NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
In the middle of a sprawling Melbourne suburb, there's a rectangular soccer field called Olympic Park. It was built for the 1956 Games and it's also where Team Canada has been holding training sessions ahead of their opening FIFA World Cup match.
First to arrive on the pitch are a handful of training staff. While setting up equipment and mapping out drills, they loudly play pop music from a tucked-away sound system.
Next comes 37-year-old Bev Priestman, who has been the head coach of the women's national soccer team since October 2020.
"We are out here trying to keep things fresh," said Preistman. "We enjoy this and we are also very much focused on the process."
Once Priestman is settled, the players make their way to the field, and as they do, they look comfortable and confident.
"I am not sure the whole world sees us where we should be seen, and that is fine because that drives the team."
Team Canada's head coach, Bev Priestman, leads one of the women's last training sessions before taking on Nigeria in their opening. (Melanie Nagy / CTV News)
Altogether, there are 23 women representing Canada on the FIFA world stage. The roster is a mix of veterans, like Captain Christine Sinclair, and young footballers, such as 18-year-old Olivia Smith.
"What we know from the Olympics is that you take one game and you grow from it and you get better and better," said Priestman.
The team won gold for Canada at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but heading into this event, they are currently ranked seventh in the world.
"We are really excited to get going and we are ready for the tournament to start,” said starting goalkeeper, Kailen Sheridan.
Sheridan, who grew up in Whitby, Ont., says the squads' expectations are high. She also says the team is fully aware that the competition is stiff.
This will be the first FIFA Women's World Cup to include 32 teams, which is a substantial increase in players since the last tournament in 2019, which was held in France.
"We want to see growth in our sport and we want to see that competitiveness," said Sheridan during practice. "We also as a team want to go all the way."
Starting goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who grew up in Whitby, Ont., speaks to media after practice in Melbourne. (Melanie Nagy / CTV News)
While the women are the reigning Olympic champions, they have yet to win a World Cup. Their best placement so far was back in 2003 when they finished fourth out of 16 teams.
"We have always underperformed at the World Cup, but we know what we are capable of and we know what our goals are," said midfielder Sophie Schmidt.
When the tournament kicks off, Canada will be in Group B, which also includes Australia, Ireland and Nigeria, the team they will play first.
"I think this team does an excellent job staying present in the moment," said Schmidt, "We also need to get the job done on day one to set us up for success."
Midflielder Sophie Schmidt takes a break from training to discuss her team’s expectations ahead of their first World Cup game. (Melanie Nagy / CTV News)
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
Amid evidence of rising breast cancer rates among young women in Canada, one Toronto startup is offering a contactless and radiation-free device that can help doctors identify suspicious changes in breast tissue. The company, Linda Lifetech, says this can lead to earlier detection of breast cancer.
Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could wash over parts of the South early Thursday, a day after severe weather with damaging tornadoes and large hail killed at least three people in the region.
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
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.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Whether passionate about Poirot or hungry for Holmes, Winnipeg mystery obsessives have had a local haunt for over 30 years in which to search out their latest page-turners.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
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 mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.