Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Canada’s Quinn is set to become the first openly trans, non-binary Olympian to win an Olympic medal, as Canada’s soccer team looks to triumph over the Swedes in the women’s final on Friday.
“It's such a big deal. It's so important. It's such a wonderful thing for Quinn and for Team Canada,” Ravyn Wngz, a two-spirit LGBTQ2S+ advocate, told CTV News Channel on Tuesday. “This doesn't happen in a vacuum.”
Wngz, who sits on the Black Lives Matter Toronto steering committee and has African, Bermudian and Mohawk roots, says the achievement will be momentous for the LGBTQ2S+ community.
“This is a moment that is among many moments for trans folks in the games, for trans folks at large who are making a stand to say 'we are here, we've always been here,'” said Wngz. “It’s exciting.”
Regardless of Friday’s outcome, Quinn, a 25-year-old Torontonian midfielder who plays for professional U.S. soccer club OL Reign, is guaranteed to win an Olympic medal -- either silver or the coveted gold.
Last fall, Quinn came out as trans in a social media post, changed their pronouns to they/them and now only goes by one name. They told The Canadian Press at the time that their decision to come out was because they were "tired of being misgendered.”
Quinn also said they came out because they wanted to become a public, visible figure for younger people who may be "questioning their gender, exploring their gender.”
They played soccer for Duke University in North Carolina and became the highest-drafted Canadian in the history of the National Women's Soccer League, before becoming the third overall pick going to the Washington Spirit in 2018.
Quinn went on to play on Canada’s 2012 Olympic team, where they suffered a tough loss against the U.S. in London, and won bronze during the 2016 Games in Rio.
But they’re not the only openly trans athlete at this year's Games.
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is also trans and was eliminated from the women's +87-kg category on Monday.
“I think as we move into a new and more understanding world, people are starting to realize that people like me are just people,” Hubbard told Reuters on Tuesday, adding she doesn’t see herself as any sort of icon and hopes her sport undergoes greater strides to become more inclusive.
Allies and advocates have long noted the importance of representation of LGBTQ2S+ people in public spaces -- particularly in elected office, entertainment or in sports.
Recent research that suggests anti-trans hate is on the rise, with surveys conducted by TRANSPulse Canada suggesting many trans people in the country actively avoid some public spaces for fear of harassment or being outed. Other research suggests avoidance was worse among Indigenous trans, two-spirit and non-binary people, with 76 per cent of respondents avoiding three or more spaces, and only 12 per cent not avoiding any spaces.
Wngz says the achievements of athletes like Quinn and Hubbard will go a long way “for trans kids who have been struggling with sports.”
Community building and learning how to trust other people are crucial aspects that people learn from team sports, Wngz notes. But liberal think tank The Center For American Progress cites studies which show many trans and non-binary children feel their coming out will not be accepted in sports circles, highlighting the need for allies to ensure spaces are inclusive, non-judgmental and welcoming.
“Trans kids and trans adults miss out on that opportunity because there is so much fear. There are so [many] assumptions and there's a lack of understanding, trust and openness to trans kids and non-binary individuals to be able to move safely within our communities," said Wngz.
Wngz said Quinn’s ability to come out safely is not a luxury everyone has and “speaks to is a larger conversation about being safe in the workplace.”
“This speaks to the environment that Quinn is in that they feel safe enough to come forward with the fullness of their being, the fullness of their life,” she said. “Trans folks are everywhere... and folks will turn out more and show up in their full experience if environments were safer to do so.”
“When the most marginalized among us get freer, get safer and get more opportunities, we all get more opportunities.”
With files from CTVNews.ca's Brooke Taylor and The Canadian Press
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.