Canada, US, Mexico brace for World Cup extravaganza

MEXICO CITY - The largest and most complex World Cup in history kicks off in just over a year's time, with the United States, Canada and Mexico co-hosting the football extravaganza against a backdrop of political tension triggered by Donald Trump.

Forty-eight teams and millions of fans are set to descend on North America for the first-ever World Cup shared by three nations, with the tournament getting underway on June 11 next year.

In theory, the 23rd edition of the most popular sporting spectacle on the planet has all the makings of a successful tournament.

An array of venues ranging from Mexico's iconic Estadio Azteca to the glittering $5 billion SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles will play host to 104 games spread over nearly six weeks.

The United States will host the bulk of those fixtures -- 78 -- with Canada and Mexico staging 13 each.

All games from the quarter-finals onwards will be held in the United States, with the tournament culminating in the final at New Jersey's 82,500-seater MetLife Stadium on 19 July 2026.

American officials believe the return of the World Cup to the country -- 32 years after the United States hosted the 1994 finals -- could represent a watershed moment for football in the country.

"The World Cup is going to raise the attention of the sport in ways that nobody ever dreamed of," said Don Garber, the commissioner of Major League Soccer.

FIFA's President Gianni Infantino, meanwhile, has been hyping next year's finals as the equivalent of "104 Super Bowls", contrasting the World Cup's estimated six billion viewers to the 120 million or so who tune in for the climax of the NFL season.

There are historical precedents which suggest the hype might be justified. The 1994 World Cup in the United States remains the best-attended World Cup in history, with an average of 68,600 fans flocking to each game.

Yet while organisers eagerly anticipate a commercial success, with one FIFA estimate suggesting it could generate a mammoth $11-billion in revenues, questions over other aspects of the tournament remain.

The 48 teams -- up from 32 in 2022 -- will be spread into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the knockout rounds, and the eight best third-placed teams joining them to make up a last 32.That expansion is likely to reduce the sense of jeopardy in the first round, a problem seen in other major championships which have increased in size in recent years. Canada, US, Mexico brace for World Cup extravaganza

Read More........ → June 11, 2025

Honda to Pour $15 Billion into EV Factory in Ontario–the Largest Auto Investment in Canada's History

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland listen as Toshihiro Mibe, President and CEO of Honda Motor Co., speaks to the crowd at Honda of Canada – released by Honda.

In late April, Honda Motor Company announced plans to build a comprehensive electric vehicle (EV) value chain in Canada with an approximate investment of CAD$15 billion (USD$11 billion).

Consisting of four manufacturing plants for EVs, EV batteries, and battery components the first will have a production capacity of 240,000 EVs per year when fully operational, while the battery plant will produce around 36 gigawatt-hours per year.

Battery recycling and end-of-use concepts are being taken into account in the project.

Currently in evaluation phasing, the company hopes to build in Alliston, Ontario. In addition to securing the current employment level of 4,200 associates at its two existing manufacturing facilities in Ontario, Honda estimates it will add a minimum of 1,000 new jobs for the EV and EV battery manufacturing facilities.

The investment will also create significant spinoff jobs across all sites, including in the construction sector where it’s estimated that at least 4,000 tradesmen and laborers will be involved.

Honda has begun the process of evaluating the scope of its investment and completing negotiations with its joint venture partners, which includes the Federal Government of Canada who are supporting the work with CAD$5 billion. The work is expected to be finalized during the next six months.

Canadian and Ontario labor unions are scrutinizing the announcement for signs that Honda may employ foreign labor for the construction, when, they say, it should all be going to Canadians due to the presence of public money in the investment.

Honda Motor Company, Honda of Canada, and the Canadian Industry Minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, have all said this will not be the case, with the Honda of Canada President going as far as to suggest a memorandum of understanding be signed on the topic of foreign workers versus unionized workers for the project.

Despite a recent slowdown in the growth of EV sales, especially in the U.S., Honda, the price of which reached a new 52-week high in March, said it was sticking to its goal of selling only EVs and fuel-cell, or hydrogen, vehicles globally by 2040.

Honda of Canada recently fabricated its 10 millionth car—a gasoline-powered CRV.

Honda of Canada workers finishing the 10 millionth vehicle assembled in Canada – credit – Honda

As the first step in achieving this electrification goal in North America, Honda positioned its existing auto production plants in the state of Ohio in the US as its EV hub for production, including the retooling of existing plants, an investment of USD$700 million, and the construction of a joint venture EV battery plant with LG Energy Solution, with an expected investment of USD$4.4 billion, the company said in a statement. Honda is the only auto manufacturer outside China that reveals its near neighbor for full supply chain EV production.Honda to Pour $15 Billion into EV Factory in Ontario–the Largest Auto Investment in Canada's History

Read More........ → May 10, 2024

Canada Agrees 200 Islands Belong to the Indigenous Haida Nation

Islands in the Haida Gwaii – CC 2.0. Province of BC

In a historic “first-of-its-kind” agreement the government of British Colombia has acknowledged the aboriginal ownership of 200 islands off the west coast of Canada.

The owners are the Haida nation, and rather than the Canadian government giving something to a First Nation, the agreement admits that the “Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai” or the “islands at the end of world,” always belonged to them, a subtle yet powerful difference in the wording of First Nations negotiating.

BC Premier David Eby called the treaty “long overdue” and once signed, will clear the way for half a million hectares (1.3 million acres) of land to be managed by the Haida.

Postal service, shipping lanes, school and community services, private property rights, and local government jurisdiction, will all be unaffected by the agreement, which will essentially outline that the Haida decide what to do with the 200 or so islands and islets.

“We could be facing each other in a courtroom, we could have been fighting each other for years and years, but we chose a different path,” said Minister of Indigenous Relations of BC, Murray Rankin at the signing ceremony, who added that it took creativity and courage to “create a better world for our children.”

Indeed, making the agreement outside the courts of the formal treaty process reflects a vastly different way of negotiating than has been the norm for Canada.

“This agreement won’t only raise all boats here on Haida Gwaii – increase opportunity and prosperity for the Haida people and for the whole community and for the whole province – but it will also be an example and another way for nations – not just in British Columbia, but right across Canada – to have their title recognized,” said Eby.In other words, by deciding this outside court, Eby and the province of BC hope to set a new standard for how such land title agreements are struck. Canada Agrees 200 Islands Belong to the Indigenous Haida Nation

Read More........ → April 26, 2024