny. I'd already been talking to Angel City and I was trying to decide what I wanted to do, and then I saw that he's gonna be the coach, and it made me more excited about Angel City, knowing how well he's done for Bayern,' she said. Before Straus joined the German side in the summer of 2022, Wolfsburg were the 2021-22 champions and were the better team, Jónsdóttir explained. 'Then he came and changed Bayern,' she said. Bayern won their third consecutive Frauen Bundesliga title this year. 'I'm super excited to be one of his players this time,' she said. 'I know his style of play. He can make every team look good and play well. It made my choice even easier.' Pending the completion of international transfer paperwork, Jónsdóttir will officially join Angel City after the conclusion of the women's European Championship in July, where she will compete with Iceland against Finland, Norway, and hosts Switzerland in the group stage.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘Not so great': Inflation cools, but grocery costs remain high
Cost of living is not rising in Canada and Alberta as quickly as last month, but a closer look at the cooling inflation rate isn't as promising. Canada's inflation rate is 1.7 per cent, down from 2.3 per cent, and Alberta's is 1.5 per cent, down from two per cent. The drop in gas prices is what's tapping the brakes on inflation. Delivering packages in and around Calgary means Flash Express Courier spends a lot of money fuelling up vehicles. 'If not every day, definitely every day and a half, especially a van like this. It's about $90 to fill,' said Drilon Beqa, owner of Flash Express Courier. Removing the consumer carbon tax saves him a lot and lowers the fuel rate he charges his customers. 'Last year, we were paying, what was it? $1.70? $1.60? So when gas prices are at this rate, especially last month, $1.15, (it) makes everyone happier,' he said. Gas prices fell 18.1 per cent year-over-year, thanks mostly to the federal government striking the tax at the start of the month. Natural gas prices also fell 14.1 per cent annually in the month, but prices rose in other areas. 'At first glance it looked like a really great inflation report, but if you look closer … not so great,' said Mark Parsons, ATB Financial vice-president and chief economist. 'When you take out energy … inflation was up nearly three per cent.' Calgarians buying groceries say they're still feeling the pinch. 'It still seems as expensive as normal,' said Martin Hammond. 'Everywhere I shop, things are going up,' said Judy Johnson. '(It) just feels like everything is still expensive—fruits, vegetables, meat,' said Melanie Martenz. Food prices increased slightly from last month and continue to outpace overall inflation. 'Some things go up more, so pay attention,' said Mike von Massow, University of Guelph food economist. Beef and coffee prices spiked. Aluminum tariffs are expected to soon increase the cost of canned goods. 'One way to buffer yourselves to these cost increases is to take a look at what's on special, what's seasonal,' said von Massow. The Bank of Canada will weigh the latest inflation report and the economic slowdown due to tariff uncertainty when deciding whether or not to lower interest rates again on June 4. 'Our view is that the Bank of Canada is going to cut its key policy rate from 2.75 per cent today to about two per cent by the end of the year. The timing of that is less certain,' said Parsons. ATB thinks the Bank of Canada might hold rates on June 4, but lower them later in the year.
Global News
20-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Alberta's annual inflation rate tumbles in April, lowest west of Atlantic Canada
The annual rate of inflation in Alberta took a big dip in April. The latest numbers from Statistics Canada show the cost of living increased by 1.5 per cent in April, compared to the same month a year earlier — and that's down from the 2.8 per cent inflation rate in March of this year. It's also below the national inflation rate of 1.7 per cent in April and the lowest rate for any province outside of Atlantic Canada. Stats Canada credits a decline in energy prices for helping to lower the inflation rate — mainly driven by the removal of the consumer carbon tax and falling world oil prices that resulted in a 18.1 per cent decline in gasoline prices on a year-over-year basis. In Calgary, Statistics Canada said the price of a litre of regular gasoline fell from 149.2 cents per litre in January of this year to 130.2 cents in April. Story continues below advertisement In Edmonton, the price fell from 144.3 in January to 126.7 per litre in April. Nationally, the price of natural gas also fell — by 14.1 per cent in April compared to a year earlier. Get weekly money news Get expert insights, Q&A on markets, housing, inflation, and personal finance information delivered to you every Saturday. Sign up for weekly money newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The price of some grocery items on the other hand took a big jump on a year-over-year basis, led by the price of beef that increased 16.2 percent in April, compared to a year earlier, and a 13.4 per cent increase in coffee and tea prices. Overall, grocery prices rose by 3.8 per cent in April compared to the same month last year. In Calgary and Edmonton, the monthly inflation rate took a big drop in April. In Calgary, the inflation rate was 1.6 per cent, compared to a year earlier — that's about half the March inflation rate of three per cent. In Edmonton, the inflation rate in April was 1.5 per cent compared to April 2024 — down from 2.9 per cent in March. The Bank of Canada will be keeping a close eye on the inflation numbers as it prepares to make its next interest rate decision on June 4, experts say. 'The good news is we're below two per cent inflation again — that should make the Bank of Canada happy,' said Mark Parsons, chief economist for ATB Financial (Alberta Treasury Branches). 'But we know that it's driven by the carbon tax cut, so that's the real story here, that's why we're below two per cent inflation. Story continues below advertisement 'Core inflation, which the Bank of Canada looks at closely, is running closer to three per cent,' added Parsons. 'What core inflation tries to do is — strips out all the volatility in the monthly data, and says, OK, this is what the inflation rate is running at on a trend basis — and that trend is still too high for comfort for the bank.' The bank will also need to weigh the potential impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on the Canadian economy. 'Food prices are starting to accelerate, and we think that could be related to the tariffs and the counter-tariffs, adding to the food bill that households are experiencing right now,' said Parsons. 'So this makes the job of the Bank of Canada really tough right now.' — With files from The Canadian Press.
CBC
13-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
5 million and counting? StatsCan model suggests Alberta has hit population milestone
Late Sunday night, ATB's chief economist Mark Parsons was watching his phone screen, waiting for a Statistics Canada computer model to predict that the province had its fifth millionth resident. At 11:18 p.m., Canada's population clock estimated that an immigrant arrived in Alberta, nudging the population to that new landmark number. It's a provincial milestone, Parsons said. "If you're in Alberta, you see it every day," he said. "You see licence plates from other provinces, the schools are filling up, [the] streets are busy." The years 2023 and 2024 saw exceptional population growth in Alberta. The number of people in Alberta grew by 3.9 per cent in 2023, then another 4.4 per cent in 2024, according to provincial budget documents. On Monday, Finance Minister Nate Horner told reporters that his ministry expected population growth to slow down a bit this year, to 2.6 per cent, and anticipated five million Albertans by July, not May. "Which makes me wonder if we still aren't growing faster than expected," Horner said. But there's a big caveat on that number, says Stacey Hallman, an analyst in Statistics Canada's centre for demography in Ottawa. The population clock is a computer model that uses past trends to predict future numbers. The federal agency won't finalize its second-quarter 2025 population estimates until September. Albertans will have to wait about five months to be five million official. A report released earlier this year by StatsCan that looked at a range of population growth scenarios predicted Alberta reaching 5 million people sometime in 2026 or 2027. Hallman said changes to federal limits on immigration, temporary foreign workers and international students will dampen the rate of newcomers to the country, and Alberta. The bulk of Canada's population growth is due to immigration, with the country's slowing fertility rate of 1.3 children born per woman, she said. Alberta attractive during tariff threat, economist says Unlike previous bursts of Prairie population growth, the latest influx isn't tethered to an oil boom, Parsons said. He said Alberta saw an inflow of young adults and young families hoping for good jobs and housing far more affordable than in British Columbia or Ontario. Despite the federal immigration policy changes, inter-provincial migration to Alberta remains swift, Parsons said. For those arriving with jobs, they're working in petrochemicals, biodiesel, food manufacturing, tourism, and other growing sectors, he said. Alberta's birth rate exceeds its death rate, and most of the new arrivals are settling in the province's four largest cities – Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, and Lethbridge. Parsons said the province may remain an attractive destination for economic migrants as Ontario and Quebec are potentially more exposed to tariff policies. Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally said that growth in private sector jobs has been a draw. "Our plan is working, but we agree, it's also creating pressure on infrastructure and services and it's something that we have to deal with," he told reporters at the legislature on Monday. NDP finance critic Court Ellingson says overcrowded classrooms, hospitals under strain and sometimes lengthy wait times for provincial services show the government was not prepared for rapid growth. "We need new ideas and new people coming into this province to keep helping us move forward," Ellingson said. "But we better be prepared to invest in the infrastructure for all of us to be successful."
