IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
The northern Japanese city of Sapporo became a frontrunner to land the 2030 Winter Olympics after the mayor talked up a plan Monday that he said would cut the costs of holding one of sports' most expensive events.
Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto said at a news conference he would conduct a public opinion survey early next year. He did not indicate what effect it would have on a decision to pursue another Olympics.
However, a statement distributed by organizers on Monday suggested the decision had already been made to proceed.
"We will communicate our ideas about the bid for the Games and figure out the expectations and concerns of the public about the Winter Olympics and Paralympics," the statement said. "Those opinions will be incorporated into all future planning studies."
Public referendums in several European cities have voted down plans to hold Olympics.
Akimoto acknowledged there were concerns about the costs, especially after the official cost of the just completed Tokyo Summer Olympics was listed at US$15.4 billion. Some think the real costs were twice as large, and all but about US$6 billion was public money.
"People have expressed hopes, too, but they are especially worried about the heavy cost burden in the future," Akimoto said.
The IOC has not indicated when it will pick the 2030 host city.
Sapporo officials put the projected costs at between 280-300 billion yen (US$2.55-US$2.65 billion). Officials said 80 billion yen (about US$700 million) would be taxpayer money for capital costs with the rest coming from sponsors, ticket sales and the IOC.
Officials said this was a 20 per cent reduction over estimates made in 2019.
Kio Momoi, a Sapporo resident, said she found it disturbing the bid was proceeding without any democratic consultation or discussion.
"If you are going to spend that kind of money, there are a lot more meaningful things that can use that money," she said in a recent telephone interview. "They don't care about regular people's lives. No one came and asked us what we thought, but the powers that be made the decision."
Sapporo hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics, and the mayor said at least 92 per cent of the venues would be existing structures.
However, the cost of refurbishing existing venues will also be significant, and it's impossible to project costs accurately for an event that is almost a decade away. A University of Oxford study has shown that almost all recent Olympics run over budget.
Sapporo is only one of several cities expressing interest. They include the Spanish regions of Aragon and Catalonia, a possible bid from Ukraine, 2010 host city Vancouver, and some interest for 2030 or 2034 from Salt Lake City, which held the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Sapporo has frontrunner status, largely because it's ahead with its planning, and also because the International Olympic Committee is beholden after Tokyo incurred almost US$3 billion in added costs because of the one-year pandemic delay.
The IOC no longer goes through a long bid process to pick host cities. They are now chosen by the Olympic body's leadership, and decisions have been taken out of the hands of rank-and-file IOC members.
The change came as the two most recent Summer Olympics -- Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo -- had bids soiled by allegations that IOC members were bribed for their votes.
Former IOC member Carlos Nuzman of Brazil was sentenced recently to 30 years in prison for, among other things, bribing IOC members in the 2009 vote for 2016.
He is appealing the conviction.
Tsunekazu Takeda resigned in 2019 as an IOC member and head of the Japanese Olympic Committee when he became embroiled in bribery allegations over bidding for the Tokyo Olympics. He denied any wrongdoing.
The IOC has already selected its Games venues through 2032, save for the 2030 Winter Olympics. They are: Beijing in 2022; Paris in 2024; Milan-Cortina in 2026; Los Angeles in 2028; and Brisbane, Australia in 2032.
"There is no fixed timeframe for electing a host for 2030, or any other edition of the Olympic Games," the IOC said in a statement to The Associated Pres. "The Future Host Commissions, which oversee and monitor interest in future Games, are guided by strategic opportunities for the Olympic Movement and the global context."
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel.
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
Biden wants the 2024 election to be a referendum on Trump's record and plans, but he also wants voters to look favourably on his own policies and actions
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.