Fans travel across the country to London, Ont. to see Laval win Vanier Cup
They’ve travelled from across the country to see their sons, brothers, and alma mater compete for the Vanier Cup.
"We were all able to find some flights out here, find some hotels, and we probably got a couple hundred fans," says Kelly Haas, whose son plays for the University of Saskatchewan
As players excited the bus at Western’s Alumni Stadium, Huskies’ supporters were there.
"We bought our bells, we’ve got the flag and we're gonna cheer for our boys now," says Tracy Hundeby, a mother of a Huskies player.
Just a few feet away, a group of Laval supporters had come from Montreal to root for the Rouge Et Or.
"It's so exciting to be back," says Patrick Malefant, who was wearing a crusader helmet.
"It's been a couple of years since Laval was in the big game. Every time we're in the big game we play well, we win big, and we're ready for war."
A group of nearly 40 men in Santa suits travel to the Vanier Cup each year. This year they were in London, Ont. to see the USports championship game. (Source: Brent Lale/CTV London)A group of nearly 40 men in Santa suitsSome tailgating in the parking lot had no affiliation to either team. A group of about 40 men dressed in Santa outfits have been travelling to the Vanier Cup for 30 years.
"We went to (Sir Wilfrid) Laurier and they won the Vanier in 1991," says Brent Landers, from London, Ont.
"We kind of started our little tradition of getting together at the venue cup every year. We have guys from London, Ottawa, and all over and we've been all across the country from Vancouver to Quebec City, Montreal, Regina."
Hosting their first USports national title game, Western University and Tourism London wanted to make this an event. A fan fest featuring Damian Warner, and former Mustangs was held prior to the game.
Western Grad Andy Fantuz felt some love from ‘Rider Nation’.
Former Western Mustang and CFL Legend Andy Fantuz (Left) signs an autograph at Vanier Cup Fan Fest in London, Ont. (Source: Brent Lale/CTV London)Andy Fantuz"You can see the excitement from all around the league," says Fantuz.
"Lots of Laval and Saskatchewan fans, lots of Mustang support from London. Mustang national deserves it and they're doing it right."
Inside the stadium, Laval beat Saskatchewan 30-24 in an exciting game to win their 11th Vanier Cup title, 10th under head coach Glen Constantin.
This may have been the first time that Western hosted the Vanier Cup but it likely won't be the last. Rumours are circulating that they plan for the bidding on the National Championship game in 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Q & A with a Russian warfare expert: 'This is not a proxy war' with the U.S.
With the anniversary of Ukraine's invasion by Russia around the corner, CTV News sat down with a Russian warfare expert to discuss how he sees the conflict playing out and what happens next.
Extreme cold warnings spread across Canada as arctic chill approaches Eastern provinces
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, as of Thursday morning there were extreme cold or winter storm warnings active from coast to coast, with the harshest extreme cold warnings stretching from northern Alberta all the way to Nova Scotia.
Would you pay $300 a year for quick access to a nurse? Dealing with demand, Ontario doctors get creative
Paid subscriptions to on-demand care are among the many strategies primary health-care providers in Ontario are adopting in order to meet increased demand for access to doctors in the past year, while also managing staffing shortages.
Why Delissio pizzas and other Nestle products will disappear from Canadian stores
Nestle Canada says it is winding down its frozen meals and pizza business in Canada over the next six months. The four brands that will no longer be sold in the freezer aisle at Canadian grocery stores are Delissio, Stouffer's, Lean Cuisine and Life Cuisine.
Chinese spy balloon spotted over Western U.S., Pentagon says
The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday.
'Dances With Wolves' actor appears in court in abuse probe
A former 'Dances With Wolves' actor accused of sexually abusing Indigenous girls and leading a cult must remain held without bail until his next court hearing, a judge ordered Thursday morning.
Six more weeks of winter? Here are the predictions of groundhogs across North America
Will we see six more weeks of winter, or an early spring? Here’s what some of the groundhogs (and one human) have predicted so far, from coast-to-coast.
Ukraine's new weapon will force a Russian shift
The United States has answered President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plea for rockets that can strike deep behind the front lines of the nearly year-long conflict with Russia. Now Russian forces will need to adapt or face potentially catastrophic losses.
Former Wagner commander says he is sorry for fighting in Ukraine
A former commander of Russia's Wagner mercenary group who fled to Norway told Reuters he wanted to apologize for fighting in Ukraine and was speaking out to bring the perpetrators of crimes to justice.
Kitchener
-
'Time to move on': Reaction as Udo Haan found not criminally responsible for wife’s death, house explosion
A Kitchener man, who was charged with killing his wife and then blowing up their home in 2018, has been found not criminally responsible.
-
Police investigating reports of an armed robbery at Conestoga Mall
Waterloo regional police say they’ve arrested multiple people and one person was taken to hospital following reports of an armed robbery at Conestoga Mall on Thursday.
-
Extreme cold and snow squall warnings for Waterloo region and surrounding areas
A blast of cold Arctic air is expected to reach southern Ontario Thursday night paired with possible heavy blowing snow, according to Environment Canada.
Windsor
-
University president addresses cyber security incident
The first topic tackled by University of Windsor President Dr. Robert Gordon was the cyber security incident that occurred last year. 'It’s just the new reality that all universities and colleges are dealing with,' said Gordon, who explained during his State of the University Address things could been worse had it not been for the help of the community.
-
Suspects 'distracted the staff' and stole $5,000 in tools: Windsor police
Windsor police say they are looking for five suspects who used a distraction technique to steal $5,000 in tools.
-
Addictions experts urge caution ahead of Super Bowl
Addiction specialists in Windsor, Ont. are urging caution about the dangers of problem gambling with Super Bowl season around the corner. According to officials at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, demand for recovery services has climbed since single-event sports betting became legal in Canada last August.
Barrie
-
Recently married pedophile Shayne Lund appears before parole board
Convicted pedophile Shayne Lund, now 31, revealed he is recently married and took part in a day and full parole review in a videoconference hearing Thursday from the Ottawa area.
-
Mother, daughter duo arrested in animal abuse investigation
A mother and daughter from Sarnia are under arrest and facing charges associated with animal abuse.
-
Innisfil to rename community centre honouring fallen SSPS officer
The Town of Innisfil is renaming its community centre to honour the memory of fallen South Simcoe Police Service officer Const. Morgan Russell.
Northern Ontario
-
Fight between two 7-year-olds turns violent after mom gets involved
An argument between two young children playing outside together escalated to violence when a parent got involved, a North Bay mom says.
-
OLG to unveil $48M lottery winner from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. is holding a big reveal Friday morning: the winner of a $48 million Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball draw.
-
Student presentation in Sudbury to go ahead, despite board opposition
The past few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster for 16-year-old Ra'Jah Mohamed, a student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School.
Ottawa
-
EXTREME COLD WARNING
EXTREME COLD WARNING | Here's when frigid temperatures will arrive in Ottawa
Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold warning with Ottawa expected to see its coldest temperatures in years.
-
Parents facing charges after 1-year-old suffers opioid overdose at Kingston, Ont. home
Two parents are facing charges of criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a toddler suffered an opioid overdose at a home in Kingston, Ont. last week.
-
How much does a trip to Disney World Florida cost during March Break versus off-season
As March Break approaches, travel agents are experiencing a surge in bookings, with many families choosing to travel to Disney World in Florida despite the rising cost.
Toronto
-
'We win or it’s free' paralegal bribed court clerk in traffic ticket fixing scheme: testimony alleges
A paralegal firm whose tagline is “we win or it’s free” bribed a Toronto traffic court clerk to change legal records to make it look like they had won, said the clerk in the first time he has testified publicly about the case.
-
Southern Ontario bracing for arrival of 'dangerous' blast of cold weather
Toronto and most of Ontario are in for a frigid bout of winter weather, according to Environment Canada.
-
Air Canada outage impacts operations at Toronto Pearson Airport
An outage experienced by Air Canada impacted operations at Toronto Pearson International Airport Thursday afternoon.
Montreal
-
WEATHER
WEATHER | Extreme cold warnings blanket the province of Quebec
After an extremely mild month of January, the province is bracing for a blast of arctic air that will move in tonight and last until Saturday. Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued extreme cold warnings that covers most of the province with wind chills expected to be between -38 and -42 across the South and -50 across Northern Quebec.
-
'It just takes one bad dose': Coroner rules NDG fixture Sean Abbott died from overdose
A beloved man who was a fixture on the streets of Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighbourhood died last year from a combination of street drugs in his system, including fentanyl, a coroner has ruled.
-
When will work on Ile-aux-Tourtes Bridge end? It's 'complicated,' says Transport Ministry
The discovery of major cracks on the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge is causing trouble for off-island commuters, with traffic down from three to two lanes in each direction. According to Transport Quebec, it's difficult to say when conditions on the bridge will return to normal.
Atlantic
-
Extreme cold warnings issued for all three Maritime provinces
On the day that Shubenacadie Sam predicted six more weeks of winter, there are extreme cold warnings cautioning that the coldest air of the season is about to arrive in the Maritimes.
-
N.B. RCMP investigating after children ingest cannabis edibles at Sackville middle school
Police in Sackville, N.B., are investigating after seven children ingested cannabis edibles at a middle school on Wednesday.
-
Extra spaces open at shelters ahead of freezing temperatures; heat pump users warned of pipe bursts
An extreme cold warning has been issued across the region, with some saying the arctic air could break record-low temperatures in the Maritimes.
Winnipeg
-
Search warrant: Winnipeg couple used their “stash” to hand out THC candy to children on Halloween
New documents show what led to a couple handing out cannabis-infused gummies to children in Winnipeg - and what happened in the hours directly after.
-
17-year-old arrested for double homicide in The Pas: RCMP
RCMP have arrested a 17-year-old male from Moose Lake in connection to a double homicide in The Pas last month.
-
Manitoba Liberal leader wants premier suspended for allegedly violating conflict of interest rules
A Manitoba judge is being asked to decide whether Premier Heather Stefanson violated conflict of interest rules, as alleged by the leader of Manitoba's Liberal Party.
Calgary
-
Chestermere city staffer charged with assault in connection with January incident
A city staffer in Chestermere is now facing a formal charge of assault after police were made aware of an incident while she was working at city hall last month.
-
'The eyes of the world': Trial starts for Calgary pastor charged in border blockade
A court has seen video of a Calgary pastor encouraging truckers to keep blocking the Canada-U.S. border to protest COVID-19 restrictions because the world was watching.
-
Indus school custodian is a finalist in a North American competition.
Judy Preete is the custodian at Indus School, just east of Calgary and is also one of 12 finalists from schools all over Canada and the United States for the annual Custodians Are Key competition hosted by Tennant Company.
Edmonton
-
'Escalating violence' contributes to closure of Edmonton senior's centre: board of directors
The Operation Friendship Seniors Society (OFSS) announced Wednesday that it would be shutting down services at the McCauley Seniors drop-in facility.
-
4 arrested after south Edmonton pawn shop robbed, employees shot at: EPS
Four people in their 30s have now been charged with robbing a pawn shop in south Edmonton, while police work to determine if one of the accused also shot two workers at another store in December.
-
Edmonton-area basketball coach facing child pornography charges
A 58-year-old man from Stony Plain, Alta., has been charged with possession of child pornography and transmitting child pornography.
Vancouver
-
'He’s the Downtown Eastside newspaper': Community push for City of Vancouver to recognize street artist
Community members on the Downtown Eastside want the City of Vancouver to recognize Smokey Devil, a well-known street artist .
-
Vancouver Chinatown vandalism suspect arrested amid surge of reported incidents
Vancouver police say they've arrested a suspect in a spate of vandalism incidents in Chinatown.
-
7 B.C. school districts to add mental health support teams, bringing total to 12
British Columbia is expanding mental-health and substance-use services for children and youth by adding new multi-disciplinary teams to seven school districts.