First responders across the globe flock to downtown Winnipeg for World Police and Fire Games' opening ceremony
CBC
Downtown Winnipeg saw thousands of first responders from across Canada and the world as they headed to the opening ceremony of the World Police and Fire Games Friday night.
"This is a great experience," said Leah Berti from the Calgary Police Service. "It's awesome to have all these different countries supporting, you know, health, fitness, and bringing people together."
Athletes from law enforcement, firefighting, and other first response agencies were marshaled from the RBC Convention Centre to the Canada Life Centre to kick off the 2023 Games.
The Olympic-style competition was expected to bring more than 8,500 participants — including friends and family of competitors — from more than 70 countries.
Active and retired first responders will participate in the competition.
"Win or lose, we're having a great time … but a win would just be the icing on the cake," said Berti, who is one of 10 volleyball players from the Calgary Police Service competing this year.
Her teammate and colleague, Kendra Laustsen, said the Games gives first responders a chance to connect with others who share her interests — both as a member of the police service and a fan of volleyball.
"We all have a commonality with first responding, and so we see and we deal with situations that aren't average," she said.
"With mental health, you need to balance. You need to have those outlets and be able to form friendships, and have ways to de-stress — and sport is definitely one of those."
Organizers estimate the Games will generate $85 million for the local economy.
Leslie Lynas, a 63-year-old retiree from the Northern Ireland Police Service, is excited for the chance to explore Winnipeg over the course of the competition.
"Winnipeg is a beautiful city. The people here are amazing," he said.
"I want to get out and about and meet the people."
Lynas said this will be his sixth time golfing at the Games, and he's made lots of new friends along the way.
The amount of money it takes for people to earn a living wage has increased across the province, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The new owner of Ontario steelmaker Stelco says his company "will not disappoint the people of Hamilton and Nanticoke," where the business's major facilities are based.
A Winnipegger is warning others about an intricate scam she says she almost fell for.
Fort William First Nation is opposing a planned redevelopment of the Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) 117 year old Kakabeka Falls Generating Station, which is located in their traditional territory.
A building that sits at the corner of Sussex Street and Brunswick Avenue has had many lives over the last century — being a church, a school and offices. Now it's set to become housing, at a time when the city sorely needs it.
A Waterloo, Ont., elementary school principal will be sentenced in the new year after pleading guilty to child sexual exploitation charges following a joint investigation that involved the London, Toronto and Waterloo police services.
Students at UPEI have let their student union know what they want from the province this fiscal year, and those priorities are reflected in a 2024-2025 advocacy document brought to the legislature on Wednesday.
Larger communities in the N.W.T. will soon see a boost in their territorial funding to maintain infrastructure and deliver services — like water and waste management — but the increase still falls short of what communities need.
The toxic drug crisis has taken more than 47,000 lives in Canada since 2016 and the synthetic opioid fentanyl has become a household name. But now, what's believed to be an even more potent class of synthetic drugs is showing up in drug busts across the country: nitazenes.
The Liberal government and the NDP have agreed to introduce a two-month GST vacation on certain items before the holiday season, Radio-Canada has learned.
Veterinarians are warning Londoners to make sure their dogs are vaccinated and keeping clean after a deadly virus outbreak was declared in London this week.