By Noah Jarvis

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the federal, Ontario and municipal governments to publicly reject subsidizing a new arena for the Ottawa Senators.

“Politicians need to stand up for taxpayers and tell the Ottawa Senators’ lobbyists NO,” said Noah Jarvis, CTF Ontario Director. “Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe all need to publicly reject giving taxpayers’ money to the owners of the Ottawa Senators.”

The Ottawa Citizen recently reported that “the Ottawa Senators have a team off the ice lobbying federal and provincial governments for funds to help pay the hefty price tag for a new arena.”

The Ottawa Senators said they don’t intend on asking the city of Ottawa for taxpayer dollars. However, the Ottawa Citizen reported that “it’s believed Senators’ owner Michael Andlauer would like a similar structure to the [Calgary] arena deal.” The Calgary arena deal included municipal subsidies.

As of December 2024, the Ottawa Senators were worth just under $1.2 billion, according to Forbes.

Meanwhile, both the federal and Ontario governments are deep in debt. The federal debt will reach $1.35 trillion by the end of the year. The Ontario government is $459 billion in debt. The city of Ottawa is proposing a 3.75 per cent property tax increase in 2026.

“Governments are up to their eyeballs in debt and taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to fund a brand-new fancy arena for a professional sports team,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “If the owners of the Ottawa Senators want to build a fancy new arena, then they should be forced to fund it with ticket sales not tax hikes.”

From LifeSiteNews

By Matt Lamb

Egyptian and Iranian officials are opposed to a plan to celebrate homosexuality and transgenderism during a FIFA World Cup soccer game scheduled for June 2026.

A planned “Pride Match” at next year’s FIFA World Cup in North America is facing pushback from Iran and Egypt.

The soccer federation recently released its matchups for the tournament, which will be hosted in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. But the Egypt and Iran match clashes with an LGBT group’s plan to celebrate homosexuality and transgenderism in conjunction with the game.

The “Pride Match” is not an official designation by FIFA, but rather the local host committee and LGBT activists.

“Seattle PrideFest has been organized in the city since 2007 by a non-profit which designated the June 26 game for celebration before FIFA made the World Cup draw Friday,” according to the Associated Press (AP). The soccer match coincides with Seattle PrideFest.

“Both Egypt and we have objected, because this is an unreasonable and illogical move that essentially signals support for a particular group, and we must definitely address this point,” Medhi Taj, with Iran’s Football Federation told state media, the AP reported.

Ado Rida, Taj’s counterpart in Egypt, noted that the predominantly Islamic country “completely rejects such activities, which directly contradict the cultural, religious and social values ​​in the region, especially in Arab and Islamic societies.”

Seattle FIFA World CUP 2026, the local host committee, has no plans to intervene against the celebration, which will likely offend practicing Muslims who oppose homosexuality as sinful. Both Egypt and Iran punish homosexuality.

“The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation’s largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora and rich communities representing all nations we’re hosting in Seattle,” Hana Tadesse told the AP. “We’re committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect and dignity that defines our region.”

Meanwhile, the New York Times suggests there might be conflict with FIFA rules that forbid the matches from being used to push a political agenda.

“The soccer body’s ethical codes, specifically Article 4, call for neutrality regarding political and social issues, and players who violate the code could face punishment that includes a ban on playing soccer for up to two years,” the news outlet reported. This could also, in theory, be used to punish players who protest the LGBT agenda.

“During World Cup 2022, FIFA warned players against wearing L.G.B.T.Q. OneLove rainbow armbands that were meant to bring attention to gay rights in Qatar, and it said they would be handed yellow warning cards on the pitch if they wore them,” the Times reported.