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Federal party leaders debate foreign policy but eyes fixed on domestic audience

OTTAWA — 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.

The policy mechanics of trade negotiations, climate change, immigration and refugee measures and security legislation gave way Monday to a spirited battle of emotions and values aimed at loosening up votes in a seemingly endless election campaign that's still too close to call.

For Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, the debate before a crowd of nearly 3,000 at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall was all about ensuring Canadian security — of person and of economy.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair wanted to make it a question of Canadian values — the ones that built a country of immigrants.

And Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau played to nostalgia and emotion, invoking the ghost of his prime minister father and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

"Let me say very clearly, I am incredibly proud to be Pierre Elliot Trudeau's son," said Trudeau, before citing the Charter, multiculturalism and bilingualism as inheritances the country can take pride in.

Trudeau added that the evening was emotional because it marked the 15th anniversary of Pierre Trudeau's death. "And I know he wouldn't want us to be fighting the battles of the past; he'd want us squarely focused on the future and how we're going to respond to Canadians' needs, and that's what we're doing tonight."

The sentiment might not change a vote at the United Nations, but Liberals likely hope it swings a few more voters their way — especially in seat-rich Ontario.

Trudeau wasn't the only leader playing to the bleachers.

Harper stoutly defended his government's policies to date on accepting Syrian refugees.

"We haven't opened the floodgates," he said. "Some European countries just started letting everybody in and now they're trying to reverse those policies."

Harper noted that the process has been sped up, "while maintaining our security and not literally spending tens of millions of additional dollars. And these are the numbers we've arrived at. We're not chasing headlines."

Harper's repeated invocation of headline-hunting opposition parties earned a stern rebuke from Mulcair. Helping the world's most vulnerable is not headline-chasing, scolded the New Democrat.

"For a prime minister of Canada to say that trying to help the most needy of the earth, help people fleeing a tragedy on a scale not seen since the Second World War, anybody fighting to take more of them in to Canada and to help them is somehow chasing headlines — I find that's disrespectful," said Mulcair. 

"It is disrespectful to Canadians and to Canadian values."

Trudeau also got in a dig, saying Harper "wants us to be afraid that there's a terrorist hiding behind any leaf and rock around us, and we all need to be afraid."

The debate, the fourth of five during the extraordinarily long, 78-day election campaign, was also remarkable for the capacity crowd of close to 3,000 paying — and occasionally partisan — patrons.

Despite rules against cheering, the large live audience helped animate the well-paced debate with applause and laughter and even a heckle or two.

A battle over federal stewardship of the economy was supposed to be this election's defining issue, but emotive "values" questions have increasingly dominated the discourse.

Those values have been attached to the country's place in the world: Canada's handling of an international Syrian refugee crisis; the place of minority religious face coverings at citizenship ceremonies; and rescinding Canadian citizenship from convicted terrorists who hold dual citizenship.

On Syrian refugees, Trudeau drew applause when he named nearby Ireland Park in Toronto, where he said 38,000 Irish arrived in 1847 fleeing the potato famine. They arrived to a city of 20,000 citizens.

Harper, meanwhile, took both Trudeau and Mulcair to task for over their stated aim of ending the Canadian bombing mission against Islamic militants in Syria, known as ISIS.

"Imagine, first day of office, that we would have a prime minister who would say to the United States we are pulling out of the joint military mission against the Islamic state. And why? Because you Mr. Obama are continuing the polices of George W. Bush," Harper said. 

"Seriously, if you really want to poison the relationship, that would be the way to do it."

Harper also ripped into his opponents over his government's ongoing — and reportedly nearly complete — negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

"You don't get those deals by coming up with a million reasons why you're against them before you even get to the table and why you should walk away once you're there," he said.

Mulcair had an opportunity for his own two-front offensive, blasting both Harper's Conservatives and the Liberals who preceded them in office for not giving Canada a comprehensive policy to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.

Harper responded that his government has been consistent in stating any international protocol requires all countries to sign on and that he's "very optimistic" the world will reach an historic accord in December when international negotiations take place in Paris.

The last leaders' debate takes place Friday in Montreal, sponsored by the French-language network TVA. 

Bruce Cheadle, The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said the climate change conference in Paris takes place in November.

Harper Conservatives hope to have big free trade agreement this week

WASHINGTON — 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.

Should the negotiations in Georgia conclude successfully, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper will take the debate stage heralding a new free-trade deal covering 40 per cent of the global economy.

The government expresses optimism the deal might be sealed during a two-day round of talks for which Canada's trade minister departs Tuesday.

Ed Fast leaves the campaign trail in his British Columbia riding to join the three-dozen-member Canadian delegation already in Atlanta. Ministerial-level talks begin the next morning.

"We are certainly going down there with (hope there) could be a deal," said Max Moncaster, a spokesman for Fast. "But a lot of difficult issues remain, and we're committed to resolving those with our TPP partners."

That note of caution underscores the sense of disappointment still fresh in negotiators' minds following the last round. Harper had also planned to make a triumphant announcement on the eve of his election call, but those plans were scuttled during the late-July round in Maui.

The Canadian delegation felt blindsided by an unforeseen irritant on auto manufacturing. Sources in two countries say the American and Japanese sides worked out a drastic change that would affect vehicle manufacturing on this continent.

The other North American parties were only informed later. One source said the Americans first told the Mexicans they'd agreed to practically slice in half the regional-content requirement for tariff-free vehicles from the NAFTA levels. The Mexicans broke the news to the Canadians.

"Our officials were, like, 'No, that's not going to work,'" said a Canadian source, speaking on anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the talks publicly.

Officials identified positive signs since that July disappointment — they cited minor progress on auto manufacturing and dairy at subsequent talks in Washington and San Francisco.

Other countries have asked for greater access to Canada's tightly managed dairy sector, with sources saying those initial demands were multiple times higher than the increased import quotas in the Canada-Europe trade deal.

One source said other countries have inched away from their initial request.

But a New Zealand official said agriculture remains far too protected. Mike Petersen, that country's envoy for agriculture, said several countries including Canada haven't gone far enough.

"We have yet to see the major players offer the step up to what is required to meet the goals of TPP," Petersen said. "This issue is clearly shaping up as being pivotal to the success or otherwise of these talks in Atlanta."

The federal government faces pressure at home, too.

The dairy industry has a strong presence in dozens of Central Canadian ridings. Ontario and Quebec's agriculture ministers are heading to Atlanta to shadow their federal counterpart, accompanied by representatives from the dairy sector.

Quebec Agriculture Minister Pierre Paradis said there's concern his federal counterpart could be pressured to give up too much.

"We want the minister, who left the federal campaign to go down there, to feel that this is a big deal," said Paradis, referring to federal-provincial meetings.

The battle over automobile production could be epic.

A union representing auto workers predicts production would shift to non-TPP countries like China with new regional-continent rules, and would exacerbate the long-term decline of Canadian auto manufacturing.

Unifor plans to fight the government in a dozen swing ridings in southern Ontario with a strong presence of auto workers. Unifor has previously run ads against the Harper Tories.

It wants the government defeated, and wants the opposition parties to back away from any bad deal. The union president noted that the deal's full text probably wouldn't even be released before Canadians vote.

"This government thinks they're going to close the deal, they're going to have a photo-op to say, 'Look, we just signed a deal,' without any intention of sharing the details with Canadians," said union leader Jerry Dias.

"They're not going to get away with it. They're going to have to tell the dairy farmers what's in the deal. They're going to have to tell the auto-parts companies what's in the deal."

Some Canadian auto companies favour the deal. Ontario-based Martinrea International Inc. pays taxes in Canada, has 2,500 employees in Canada, but also has 14,000 workers worldwide.

The auto-parts company says a TPP would help it grow — including in Canada. But if Canada misses out on TPP, it says, the car companies it supplies will simply shift operations to countries within the zone.

"How can we walk away from one of the largest free-trade agreements in the world — where we have an opportunity to participate and then don't?" said company chairman Rob Wildeboer.

The debate could continue for months, as parliaments in different countries decide whether to ratify the deal.

— With files from Julien Arsenault

Alexander Panetta, The Canadian Press

Canadian hockey coach Shannon Miller files discrimination suit against UMD

MINNEAPOLIS — Former Canadian women's hockey team coach Shannon Miller and two other former University of Minnesota-Duluth female coaches have filed a discrimination lawsuit against the school saying they lost their jobs because they're female and gay.

Miller, from Melville, Sask., led the Bulldogs to five NCAA women's championships in her 16 seasons there. UMD cited a budget deficit when it told her last December that it would not renew her contract.

The other plaintiffs in the suit are former women's softball coach Jen Banford, who was also director of operations for UMD women's hockey, and former women's basketball coach Annette Wiles.

Banford, who is from Ottawa, and Miller allege in the lawsuit filed Monday that the university dismissed them because they're female, gay and Canadian.

Wiles says she was forced out because of her gender and sexual orientation. Miller, 51, and Wiles, 46, also allege age discrimination.

"We continue to refute the allegations and claims of discrimination and will aggressively defend ourselves in the lawsuit," UMD chancellor Lendley Black said Monday in a statement. "I continue to stand behind the athletics department under the leadership of Josh Berlo, and the direction of UMD athletics.

"UMD continues its focus and commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion, and I am personally committed to continuing an environment where diversity is embraced."

The lawsuit seeks unspecified back pay and compensatory damages, as well as lawyers' fees.

The suit accuses the university of unlawfully retaliating against the women for reporting that other school employees harassed them because they were lesbians, and of creating a hostile work environment that made it difficult to do their jobs.

It also says the women were paid less and had smaller budgets than their male counterparts on the men's hockey, baseball and basketball teams.

Miller is a former Calgary police officer who coached the Canadian women to a world championship in 1997 as well as Olympic silver in 1998. She was assistant coach for the Canadian women when they won world titles in 1992 and 1994.

Her record at UMD was 383-144-56, which ranks fourth all-time among Division 1 women's coaches. The Bulldog women won three straight national titles from 2001 to 2003 and again in 2008 and 2010 under Miller.

Twenty-six alumni have represented their respective countries at Winter Olympics, including Canada's Caroline Ouellette and Haley Irwin.

Miller's contract at UMD expired in June. The contracts of her assistant coaches Gina Kingsbury and Laura Schuler, both former Canadian team players, were also not renewed.

The school named Maura Crowell as Miller's replacement April 3. Laura Bellamy and Samantha Reber were named assistant coaches June 15.

Schuler, from Toronto, is coaching the Canadian women's team this season, which isn't a full-time position. Kingsbury, from Rouyn-Noranda, Que., was hired by Hockey Canada as a director of women's national teams. They did not join in the lawsuit.

Miller says she was repeatedly told the decision to jettison her was because of "financial constraints."

Minnesota-Duluth is facing a budget deficit due in part to declining enrolment. Men's and women's hockey are UMD's only Division 1 sports with the rest in Division 2.

Berlo said Miller was the highest-paid coach in Division 1 women's hockey with a reported salary of just over US$200,000 in her final season.

The lawsuit contends that Bulldogs men's hockey coach Scott Sandelin earns a base salary of $300,000 and is still employed by UMD.

Miller has said she was willing to take a pay cut, but not asked to do so before she was informed Dec. 9 that the 2014-15 hockey season would be her last behind the Bulldogs' bench.

She has hired lawyers from both Minnesota and California.

Her Oakland lawyer, Dan Siegel, helped female volleyball, basketball and softball coaches, as well as a female associate athletic director, win financial settlements against their employer Fresno State in 2007 and 2008.

———

With files from The Canadian Press.

The Associated Press

Canadian tenor Michael Burgess dead at age 70 after battle with cancer: friend

TORONTO — A family friend says Canadian tenor Michael Burgess has died at age 70.

Bruce Bowser says Burgess died in a Toronto hospice on Monday evening surrounded by members of his family.

Burgess had been battling cancer for a number of years and was best known for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in the Toronto production of "Les Miserables."

He also took the role across Canada on the first national tour of the production as well as appearing for the 10th anniversary concert at Royal Albert Hall in London.

Burgess was also known to hockey fans for singing the national anthem for many years at Toronto Maple Leafs home games and was the first person to sing "O Canada" at a World Series baseball game.

Bowser says a funeral for Burgess is planned for Oct. 5.

The Canadian Press

MTV extreme sports star killed after hitting tree during skydiving performance in California

SAN FRANCISCO — An extreme sports and MTV star skydiving for the opening ceremony of a golf event in Northern California died when he struck a tree Monday, authorities said.

Placer County Sheriff's Capt. Dennis Walsh said Erik Roner of Tahoe City, California died during a skydiving accident at a golf course in Squaw Valley, California, about 5 miles from Lake Tahoe's northwest shore.

Witnesses told deputies Roner, 39, was part of a group conducting a skydiving performance for a golf event, when he hit a tree while trying to land and became entangled high above ground, Walsh said.

Authorities were not able to remove him from the tree and Roner was pronounced dead at the scene.

All the other skydivers landed safely, he said.

Walsh said the investigation is continuing and the Federal Aviation Administration has been notified.

Roner, a professional skier and avid BASE jumper, was known for being part of the Nitro Circus, an MTV show centred around freestyle motocross rider Travis Pastrana and his crew of extreme sports athlete friends. He also hosted TV show "Locals" on sports network Outside Television.

"Erik was an amazing person who made everyone and everything around him better," Pastrana said.

Roy Tuscany, a friend of Roner, who witnessed the accident said it occurred right before a celebrity golf tournament was about to begin Monday morning.

Tuscany said that he watched as two other parachutists landed safely on the golf course's fairway for the 9th hole but then looked on in horror when Roner slammed hard into a tree about 25-30 feet above the ground.

He said Roner's parachute got caught in the tree and Roner dangled there while many on the ground scrambled to find ladders and other means to get to him. At one point, several people attempted to stand on one another's shoulder to reach him.

"There's no protocol for this kind of rescue," Tuscany said. "There's no manual. It was just horrible."

Tuscany described his friend Roner as "always positive" and a "big supporter" of the local community.

He said Roner was "hilarious and was a "stand-up guy" who could always be counted on to help out with benefit events like the golf tournament sponsored by the Squaw Valley Institute, a non-profit organization that describes itself as being "dedicated to presenting enriching and inspirational programs to the Lake Tahoe region."

"We are still trying to process this tragedy," said Rob Faris, senior VP, programming and production at Outside Television. "Our hearts go out to his family."

Outside Television will air "Locals" from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. EDT Tuesday.

Roner's death comes four months after world-famous wingsuit flyer Dean Potter and fellow adventurer Graham Hunt fatally crashed after the pair leaped from Taft Point, 3,500-feet above Yosemite Valley, attempting to clear a V-shaped notch in a ridgeline.

Roner is survived by his wife and two children, according to the Squaw Valley Institute.

___

Associated Press writer Paul Elias contributed to this report.

Olga R. Rodriguez, The Associated Press

Federal party leaders square off in feisty foreign policy debate

OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau invoked his father's ghost Monday night in an election leaders' debate that was far more emotional and animated than the dry foreign affairs subject matter might have suggested.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also amped up his ardour, pounding home the point that convicted terrorists have no home in Canada and can expect to be stripped of their citizenship, while painting his rivals as soft on security.

And the NDP's Tom Mulcair asserted that New Democrats are prepared to send Canada's military into combat, provided the mission has NATO or United Nations approval.

The debate, the fourth of five during the extraordinarily long, 78-day election campaign, was also remarkable for the capacity crowd of more than 3,000 paying — and occasionally partisan — patrons at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall.

The large live audience helped animate the well-paced debate with applause and laughter that punctuated the three leaders' most cogent points.

A battle over federal stewardship of the economy was supposed to be this election's defining issue, but emotive "values" questions have increasingly dominated the discourse.

Those values have been attached to the country's place in the world: Canada's handling of an international Syrian refugee crisis; the place of minority religious face coverings at citizenship ceremonies; and rescinding Canadian citizenship from convicted terrorists who hold dual citizenship.

Trudeau, the Liberal leader considered to have the most to lose in a two-hour debate on foreign policy, came out swinging.

On Syrian refugees, Trudeau drew applause when he invoked nearby Ireland Park in Toronto, where he said 38,000 Irish arrived in 1847 fleeing the potato famine. They arrived to a city of 20,000 citizens.

But it was under attack for supporting the contentious Conservative security bill, C-51, that Trudeau reminded viewers of his famous prime minister father.

"When we talk about the legacy that my father leaves behind, first and foremost is the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which has defined Canada as a country that stands up for individual rights, even against governments that want to take those away," said the younger Trudeau.

"Multiculturalism that has made Canada strong not in spite of its diversity, but because of its diversity...."

Trudeau added that the evening was emotional because it marked the 15th anniversary of Pierre Trudeau's death.

"And I know he wouldn't want us to be fighting the battles of the past; he'd want us squarely focused on the future and how we're going to respond to Canadians' needs, and that's what we're doing tonight."

Harper stoutly defended his government's policies to date on accepting Syrian refugees.

"We haven't opened the floodgates," said the prime minister. "Some European countries just started letting everybody in and now they're trying to reverse those policies."

Harper noted that the process has been sped up, "while maintaining our security and not literally spending tens of millions of additional dollars. And these are the numbers we've arrived at. We're not chasing headlines."

Harper's repeated invocation of headline-hunting opposition parties earned a stern rebuke from Mulcair. Helping the world's most vulnerable is not headline chasing, scolded the New Democrat.

The refugee issue has come up repeatedly during the election campaign, and with it the related arguments around how to approach the civil war in Syria, how to shape immigration policy, and what constitutes an optimal level of development aid.

On climate change, Harper said his government has been consistent in stating any international protocol required all countries to sign on and that he's "very optimistic" the world will reach an historic accord later this year.

The next round of international negotiations on global climate change targets is scheduled for December in Paris. Harper has been accused of doing little to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, and of mishandling pipeline negotiations by not demonstrating enough commitment to the environment.

Outside, partisans and protesters vied to get their messages out amid throngs of watchful police.

"Change the politics, not the climate," said one protest sign.

Others asserted that only Harper is tough on terrorism, a direct rebuke to their counterparts urging "Hands off Syria."

One man carried a huge sign reading "no no no" to all three leaders.

Both the Globe and Mail and Munk organizers said they invited leaders of parties with official status in the House of Commons, which requires at least 12 seats. The Green party, Bloc Quebecois and Forces et Democratie each had two seats when Parliament was dissolved.

The Greens have complained to the Canada Revenue Agency that the Munk format may run afoul of tax rules governing the political activities of charities.

The last leaders' debate takes place Friday in Montreal, sponsored by the French-language network TVA. 

Bruce Cheadle and Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said the climate change conference in Paris takes place in November.

Canadiens coach Therrien welcomes renewed rivalry with Quebec City

QUEBEC — Listening to coach Michel Therrien before the Montreal Canadiens' game at the new Videotron centre on Monday night, it was like the Quebec Nordiques were already back in the NHL.

And he would welcome reviving an old rivalry with them.

"Hockey has changed," Therrien said before the Canadiens faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in pre-season action. "I'd be surprised if disgraceful incidents like the Good Friday (brawl) game in the old days would happen now.

"I hope not. It will be a healthy rivalry like we have with the Boston Bruins or the Toronto Maple Leafs and, the way it's been growing in recent years, with the Ottawa Senators. It'll be fun."

Therrien grew up a Canadiens fan in Montreal, but he admitted to having a soft spot for the Nordiques in their early years in 1980-81, when he played junior hockey with the Quebec Remparts and used to bump into stars like Michel Goulet, Marc Tardif and Real Cloutier.

It was the first NHL game at the new 18,259-seat rink built next door to the old Colisee where the Nordiques skated in the NHL from 1979 until the team left for Colorado to become the Avalanche in 1995.

Quebec City and Las Vegas have applied for expansion franchises, but the NHL has yet to decide if it will add a new team or two. 

Therrien said having a team back in Quebec City is inevitable, and he was impressed with the new rink.

"It's a first class facility," he said.

He also said it would help bring more for French-speaking coaches and managers into the NHL, as it did when the Nordiques played. It could also bring more French-Canadian players into the league.

Canadiens centre David Desharnais, a native of the Quebec City area, is aware he will be less welcome in his home town if it had its own NHL club, but he's not bothered by that.

"The fans in Quebec want their Nordiques back," said Desharnais. "I think it will happen."

Robert Laflamme, The Canadian Press

Nats suspend Papelbon for 4 games for dugout fight with Harper; closer to miss rest of season

WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper is not quite sure what he could have done differently to avoid the dugout fight with teammate Jonathan Papelbon that resulted in the Washington Nationals suspending the closer for four games without pay.

"If you're in a bar or if you're in the dugout or if you're anywhere," Harper said Monday, a day after his scrap with Papelbon, "if someone grabs your neck, your first reaction is to do what I did, I guess."

Harper, a leading NL MVP contender, also indicated he would be OK with Papelbon returning to the Nationals in 2016. The reliever has an $11 million guaranteed contract for next season.

"If 'Paps' can help us win a World Series next year, that's what I need. That's what this whole clubhouse needs," Harper said. "We can't be fighting or anything like that."

Papelbon will miss the rest of this season. On Monday, he dropped his appeal of a three-game ban from Major League Baseball for throwing at an opponent's head last week, and then missed Washington's 5-1 victory over Cincinnati. After that punishment ends, Papelbon serves the Nationals' suspension announced Monday.

Harper was held out of the home finale against the Reds for "his part in the altercation" with Papelbon, manager Matt Williams said.

Harper, though, said after Sunday's game that he was scheduled to be off Monday, anyway.

Asked whether he was disappointed at the way the Washington portion of his season ended, Harper said: "I've got three more years at Nats Park."

General manager Mike Rizzo said Papelbon's more severe discipline made clear who the club felt "was more at fault."

On Sunday, after Harper flied out in the eighth inning against Philadelphia, he headed to the dugout, where he and Papelbon exchanged words. The argument escalated, and Papelbon reached out with his left hand and grabbed Harper by the throat.

Papelbon then shoved the outfielder toward the bench with both hands, before teammates and members of Williams' coaching staff pulled the pair apart.

"It's been a very difficult 24 hours for the organization," Williams said.

Williams was at the other end of the dugout and, he said Monday, was not aware of exactly what happened until later in the day, when he saw video that made the rounds on Twitter immediately after the scuffle. Williams said he hadn't seen that video before his postgame news conference Sunday and hadn't sought information from his coaches or other players during the game. He added that because he was unaware of the extent of the confrontation, he sent Papelbon back out to pitch in the ninth inning.

"I thought it was odd," Rizzo said of the reliever returning to the mound after the fight. "But there's a lot of things going on in the dugout at the time. Matt missed it. He owned up to it."

When he eventually did see video of Papelbon clutching at Harper's neck, Williams said, "I was upset. I was appalled."

But he also made it sound as if a truly bothersome aspect was that everyone saw what happened.

"Generally, this happens between players in the confines of a private clubhouse. It doesn't happen in the open, generally," Williams said. "So that being said, that's how we would prefer to do it."

Both Williams and Rizzo said they had no problem with the way Harper jogged to first base on the fly ball that preceded the skirmish.

"I've got no problem with his effort level (or) the way he hustles," Rizzo said. "It is the job of the veteran players to point out what they think when you're not playing the game right. 'Pap' must have felt that he wasn't and he called him on it. It takes a guy with some guts to call a player out nowadays."

Harper, Rizzo added, "did not deserve it, in my personal opinion."

On Wednesday, the reliever plunked Baltimore star Manny Machado and was ejected; Harper called the hit-by-pitch "tired" and worried aloud about whether the Orioles would retaliate by beaning him.

Rizzo acquired Papelbon from the Phillies in a trade in late July in hopes of a possible post-season push.

"Will he be with us in 2016? He's under contract," Rizzo said about Papelbon. "We're going to evaluate every moving part that we have after the season and we'll make all those decisions once the final out is made in 2015."

That applies to Williams' status, too, Rizzo said.

The Nationals began the season as World Series favourites, but their playoff hopes officially ended Saturday, when the Mets clinched the NL East title.

"This has been a very disappointing season," Williams said. "Everybody understands that."

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press

Dawson Creek RCMP investigate home invasion and SPCA break and enter

3 female ex-University of Minnesota Duluth coaches file discrimination lawsuit against school

MINNEAPOLIS — Three former University of Minnesota Duluth coaches, including women's hockey coach Shannon Miller, filed a discrimination lawsuit against the university Monday, saying they lost their jobs because they're female and gay.

Miller led the Bulldogs to five NCAA national championships, but UMD officials cited a budget deficit when they told her last December that they would not renew her contract. The others plaintiffs include former women's softball coach Jen Banford, who was also director of operations for UMD women's hockey under Miller, and former women's basketball coach Annette Wiles.

Miller and Banford allege in the lawsuit filed in federal court that the university did not renew their contracts because they're female, gay and Canadian. Wiles alleges she was forced out in June because of her gender and sexual orientation. Miller and Wiles also allege age discrimination.

The lawsuit also accuses the university of unlawfully retaliating against the women for reporting that other school employees harassed them because they were lesbians, and of creating a hostile work environment that made it difficult to do their jobs. It also says the women were paid less and had smaller budgets than their male counterparts on the men's hockey, baseball and basketball teams.

Miller said at a Monday news conference that the lawsuit is not just about three former coaches, the Star Tribune reported.

"Sexism and homophobia are alive and well at the University of Minnesota," she said.

UMD Chancellor Lendley Black issued a statement last week, before the lawsuit was filed, disputing the plaintiffs' broad claims of discrimination. In a new statement Monday, Black said the school is prepared to handle the lawsuit through the legal process.

"Throughout the process, the issues brought to our attention were handled professionally and appropriately. We continue to refute the allegations and claims of discrimination and will aggressively defend ourselves in the lawsuit," Black said.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified back pay and compensatory damages, as well as attorneys' fees.

Miller was UMD's first head women's hockey coach. During her 16 years with the program, she also helped lead it to 11 Frozen Four tournaments. According to the complaint, she has the fourth most wins among active Division I women's hockey coaches. But she was told at a meeting with athletic director John Berlo and Black on Dec. 9 that her contract and those of her staff would not be renewed.

They told her the decision was "strictly financial" and that the university simply couldn't afford her salary, the lawsuit says. Miller had accepted pay cuts previously to help the school and was willing to take another but was never given that opportunity before the meeting, it says.

The Associated Press

Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki takes batting practice, says he will be ready for post-season

BALTIMORE — Toronto shortstop Troy Tulowitzki tested his injured shoulder by taking batting practice Monday and expects to return in time for the post-season.

Tulowitzki hasn't played since Sept. 12, when he cracked his scapula and bruised muscles in his upper back after colliding with teammate Kevin Pillar in a game against the Yankees.

After taking between 30 and 40 swings, Tulowitzki said, "Hitting is the last thing. This is pretty much the first time I have hit live."

Tulowitzki took a few cuts outside before a rain shower forced him to conclude the session indoors.

The Blue Jays obtained Tulowitzki from Colorado on July 28 in a multi-player deal. He's batting just .232 with the Blue Jays, but they're 30-8 with him in the starting lineup.

Manager John Gibbons says Tulowitzki could return sometime this week. The Blue Jays entered Monday's game against the Orioles with a magic number of four to clinch the AL East title.

Asked if he expected to be ready for the post-season, Tulowitzki replied, "Definitely."

The Associated Press

Grande Prairie RCMP looking to identify armed robbery suspect

IndyCar’s James Hinchcliffe returns to the track 4 months after life-threatening accident

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — James Hinchcliffe's smile and sense of humour were on full throttle Monday, four-plus months after life-threatening injuries put his IndyCar career on hold.

The Canadian returned to the cockpit with his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team for a test session at the 14-turn, 4.048-mile Road America course that is expected to host a June 2016 IndyCar race.

Hinchcliffe, a native of Oakville, Ont., was severely injured May 18 during an Indianapolis 500 practice crash. A broken part of suspension from Hinchcliffe's car pierced his upper left thigh, and safety crew members successfully kept the 28-year-old from bleeding to death as he was quickly taken to a hospital.

Besides two surgeries, Hinchcliffe said Monday that he also suffered a serious neck injury in the accident, and recently was cleared to "start training his neck."

Hinchcliffe's recovery was a long one, he didn't want to rush the process, and said doctors left decision-making up to their patient. He said all went smoothly, in and out of the car, during his morning test session.

"I wasn't going to lie just go get back in the car sooner," Hinchcliffe said. "I wanted to make sure when I was back, I was back for good. The first couple of runs, absolutely no ill effects whatsoever. Nothing's leaking. So I think we're all good to go."

Hinchcliffe admitted he had no nerves or hesitation with climbing back into the race car. The desire to get back to work was a motivating factor for many months. The racer was running his first full-time season with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2015, after spending three seasons at Andretti Autosport.

Hinchcliffe is a five-year veteran in the open-wheel series, with four victories, including a win five weeks before his accident, in April, at an inaugural road course event in New Orleans.

"We're wired wrong," he said. "We're not right in the head, racing drivers in general. I probably should have felt more anxiety than I did. But it's what we do. It's our lives, it's our passion and nothing was going to keep me out of that car today. Absolutely nothing."

Ryan Hunter-Reay, who is Hinchcliffe's good friend and an Andretti Autosport driver, said his former teammate has been upbeat and positive throughout his recuperation. Hunter-Reay was pleased to see that Hinchcliffe didn't miss a beat with his on-track pace.

"If you have a big wreck and you get right back in the race car, it's easy to put behind you," Hunter-Reay said. "But the months off and the rehabilitation and all of that, that's when it becomes hard to get back in the car, and that's when it's hard to get back up to speed and get every last ounce of speed out of the car. He did an excellent job with it today, and I can't say enough about what he's done with it. He's got a lot of heart."

Hinchcliffe said he's pumped to prepare to run at one of his favourite tracks. Next year's race at Road America will be the first for the IndyCar series since 2007. Practice and qualifying is scheduled June 24-25, and the race is set for June 26.

The event will mark Hinchcliffe's first at Road America in an IndyCar. He does have experience at the track, with a Pro Mazda race win at the circuit in 2005, competing in Atlantic races in 2006 to 2008, and running a Tudor car in 2014.

Hinchcliffe kept his emotions in check at Road America, considering the significance of his recovery, and said he might have a little cry Monday night away from the track.

But he had an ultimate goal with his four-plus months of his road to recovery: claiming the top podium spot.

"Winning again," Hinchcliffe said. "That's it. That's all of our motivations for getting up in the morning, for going to the guy, for going to engineering meetings, for coming testing. For everything."

Tamira Madsen, The Associated Press

Leafs change policy, media and broadcasters will not be on charter flights

TORONTO — The Maple Leafs' radio broadcast crew may call all 82 games from Toronto this season after the NHL club changed a travel policy over the summer. 

Longtime play-by-play announcer Joe Bowen and analyst Jim Ralph call the games for all-sports radio stations Sportsnet 590 The Fan and TSN Radio 1050, who split the coverage in the market. Bowen and Ralph will staff all 41 home games at Air Canada Centre but will not be taking the team charter to the 41 road games.

"We can confirm that we had a change in policy this season in that team charters will be for the team and that there will be no members of the media or our broadcast crew accompanying us on flights," Maple Leafs media relations director Steve Keogh said in an email.

A Toronto sports media blogger tweeted Sunday that the team was not willing to pay for travel costs, and a story link said the radio crew would call road games from a Toronto studio while watching on television. Bowen replied to the post on his Twitter feed.

"Unfortunately this is true. We will try to recreate the excitement and do the best we can," he said.

According to Forbes, the Maple Leafs were worth US$1.3 billion in 2014, topping the list of most valuable NHL franchises for a ninth straight year. 

The team has made several big changes since Brendan Shanahan was named president in April 2014. In addition to a number of roster moves, Mike Babcock was hired as head coach last spring and Lou Lamoriello was named general manager over the summer.   

TSN is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. Sportsnet, meanwhile, is owned by Rogers Media, a division of Rogers Communications Inc. Bell and Rogers are competitors but they each hold a 37.5-per cent stake in Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NHL team. 

It wasn't immediately clear whether the radio stations would pay for the travel costs this season. A TSN spokesperson declined comment and a phone message left with a Rogers spokesperson wasn't immediately returned.

The Maple Leafs will begin the regular season on Oct. 7 at Air Canada Centre against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Canadian Press

With Petty backing, Ben Carson tells NASCAR fans Confederate flag OK on private property

RANDLEMAN, N.C. — Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson on Monday said NASCAR fans should continue flying the Confederate Flag, so long as it's on private property, as he received the informal endorsement of racing legend Richard Petty.

Petty's support marks a significant step for Carson, the only African-American in the crowded 2016 Republican field, as he navigates delicate political issues in a region that could play prominently in the selection of the next Republican presidential nominee.

The retired NASCAR driver appeared with the retired neurosurgeon Monday at a camp for disabled children established by Petty's foundation. While he shied away from a formal endorsement, Petty left little doubt about the significance of the appearance.

"We're hoping he's endorsing the camp, we're not necessarily endorsing him, but we are — you know what I mean?" Petty, in his trademark cowboy hat and sunglasses, said in a brief interview with the Associated Press. He later posed for pictures aboard Carson's campaign bus.

"He's very humane," Petty said when asked what he liked about Carson. "That's one of his strong points as far as we're concerned."

Formal or not, Petty's support lends Carson some credibility in North Carolina and among a broader swath of Southern states set to play a key role in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Virginia are expected to host Republican primary contests in the first week of March.

Carson has toured the country extensively in recent years, but in some ways, the Detroit native is still learning about the South.

He was cautious when asked to weigh in on Petty's recent comments on the Confederate Flag, a symbol of slavery for many African-Americans and southern pride for whites. The flag is often flown prominently by NASCAR fans before and after races around the country. Petty this summer called the flag debate "a passing fancy."

Carson told the AP that NASCAR fans should continue flying the flag "if it's private property and that's what they want to do."

He also acknowledged the flag remains "a symbol of hate" for many black people and compared it to the Nazi swastika.

"Swastikas are a symbol of hate for some people, too. And yet they still exist in museums and places like that," Carson said, describing the decision about flying the flag "a local issue." ''If it's a majority of people in that area who want it to fly, I certainly wouldn't take it down."

Carson, who has never held elected office, has surged in the polls by tapping into an aggressive anti-establishment sentiment roughly four months before the Iowa caucuses. He said he expects to raise $20 million for the fundraising quarter that ends this month, tangible evidence of his extraordinary appeal.

Yet he remains somewhat unknown compared to his Republican rivals, particularly billionaire businessman Donald Trump.

Julie Lopp, whose family owns Lexington Barbecue, where Carson and his team stopped for lunch Monday, said Trump is "a little bit too extreme."

She said she was still learning about Carson, but would likely support him or former technology executive Carly Fiorina in the Republican primary. "I just think he's honest," she said of Carson.

She also suggested there were white southerners who probably wouldn't support Carson because of his race.

"As much as people try to sound like they don't care, some people think a black president will look out for the black lifestyle," said Lopp, who worked in Lexington Barbecue for the last 36 years, adding that women like Fiorina would likely face discrimination from some voters as well.

Carson dismissed such comments with a shrug: "Racism exists everywhere," he said.

Meanwhile, his lack of experience in the South was apparent over lunch.

"What are these?" he asked his wife, pointing to a small fried morsel as they began to eat. "Hush puppies," she responded.

A spokesman later confirmed that Monday was Carson's first time eating hush puppies, a popular southern side dish.

Steve Peoples, The Associated Press

Look out! Here comes SpiderMable; pint-sized cancer patient lives out dream

EDMONTON — Six-year-old cancer patient Mable Tooke first learned about Spiderman in hospital and he quickly became her favourite superhero because, of course, they both have radioactive blood.

So when Mable got to choose anything from The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada, she dissed Disneyland and was set on spending a day swinging around Edmonton and fighting crime with the webbed wonder.

After she woke up Monday morning, she watched a spoof TV newscast in which Edmonton police called on SpiderMable to help save the city and rescue kidnapped Edmonton Oilers Captain Andrew Ference.

Her mother, Lisa Tooke, said Mable had to watch the news story twice because she wasn't sure if it was about her.

"At first that disbelief in her eyes and then a slow smile appears and then a big grin and then a 'Let's go!'"

Elizabeth LoPresti with the wish foundation said the elaborate event was the biggest the organization has ever pulled together. Ference, several police officers and Mayor Don Iveson all took part in the ruse, along with Spiderman himself, who acted as Mable's sidekick for the day and chatted with her about his life in New York City.

LoPresti said Mable's idea may have stemmed from a similar event held for Batkid, a five-year-old leukemia patient named Miles Scott, whose mission to save San Francisco in 2013 touched hearts around the world.

Dressed in her own caped-costume and mask, SpiderMable was whisked around the city by limo and joined Spiderman in various adventures, which included zip-lining through the waterpark at West Edmonton Mall to rescue the feline superhero Black Cat.

"We have a clue about where we're going to go next," the pint-sized superhero next told reporters after stopping for a pizza lunch.

"We're going to get some superhero training and then we're going to track down Mysterio and catch him."

She added that the experience was "pretty cool" but taking lots of energy.

Mable has been undergoing regular chemotherapy since she was diagnosed with leukemia in 2013. While her prognosis is good, Mable's mother said the special day gave her a much-needed boost.

"She's getting close to the end of her treatment. It's become such an incredible drag."

Mable not only skipped her Grade 1 class on Monday but also her daily chemo pill, her mother said, since there was so much crime-fighting to do.

Her father, Neil Tooke, was astounded by the scale of the event and said he wasn't sure if Mable knew it was all a game.

"I don't know if she believes it or not but she's going along with it."

He hopes the day helped her "forget about the hospital, forget about procedures, just be a kid again."

Chris Purdy, The Canadian Press

Zombie Walk raises 150 pounds of food for women’s resource society

Campaign to ‘de-normalize’ suicide: some recommendations from Nunavut inquest

IQALUIT, Nunavut — Suicide is a long-running tragedy in Nunavut, where people kill themselves at 13 1/2 times the rate of the Canadian average. Here are some of the recommendations to come out of an inquest into the suicides of two people from Nunavut.

— The territorial government should immediately declare suicide to be a public health emergency in Nunavut

— The government should create a minister responsible for suicide prevention

— A secretariat on suicide prevention should be created and given adequate resources. It should report to the minister

— A public awareness campaign should be created to "de-normalize" suicide

— Suicide prevention curriculum materials should be introduced in schools

— Community grief support networks should be created

— A followup protocol should be established for people who unsuccessfully attempt suicide

— All three regions of Nunavut should have substance abuse treatment centres

— All levels of government should provide adequate, multi-year funding for suicide prevention

— The territorial government should recommit to the goals of Nunavut's 2010 suicide prevention strategy 

The Canadian Press

Notley hints at straying from federal NDP on cap-and-trade proposal

MONTREAL — 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, on the first leg of a business trip to Montreal, New York City and Toronto, told executives and politicians that a national cap-and-trade system "may not be our best road forward."

She added that Alberta — whose economy is heavily dependent on the greenhouse gas-intensive oilsands — must get its act together to reduce emissions or risk having a "solution imposed on us" by the federal government and international resource markets.

On Sunday, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair proposed a national carbon trading system to combat man-made greenhouse gas emissions, which are considered by an overwhelming number of international scientists as the leading cause of climate change.

He said provinces would be allowed to opt out of a national scheme if their efforts are as good as or better, but didn't provide details.

"We're not going to replace something that's working," Mulcair said.

Notley said her province "may address climate change using different tools than Ontario and Quebec will use," referring to a deal between those provinces to work together to cut emissions with a cap-and-trade system.

While Notley didn't provide specific targets or details about her strategy, she said Alberta will move away from coal-fired plants — which she said account for 55 per cent of the province's electricity supply — and look into renewable energy, energy efficiency and some form of carbon pricing.

"We will be looking for a strategy to phase out the use of coal as quickly as we reasonably can," she said, adding she will "phase in change prudently, as our economy recovers," in recognition of the fact Alberta is likely to run at least a $5-billion deficit this year because of a drastic drop in oil prices.

But Notley said she recognizes her province needs to change the way it is perceived nationally and internationally regarding the fight against climate change — and soon.

"If we don't get it right on this issue, a solution is going to be imposed on us — sooner or later — by others. By the federal government, and by our markets, who will increasingly insist that energy products then buy be mined and processed responsibly."

Alberta's opposition party, Wildrose, decried the fact Notley didn't specifically mention major resource projects involving the oilsands, such as TransCanada's Energy East pipeline, which the company wants to build to move crude from Alberta through Ontario and Quebec to be shipped overseas.

"Working to promote Alberta is critical, and today would have been a great time to talk about the importance of Energy East to our economy here at home, and across Canada," Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said in a statement.

Energy East is a politically sensitive issue across Canada, particularly in Quebec, where opposition to the project is strong.

Notley took no questions after her speech.

Giuseppe Valiante, The Canadian Press