BC Winter Games for high-level youth athletes cancelled due to pandemic, natural disasters
A perfect storm that includes the pandemic and multiple natural disasters has led organizers to cancel the youth BC Winter Games.
The games, which were set to take place in Vernon, are normally held every two years and provide a platform for young, promising, high-performance athletes and their coaches to compete, connect and build community.
“With so many challenges across the province this year, it has become clear that the 2022 BC Winter Games cannot happen this February,” said Val Trevis, president of Greater Vernon 2022 BC Winter Games Society in a statement.
“Our volunteer board of directors and chairs have worked relentlessly…and we are very disappointed for the athletes and volunteers.”
According to a statement from the games society, the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the havoc wreaked by the summer’s wildfires and the winter floods “have made it impossible to stage a safe and memorable Games this winter.”
Melanie Mark, minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport said in a statement that she knows how difficult this news will be for the athletes.
“I recognize how devastating this news is for the athletes, coaches, volunteers, and host region of Greater Vernon who have been working tirelessly to prepare…these are not easy decisions to make.”
As recently as Dec. 20, prior to the cancellation, the society had been advertising online that it was looking for volunteers to work at the games.
Prince George is slated to host the 2022 BC Summer Games while the 2024 BC Winter Games are set to happen in Quesnel. Additional information about a future version of the 2022 BC Winter Games will be shared when available, says the society.
According to its website, the games “bring together British Columbia’s best emerging high performance athletes, trained coaches, and certified officials for four days of competition. This experience is an important development opportunity and stepping stone towards higher level sport competitions.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince Charles and Camilla kick off three-day Canadian tour in St. John's today
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, are in Newfoundland and Labrador's capital today to begin a three-day Canadian tour focused on Indigenous reconciliation and climate change.
Average price of gas in Canada tops $2 a litre for first time
Gasoline prices are showing no signs of letting up as the average price in Canada tops $2 a litre for the first time. Natural Resources Canada says the average price across the country for regular gasoline hit $2.06 per litre on Monday for an all-time high.
Top 6 moments from the 2022 Ontario election debate
Ontario’s four main party leaders were relatively civil as they spared at Monday night’s televised election debate in Toronto.
Attacking schools, Russia deals a blow to Ukraine's future
The Ukrainian government says Russia has shelled more than 1,000 schools, destroying 95. Intentionally attacking schools and other civilian infrastructure is a war crime. Experts say wide-scale wreckage can be used as evidence of Russian intent, and to refute claims that schools were simply collateral damage.
Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber set to launch Biebs Brew
A match made in marketing heaven between Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber is back with a new French vanilla-flavoured chilled coffee. Biebs Brew is the pop star's rendition of the coffee chain's cold brew coffee launched last year.
Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre denounces 'white replacement theory'
Pierre Poilievre is denouncing the 'white replacement theory' believed to be a motive for a mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., as 'ugly and disgusting hate-mongering.'
Rising cost of living worries Canadians, defines Ontario election
The rising cost of living is worrying Canadians and defining the Ontario election as prices go up on everything from groceries to gas.
Online diary: Buffalo gunman plotted attack for months
The white gunman accused of massacring 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket wrote as far back as November about staging a livestreamed attack on African Americans, practiced shooting from his car and travelled hours from his home in March to scout out the store, according to detailed diary entries he appears to have posted online.
Man killed in California church shooting called a hero
A gunman motivated by hatred against Taiwan chained shut the doors of a California church and hid firebombs before shooting at a gathering of mostly elderly Taiwanese parishioners, killing a man who tackled him, authorities said.
Vancouver Island
-
Victoria police arrest youths amid weekend crackdown in downtown core
Victoria police say they arrested six youths on Friday night and two on Saturday amid a crackdown in the city's downtown core.
-
Canadian WWII flying ace 'Stocky' Edwards dies
One of Canada's most successful Second World War flying aces, James "Stocky" Edwards of Comox, B.C., has died at the age of 100.
-
Nanaimo issues warning after mother bear, cubs spotted in parks
The City of Nanaimo is warning residents to be on the lookout after a mother bear and her two cubs were reported in two recent sightings.
Calgary
-
Warrant issued for suspect in crash that killed Calgary mother of 5
Calgary police said in a statement issued Monday they have identified a suspect wanted in an incident that resulted in the death of a Calgary mother of five.
-
'Great for all of Alberta': Flames, Oilers prepare for battle in second round
Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk weren't even born the last time the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they still understand how much the Battle of Alberta means to fans of both teams.
-
Italian language program cancelled for 2022-23 school year at Catholic school
Kids at St. Alphonsus elementary and junior high won't be able to continue in the school's long standing Italian language and culture program in September.
Edmonton
-
Alta. man pleads guilty to 1st-degree murder in deaths of woman, toddler
The Alberta man accused of first-degree murder in the deaths of a 24-year-old woman and her 16-month-old child is due in court on Monday.
-
New strategy aims to make Edmonton safer as community calls for more EPS officers
Community members and councillors weighed in on a newly proposed safety and well-being plan crafted by administration to make Edmonton the safest city in Canada by the end of the decade.
-
Police takedown suspect vehicle in northeast Edmonton
Officers performed a vehicle takedown in northeast Edmonton Monday afternoon to end a "short" police chase.
Toronto
-
Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner had his Range Rover stolen at gunpoint in Etobicoke
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner was the victim of an armed carjacking outside a movie theatre in Etobicoke on Monday night, multiple sources confirm to CP24.
-
Top 6 moments from the 2022 Ontario election debate
Ontario’s four main party leaders were relatively civil as they spared at Monday night’s televised election debate in Toronto.
-
Ontario party leaders attack Ford on health, education in election debate
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford faced a barrage of attacks from the other three major party leaders in the Ontario election debate Monday.
Montreal
-
Quebec English-speakers have higher unemployment, lower income than French-speakers: study
Who are Quebec's English-speakers in 2022, anyway? A new study shows they're young, extremely ethnically diverse -- and are struggling in the workforce, with higher unemployment and lower income than French-speakers.
-
Apartment hunting: What can you get for $1,450 in Montreal?
As moving season approaches, the ongoing housing crisis is on the minds of many Montrealers seeking a new place to live.
-
Classes cancelled at Royal West Academy due to small fire
Classes at Royal West Academy in Montreal West have been cancelled due to a small fire on campus.
Winnipeg
-
Sex workers concerned over proposed legislation bringing changes to hotels
Sex workers are raising concerns about a proposed law aimed at cracking down on human traffickers who use short-term rentals, saying the move could make things less safe for them.
-
Prince Charles and Camilla kick off three-day Canadian tour in St. John's today
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, are in Newfoundland and Labrador's capital today to begin a three-day Canadian tour focused on Indigenous reconciliation and climate change.
-
Beavers taking a toll on this Winnipeg neighbourhood's tree canopy
Some busy beavers have been taking a toll on a Winnipeg neighbourhood's tree canopy, prompting a group of residents to work with the city to save the trees.
Saskatoon
-
Rising fuel costs a challenge in search for missing Sask. boy
The rising cost of fuel is complicating the nearly month-long search for a missing Saskatchewan boy continues.
-
Sask. doctor says he lost sleep over decision to take Ontario job
Saskatoon intensive care physician Dr. Hassan Masri says he has taken a leadership role in Ontario.
-
Where most police street checks happen in Saskatoon
Saskatoon Police Service says all of the 189 contact interviews conducted by its officers last year complied with policy.
Regina
-
Regina's mayor met with PM Trudeau in Ottawa Monday
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa on Monday to discuss a number of topics including ongoing infrastructure projects and social initiatives.
-
Sask. doctor says he lost sleep over decision to take Ontario job
Saskatoon intensive care physician Dr. Hassan Masri says he has taken a leadership role in Ontario.
-
Pressure mounts as CFL enters second day of work stoppage
The wind blowing against the uprights was the only action at Griffths Field in Saskatoon Monday morning as the league enters day two of the work stoppage.
Atlantic
-
Prince Charles and Camilla kick off three-day Canadian tour in St. John's today
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, are in Newfoundland and Labrador's capital today to begin a three-day Canadian tour focused on Indigenous reconciliation and climate change.
-
'Absolutely disgusting': Team leader critical of RCMP mental health support after N.S. shooting
The RCMP's treatment of their tactical team in the days following the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia was characterized as "absolutely disgusting" Monday during testimony before the public inquiry examining the killings.
-
Mother of Chantel Moore tells inquest about night N.B. police shot her daughter
The mother of an Indigenous woman shot by New Brunswick police in 2020 told a coroner's inquest Monday that less than two hours after she was awakened by an officer seeking her daughter's address to check on her safety, police returned with news that her daughter had been killed.
London
-
Mitch Marner had his Range Rover stolen at gunpoint in Etobicoke
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner was the victim of an armed carjacking outside a movie theatre in Etobicoke.
-
Tributes pour in for victim of Grand Bend altercation
“He did not have a bad bone in his body.” That’s what Gaetano Pelliteri said Monday in a letter to CTV News about his best friend, Zachary Hartman, 27, who passed away over the weekend.
-
London man charged with sexual assault of two young girls
A man from London, Ont. is facing charges in relation to two alleged sexual assaults that took place on Friday evening.
Northern Ontario
-
Top 6 moments from the 2022 Ontario election debate
Ontario’s four main party leaders were relatively civil as they spared at Monday night’s televised election debate in Toronto.
-
Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber set to launch Biebs Brew
A match made in marketing heaven between Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber is back with a new French vanilla-flavoured chilled coffee. Biebs Brew is the pop star's rendition of the coffee chain's cold brew coffee launched last year.
-
Sudbury’s Positive Inception store reopens after fire
After a fire in a nearby business closed the shop, Sudbury’s Positive Inception officially reopened Monday.
Kitchener
-
Police searching for man after child's suspicious death in Cambridge
The Waterloo Regional Police Service has released the name of a man they say could have information on the suspicious death of an eight-year-old boy in Cambridge.
-
Police seek driver in hit and run collision involving cyclist
Police are looking for a driver involved in a hit and run collision in Kitchener that sent a cyclist to hospital with serious injuries.
-
Kitchener Rangers reflect on rollercoaster season
The Kitchener Rangers' playoff run came to end over the weekend and the team is reflecting on their up-and-down OHL season.