Alberta
McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins’ four-point nights lead Oilers to 6-4 win over Hurricanes
By Shane Jones in Edmonton
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid each had a goal and three assists as the Edmonton Oilers snapped a two-game skid with a 6-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
Zach Hyman, Ryan McLeod, Evander Kane and Leon Draisaitl also scored for the Oilers (2-2-0). Jack Campbell had 36 saves in the victory.
Andrei Svechnikov recorded a hat trick and Martin Necas added another goal for the Hurricanes (3-1-0), who suffered their first defeat of the season. Sebastian Aho added three assists.
Frederik Andersen stopped 27 shots in the loss.
Edmonton scored the game’s first goal for the first time this season 8:22 into the opening period. On the power play, Tyson Barrie intercepted a clearing attempt and floated a puck on net for Hyman who tipped it past Andersen.
Carolina pulled even 1:38 into the second period as Svechnikov beat Campbell glove side to extend his point streak to four games.
Just over eight minutes into the middle frame, the Oilers regained the lead with their second short-handed goal of the season. Nugent-Hopkins sent the puck across to McLeod on a two-on-one, and he beat Andersen through the legs.
Edmonton made it 3-1 a couple of minutes later as McDavid sent a long pass to spring Kane and he scored his first of the year on the backhand.
The Hurricanes cut into the deficit 12:35 into the second as a Svechnikov shot ticked off a defender’s stick and past Campbell.
A little over a minute into the third period, the Oilers restored their two-goal lead. Andersen coughed up the puck behind his net and Hyman was able to kick it out to Nugent-Hopkins who scored into a wide-open net.
However, just a couple of minutes later, Carolina struck again on the power play as the puck deflected off a skate from the faceoff circle to Svechnikov, who scored his third goal of the game and sixth of the young season.
The Oilers struck on a power play of their own 5:16 into the third as McDavid sent it across to Draisaitl for a one-timer into the net.
Carolina once again punched back with a power-play goal on a tick-tack-toe passing play converted by Necas 8:55 into the third period.
The Hurricanes had a great chance to tie it up with a minute left as Aho went on a breakaway, but Campbell came up with a huge save.
McDavid scored an empty-netter to put the game away with 10 seconds remaining.
NOTES
Entering the game, Carolina was the only team in the NHL that Oilers captain McDavid hadn’t averaged at least one point per game against in his career, but he changed that with his four-point night … Teammate Kane has had more success against the Hurricanes than any other squad in the league. His 30 points in 33 games were the most in his career against a single opponent … Canes goalie Andersen has absolutely dominated the Oilers over his career, coming into the game with a record of 17-1-2 with a 2.16 goals against average and .928 save percentage against Edmonton … The Oilers were without rookie Dylan Holloway, who was injured on a thundering hit by Buffalo Sabres defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin on Tuesday … Jaccob Slavin picked up the 174th assist of his career, passing Justin Faulk for the most in team history since relocation. Only Dave Babych (196) and Glen Wesley (176) have had more in franchise history.
UP NEXT
Both teams are back in action on Saturday. The Oilers play host to the St. Louis Blues in an afternoon affair. The Hurricanes play the fourth of a five-game road trip in Calgary against the Flames.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2022.
Canada’s agricultural land is under increasing pressure to produce more food as demand grows domestically and internationally, while the industry grapples with limited resources and environmental constraints, a new report found.
“We need to grow more food on less land and in a volatile climate,” said Tyler McCann, managing director of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute.
The report by the institute released Thursday looks at the pressures on Canada’s agricultural land to produce more food while also mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, said McCann.
Despite Canada being a big country, it doesn’t have as much agricultural land as people might think, said McCann, with the report noting that agricultural land makes up only around seven per cent of the country.
Because of that, we can’t take what we do have for granted, he said. “We need to be really thoughtful about how we are using our agricultural land.”
In 2020, Canada was the eighth largest country in terms of cropland area, the report said, with that cropland decreasing by seven per cent over the previous two decades.
Canada is a major producer and net exporter of agriculture and agri-food products, the report said, exporting $91 billion in products in 2022, and one of the top 10 exporters of wheat, canola, pulses, pork and beef.
In the coming years, Canada will face increased demand from countries whose populations are growing, the report said.
“With population growth on one side and climate change on the other, Canada will be amongst an increasingly smaller number of countries that is a net exporter,” said McCann, noting that Canada’s own population is growing, and farmland also needs to be protected against urban sprawl.
The wildfires clouding Canadian skies this week are a “vivid reminder” of the pressure that extreme weather and the changing climate are putting on the agricultural sector, said McCann.
“We need to clearly mitigate … agriculture’s impact on climate change. But we also need to make sure agriculture is adapting to climate change’s impacts,” he said.
One of the ways the world has responded to demand for increased agricultural production over time is to create more agricultural land, in some cases by cutting down forests, said McCann. But that’s not a viable option for Canada, which doesn’t have a lot of land that can be sustainably converted into farmland — and even if it could, doing so could have a variety of adverse environmental effects, he said.
Some of the practices used to reduce emissions and sequester carbon in agriculture can also improve production output on existing farmland, the report found, such as precision agriculture and no-till practices.
However, intensifying the production of current agricultural land also comes with potential environmental downsides, the report said.
For example, McCann said fertilizer is an important part of sustainable agriculture, but there’s a balance to be struck because excessive use of fertilizer can quickly turn food production unsustainable.
“We need to be a lot more thoughtful about the inputs that we’re using,” he said, adding the same can be said about the use of technology in agriculture and the policies and programs put in place to encourage sustainable intensification of Canadian agriculture.
The report recommends that Canada adopt policies that provide financial incentives and technical assistance to farmers and develop regulatory frameworks promoting sustainable land use, as well as promoting education and awareness campaigns, so that the country can “ensure the long-term sustainability of its agricultural sector while protecting the environment.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2023.
Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press
A family member of five slain students holds a heart sign with their names on it following a court decision in Calgary, Alta., Wednesday, May 25, 2016. Alberta’s highest court is being asked to overturn a review board decision on the stabbing deaths of five young people at a Calgary house party that confined a man to a supervised Edmonton group home. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
By Ritika Dubey in Edmonton
Alberta’s highest court is being asked to overturn a review board decision that confined a man to a supervised Edmonton group home after the stabbing deaths of five young people at a Calgary house party.
The lawyer representing Matthew de Grood argued Wednesday the review board’s decision was biased, citing what she described as political interference from Alberta’s former justice minister.
“The appellant says, ‘I think the conclusion about me is wrong. The board’s conclusion is incorrect and not supported by evidence,”’ Jacqueline Petrie said before the Alberta Court of Appeal. “He says there’s no significant evidence that he’s a risk.”
De Grood, 31, was found not criminally responsible in 2016 for the killings two years earlier of Zackariah Rathwell, Jordan Segura, Kaitlin Perras, Josh Hunter and Lawrence Hong because he was suffering from schizophrenia at the time. Petrie said de Grood has been stable on medication, is at low risk to reoffend and should be allowed to live with his parents while being monitored under a full warrant.
She argued the review board misunderstood medical evidence during the September 2022 review, which deemed de Grood a significant risk despite the assessment showing improvements. She said the board is supposed to recommend the least onerous disposition compatible with public safety and did not do that for de Grood.
The defence lawyer has said the review had been influenced by former justice minister Doug Schweitzer, who weighed in on de Grood’s case in October 2019 after the panel allowed de Grood to transition from institutional care to a supervised group home.
He has been under supervision at a group home. His case is reviewed by the Alberta Review Board yearly to see whether he can transition back into the community while maintaining public safety.
Petrie pointed at de Grood’s “exemplary record,” and that he has been “compliant to the (medical) treatment team.”
“Nobody knew he had schizophrenia (at the time of the stabbings) and needed medication.”
Crown prosecutor Matthew Griener said the board considered a conditional discharge but dismissed it, citing a relapse in schizophrenia symptoms in 2021.
Griener said de Grood’s relapses were brief and happened at the hospital, providing an early window for medical professionals to intervene.
Justice Kevin Feehan said de Grood may be low-risk, but the consequences of even one relapse could be significant.
Reading from an expert’s report, Feehan said: “A low risk to offend doesn’t mean the reoffence would not be severe.”
Some family members of the victims drove from Calgary for the hearing.
Segura’s mother, Patty, said the last nine years have been about de Grood and his rights.
“He should be thankful that he ended up NCR (not criminally responsible) rather than end(ing) with five life sentences for murdering five people,” she said. “He should not be appealing.”
Hunter’s father, Barclay, opposed a potential full release.
“The idea that he wouldn’t be monitored for the rest of his life seems to defy logic, it doesn’t make any sense,” said the father.
Hunter’s mother, Kelly, said the family has had “no healing.”
“We do this every year, at least once. Now, this is the second appeal,” she said. Barclay
Hunter said although there are attempts to reintegrate de Grood into society, he hopes the man is not left on his own with an absolute discharge.
“Regardless of what they say, he killed five people. If that doesn’t stand on its own as a risk factor, then I don’t know what does.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2023.
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