B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
The potential for an unprecedented Canadian curling double was certainly there ahead of the Beijing Games. A Curling Canada rule that has been in place since mixed doubles was added to the Olympic program again prevented it from happening.
"Tons of other athletes play in multiple disciplines in the Olympics," curler Brent Laing said in an interview at the team trials. "That's the beauty of it. (Canadian) curlers can't break Olympic gold-medal records because we can only play in one event out of Canada."
Many of the country's top team curlers also excel in the mixed doubles format, which made its Olympic debut four years ago.
However, Curling Canada -- unlike many other top curling federations -- has always ruled out Olympic mixed doubles as an option for players who have already qualified for the Games in four-player team events.
The federation cites potential fatigue, tight schedules and strong domestic curler depth as some of the reasons.
Mixed doubles national coach Scott Pfeifer said the original intent of the rule was to ensure that winners of the four-player team trials had their "full focus and attention" on that discipline in the lead-up to the Games.
"We feel that this is the best way, at least for this quad -- and we're always open to reviewing it -- (of) basically increasing our podium potential for all three: our mixed doubles, men's and women's disciplines," he said in a recent video conference call.
John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes won mixed doubles gold at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea but Canada was held off the podium in the team events.
Lawes is returning to the Games with skip Jennifer Jones while Morris and Rachel Homan were named as Canada's mixed doubles duo after the cancellation of the trials due to COVID-19 issues. Brad Gushue will skip the Canadian men's team entry in Beijing.
The rule eliminated the possibility of Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant -- the top-ranked duo in Canada -- from playing mixed doubles in Beijing, since both qualified with their regular teams. Jones, who's ranked No. 2 with Laing, was also left out of the mix.
Gushue, who won Olympic gold in 2006 at Turin, Italy, took the national mixed doubles title last season with Kerri Einarson. He said playing in both disciplines would be challenging since a single Olympic competition can be a grind.
"I think what we're doing is the right move," Gushue said at the team trials. "I know it's frustrating for some people. It's frustrating for me. I'd love to have the opportunity to do both from a selfish standpoint.
"But we have enough talent in this country that we can allow someone else to go and be rested and be prepared and focus on that event only. Some other countries don't have the luxury that we have."
Canada, Sweden, Great Britain, Switzerland and Norway are among the headliners in the 10-team Olympic mixed doubles field.
Several prominent international players -- including Great Britain's Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds, Sweden's Oskar Eriksson and American Chris Plys -- plan to play both disciplines at the Ice Cube venue.
American siblings Matt and Becca Hamilton finished sixth in mixed doubles at Pyeongchang before competing in their respective team events. Matt went on to win gold with skip John Shuster and Becca finished eighth with skip Nina Roth.
Homan and men's skip Kevin Koe missed the Olympic podium in 2018. Canada also failed to reach the world championship podium last season in men's, women's and mixed doubles competitions.
The Beijing curling calendar begins with mixed doubles round-robin play Feb. 2, two days before the Games' opening ceremony.
"It's a very compressed timeline," Pfeifer said. "Lots of physical and mental tolls that are taken on the athletes. We know that there are some other countries that are doing (both disciplines) this year.
"Fortunately (in) Canada we're blessed with a wide, big talent field that we can draw from."
Mixed doubles medal games are set for Feb. 8, one day before the men's team round-robin opener and two days before the start of women's team play. The curling schedule runs through the final day of Olympic competition on Feb. 20.
It could mean a pressure-packed emotional journey of over two weeks -- about twice as long as a regular championship -- for some players.
"If you're tired at the Olympics, there's something wrong with you," said Laing, who played second for Koe in 2018. "So I don't see (fatigue) being an issue. Yeah there's lots of stress but it's fun. It depends on how you view it and how prepared you are and what you expect.
"I don't see a downside in terms of physically or mentally or anything really. The only downside I see is my kids would get mad because I'd be away for a whole month instead of just three weeks."
Laing was entered in the mixed doubles trials with substitute partner Selena Njegovan. Lawes, who filled in for Homan at the 2018 playdowns, said she "100 per cent" wished that Canadian athletes could play in both disciplines at the Games.
"It's the Olympics," Lawes said at the team trials. "I think you can run off adrenalin. It would be worth that opportunity."
Curling broadcaster Mike Harris, who won Olympic silver for Canada at the 1998 Nagano Games, sees the logic behind the federation's current setup.
"I would lean to staying away from playing both for Canada just for the reason that we have the depth," he said. "We can send an excellent team to the Olympics in mixed doubles without having to use the players that are already going in the four-person game."
Morris, now 43, is making his third trip to the Winter Games. He also won Olympic gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games with skip Kevin Martin.
"I think when I was 25, I could play both no problem and then you could throw me into a tour championship right after and I'd be fine," Morris said in a recent interview. "However at this stage of my career, when you're dealing a bit more with your recovery time, it's not as quick. And you're not as full of piss and vinegar as you are when you're young.
"It would be a bit more of a challenge. But for guys like Bruce and Oskar, I don't see that as being a challenge for them."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2022.
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.
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.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.