Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Brad Gushue is approaching this year's men's world curling championships like it could be his last.
The veteran skip from St. John's, N.L., won the world title in 2017 and lost in the final three times, including the last two years. The 43-year-old isn't taking his future for granted.
“At this point, you have to treat every one like it's the last one,” Gushue said in recent media availability before leaving for Schaffhausen, Switzerland. “I'm going into this like it could be the last because, whether I play for five or 10 more years, winning a Brier is extremely tough. You don't get these opportunities all the time.
“Hopefully we've got a few more left (in us) but I don't think we can assume that's going to happen.”
Gushue and his rink of third Mark Nichols, second E.J. Harnden and lead Geoff Walker won this year's Brier with a 9-5 victory over Saskatchewan's Mike McEwen in Regina. For Gushue, Nichols and Walker, it was their sixth Brier victory and third straight.
Harnden, in his second season with Gushue, collected his third national title. His first was in 2013 with Brad Jacobs' Northern Ontario crew.
The men's curling championship begins Saturday at the KSS Sports Complex. The 13 teams will play a round robin with the top six advancing to the playoffs and semifinals next Saturday. The winner will be crowned April 7.
Gushue understands how hard it is to win a world title. He lost last year's final 9-3 to Scotland's Bruce Mouat and in 2022 was beaten 8-6 by Sweden's Niklas Edin. He also lost the 2018 final to Edin.
“I think one thing we've done real well at the world championships is put ourselves in the position, if we have a great game, we can win it,” said Gushue. “Or, if someone slips up, we might win as well. Unfortunately for us, the last three times we played in the final we either had a poor game or, in the situation last year, Bruce had an incredible game.
“This year is just about getting back in that position of getting into the playoffs and hopefully making the final. If we could put a game together like we're capable of playing, then we'll give ourselves a real good chance. To win these big championships, you need a little bit of luck and a little bit of timing. At the last few worlds we haven't had that in the last game of the week.”
Gushue was the last Canadian rink to win the world title. Edin won four consecutive crowns before Mouat won last year. The 2020 championships were cancelled due to COVID-19.
Rachel Homan ended a four-year drought for Canada by winning the women's world curling championship with a 7-5 win over Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni on Sunday in Sydney, N.S.
Gushue said Homan's win doesn't put any extra pressure on his rink.
“If anything it probably takes the pressure off,” he said. “We have a world championship.
“I think Canadian curling fans are fully understanding of world curling now and how challenging it is.”
Homan and Gushue were the skips the last time Canadian rinks won both the men and women's titles in 2017.
Gushue understands better than most how difficult winning can be at any level. He won an Olympic gold medal in 2006 but didn't win his first Brier until 2017. He also won a bronze medal at the 2022 Olympics.
Each competition served as a learning experience.
“You take those experiences and make sure you're as prepared as you can be,” he said. “We've already had some discussions on what we can expect based on having been to a few world championships.
“I think we're more prepared because we've had those experiences in the past.”
The level of competition at the world championship has also improved.
Joel Retornaz's rink from Italy is ranked No. 1 in the world, with Mouat second and Switzerland's Yannick Schwaller, who took the bronze medal at last year's competition, fifth.
South Korea's Park Jong-duk is considered a medal contender after beating Gushue during the preliminary round of this year's Pan Continentals. Gushue rebounded to beat Park in the final. American John Shuster won gold at the 2018 Olympics and was third at the 2016 world championship.
Gushue opens with games Saturday against Lukas Klima of the Czechia and Germany's Marc Muskatewitz.
“It's a pretty deep field and even the teams that probably wouldn't be favourites to make the playoffs, they are all capable of beating every team,” said Gushue. “There are no games you can take off.
“We also are confident that if we play the way we're capable of playing, we should be there at the end of the week and hopefully gives ourselves a chance to win.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2024.
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Mookie Betts went 3 for 5, including a triple and an RBI single, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Saturday.
As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”