CTVN - Thursday, May 23, 2024 - 12:00 a.m. (ET) - Segment #31

>>> It is official, toronto will be getting a wnba team. Larry tanenbaum's killmer sports venture is paying bill for this one. We will also see some games in edmonton and vancouver in 2026. >> Bringing the game right to the fans that exist coast-to-coast in this country I think is a very strategic move. One team, it's hard to meet all the demand that exists within canada. Basketball is a very popular sport for people playing it, people watching it, being fans of it. And so it's, frankly, good business sense. But it's also going to be great for the culture. >> Roger: and tsn is standing by with more on today's announcement. The team still about two years from playing. >> A couple years away. It's going to debut here in 2026. Seems like a long time to wait, but we were joking with team president theresa resch today. She said two years; some people have been waiting 30 years for this. 30 plus years for this. With all of the details to be ironed out still, there's a lot to be done still. The team name, the colours, the branding. I would expect all of that probably in about a year from now, one year out from the team's debut. Of course there's also renovations that are going to be done to the coca-cola coliseum, which is right now home to the marlies and the pwhl team. So a hockey venue that needs to turn into pretty quickly a basketball venue. A few other things including a practice facility, which larry tanenbaum has committed $40 million to eventually building for now. In 2026 they will be practicing out of facilities at u of t. But a lot to be done here in a fairly short period of time, but certainly a lot of excitement today because the biggest hurdle was getting clearance on this. Getting it over the line and of course making it official that there will, in fact, be a professional women's basketball team in toronto, in canada. And now we can finally say it's coming. This is a big deal. You can't possibly overstate that. I just think both for professional women sports here in canada but also for the continued growth of the sport in this country. I've been fortunate enough to cover a lot of the canadian nba players over the years, and they all point to that moment in their life where they either first picked up a basketball or just believed that it was possible for them to make it. And whether they talk about vince carter and the dunk contest or the demar derozan teams, you can trace it all back to the raptors expansion in '95. This is that moment. And I think we're going to see the impact of this on girls and young women across the country for years and decades to come. There are four canadians in the wnba right now, and I would be shocked if that number doesn't continue to rise and eventually skyrocket in the way that we've seen it rise in the nba over the last decade. >> Roger: china is holding military exercises near taiwan in what it calls punishment for separatist forces seeking independence for the self-governed island. Beijing claims taiwan is part of its territory and regularly sends warships and war planes into the taiwanese straits to try to intimidate the people there. Taiwan put its defence on alert over the exercises. In its inaugural address on monday, taiwan's new president called on beijing to stop its military intimidation. Let's bring in a former united states security coordinator. Thank you, as always, for joining us. >> Good to be with you. >> Roger: is this the typical chinese showing off here? A little trying to impress on taiwan? Or is this a little different? >> I don't think it's different from what we've seen over the last couple of years. If you recall after former speaker pelozi visited taiwan, and this upset china. They launched maritime and air forces in and around the taiwan strait as punishment for what he thought the leadership of taiwan getting out of line with respect to strategic dialog with the united states. With the newly elected government in taiwan and the clear statement of they wanting

to have that strategic relationship not just with the united states but more broadly, that obviously disturbs president xi. So he is flexing his military capabilities to demonstrate that china has the ability and certainly the resolve to maintain sovereignty over taiwan. >> Roger: how does this get resolved? Is it even possible without some type of conflict? >> I don't think in the near term. Ideally no one wants to see a conflict, not the least of which taiwan and the united states. I don't think china does either. It's interesting that china is in a position now where, you know, really the amount of economic capability that exists inside of taiwan that not only supports china but more broadly the international community, there's no real strategic gain other than china demonstrating their control over taiwan with any type of military conflict. Which would not be a good outcome for china, the united states, and certainly not taiwan. So I don't foresee a conflict in the near term certainly, but of course the strategic environment could change. But I also don't see china stepping back from what it's clearly stated in terms of its sovereign authority over sigh wan. >> Roger: xi has even put a date on it. He says 2049 he wants taiwan to be part of china. >> He has. And of course as part of his long-term strategy in terms of being the head of not only the region, of all the asian states, he's also expressed he wants to see himself and his nation on par, if not greater, than the united states in terms of its strategic influence globally. So the chinese culture is one that has a very long-term strategy and mindset in terms of achieving its strategic goals. So that's why I do believe that we're not going to see a major shift in diplomatic efforts in the foreseeable future. >> Roger: how close do the two sides get? Can we have an accidental conflict? >> That's a great point. When you see these types of elevated military deployments initiated by china, taiwan has to respond. They're not going to demonstrate any weakness. But you have an increased risk of miscalculation. I know when I was in europe, roger, we saw this routinely, daily, with the russian federation. With their maritime and air activities in eastern europe. This all pre-dates, obviously, what's going on in ukraine now. But it's a very good point. And there is the concern that you can have a miscalculation and a fighter pilot on either side or a ship captain can make a tactical decision that could result in, you know, a short-term escalation and unfortunately be an unnecessary loss of life as a result. >> Roger: have we seen that before at all? >> In my recent memory with respect to taiwan and china, we have not. But I would have to go back and do a little research there. >> Roger: okay. Didn't mean to put you on the spot. But that's good to know that if you can't recall one, that's a good thing. Thank you as always for your insight and expertise. >> Thank you. >> Roger: mark schwartz, former united states security coordinator.

>>> Coming up, researchers say mercury levels in the WATERS(Snickering) Hanging tree Woman: My grandson can choose to be anything he wants to be. Which reminds me: I've got a few choices to make of my own. Welcome to Seniors Choice. How can I help? Hi, I'd like a quick quote, please. If you're a Canadian Resident aged 50-80, you can choose the right amount of coverage for you and your family up to $250,000. That kind of money would help a lot. You can choose to apply over the phone now in just minutes, with no medicals or blood tests, just a few health and lifestyle questions. Wow. That easy? Depending on the coverage you choose, it would be as little as $14.88 a month. That's just 49 cents a day. That's less than I thought. And that money could help my family cover my funeral costs, support my husband's retirement planning or even pay off the loans. I'll do it. Seniors Choice are the #1 Direct Choice for Canadians over 50. To get a free, no-obligation quote, call one of our trusted insurance advisors today at 1-844-834-2722. Or visit seniorschoice.ca. If you think EVs have about as much personality as a toaster, we don't blame you. That's why we didn't make just any EVs. We made an ev so powerful, it can charge another ev. ( ) And an ev with a mode that does this. ( ) The only ev that's a Mustang. The only ev that's an f150. ( ) Need to find your pet fast?It's easy with theTractive gps pet tracker. Set virtual fences to get alerts if your escapeartist goes too far. And track yourpet's live location from anywhere in the world. Tractive. Keeping yourpet safe and healthy. ( ) (Clattering) ( ) I sit back And let a Bud light the way >> Roger: a new study finds that mercury wattlevels in the waters near grassy narrows first nation in ontario have gotten worse. Researchers found mercury contamination have significantly grown due to industrial pollution. They found wastewater discharge from the dryden paper mill combined with existing mercury created high levels of methylmercury, an even more toxic compound. Around 90% of grassy narrows' population have symptoms of mercury poisoning, which can lead to memory loss and neuromuscular effects. Let's bring in a biology professor at the university of western ontario. Professor, thank you very much for joining us. >> My pleasure, roger. >> Roger: this is your study that we're talking about right now. How is that happening? How are we seeing those levels rise and get worse? >> I think maybe the way to frame this is the levels are not necessarily rising, but they're worse than they should be is I think the way to think about this. As we know, this is a very mercury-contaminated environment and it has been so for almost 60 years. But I think it was previously unexplored, what the processes were that were taking that mercury and converting it into the more toxic form methylmercury. Really what we missed was two indegreed ingredients in that process, and it turns out that the ongoing processes at the paper mill in dryden are releasing those ingredients and the mercury is already in the system. And it's just simply heating up the process. >> Roger: you say it hasn't lessened to where it should be. What kind of levels are we talking about, then? >> The mercury levels in fish still far exceed allowable levels for consumption by several tonnes. They're certainly the most mercury-contaminated fish in ontario. And those mercury levels haven't really changed much since the early 1980s. And that's presented a bit of a mystery for people. And I think that the part that we were missing was that although the mercury in that system was ageing and moving down through that river system, what we were also doing were

adding these other ingredients which were continuing to increase mercury. >> Roger: and what does this methylmercury do to people? >> I'm not a human health expert, but I work with enough people to know this is a neurotoxin, and it has intergenerational effects. These are serious health problems that come as a result of eating fish with mercury in it, with relatively high concentrations in this case. >> Roger: does your study give us a better base on how to focus on a clean-up or rehabilitation? >> I think there's one dimension to it. There's still an incredible level of mercury contamination in this river, and even if we turn down the heat on the reaction, there will still be natural processes that will form methylmercury. So there will still be contamination in this system, but the long-term fix is the mercury has to be removed from this river. And that's a tedious, time-consuming, and very technical process involving heavy equipment. Really. And that's something that's going to take a long time, and I think that this finding gives us an opportunity to turn down the levels of methylmercury not to where they should be but to a level that would be far more accessible for consumption of fish in the relatively near term. >> Roger: professor, thank you very much for joining us and explaining today. We appreciate it. Brian branfiraun from the university of western ontario. >>> Still to come, a who's who of the music world. They are sullivan's crossing new episode on ctv It's odd how in an instant things can transform. Slipping out of balance into freefall. (The stock market is now down 23%). This is happening people. Where there are so few certainties... (laughing) Look around you. You deserve to know. as we navigate a future unknown. I'm glad I found stability amidst it all. Gold. Standing the test of time. With HelloFresh, get more out of your budget without compromising on quality or flavour. Delicious meals with fresh ingredients that save on food waste and trips to the grocery store. Order now at HelloFresh.ca Frizz, dryness, breakage. New Dove 10-in-1 serum hair mask, with patented peptide complex, fortifies hair bonds, helps reverse ten visible signs of damage in one minute. Keep living. We'll keep repairing. You shall live with mosquitoesand ticks no more...Contact mosquito.buzz and of your summer outisde. mosquito.buzz will spray all theareas where mosquitoes and ticks live, rest and hide. Trees, shrubs, under the deck,behind the shed. Anywhere you need protectionfrom harmful mosquitoes and ticks. We come back on arepeated schedule so you're bug freeall season long. Safe, effective,incredible results. Contact us today atmosquito.buzz There's a new Tims run in town with new Flatbread Pizza. Served hot out of the oven and freshly prepared in Chicken Parmesan, Pepperoni, Simply Cheese, and Bacon Everything. Try Tims new Flatbread Pizza. It's time for Tims [ ] You might not know how to fix a broken air conditioner. SFX:[phone/truck/bag/fan] But we do. "That was fast." And if you need a new one pay as little as three dollars a day and make no monthly rental payments for 6 months Call on Reliance >> Roger: some big names will be gathering tonight for a tribute concert to celebrate the music and legacy of the late great canadian music icon gordon lightfoot. >> Without gordon, it's not the same. But we have developed the arrangements and the songs with gordon very well. So people are really fitting in and rising to the occasion. And it's -- I think it's going to be an incredible experience for the audience tonight. >> Roger: proceeds from the concert will go towards supporting the revitalization of massey hall, which is a charitable not-for-profit.

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Get down! Get into a new station 19 on ctv thanks very much for joining us today. >> Thank you so much for having me. >> I know we've heard about the orange been floating around, but to hear it officially today, this is still big news, isn't it? >> Yes, it and even players in the wnba right now, we're really excited. No, not just for additional opportunities for players to play, but also to be playing in canada. And not just in preseason games. >> And I mean, we have we have quite a few canadian talent that we have canadian talent in the wnba already. This will give him a chance to play at home on it. >> Yes, it for canadian players, I believe currently in the wnba right now. And I just covered aaliyah edwards with the washington when they played at the connecticut sun and in college as well. So excited to see her and the rest of the canadian players in the wnba getting a chance to play close to home. >> You think of any issues with americans coming up to play like to join the team up here. That's always ben. A question sometimes with the leafs or with the blue jays players hesitating because of money situational right? You think we'll see the same with women sites, this? >> I really not sure you know what it means for for them, but I think, you know, players are just excited to play in the and I'm sure you know, a lot of them enjoy the experience playing in the preseason games as well. So I'm not sure what that means, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough with the team starting to play in 2026. >> And of they've already acknowledged are going to be playing some games in vancouver, montreal, there are 2 names are bandied about 2 cities and maybe some other canadian cities. How important is that? It's an interesting approach. >> You know, teresa resch really stressed the it not just being toronto's team, but a team for all of canada as well. And impacting young girls and women allies across the country. >> And with the rest being named, the president. What does that mean for women in sports? >> You know, I think she's really excited to take the experience that she a decade of experience for the raptors and her understanding of what professional athletes are moving to canada need to be successful and support it. And she's going to use that those lessons that you and make the experience that ashley can for the athletes coming to play for the wnba team in toronto. >> And what's the reaction been like if you had a chance to talk to you, to younger women

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