News

Latest XPrize offers $20 million to find new uses for carbon emissions

CALGARY — Asking the public to "reimagine carbon," a group of oilsands companies is helping to launch a $20-million XPrize competition to find innovative ways to address carbon emissions.

Dan Wicklum, chief executive of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance, said the goal is to find practical uses for converted carbon emissions, rather than an outright reduction in carbon dioxide production.

"The competition will promote and advance the discovery and development of new technologies to take carbon emissions, which are now seen as a liability, and change them into a resource, a valuable, usable product," Wicklum said at the public launch Tuesday.

"Today we're throwing down the gauntlet, we are lighting a fire under the brightest minds in the world."

The competition runs for four and a half years and the winning team will be the one that converts the most CO2 into one or more products with the highest net value and the smallest environmental impact.

Possible solutions listed by the organizers include new ways to make cement, concrete and other building materials, chemicals to make industrial and consumer goods, low-carbon transportation fuels, or entirely new products.

Teams will be able to choose between capturing carbon emissions from a coal power plant or a natural gas facility.

The prize is being half-funded by U.S.-based NRG Energy, a utility that promotes renewable energy, and half by Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance, founded by 13 oilsands companies to find ways to reduce the environmental impacts of the industry.

"The Carbon XPrize embodies everything COSIA works toward every day," said Wicklum.

"COSIA was launched to be the vehicle through which oilsands companies would do things differently, where they would work together on shared environmental challenges and where they would share technology that would accelerate performance improvement."

The non-profit XPrize foundation, known for organizing high-profile research competitions like creating the first private space flight, will run the competition.

Follow @ibickis on Twitter.

 

 

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press

Tom Brady says comments that he hopes Trump will win presidency were taken out of context

BOSTON — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says his comments that he hopes Donald Trump will win the presidency were taken out of context and an example of why he tries to say as little as possible when speaking publicly.

Brady said during an interview with WEEI-FM radio in Boston (http://bit.ly/1L2fn3x ) that his vote is going to be his own personal choice based on how he feels.

"I don't even know what the issues are. I haven't paid attention to politics in a long time," Brady said. "It's actually not something that I really even enjoy. It's way off my radar."

The clarification comes after Brady displayed a red "Make America Great Again" hat from the Trump campaign in his locker while speaking with reporters on Sept. 16, the same day as a Republican presidential debate. When asked whether he thought Trump has what it takes to win the presidency, Brady said: "I hope so. It would be great. There would be a putting green on the White House lawn, I'm sure of that."

Brady called the remark an "offhanded comment" that reporters ran with to "get the clicks."

"I try to have fun with certain things, you know, but some things a lot of times get taken out of context," he said. "I think you are just more careful with what you say because you don't want certainly a big headline with you as saying something that's going to take the attention away from your teammates or what you're trying to do."

Brady said he thinks athletes in team sports sometimes selfishly draw attention to their own opinions and comments.

"When you're speaking publicly and you've got a lot of people listening I think it's probably in everyone's best interest in today's day and age to say as little as possible," Brady said. "That's just the way it is and I think the way our culture is right now. Everything is really out there."

Asked by the radio hosts whether his sentiments amounted to an endorsement, Brady said: "I've known him for a long time, he's been a fun guy that I've had a lot of time around." Trump's candidacy sparked a lot of stories and ratings were big for the Republican debates, he said.

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AP NFL websites: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

The Associated Press

Nova Scotia man gets overly comfy in B.C. home after stealing truck in Ontario

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — He fed the cats, prepared a meal, shaved, showered and even took meat out of the freezer to thaw.

The only problem? Christopher Hiscock, 33, was not at home and didn't know the owners of a ranch where he became a bit too comfortable.

The Nova Scotia man pleaded guilty Monday to possession of stolen property and being unlawfully in a dwelling house stemming from a bizarre incident north of Kamloops, B.C.

Provincial court heard the residents of a ranch in Little Fort on the Yellowhead Highway returned home after a night out last week to find a stranger sitting on their couch with a cup of coffee.

“She found the accused in her home watching TV,” Crown lawyer Mike Wong said.

“He had started a fire in the fireplace and prepared himself a meal. He said he had been driving by and the door was open, so he came in.

Hiscock had also helped himself to a truck in Ontario on his way to British Columbia, court heard.

“The accused appears to have done some laundry. He also fed the cats and put out some hay for the horses,” Wong said. “He used (the residents') toothbrush and shaver, he had taken some meat out of the freezer to thaw and he had written in their diary.”

"Today was my first full day at the ranch," he wrote in the diary. "I fed the cats and horses. So much I can do here I have to remind myself to just relax and take my time.

"I don’t feel alone here, I guess with 2 cats and 3 horses it’s kinda hard to be alone. Last night I had a fire in the house. It was so (peaceful). I slept like a little baby.

I saw a picture in the basement on the wall of a man holding and weighing fish on a boat. Looking at him I realized we look a lot alike, but I think I’m more handsome."

The residents flagged down a passing police car and Hiscock was taken into custody.

Hiscock’s journey to B.C. started in his home province of Nova Scotia earlier this month. Court heard he drove his car from Nova Scotia to Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., where he stole a truck and headed west.

The stolen truck, which went missing on Sept. 16, was found on the Little Fort property.

Defence lawyer Sheldon Tate said Hiscock had been working seasonally for a swimming pool company but, sensing he would be laid off, decided to travel west in search of work.

“He quickly found that his funds were less than adequate and that led him to using the vehicle from Sault Ste. Marie to get out here,” Tate said. “By the time he got to B.C., you can imagine, he was without any funds at all and he saw an unoccupied home.”

Hiscock, who has no prior criminal record, apologized in court.

“I made a lot of mistakes,” he said. “There’s really no excuses for it.”

He was still beaming about his brief stay at the ranch.

“Beautiful ranch,” he said. “Gorgeous. I was driving and I just turned in. Beautiful place.”

Judge Chris Cleaveley placed Hiscock on a one-year probation term with orders barring him from contacting the residents of the ranch and the owner of the Ontario truck.

Hiscock will also have to surrender a sample of his DNA to a national criminal database.

"I really have nowhere to go," he said, when Cleaveley asked about his plans.

“The woods is a good place, I suppose. There’s a lot of fish out there.” (Kamloops This Week) 

Tim Petruk, Kamloops This Week, The Canadian Press

Shaw TV: Scoop Fall Fashion 2015

UBCM delegates approve resolutions for Peace Region communities

Bombers QB Marve announces retirement after suffering knee injury

Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Robert Marve has retired.

Marve made cited health concerns as the reason for his decision. He suffered a season-ending knee injury while filling in for banged-up starter Drew Willy.

"After consulting with my doctors, and contemplating my future, and life after football, I have made the decision to retire from this great game," Marve said in a statement. "I would like to thank the great fans of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and this organization, who have supported me through this process. I'll deeply miss the on field competitiveness, but this is the right decision for me and my long term health."

Marve, 26, started two games this season after Willy suffered a knee injury on Aug. 9 in a 38-8 loss to Hamilton. He was replaced late in a 36-8 loss to Calgary, and the team later said he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Marve had been troubled by serious knee injuries before joining the Bombers in 2014. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee three times in college.

The Canadian Press

Police search for more answers in Taylor death earlier this month

Seniors outnumber children under 14 for the first time in Canada: StatsCan

The growing number of baby boomers entering the ranks of senior citizens has brought about a fundamental shift in Canada's demographic makeup, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.

The agency said the number of Canadians aged 65 or older edge out the number of children under the age of 14, according to the most recent population figures.

StatsCan said seniors made up 16.1 per cent of Canada's population as of July 1, 2015, compared to 16.0 per cent for children between the ages of 0 and 14.

The shift was driven by a trend that took root in 2011 and has continued to accelerate — the aging of the baby boomers, or Canadians born between 1946 and 1965.

StatsCan said the population growth rate for Canadians over the age of 65 was 3.5 per cent, nearly quadrupling the national average of 0.9 per cent.

Baby boomers now account for 18 per cent of the senior demographic, the agency said.

Demographer David Foot said the latest figures still represent the early days of a trend that is likely to persist for at least a decade. StatsCan seems to agree, projecting that Canadians over the age of 65 will make up a fifth of the national population by 2024.

Foot said the most serious implication of this shift, namely an increased toll on Canada's health care system, won't be felt for some time.

"They're still fairly young seniors. They're in their late 60s," Foot said of the boomers. "Many of them are still working and paying taxes."

The aging of the Canadian population has also begun to make itself felt in provincial figures in recent years, with Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador all reporting that deaths have begun to outpace births.

This aligns with StatsCan's latest figures, which found that Atlantic Canada had a higher proportion of Canadians over the age of 65. Seniors comprised 19 per cent of New Brunswick's population, making it the most aged province in the country. The most youthful region was Nunavut where just 3.7 per cent of the population are currently senior citizens.

While Canada's year-over-year population growth was the highest among G7 countries, StatsCan said the 0.9-per-cent increase was the smallest of its kind since 1998-99.

The slower pace was caused primarily by a drop in international migration growth, which slipped from 0.7 per cent in 2013-14 to 0.5 per cent this year.

The agency said 86 per cent of Canada's 35,851,800 residents were located in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia.

Michelle McQuigge, The Canadian Press

Swiss grant US request to extradite former Costa Rican soccer head Li in FIFA bribery case

BERN, Switzerland — Switzerland's justice ministry on Tuesday granted an American request to extradite former Costa Rican soccer federation president Eduardo Li in the FIFA bribery case.

Li was ousted from the FIFA executive committee two days before he could take up his seat after being arrested on May 27 in a dawn raid on a Zurich hotel along with six other football officials.

Li can appeal against the extradition order at Switzerland's federal criminal court within 30 days.

Costa Rica authorities have also opened an investigation against Li, who is accused by the U.S. of asking for a six-figure payment from marketing agency Traffic USA as part of an agreement for rights for Costa Rica's home qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup. That deal was worth $2.55 million to $3 million, depending on the team's success, the U.S. indictment alleges.

"By accepting bribes for the award of sports marketing contracts, Li massively influenced the competitive situation and distorted the market for media rights in connection with the World Cup qualifying matches," the Swiss Federal Office of Justice said in a statement, referencing the extradition request.

A civil engineer and son of Chinese immigrants, Li became involved in football in 2004 after buying the franchise of a first division club in Costa Rica. He was credited with some of the recent successes of Costa Rica, including the national team's appearance in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

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Online:

AP video of Li's arrest in May https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDJ6FKW-uoU&app=desktop

The Associated Press

The list of 24 MacArthur Foundation ‘genius grant’ award winners for 2015

CHICAGO — Twenty-four people from the arts and sciences have won this year's "genius grant" awards from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The prize comes with $625,000 over the next five years that can be used any way the recipient likes.

The winners are:

__ Patrick Awuah, 50, Accra, Ghana. An educator and entrepreneur who founded a university in Ghana that teaches ethical principles and skills needed in contemporary Africa.

__ Kartik Chandran, 41, New York. Columbia University environmental engineer integrating microbial ecology, molecular biology and engineering to transform wastewater into useful resources such as fertilizers, energy sources and clean water.

__ Ta-Nehisi Coates, 39, Washington, D.C. Journalist and blogger who writes about issues such as racial identity, urban policing and racial bias.

__ Gary Cohen, 59, Reston, Virginia. Environmental health advocate and co-founder of Health Care Without Harm who has worked to reduce the amount of pollutants and hazardous waste produced and released into the environment by American hospitals.

__ Matthew Desmond, 35, Cambridge, Massachusetts. An urban sociologist at Harvard University, Desmond's work has revealed the impact of eviction on the urban poor and how eviction is not just a symptom of poverty, but a cause.

__ William Dichtel, 37, Ithaca, New York. A Cornell University chemist working to bring a new class of nanostructured materials out of laboratories and into daily use.

__ Michelle Dorrance, 36, New York. A dancer and choreographer reinvigorating tap dancing by combining its musicality with the intricacies of contemporary dance.

__ Nicole Eisenman, 50, New York. An artist whose paintings, sculptures and drawings explore such themes as gender and sexuality, family dynamics and the inequities of power and wealth.

__ LaToya Ruby Frazier, 33, Chicago. Photographer and video artist at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago who uses visual autobiographies to capture the impact of economic decline and environmental degradation.

__ Ben Lerner, 36, New York. An English professor at Brooklyn College of the City College of New York, Lerner also is a novelist, poet and critic who has explored the relevance of the artist to modern culture.

__ Mimi Lien, 39, New York. A set designer for theatre, opera and dance who has created performance space to establish relationships between the characters on stage as well as between the actors and the audience.

__ Lin-Manuel Miranda, 35, New York. A playwright, composer and performer whose work fuses traditional storytelling with contemporary musical styles and whose most recent play, "Hamilton," is a Broadway sensation.

__ Dimitri Nakassis, 40, Toronto, Canada. A classicist at the University of Toronto, whose work is transforming the understanding of prehistoric Greek societies.

__ John Novembre, 37, Chicago. A computational biologist at the University of Chicago, Novembre's work has shed new light on the study of human evolution, migration and the cause of the genetic diseases.

__ Christopher Re, 36, Stanford, California. Stanford University computer scientist, who has created an inference engine, DeepDive, that can analyze data in a way that is beyond the capabilities of traditional databases.

__ Marina Rustow, 46, Princeton, New Jersey. Princeton University historian whose work has shed new light on lives of Jews and the broader society of the medieval Middle East.

__ Juan Salgado, 46, Chicago. President and CEO of Instituto del Progresso Latino, Salado has pioneered an education helps immigrants learn the skills they need for higher paying manufacturing and health career jobs.

__ Beth Stevens, 45, Boston. A neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, Stevens' research has triggered a major shift in thinking about neuron communication in the healthy brain and the origins of adult neurological diseases.

__ Lorenz Studer, 49, New York. A stem cell biologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Studer has pioneered research that could provide treatment for Parkinson's disease and perhaps other neurodegenerative diseases.

__ Alex Truesdell, 59, New York. An adaptive designer and fabricator, Truesdell has created low-tech and affordable tools and furniture out of such materials as cardboard and glue for children with disabilities.

__ Basil Twist, 46, New York. A puppeteer and theatre artist recognized for his innovative work that has helped revitalize puppetry as a serious and sophisticated art form.

__ Ellen Bryant Voigt, 72, Cabot, Vermont. A poet whose work is known for its distinctive musical quality, Voigt explores will, fate, and life cycles of the natural world.

__ Heidi Williams, 34, Cambridge, Massachusetts. An economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Williams has explored the causes and consequences of innovation in health care markets.

__ Peidong Yang, 44, Berkeley, California. An inorganic chemist at the University of California, Berkeley, Yang is seeking to transform the field of semiconductor nanowires and nanowire photonics.

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Online:

www.macfound.org

The Associated Press

FIFA bans former vice-president and Sepp Blatter ally Jack Warner for life for bribery

ZURICH — Four years after stepping down in disgrace, former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner was banned from soccer for life on Tuesday for repeated acts of bribery related to World Cup bidding votes.

Warner, a long-time ally of President Sepp Blatter who was allowed to resign from FIFA in 2011 with his "presumption of innocence" maintained, is currently fighting extradition from Trinidad and Tobago on U.S. charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money-laundering.

The decision by the FIFA ethics committee on Tuesday shows that judge Hans-Joachim Eckert will pursue officials long after they have left their jobs.

A more pressing case for the ethics body is an investigation into Blatter, who was interrogated by Swiss prosecutors on Friday in part over allegations he undervalued the awarding of World Cup television rights to Warner. Blatter, who denies wrongdoing, is at risk of being suspended by his own organization.

Warner's lifetime FIFA ban stems from Eckert's report on the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

As leader of the CONCACAF region from 1990-2011, Warner gained considerable influence in World Cup votes by the FIFA executive committee and now the extent of his wrongdoing has been reinforced by Eckert.

"Mr. Warner was found to have committed many and various acts of misconduct continuously and repeatedly during his time as an official in different high-ranking and influential positions at FIFA and CONCACAF," the FIFA statement said.

"In his positions as a football official, he was a key player in schemes involving the offer, acceptance, and receipt of undisclosed and illegal payments, as well as other money-making schemes."

The case highlights how the spectre of corruption has hung over FIFA under Blatter's 17-year presidency.

Former FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon, who hopes to succeed Blatter in February's election, said Tuesday the leadership crisis is so severe that an emergency task force should be set up to run the game.

With Blatter under criminal investigation and general secretary Jerome Valcke suspended from work and being investigated by the ethics committee, Chung said FIFA is in "total meltdown."

"Under such circumstances, FIFA and regional confederations should consider convening extraordinary sessions of their respective executive committee(s) as well as congress to set-up an emergency task force that will enable FIFA secretariat to function without interruption," Chung, a former vice-president under Blatter, said in a statement from South Korea.

Among Chung's potential rivals in February's election is UEFA President Michel Platini, who has been questioned as a witness over a payment from FIFA — one of the reasons Blatter was interrogated on Friday by Swiss authorities. Blatter and Platini denied wrongdoing as they await news from the ethics committee, which is looking into the case.

FIFA is expected to hold an election on Feb. 26 to replace Blatter, who delivered his sudden resignation statement in June, four days after being re-elected for a fifth term.

"FIFA is currently facing an unprecedented crisis," said Chung, a billionaire businessman and member of the family that founded Hyundai. "However, this is also an unprecedented opportunity to reform it. If all those who love football can bring their collective wisdom to bear on reforming FIFA, it will be possible to save and revitalize it.

"The most urgent task at hand is to root out corruption from within FIFA."

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Rob Harris can be followed at www.twitter.com/RobHarris and www.facebook.com/RobHarrisReports

Rob Harris, The Associated Press

University of Toronto prof among ‘genius grant’ winners

CHICAGO — A tap dancer who has spent her life demanding respect for an overlooked art form. A writer at the centre of the national conversation about race. A sociologist who lived in a trailer park to study evictions.

They are among the 24 winners of this year's "genius grants," each to receive US$625,000 over five years to spend any way he or she wants, no strings attached, thanks to the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Each of them found out in recent weeks through a phone call out of the blue.

University of Toronto associate professor Dimitri Nakassis was chosen for his work studying prehistoric Greek societies.

"You think it's a prank until you hear everyone on the (conference) call describing your work," said Matthew Desmond, the sociologist, who works at Harvard University.

Some have gained fame and fortune for their work that, in the case of Ta-Nehisi Coates, landed him atop bestseller lists for what he has written about race. Another winner is playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose play, "Hamilton" has been a hit on Broadway.

Others come from worlds little understood outside their fields. For them, the award is a reminder that what they are doing is important — and the money may just help keep what they do alive.

"I can finally pay my debts that I have to create what I have created," said Michelle Dorrance, a tap dancer and choreographer. "But what is so much more important is this will turn heads toward this art form."

Kartik Chandran said he sees his grant as validation for something bigger than his work as an environmental engineer at Columbia University turning wastewater from a pollutant into a valuable resource. It is recognition, he said, that something must be done about the many millions of people without clean water.

Maybe, said Matthew Desmond, the Harvard sociologist, the work he's done can remind people that there are human beings behind statistics and quiet tragedies going on around them.

Evictions "used to be so rare that they used to draw crowds," he said. "Now families have grown used to the rumble of moving trucks early in the morning."

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Online:

www.macfound.org

Don Babwin, The Associated Press

Four pedestrians injured, two seriously, after being struck by Montreal taxi

MONTREAL — Four pedestrians — three women and a man — were injured early today when they were struck by a taxi in downtown Montreal.

At least two of the pedestrians were in serious condition in hospital.

The accident occurred just after 3 a.m. as the taxi was westbound along Rene Levesque Blvd.

No names or ages have been released, nor have police indicated if charges are possible.

 

 

The Canadian Press

Six stories in the news today, Sept. 29

Six stories in the news today, Sept. 29 from The Canadian Press:

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LEADERS DEBATE WORLD POLICY WITH EYES ON HOME

They were supposed to be looking out onto the world, but the three federal party leaders debating foreign policy had their eyes firmly fixed closer to home Monday night in Toronto. The policy mechanics of trade negotiations, climate change, immigration and refugee measures and security legislation gave way to a spirited battle of emotions and values aimed at loosening up votes in a campaign that remains too close to call.

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CANADIAN TENOR MICHAEL BURGESS DEAD AT 70

Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre and Royal Alexandra Theatre will dim their marquee lights tonight for two minutes to honour Michael Burgess. The theatre star — who dazzled Toronto audiences as Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables" and was well-known to sports fans for his stirring rendition of "O Canada" — died Monday at age 70. The famed tenor died in a Toronto hospice after battling cancer for a number of years.

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HARPER TORIES HOPE FOR TRADE DEAL BY FRIDAY

The Conservative government hopes to reach an agreement before the weekend that would establish the world's largest free-trade zone, allowing a final sprint toward election day with the 12-country pact in hand. If all goes according to plan, the government will reveal details later this week of the Trans-Pacific Partnership at briefings in different cities including Atlanta, Ottawa, and Montreal, which is hosting Friday's French-language election debate.

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TURCOTT MURDER TRIAL HEARS FROM EX-WIFE

The ex-wife of former Quebec doctor Guy Turcotte will face more cross-examination on Tuesday from the defence at his Montreal trial. Isabelle Gaston testified Monday, with her back to the accused, about the end of her rocky relationship with Turcotte in January 2009. Turcotte is facing two counts of first-degree murder in the 2009 slayings of Olivier, 5, and Anne-Sophie, 3. Turcotte has pleaded not guilty to the charges but admitted last week to causing the deaths.

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NOTLEY MOVES AWAY FROM CAP AND TRADE

A federal cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions may not be suitable for Alberta, the province's NDP premier said Monday, one day after her federal counterpart proposed such a plan on the campaign trail. Rachel Notley was commenting in Montreal on the first leg of a business trip. She told executives and politicians that a national cap-and-trade system "may not be our best road forward."  Notley will visit New York City today.

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STUDY: TOPPLED TVs INJURING, KILLING YOUNG CHILDREN

There's an often unrecognized hazard lurking in most Canadian homes that poses a potentially deadly threat to young children — the big-screen TV. Those top-heavy, flat-screen televisions can topple over onto children, crush their tiny bodies and in the worst-case scenario, fatally cave in their skulls, researchers say. "The kids who are at the biggest risk are toddlers, so one- to three-year-olds," said Dr. Michael Cusimano, a neurosurgeon at St. Michael's Hospital.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY ...

— The defence continues to outline its closing arguments at the Montreal trial of a 16-year-old boy facing two terrorism-related charges.

— CBC president and CEO Hubert T. Lacroix will make a presentation at the network's annual public meeting in Winnipeg.

— In Halifax, the Maritimes Energy Association hosts the 2015 Core Energy Conference.

— Canada's Walk of Fame will announce its 2015 inductees.

 

The Canadian Press

Middle Man: McCann scores winner as Canucks down Coyotes in pre-season action

VANCOUVER — A return to the middle paid off for Jared McCann and the Vancouver Canucks.

The 19-year-old scored on the power play in the third period and Jacob Markstrom stopped 32 shots as Vancouver shut out the Arizona Coyotes 1-0 in pre-season action on Monday night.

Making a strong bid to stick with the Canucks, McCann took a pass along the boards and fired a low shot past Arizona goalie Mike Smith at 8:34 for his first goal and third point of the exhibition schedule.

"It doesn't get any better than that," said McCann. "Game-winning goal, pretty exciting."

A natural centre, McCann started the game on the wing with Brandon Sutter and Alexandre Burrows before moving down the lineup and back to his usual position after the first period.

"It should do a lot for his confidence," said Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins. "It was a great shot and a great goal."

McCann and fellow 2014 first-round pick Jake Virtanen, who played on a line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin, were given top-six forward roles for the game as the Canucks get long looks at both players with the regular season set to begin Oct. 7 against the Calgary Flames.

"We have to have guys battling for jobs," said Desjardins. "If guys deserve it we have to get them in the lineup."

Sutter said he has been impressed with McCann throughout training camp, as well as on Monday when he was asked to play out of position.

"It's nerve wracking for a young kid when you're trying to make a team," said Sutter. "He's a pretty smart player and that's what helps him. He's really intelligent."

The Coyotes had a power play to start the third and Markstrom — tabbed to be Vancouver's No. 2 goalie behind Ryan Miller after Eddie Lack was traded in the off-season — had to be sharp on Tobias Rieder's quick shot from the slot.

"I felt good. The guys did a great job letting me see the pucks," said Markstrom. "I feel better and better every day."

Canucks forward Adam Cracknell, who scored in overtime in Vancouver's first pre-season game, then saw his shot on a 2-on-1 stopped by Smith five minutes into the final period before McCann struck on the power play.

McCann and Virtanen, who is also 19, are both too young to play in the AHL this season and would have to be returned to their junior teams if they don't make the Canucks' roster.

Virtanen had the bigger impact early, delivering a hit on his first shift before taking a high-sticking penalty. 

"He played hard," said Desjardins. "It's a learning experience to play with (the Sedins)."

Coyotes forward Martin Hanzal moved in on a breakaway early in the second, but Markstrom made a nice glove save, and Smith snagged a Sven Baertschi effort on a 2-on-1 at the other end five minutes later.

"I thought we got outplayed badly in the second," said Desjardins. "They got on us, we were losing lots of faceoffs. They were just winning all the battles.

"The McCann goal really got us going."

Notes: Smith finished with 23 saves . ... The Canucks visit the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, while the Coyotes travel to Edmonton to take on the Oilers. ... Vancouver assigned six players to the AHL's Utica Comets earlier Monday, including forwards Cole Cassels and Nicklas Jensen.

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Follow @JClipperton_CP on Twitter

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

Rodgers throws for 5 TDs, Packers beat Chiefs 38-28 despite 3 rushing TDs for Jamaal Charles

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers coach Mike McCarthy is running out of superlatives to describe Aaron Rodgers.

Every week, his MVP quarterback dissects defences in painstakingly methodical fashion.

Rodgers threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns, including three to Randall Cobb, and Green Bay beat the Kansas City Chiefs 38-28 on Monday night.

Rodgers led the Packers (3-0) on two successful first-quarter drives that ended with scoring passes to Cobb and rookie Ty Montgomery. He found James Jones for a 27-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter for a 24-7 lead at the break.

"Aaron is a phenomenal player ... and playing great football," McCarthy said with a laugh. "I'll just keep saying it."

Green Bay built a 38-14 lead early in the fourth quarter before withstanding a late rush by Jamaal Charles and the Chiefs.

Charles rushed for three touchdowns for Kansas City (1-2), which followed its stunning, last-minute loss at home to Denver with a respectable fourth-quarter effort at raucous Lambeau Field.

Charles' 7-yard TD with 1:25 left got the Chiefs within 10. But the end result was the same for Kansas City, which lost its second straight.

"Green Bay did a nice job," said a curt Chiefs coach Andy Reid.

Another masterful performance by Rodgers made for a difficult night for Reid's defence.

Rodgers, who finished 24 of 35, again burned a secondary on free-play situations following defensive penalties. The longest play came on a 52-yard catch in the fourth quarter by Jones following an offside penalty, setting up Cobb's third touchdown catch.

"His ability to really process information is as good as I've ever been around," McCarthy said about Rodgers.

The Chiefs were on alert for Rodgers' tendency to take advantage of free plays.

They still got beat.

"This is not acceptable, and coach Andy Reid is not happy," Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said.

The offence's ability to build big leads feeds into the Packers' philosophy of making the opposing offence one-sided. It helps when the Packers can stop the running game, too.

Despite the three touchdown runs, the Packers prevented Charles from making explosive plays, limiting him to 49 yards on 11 carries.

Up front, Green Bay controlled the line of scrimmage when it counted and got to Alex Smith for seven sacks.

"Forcing (them) to punt that first half was pretty boring, being on the sideline," linebacker Clay Matthews said. "But, hopefully, this is just an indication of where we're headed as a defence."

Smith finished 24 of 40 for 290 yards and a touchdown.

Under pressure near his own end zone, Smith also threw an interception to Sam Shields at the Chiefs' 19 with about 7 minutes left in the third quarter. Shields returned it 15 yards, and on the next play, Rodgers found Cobb for a 4-yard touchdown and a 31-7 lead.

Rodgers and Cobb hooked up for another 4-yard scoring pass in the fourth. With the score, Rodgers set the franchise record with his fourth career game of at least five touchdown passes.

"That's a Hall of Fame quarterback, and we give him much respect," Johnson said. "It's not panic mode, but if we want to do good down the stretch, we're going to have to play a lot better against really good teams."

Kansas City stopped its long streak of no touchdown receptions by a receiver when Jeremy Maclin hauled in a 5-yard TD pass with 56 seconds left in the third quarter to get the Chiefs within 31-14.

It was the first touchdown pass caught by a receiver since Donnie Avery had a 79-yard catch-and-run against the Indianapolis Colts in a wild card game on Jan. 4, 2014.

NOTES: A week after fumbling twice, Charles had a little fun with his own Lambeau Leap into the awaiting arms of Chiefs fans following his 4-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. ... CB Phillip Gaines left late in the first quarter with a sprained knee, further depleting a thin position for Kansas City. ... For Green Bay, Jones finished with seven catches for 139 yards and a score. ... WR Davante Adams left following the first series after re-aggravating a left ankle injury. ... Also leaving the game for the Packers were TE Andrew Quarless (knee) and DL Datone Jones (head).

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

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Genaro C. Armas, The Associated Press

Jared McCann, Jacob Markstrom lead Canucks over Coyotes in pre-season action

VANCOUVER — Jared McCann scored on the power play in the third period and Jacob Markstrom stopped 32 shots Monday as the Vancouver Canucks shut out the Arizona Coyotes 1-0 in pre-season action.

Making a strong bid to stick with the Canucks out of training camp, McCann took the puck off the wall and fired a low shot past Arizona goalie Mike Smith at 8:34 for his first goal and third point of the exhibition schedule.

McCann and fellow 2014 first-round pick Jake Virtanen were given top-six forward roles for the game as the Canucks get long looks at both players with the regular season set to begin Oct. 7 against the Calgary Flames. A broken foot suffered by veteran winger Chris Higgins in Vancouver's first exhibition game means there's at least one spot open up front.

Virtanen skated alongside Daniel and Henrik Sedin on the Canucks' first line, while McCann started on the wing with Brandon Sutter and Alexandre Burrows before dropping down the lineup before moving back to his natural centre position.

Scoreless through 40 minutes, the Coyotes had a power play to start the third and Markstrom — tabbed to be Vancouver's No. 2 goalie behind Ryan Miller after fan favourite Eddie Lack was traded in the off-season — had to be sharp on Tobias Rieder's quick shot from the slot.

Canucks forward Adam Cracknell, who scored in overtime in Vancouver's first pre-season game, then saw his shot on a 2-on-1 stopped by Smith five minutes into the final period before McCann struck on the power play.

Virtanen and McCann are both 19 years old, meaning that they are too young to play in the AHL and would have to be returned to their junior teams if they don't make the Canucks' roster.

Virtanen had the bigger impact early, delivering a hit on his first shift before taking a high-sticking penalty that Vancouver killed off. 

Markstrom made a nice pad stop on a deflection by Coyotes forward Shane Doan midway through the first, while Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis had a good chance at the other end.

Coyotes forward Martin Hanzel moved in on a breakaway early in the second, but Markstrom made a nice glove save, and Smith snagged a Sven Baertschi effort on a 2-on-1 at the other end five minutes later.

Notes: Smith finished with 23 saves . ... The Canucks visit the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, while the Coyotes travel to Edmonton to take on the Oilers. ... Vancouver assigned six players to the AHL's Utica Comets earlier Monday, including forwards Cole Cassels and Nicklas Jensen.

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Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

Toppled TVs causing serious injuries – and deaths – in young kids: study

TORONTO — There's an often unrecognized hazard lurking in most Canadian homes that poses a potentially deadly threat to young children — the big-screen TV.

Those top-heavy, flat-screen televisions can topple over onto children, crush their tiny bodies and in the worst-case scenario, fatally cave in their skulls, researchers say.

"The kids who are at the biggest risk are toddlers, so one- to three-year-olds," said Dr. Michael Cusimano, a neurosurgeon at St. Michael's Hospital.

"They're occurring in older kids as well, but these injuries can be extremely severe in the younger kids — and they can be fatal."

In a review of 29 studies from seven countries published Tuesday in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, Cusimano and co-author Nadine Parker found that tens of thousands of children have been harmed by falling TVs, an occurrence that is becoming increasingly common.

In the U.S., for instance, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported 19,200 TV-related injuries from 2008 to 2010, up from 16,500 between 2006 and 2008.

The Toronto researchers determined that about 85 per cent of these injuries occurred in the home and more than three-quarters were not witnessed by a parent or caregiver.

"TVs are often placed on unstable bases, placed on high furniture like dressers, which aren't designed for TVs, or (are) not properly secured to the wall," said Cusimano.

"Meanwhile, parents are getting busier and busier and don't have as much time to supervise children, so it's not surprising that these injuries are getting reported more often."

He said accidents often happen when toddlers climb up on a piece of furniture that holds the TV. Somewhat older children may run into the furniture while horsing around and cause the television to fall on them.

"They're not being secured properly, they're not being used on the proper furniture," Cusimano said of big-screen TVs, which have become increasingly larger and less expensive over time.

"I heard of one case where (the family) had it on top of an aquarium, and the TV came down and crushed the child," he said. "The child died."

A 2005 study led by pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. James Drake at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto showed 18 children, aged 12 months to 10 years old, had been treated for a range of injuries due to falling TVs between 1992 and 2005. Sixteen of them had skull fractures.

Some of the children were left with short- and long-term symptoms, from neurological deficits causing severe disability to hearing loss and facial paralysis.

One two-year-old, who was treated at Sick Kids following submission of the study to the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, died after an 81-centimetre (32-inch) TV fell off its stand and fractured the child's skull.

"It's often like a crush injury," Drake said in an interview Monday. "So it's not what we would call a high-velocity head injury like you would have in a car accident. This is relatively low-velocity, but the TVs are very heavy, so they sort of crush the skull.

"So that causes these fractures and often injures the nerves at the base of the skull that control the face and the eyes and the hearing. Many recover, but some of them are left with a permanent deficit."

According to the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP), Sick Kids treated 33 children who had been injured by falling TVs between 2011 and 2013. Twelve of the children were admitted, 16 had head injuries and 18 had fractures, including skull fractures.

For privacy reasons, the hospital does not reveal the number of deaths, but a spokeswoman said there were "under five."

"It's a totally preventable trauma," agreed Drake," and families need to be vigilant and tether their TVs so they can't possibly fall over. And children watching TV do need to be monitored."

Cusimano said parents, grandparents and other caregivers can take steps to prevent this needless injury:

— Avoid placing toys or remotes on top of the TV.

— Create a restricted play area around the television. 

— Use a proper TV stand or console; don't place it on top of a high piece of furniture.

— Position the TV back from the edge of where it's placed.

— Attach the TV to the wall to prevent it from falling.

 

Follow @SherylUbelacker on Twitter.

Sheryl Ubelacker, The Canadian Press

CBC wins International news Emmy award for Ebola coverage in Liberia

NEW YORK — CBC's coverage of the Ebola crisis in West Africa has earned the network the 2015 International Emmys for News.

The award was presented Monday night at the Lincoln Centre in New York.

CBC sent a team, including senior correspondent Adrienne Arsenault, to Liberia in October 2014 to report from the African country worst hit by the disease.

More than 11,280 people have been reported to have died worldwide from Ebola, according to data released by the World Health Organization earlier this month.

In a series of reports, Arsenault, producer Stephanie Jenzer and videographer-editor Jean Francois-Bisson covered the victims, overwhelmed aid workers and the economic and political fallout caused by the disease.

Broadcasters in India, the Netherlands and Brazil were also nominated in the international news category.

"It was a year ago exactly we were on the ground in Liberia and we three are still struck by how much people there endured both physically and emotionally,” said Arsenault in a CBC news release. “I don't think that story will ever leave us. And neither will this honour tonight."

The Canadian Press