Latest from Canada Standard
Canada Standard
2 days ago
- Sport
- Canada Standard
New York City FC, Orlando City both looking for spark
(Photo credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images) New York City FC and Orlando City will both look to respond to underwhelming weekend performances when they meet on Wednesday night in Central Florida. Orlando (9-5-8, 35 points) was held to a 1-1 home draw on Saturday by last-place CF Montreal, a result that stretched the Lions' winless run to three matches. Rodrigo Schlegel's rash late challenge set up Montreal's leveler from the penalty spot. But more troubling was an apparent lack of endeavor by Orlando after taking the lead through Martin Ojeda at 28 minutes. While some might have interpreted that as a lack of focus or enthusiasm from a veteran-laden group, manager Oscar Pareja insisted it wasn't the case. 'It's not a decision from the players - we always play against rivals that are professionals too, and they (do) things that it makes you look like you are flat,' Pareja said this week. 'It's something that happened in the game that is organic. ... I think Montreal came with not many options, and they kept the ball and they make you look flat. But the boys were working.' It was another frustrating chapter for an attack that has varied in potency, scoring 29 of its 40 total goals in just eight matches. Next to visit is NYCFC (9-8-4, 31 points) following their 2-0 defeat Saturday at a previously struggling Charlotte FC. New York City boss Pascal Jansen has seen his side win only once away from home, and Saturday marked the seventh time NYCFC have been held scoreless in 11 away fixtures. They've scored in only one of eight away matches when team-scoring leader Alonso Martinez (eight MLS goals) doesn't find the net. New attacking midfield signing Nicolas Fernandez Mercau from Spain's Elche CF is awaiting his visa and won't be available. Otherwise, Jansen's squad is getting much healthier, with influential midfielder Keaton Parks the latest to return from a leg injury that has kept him sidelined since May 31. 'Everything looked very good in training,' Jansen said this week. 'Everybody was available, apart from Maximo Carrizo. So, we have a few choices to make going into the next game.' --Field Level Media
Canada Standard
2 days ago
- Politics
- Canada Standard
"Despicable act, against spirit of festival": MEA condemns Toronto's Rath Yatra disruption, urges Canada to take action
New Delhi [India], July 14 (ANI): India on Monday strongly condemned the disruption caused during the Rath Yatra procession in Toronto, calling the act despicable and urging the Canadian authorities to take action against those responsible. In response to media queries on the incident, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, 'We have seen reports regarding disruption created by mischievous elements during the Rath Yatra procession in Toronto.' 'Such despicable acts are regrettable and are against the spirit of the festival, which seeks to promote unity, inclusivity, and social harmony,' he added. Jaiswal further noted, 'We have strongly taken up the matter with Canadian authorities to hold the perpetrators of the act accountable.' 'We hope the Canadian Government will take necessary action to protect the religious rights of people,' the spokesperson said. Echoing the concerns raised by the MEA, former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday expressed deep concern over reports of eggs being hurled at devotees during the Ratha Jatra celebrations in Toronto, Canada, calling the incident deeply disturbing and hurtful to the sentiments of devotees of Lord Jagannatha worldwide. 'Deeply disturbed to know about the reports of eggs being hurled at devotees during Ratha Jatra celebrations in Toronto, Canada. Such incidents not only grievously hurt the sentiments of Lord Jagannatha's devotees worldwide, but also cause deep anguish to the people of Odisha, for whom this festival holds profound emotional and cultural significance,' Patnaik said in a post on X. Urging prompt action, he called on the Odisha Government and the Ministry of External Affairs to take up the matter with Canadian authorities. 'If these media reports are accurate, the Odisha Government should take the matter seriously and urge the Ministry of External Affairs to register a strong protest with the Canadian authorities,' he added. The remarks came in response to posts by Toronto-based Instagram user Sangna Bajaj, who alleged that eggs were thrown at devotees from a nearby building during the celebrations. 'People from a building throw eggs at us,' she wrote in one post. In another, she stated, 'Someone from a nearby building threw eggs at us. Have you ever experienced discrimination for your faith?' In a troubling recurrence of targeted attacks on Hindu places of worship across Canada, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton fell victim once more to vandalism. The recent attack adds to a string of similar incidents documented in recent years, underscoring a distressing trend of religious intolerance. Last year, a Hindu temple in Windsor suffered defacement with anti-India graffiti, sparking widespread condemnation and calls for action from both Canadian and Indian officials. Earlier incidents in Mississauga and Brampton saw temples similarly targeted, drawing strong reactions from the Indian community in Canada. Canadian law enforcement agencies have been urged to take proactive measures to address these threats and ensure the safety and security of all religious communities in Canada. The incidents have prompted renewed discussions on bolstering security measures around Hindu temples and enhancing efforts to combat extremist propaganda. Meanwhile, several global reports have highlighted the growing concerns over Khalistani sympathisers operating within Canada, with incidents often linked to calls for an independent Khalistan state in India's Punjab region. (ANI)
Canada Standard
2 days ago
- Sport
- Canada Standard
Shohei Ohtani (NL), Gleyber Torres (AL) to lead off in All-Star Game
(Photo credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images) The American League and National League announced their lineups for Tuesday's All-Star Game at Atlanta with Shohei Ohtani leading off for the NL and Gleyber Torres at the top for the AL. National League manager Dave Roberts, who is Ohtani's skipper with the Los Angeles Dodgers, opened his lineup for Tuesday just as he has done throughout the regular season with his designated hitter at the top. Ohtani was the NL's leading vote getter during Phase 1 of the balloting process. Ohtani will be followed by hometown favorite Ronald Acuna Jr. (left field) of the Atlanta Braves and Ketel Marte (second base) of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers' Freddie Freeman (first base) will bat cleanup, followed by the San Diego Padres' Manny Machado (third base), the Dodgers' Will Smith (catcher), the Chicago Cubs' Kyle Tucker (right field), the New York Mets' Francisco Lindor (shortstop) and the Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong (center field). The Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes already has been named the NL's starting pitcher. Torres has been used mostly in the No. 2 spot this season by Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who is also the AL manager, but now moves up a spot. The Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene (left field) is batting second, followed by Aaron Judge (right field) of the Yankees, who led all players after Phase 1 of the voting. MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh (catcher) of the Seattle Mariners is in the cleanup spot, followed by the Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (first base), the Baltimore Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn (DH), the Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero (third base), the Tigers' Javier Baez (center field) and the Athletics' Jacob Wilson (shortstop). The Tigers' Tarik Skubal already has been named the AL's starting pitcher. The American League has won 10 of the last 11 All-Star Games, with the National League winning only in 2023 at Seattle during the stretch. --Field Level Media
Canada Standard
2 days ago
- Health
- Canada Standard
School lunches, the French way: It's not just about nutrition, but togetherness and 'bon appetit'
This spring, as part of a sabbatical project, I had the privilege of visiting school food programs and meeting with school food researchers in six cities in France, England and Scotland. I got to eat school lunches, visit central kitchens in two cities where meals are prepared for thousands of children, visit school kitchens and discuss school food with the countries' leading experts. This visit intersects with my research with colleagues on promising food programs across Canada. This research offers insights for consideration as regions navigate the federal government's first National School Food Program and National School Food Policy. Government announcements about the program and policy were followed by negotiations with the provinces and territories, all of which have since signed agreements for a portion of the funding. In most parts of Canada, officials are just beginning to plan for new approaches to school food (with a few exceptions especially in Atlantic Canada where school food programs have been transforming much more quickly). Based on my research about international food programs, here are four key things Canadians should pay attention to: 1) In Canada we need to shift from thinking of school lunches as a safety net for kids living in poverty to thinking about them as benefiting the health and well-being of children and their families. In France, this shift in thinking is particularly clear. School lunches in France are about teaching children about food and culture and all kids are encouraged to eat together with an adult facilitator who teaches them about the components of the meal and creates a family-meal context at each table. By contrast, if you ask many parents in Canada what school meals are for, they will tell you they are for kids living in poverty to make sure they have food to eat at school. If Canada wants a national school food program that achieves the benefits of the best programs in the world in the areas of education, well-being and on the economy, we need to think of school meals as supporting young people to be the best students they can be. 2) One important benefit of school food programs globally is to encourage picky eaters to try new foods due to the social pressure of all kids eating the same foods together. In three cities in France I visited, and one in England, school lunches look like home-cooked meals. One main dish with meat is served (and in England, a vegetarian alternative), and kids can choose if and how much of the side vegetables and fruit to take. In Canada, following a similar practice - one main and a vegetarian alternative when meat is served - might work well. But it's also important that in developing a menu, the cultural diversity of Canadian school communities is reflected in the food on offer. In the other two locations in England and Scotland, kids choose from multiple main dishes - something that adds cost to the program and does less to encourage kids to try new foods, given one choice is always something basic like a cheese sandwich. Kids need to have some autonomy when it comes to eating, but school food programs should not be facilitating eating the same food every day. Nor should school food programs aspire to a model where broad choice is afforded from a large menu. 3) With care, planning and sufficient resources, centralized kitchens can prepare thousands of servings of a main dish daily. The French central kitchens I visited prepare 6,000 to 10,000 servings a day of high-quality food following strict food safety protocols. I ate two simple yet delicious meals cooked in municipally owned central kitchens. In the three cities in France where I visited, they used central kitchens where main dishes were prepared and chilled to be delivered for heating at the school level. Central kitchens also delivered the salads and sides (like chopped veggies, bread, cheese and fruit) and dressings. In the small school kitchens, the salads were dressed, and the cheese and fruit were cut for service. The central kitchens were also used in at least one city to prepare food for daycares and for seniors who were home-bound - something to consider for Canadian cities. Centralizing kitchens can reduce costs and provide a way for high-quality food to be produced from basic ingredients without commercial kitchens in every school capable of preparing meals for hundreds of children at a time. 4) When designed with requirements for purchasing foods from local farmers and other Canadian producers, school food programs can benefit the agricultural sector and multiply their benefits to communities beyond direct school food jobs. In France, for example, there are specific percentages to be purchased from local and sustainable sources. Percentage requirements for local and sustainable purchasing should be enacted now in Canada as its program establishes itself, perhaps beginning with 20 per cent and growing over time. I have many more reflections from my visits, both positive and negative, but the four I have discussed are important for Canada to learn from as it begins to design the National School Food Program to meet the needs of diverse communities from coast to coast to coast.
Canada Standard
2 days ago
- Business
- Canada Standard
How Eurostack could offer Canada a route to digital independence from the United States
The contemporary internet has been with us since roughly 1995. Its current underlying economic model - surveillance capitalism - began in the early 2000s, when Google and then Facebook realized how much our personal information and online behaviour revealed about us and claimed it for themselves to sell to advertisers. Perhaps because of Canada's proximity to the United States, coupled with its positive shared history with the U.S. and their highly integrated economies, Canada went along for that consumerist ride. The experience was different on the other side of the Atlantic. The Stasi in the former East Germany and the KGB under Josef Stalin maintained files on hundreds of thousands of citizens to identify and prosecute dissidents. Having witnessed this invasion of privacy and its weaponization first-hand, Europe has been far ahead of North America in developing protections. These include the General Data Protection Regulation and the Law Enforcement Directive, with protection of personal data also listed in the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights. Canada clearly took too much for granted in its relationship with the U.S. Suddenly, Canada is being threatened with tariffs and President Donald Trump's expressed desire to make Canada the 51st American state. This has fuelled the motivation of Canada both internally and in co-operation with western European governments to seek greater independence in trade and military preparedness by diversifying its relationships. Prime Minister Mark Carney has begun promoting "nation-building projects," but little attention has been paid to Canada's digital infrastructure. Read more: How Canadian nationalism is evolving with the times - and will continue to do so Three recent developments suggest Canada would be well-advised to start paying close attention: 1. The current U.S. administration has raised concerns about its reliability as a partner and friend to Canada. Most of the concerns raised in Canada have been economic. However, Curtis McCord, a former national security and technology researcher for the Canadian government, has said the current situation has created vulnerabilities for national security as well: "With Washington becoming an increasingly unreliable ally, Mr. Carney is right to look for ways to diversify away from the U.S. But if Canada wants to maintain its sovereignty and be responsible for its national security, this desire to diversify must extend to the U.S. domination of Canada's digital infrastructure." 2. Silicon Valley is exhibiting a newfound loyalty to Trump. The photo of the "broligarchy" at Trump's inauguration spoke volumes, as their apparent eagerness to appease the president brings the data gathered by the internet's surveillance-based economy under state control. 3. Trump's recent executive order entitled "Stopping waste, fraud and abuse by eliminating information silos" is alarming. The order became operational when the Trump administration contracted with Palantir, a company known for its surveillance software and data analytics in military contexts. Its job? To combine databases from both the state and federal levels into one massive database that includes every American citizen, and potentially any user of the internet. Combining multiple government databases is concerning. Combining them with all the personal data harvested by Silicon Valley and providing them to a government showing all the hallmarks of an authoritarian regime sounds like Big Brother has arrived. Civil liberties groups such as the Electronic Freedom Foundation, academics and even former Palantir employees have raised alarms about the possibilities for abuse, including the launch of all the vendettas Trump and his supporters have pledged to undertake. European governments have attempted to rein in Silicon Valley's excesses for years. Trump's re-election and his moves toward potentially weaponizing internet data have further boosted Europe's resolve to move away from the U.S.-led internet. One newer effort is Eurostack. A joint initiative involving academics, policymakers, companies and governments, it envisions an independent digital ecosystem that better reflects European values - democratic, sovereign, inclusive, transparent, respectful of personal privacy and innovation-driven. Spokesperson Francesca Bria explains the "stack" arises from the idea that a digitally sovereign internet needs to have European control from the ground up. That includes the acquisition of raw materials and manufacture and operation of the physical components that comprise computers and servers; the cloud infrastructure that has the processing power and storage to be operational at scale; the operating systems and applications that comprise the user interface; the AI models and algorithms that drive services and its policy and governance framework. Prospective gains to Europe are considerable. They include greater cybersecurity, promoting innovation, keeping high-end creative jobs in Europe, promoting collaboration on equitable terms and creating high-skilled employment opportunities. Canada receives no mention in the Eurostack proposal to date, but the project is still very much in the developmental phase. Investment so far is in the tens of millions instead of the billions it will require. Canada has a lot to offer and to gain from being part of the Eurostack initiative. With the project still taking shape, now is the perfect time to get on board.
