Ontario's largest Indigenous hockey tournament gets underway in Mississauga
CBC
Ontario's largest Indigenous hockey tournament began in Mississauga, Ont., on Sunday and thousands of First Nations children and teens are taking part.
The 49th Little Native Hockey League (LNHL) tournament, known as the Little NHL, got underway on Sunday evening with opening ceremonies at Paramount Fine Foods Centre. The event runs until Thursday.
Nipissing First Nation is hosting the event, which features 184 teams from across Ontario. A total of 487 games are being played in four days at five Mississauga arenas. It's the first time that the event is being held since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
Patrick Madahbee, president of the LNHL, said on Sunday that the tournament brings Indigenous young people together to play hockey, and helps to unite First Nations communities. More than 2,400 children and teens are expected at the event.
"We have kids that come here that don't play in regular leagues," he said. "They put on teams. We have teams that have never played before."
Madahbee said the event is intended to make hockey more inclusive.
He said organizers seek to instill in players what they call four pillars: sportsmanship, respect, citizenship and education. Off the ice, there are booths in the arenas to provide information to young people about career opportunities, he added.
"The hockey is great on the ice, but we're really trying to build good citizens," he said.
Madahbee said the event also promotes girls' hockey and the girls' division has grown over the years.
Chico Ralf, vice-president of LNHL, said some participants are from northern fly-in communities, and in some cases, it has taken them three days to get to Mississauga.
"They have to go by ice road, get on the train, then rent a bus to get down here," he said.
Ralf said there is much support for individual players from members of First Nations.
"Our community members support their players. The aunties, the uncles, all the nieces and nephews. That's why there's such a turnout of the numbers at this tournament," he said,
"It's not a hockey tournament. It's an event, it's a gathering, it's a coming together of our people and we're so proud of it."
From the Detroit Lions losing to Apple iPhones that spontaneously update, Windsorites had things that bugged them this year.
Calgary emergency rooms are “in a state of critical overcapacity” ahead of the anticipated peak of flu season — and to cope with the surge and wait-room crowding, officials are urging doctors to speed up their decisions on whether to admit patients, according to a memo obtained by CBC News.
Northern Ontario's highway system needs improvements in order to make travel safer, a highway safety advocate said.
Hundreds of thousands of used tires are piling up across Ontario as some companies responsible for tire recycling have stopped processing tires amid reduced provincial recycling regulations for tire producers, industry experts say.
People in Guelph facing homelessness will soon have a new place to go during the day.
Islanders are reminded to plan their rides ahead of holiday festivities if they plan on drinking alcohol or using cannabis.
Even before Gwen Healey Akearok began her new role as Nunavut’s Minister of Family Services, she was tuning into the Office of the Auditor General’s (OAG) hearings on the state of the Family Services department.
The racial reckoning of the COVID era saw Canada grapple with its checkered past — a process that led to statues of some foundational figures being removed, in some instances by force.
Holiday traditions are front and centre for many people at this time of year. But one Uxbridge family's Christmas tradition goes above and beyond the standard Christmas carols or holiday party.
A pedestrian is dead, and police are investigating following a collision in a north London parking lot on Tuesday afternoon.
Police have lifted a shelter-in-place order for parts of St. John's.
Nova Scotia Power is providing more information about the cyberattack on the utility earlier this year and its response in the months that followed.
A rare old-growth forest in Quebec’s Mauricie region is at the centre of a growing conflict between conservation advocates and the provincial government, after forestry roadwork was authorized in an area currently under review for protected status.