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.
The CFL and CFL Players' Association broke off negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement Saturday.
The move comes after the two sides met for roughly 16 hours into the night Friday, then returned to the bargaining table Saturday morning. The current agreement, reached in 2019 and amended last year to allow the league to stage a 14-game campaign, is slated to expire at 12 a.m. ET on Sunday.
It’s unclear when the two sides will meet again. Training camps are scheduled to open Sunday but the union has directed players from seven of of the CFL's nine teams to participate in a work stoppage beginning at 12:01 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Edmonton Elks and Calgary Stampeders players will report to camp but will join the work stoppage once provincial labour laws allow. And while the union says Montreal Alouettes players won’t report Sunday, there's confusion regarding whether Quebec labour laws would put them in a legal strike position.
In a letter to CFL players that was posted on the league's website, commissioner Randy Ambrosie outlined the offer that was tabled to the union Saturday. He said the deal, which covers seven years, boosts total player compensation "by more than $24 million over the term of the agreement – plus an opportunity to share in revenue increases as we successfully work together to grow the league."
He added it "protects jobs for Canadian players, the bedrock of the CFL. It offers partially guaranteed contracts, for the first time in our league’s history. It recognizes the contribution of veteran Americans, with a new opportunity to extend their careers with their team, without restricting free agency in any way."
Other details of the offer include:
-- Two increases in the league’s minimum salary, which was CAD$65,000 last season.
-- $18.9 million in total guaranteed increases to the salary cap league-wide.
-- $5.94 million in guaranteed compensation paid for community outreach and promotional appearances league-wide.
-- An opportunity for 25 per cent of all revenue growth over an agreed upon threshold to be added to the salary cap starting in 2023.
-- Clubs can re-sign their veterans to partially guaranteed contracts, a first for the CFL.
-- A club can choose one American player (non-quarterback), who has been in the league for at least four years or played with the same team for at least three years, who would be considered a Nationalized American.
-- The Nationalized American would count as a National on the roster, joining 20 or 21 Canadians who also count as Nationals on the roster.
-- Each roster would have a minimum of seven National starters. This would include at least six Canadian players. The seventh starter could be either the Nationalized American or an additional Canadian.
-- The roster would also include three quarterbacks of any nationality, 19 Americans and up to two Global players.
-- A starting Canadian quarterback would count as a National (Canadian).
-- These roster changes would kick in as of 2023.
-- The minimum salary would increase to $70,000 in 2023 and $75,000 in 2027.
-- An updated code of conduct that applies to all members of the CFL community, including fans, instead of just players.
-- A CFLPA seat on the board of CFL ventures, the commercial arm of the league to allow for all to work on marketing the CFL and building its business.
"It's designed to build a true partnership with you, our talented, hard-working, community minded CFL players," Ambrosie wrote. "This is a win-win offer.
"It creates a stronger partnership, so we can work together to further improve our game and build our business. And it comes at a critical time. Our league, our clubs, and especially our players have been through so much during the pandemic. We turned the corner in 2021, working together to get back on the field. Now we have an opportunity to accelerate towards a brighter future.
"Let’s seize that opportunity, together."
In a memo to players, the union said that the league was trying to undermine the CFLPA bargaining committee.
"You have or will receive an email from your Club outlining the League's spin on the breakdown of bargaining," the memo read. "We had tabled a counter offer to the League's 'take it or leave it offer' this afternoon. Instead of using the time to consider our counter proposals the league, instead, took the time to craft the communication you just received.
"When we returned to the bargaining table the league informed us they are walking away from the bargaining table and that they would be communicating directly to you. This is an aggressive and crass effort to try to undermine your Players’ Association Bargaining Committee."
The memo also mentioned that the CFL purposefully walked away from the bargaining table to "try to interfere in our internal structure."
Despite their issues with the league's messaging, the union appears ready to resume negotiations.
"We expressed our regret at the league’s decision and told them we are ready to return to the table whenever they are prepared to negotiate in good faith."
Former Montreal Alouette Marc-Olivier Brouillette took to social media to support the players and union.
"Stay strong and united," he tweeted. "You're worth a lot more than you think. @CFLPA"
The league and union resumed negotiations last Wednesday, six days after the CFLPA rejected the CFL's first proposal.
The lone previous CFL strike came in 1974. The labour situation was resolved before the start of the season that year.
The 2022 regular season is scheduled to begin June 9.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2022.
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.