In the news today: New poll says Canadians split on soccer spy drone penalty

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Canadians split on FIFA’s Olympics penalty for soccer drone spying, new poll says

A new poll suggests Canadians are not exactly outraged about the punishment meted out to the Canadian women’s soccer team over its drone spying scandal. A member of the team’s coaching staff was caught flying a drone of a New Zealand team practice as the Olympics kicked off in Paris late last month. The team was docked six points, the equivalent of two wins, and three coaching staff members were given one-year suspensions. The scandal grabbed the attention of Canadians, with 70 per cent of respondents to a new Leger poll saying they were familiar with the story. Overall, 39 per cent of respondents to the poll said the punishment from the governing body FIFA was fair and 32 per cent said it was unfair.

Hearing in Postmedia bid for Atlantic news chain

Postmedia’s $1-million bid to acquire Atlantic Canada’s largest newspaper chain is expected to be the subject of a key court hearing today. A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge will be asked to approve the Toronto-based company’s bid to acquire SaltWire Network Inc. and The Halifax Herald Ltd. The two insolvent companies publish newspapers and online content in Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador. The hearing in Halifax follows intense negotiations between Postmedia and a union representing some workers at the media companies.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Canadian diplomats’ children to leave Israel

The Canadian government says it decided to pull its diplomats’ children and their guardians out of Israel, amid fears over an expanded Mideast war. Global Affairs Canada says it has approved the temporary relocation of the children and their guardians to a safe third country. Embassy staff are expected to remain in Israel. Tensions in the Middle East have sparked fears about an all-out war after the killing last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’s top political leader in Iran.

New human-rights commissioner’s start date delayed

After an independent review, Justice Minister Arif Virani announced Wednesday that Birju Dattani has agreed not to begin his appointment as chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission today as planned. Virani launched the investigation after Canadian Jewish organizations raised concerns about allegations surrounding Dattani’s past activities. Dattani, the first Muslim and racialized person to be appointed to the role, has previously denied allegations that he made anti-Israel statements, including what Conservatives characterize as a “justification of terrorism.”

Uniform backlash won’t hamper Lululemon: marketers

Team Canada’s Olympic uniform may have generated backlash from people complaining some pieces look like they’ve been blood-splattered or resemble uncooked bacon, but marketing experts say creator Lululemon Athletica Inc. won’t suffer because of the criticism. Instead, they see the Vancouver-based brand behind the uniform scoring both sales and brand awareness from their Olympic association. Liza Amlani, co-founder of the Retail Strategy Group, said in an email that the Olympic section at two Lululemon stores in downtown Toronto was very busy and many customers were lined up to purchase the red gear. The red gear they were buying is part of the Canadian team kit for the Games in Paris.

Meta a source for disaster info despite news ban

Residents of small communities across Canada are finding creative ways of getting around Facebook’s news blackout to share updates about dangerous weather events. But they say it’s still tough to get information to people quickly on the platform. One year after Meta, Facebook’s parent company, banned all links to Canadian news on its platforms — a reaction to the federal government’s legislation requiring tech giants to compensate news companies — the site remains a critical tool for people to stay informed about events such as flash floods. In the fall of 2021, Amanda Dunfield helped launch a Facebook page dedicated to informing residents of Windsor, N.S., about repeated sewer overflows after heavy rainfalls, and to organize them to do something about it.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press