Football community on P.E.I. pays tribute to family members lost in car accident
CBC
On a rain-soaked field in Rollo Bay, P.E.I., coaches, parents and football players from across the province said goodbye to some of their own, as Melissa MacDonald and her eight-year-old daughter, Layla, passed home turf for the last time on Friday.
The two died in a head-on collision in eastern P.E.I. Sunday afternoon.
Last Sunday's accident in Cardigan was still raw for the more than 50 people who attended the tribute — many involved with the Island football community.
"Horrible in a word but at the same time there's a strong family group in the football community and I think that's very evident behind us here today with the number of people that's assembled from right across P.E.I. to celebrate the lives of two amazing individuals," said Justin Dunn, a coach with the Charlottetown Privateers football team.
MacDonald was a coach for the Wildcats football team in Souris and her daughter Layla was known as an enthusiastic young player.
Football was a family affair and kindled friendships across the province.
"She started coaching one year to train in Charlottetown with the Privateers as there wasn't a program for her son Alex in Souris," said vigil organizer Colleen Henderson.
"Then she came up and coached Atom football and she was the trainer for the Bantam and Varsity team up here and she was an amazing coach. Amazing woman."
Outside Layla's school, La-Belle-Cloche, on the electronic banner were two red roses — one big, one little.
Some people who attended the vigil wore football jerseys or tie-dye — the bright colours a favourite of young Layla.
"Layla is definitely a beacon of light. Anytime that you would see Layla there would always be a gigantic smile from one side of her face to the other," said Dunn.
"Layla in her own right was a fierce competitor on the football field. Absolutely, she suited up in flag and tackle herself and they'll be very dearly missed."
Public health guidelines kept numbers small inside for the funeral happening a little earlier.
But the rain didn't stop those gathering outside showing their support for the family.
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.
Registered nurses rallied in St. John's Wednesday as part of a week-long convention, again calling on the Newfoundland and Labrador government to create permanent solutions to staff shortages and workplace violence.