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.
A team of preteen Ukrainian refugees that have been scattered across Europe by war arrived Wednesday in Quebec City, where they'll get the chance to compete in a renowned hockey tournament.
The team of 11- and 12-year-olds landed in Montreal before being bused to the provincial capital ahead of next week's Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament, which has been attended in the past by all-time greats such as Wayne Gretzky and Guy Lafleur.
The bleary-eyed team arrived at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, where they were greeted by the local families who will host them during their stay. The team, who wore hats and jackets bearing the Ukrainian flag, had a chance to look at the ice, where thousands of people are expected to gather in the stands to watch them play.
Coach Evgheniy Pysarenko described the team's presence in Quebec City as "almost a miracle."
"Before it was mission impossible, now it’s miracle on ice," he said.
Pysarenko told reporters at the hockey arena that it will be hard for players to forget the war in Ukraine, where some have fathers that are on the front lines fighting the Russian invasion.
But he hopes they'll leave the tournament with lifelong memories and the belief that "anything is possible."
The team, he added, are "messengers of hope," and symbols of "spirit, strength and solidarity."
Twelve-year-old Maksym Kukharenko, whose hometown is Kyiv, has been living in the Czech Republic. He said the trip to Canada was "very long," but that he's excited to play.
"It's very cool that I’m going to this country and this city," he said.
His teammate, also named Maksym, said the tournament is "a chance for us to show ourselves to other teams in America, in Canada."
The team's improbable journey comes after months of effort by Pysarenko and a Quebec City businessman, who had to sort out visas and arrange travel for players who were displaced by war and living in countries across Europe.
At least one boy is originally from Kherson, which spent months under Russian occupation, and others are from Odesa, which has been bombed.
The Ukrainian team will have some time to settle in before they're scheduled to take to the ice at the Videotron Centre on Feb. 11 to play the Junior Bruins from Massachusetts.
Patrick Dom, the general manager of the tournament, said the last few months have been a “roller-coaster of emotions,” filled with doubts about whether the team would make it.
Given what they’ve been through, Dom said he has few expectations for how they’ll perform on the ice. But in this case, the final score isn’t the point.
“When they go back to their country or wherever they’re coming from, they will say, ‘there were 15,000 people cheering, wearing white shirts for peace’” he said.
“They will remember this for the rest of their lives. That’s what we want.”
The tournament runs Feb. 8-19.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2023
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.