Latest news with #SocialSharingMontreal
CBC
24-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Diallo delivers strong start, win for Canada after late entry into Madrid Open main draw
Social Sharing Montreal's Gabriel Diallo made the most of a last-minute spot in the Madrid Open, beating Belgium's Zizou Bergs 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round on Thursday in Spain. Diallo entered the main draw as a replacement for Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka, who withdrew before the tournament. Diallo didn't face a break point and won 86 per cent of his first-serve points. He converted all four of his break chances and won 19 points on return. It was a strong response after falling to Croatia's Borna Coric 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the final round of qualifying on Wednesday. Diallo will next face fellow lucky loser Kamil Majchrzak, who replaced two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz after the second-seeded Spaniard withdrew Thursday with a muscle injury. Later Thursday, 25th-seeded Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., was scheduled to face Ann Li of the United States. Alcaraz cites 'demanding sport' for withdrawal Home-crowd favourite Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open on Thursday because of muscle injuries, saying he didn't want to risk making things worse before the French Open. The third-ranked Spaniard blamed his injuries on the "really tight" schedule that is part of the "demanding sport" of tennis. Alcaraz said he did "everything possible to play" but had to make the "tough decision" to withdraw after listening to his body and talking to doctors. "Madrid is one of the special tournaments for me, it's a tournament that I enjoy, I get to play in front of my fans, it's one of the first tournaments I attended when I was a kid," he said. Field Level Media reported Alcaraz is hampered by a groin injury. Ranked No. 3 in the world, he underwent tests to determine the severity of hamstring and groin injuries incurred in the second set of the Barcelona Open final on Sunday. The ATP Tour classified the injury as a right adductor muscle strain. "In the Barcelona final I felt something in the left hamstring, I didn't think that it was that serious," Alcaraz said Thursday. "I'm really disappointed that I'm not able to play here in Madrid." Alcaraz, who is 24-5 this season, is shifting his focus to taking the court in Rome and then returning to defend his title at the French Open, which begins May 25. Alcaraz won the Roland Garros final last year against Alexander Zverev, who has just leapfrogged the former for No. 2 in the world after winning in Munich last week. "My plan is going to Rome. My mindset is to do everything it takes to be 100 per cent for Rome. I will do some tests at the beginning of next week just to see how it's improved and from that let's see how it's going to be the next days. "These types of decisions are not easy to make but sometimes you have to think about your health and about what is important. A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam. If I play here, I could make the injuries worse and stop for several months and that's not worth it." Alcaraz is a two-time champion in Madrid, having won in 2022 and 2023. He was the second seed this week and in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic. The four-time Grand Slam champion has a 24-5 record this year. In addition to Monte Carlo, he won in Rotterdam on hard court in February.
CBC
24-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
'Allez Habs! Allez!': STM to support Montreal's sports teams en français
Social Sharing Montreal's transit agency will be removing the word "Go" from its electronic displays when supporting local sports teams, to comply with Quebec's language laws, and the move is raising eyebrows from even the most ardent defenders of the French language at the National Assembly. As such, the popular phrase "Go Habs! Go!" will be substituted with its French equivalent " Allez Habs! Allez!" In a statement, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) says the decision follows a previous order from the province's language watchdog, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF). It's related to a complaint over the use of "Go! CF MTL Go!" in support of the local men's soccer team on bus displays. Though the word "Go" is a common sports expression, it's an Anglicism. Ruba Ghazal, the Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson and a self-proclaimed "lover of the French language," said "Go Habs! Go!" is Québécois, during a news conference gathering Quebec's opposition parties Thursday morning. "I don't think that's what's threatening the French language, the 'Go Habs, Go!'" She said protecting the language involves rather measures like making sure new immigrants as well as CEOs from large companies learn French. Catherine Gentilcore, the culture and communications critic for the Parti Québécois (PQ), echoed Ghazal, saying that her party has "bigger" priorities when it comes to the protection of the French language. She cited expanding Bill 101 to junior CEGEPs (junior colleges), improving francization efforts and strengthening culture and language programs in schools. She said PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will not be deleting "Go Habs! Go!" from his vocabulary. "It's a waste of time, waste of money, waste of energy," he said.
CBC
26-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Canada's Auger-Aliassime scores 2nd-round win at Dubai Tennis Championships
Social Sharing Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime rallied past Portugal's Nuno Borges 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Auger-Aliassime broke Borges late in the third set before sealing the win with his ninth ace. The world No. 21 converted three of 10 break chances while saving four of six against him. It was Auger-Aliassime's first career meeting with Borges, the world No. 38, on the ATP Tour. Auger-Aliassime will next face Marin Cilic of Croatia, who defeated Australia's Alexei Popyrin 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. The 24-year-old Canadian is chasing his third ATP title this season, having won last month in Adelaide, Australia, and Montpellier, France. Auger-Aliassime falls to Rublev in Qatar Open semifinal battle 5 days ago Duration 2:55 Wimbledon champ out of Indian Wells Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova has withdrawn from next month's tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami due to a back injury that has kept her out of action since November. The world No. 16, a surprise champion at the All England Club last year, sustained the injury during the Tour's Asian swing of tournaments and appeared hampered by it at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, where she reached the semi-finals. The 29-year-old Czech skipped the Australian Open Grand Slam in January, saying she needed more time for her injury to heal. Austria's Julia Grabher will take Krejcikova's place in the main draw at Indian Wells, which begins on March 5, organizers said. The Miami tournament starts March 18.
CBC
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Montreal public library says it can't host English book club, citing Quebec's new language law
Social Sharing Montreal writer Christopher DiRaddo says he's disappointed after a municipal library told him he's not allowed to hold his monthly book club there because it would violate Quebec's new language law. The Violet Hour Book Club explores 2SLGBTQ+ literature, and though members read a mix of French- and English-language books, discussions are held in English, DiRaddo explained when reaching out to the Père-Ambroise public library in the Montreal Village. "Instead of creating bridges, which I hope to do with my book club, I felt like they were putting barriers in the way," said DiRaddo. The room he was hoping to reserve was booked already, but beyond that, the library told him hosting the book club there would be complicated anyway. "The new Law 14 requires us to program activities held mainly in French," the library wrote in an email to DiRaddo, which was provided to CBC News. Law 14, also known as Bill 96, went into effect last fall. The library wrote there must be a way for members wishing to speak French to participate in the activity and so, "all conversations in English must be translated." DiRaddo says the library was friendly and tried to help him out with other options, "but I still felt the need to tell people about this because it's not the kind of city I want to live in." Including French speakers is not the issue, he says. Most members are bilingual and if someone wanted to express a thought in French, it wouldn't be a problem. But it's the added requirement of having to hire a translator that would be "cost prohibitive," he says. The club is free, open to the public and operates on a drop-in basis. Ultimately, the library's decision is not the end of the world, says DiRaddo, as he'll simply find another space for the club. "It's just sad that Montreal seems to be a place right now where it's very easy for people to be divided on certain issues, like books, for instance," he said. "As anglophones, we deserve culture, access to culture as well." DiRaddo makes a point of selecting books by Montreal writers — renowned for their works in both English and French — to help members discover local talent. The last book the group read was Ce que je sais de toi or What I Know About You by Éric Chacour. Of the 34 members that month, half the group opted to read the book in its original French while some even read it in both languages, said DiRaddo. "I really love that, especially when books are available in another language that allows for more people to discover them," he said. Reading between the lines of the law Constitutional lawyer Frédéric Bérard says the library's response could be due to its own interpretation of Law 14 or a specific borough or city bylaw. The City of Montreal does not have bilingual status under Law 14 — only 13 per cent of its population indicated English as their mother tongue in the 2021 census. There is nothing in the law that stands out to Bérard as a directive that could have informed the library's decision, he says, adding that its interpretation probably derived from the fact that it's a library in a French-speaking borough. Just over one per cent of Ville-Marie residents identified English as their mother tongue in the census. "It's in the philosophy of the bill itself that makes sure that some people feel entitled to make that kind of decision," said Bérard. The director general of the Quebec Community Groups Network, Sylvia Martin-Laforge, says the application of Bill 96 is still not clear. She urges people to ask questions and give thorough answers where Law 14 is concerned. "Every case, unfortunately, will have to be treated separately until we have more clarity around the parameters," she said. "Often, it's a judgment call." Bérard is currently representing the Town of Mount Royal in its challenge against Law 14. He says that although he agrees that the French language should be promoted, it shouldn't be done at the expense of others. "The thing is that in prohibiting any other kind of exchange with the English culture, [I] don't think that we are moving forward," said Bérard. CBC News reached out to the City of Montreal and Quebec's Ministry of the French Language but did not hear back at the time of publication. DiRaddo is still looking for a new venue to host the club in April, which has outgrown some of the other places he's resorted to over the last six years. In February, members will read Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde, followed by Personal Attention Roleplay by Montrealer H. Felix Chau Bradley. "I think people are looking for a reason to connect, especially post-pandemic, people are looking for opportunities to get together and engage," he said.
