The Algonquin Wolves men’s basketball team beat the Seneca Sting 65-59 in a nail-biting game in the OCAA playoffs on March 9, proceeding to the quarter-finals.
The Wolves had to fight hard all the way to the last 30 seconds in order to beat the Sting in the first game of the knockout stage of the tournament.
The team got off to a rocky start, with the Sting pulling ahead to a six point advantage by the end of the first half.
With an effective counterattack, the Sting ensured the Wolves paid dearly for every mistake and struggled to stick to their game plan.
“The strategy was to get a good lead and keep it and make it tough for their shooters but those guys hit some tough shots, we didn’t rebound well and they rebounded better than us,” said head coach Trevor Costello, pleased with his victory, but well aware how close it was.
The half-time talk rejuvenated the Wolves and they returned a more composed and focused team for the third period. But the Seneca Sting were determined to stay ahead.
“I feel like we didn’t come in strong at first; we were playing passive,” said Jessner Thelemaque, the team’s top scorer with 22 points.
With the game rapidly slipping away, the Wolves dug deep for some inspiration in the last period and fought back with a flurry of three-pointers and layups, discounting the Sting’s lead to just one point with three minutes left on the clock.
Thelemaque was the star of the final period – netting 17 points in those 10 minutes – carrying his team to victory.
“JJ took over the game at the end. If he wasn’t there…Our stars didn’t play great, and this guy (Thelemaque) was unbelievable,” said Costello.
The Wolves waited for the last minute to slip into a slim one point lead, and with the boost in confidence sunk in a few more to win the game 65-59.
But Costello has been doing this long enough to not rest on past laurels.
“Tomorrow, we are going to work on defensive rotations, and some offensive stuff and hopefully be ready by Saturday,” he said.
They face off against the St. Clair Saints – who will host them – at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 12 for their OCAA quarterfinals matchup.
On this episode of The Alumni Project, a series dedicated to following the lives of proud Algonquin graduates, we sat down with Elaine Kicknosway to hear about her inspiring journey and momentous contributions to the Indigenous community.
At Algonquin College, we strive for an inclusive and representative community with plentiful resources. The Mamidosewin Centre is an establishment founded to offer support and empowerment to the Indigenous students of Algonquin College who are entering the next phase of their lives after graduation.
https://www.algonquincollege.com/mamidosewin/
Check out their website for more information.
Local News
CTV News: Ontario announced that mask mandates will end on March 21. Masking will be up to individuals, but the province will no longer require it in schools, restaurants, bars, gyms and movie theaters. Furthermore, individuals exposed to COVID-19 in their own household will no longer have to isolate. “We are now learning to live with and manage COVID-19 for the long term,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. All provincial COVID-19 public health measures are expected to end on April 27.
National News
CBC News: The truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash has lost his bid to stay in Canada. In April 2018, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu drove through a stop sign near Tisdale, Sask. and crashed into the Humboldt Broncos team bus killing 16 people and injuring 13 others. Sidhu, a Canadian permanent resident, is set to be deported back to India once he is finished serving his sentence. His lawyer has confirmed they will be appealing the decision in federal court.
International News
National Post: Russia bombed a Ukrainian maternity hospital amid ceasefire, according to Ukrainian authorities. The attack took place in Mariupol where a ceasefire was in place in order to allow residents from this and other cities to flee the war zone. According to Ukrainian authorities, 17 people were wounded. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted about this “atrocity,” pointing out that there are still “people, children under the wreckage.” In response to the accusations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “Russian forces do not fire on civilian targets.”
When the pandemic commenced two years ago, there was an enormous effort put forth by the entire College community to respond – to make certain that we continued to deliver the highest calibre learning experience, allowing every learner to achieve their lifelong dreams.
Starting in the winter of 2020, as programming was shifted to primarily remote delivery, we witnessed the enormous resiliency of our learners. While juggling multiple demands and challenges, learners’ desire to have program flexibility – already a trend – was made abundantly clear. It was a confirmation that our learner-driven strategies – commenced long before COVID-19 – were on the right path – and that building flexibility and choice into our program offerings was highly desirable.
As outlined in the College’s Learner Driven Plan, the competition for today’s digitally minded, diverse and personalization-craving student body is well underway. We are committed to a strategy that will make Algonquin College a leader in personalized learning and a personalized college experience.
Our journey toward highly personalized and flexible multimodal learning actually started almost a decade ago, when the Language Institute began practicing this alternate form of program delivery. The College also has long history of remote and online learning – with the launch of our AC Online Campus two years ago marking another significant step forward.
With this established expertise – and to meet the ever-increasing demands for flexibility and personalized learning – the College initiated a multimodal pilot in the Fall of 2021. As programs continue to develop using this method – the College will be adding more multimodal classrooms over the next decade.
What is multimodal?
Multimodal is about anywhere, anytime, anyplace learning. It’s a course delivery method that give students two or three options or “modes” to choose from:
You can choose your preferred learning experience based on your needs and life circumstances. Here are some examples of why you might select a particular mode:
On-campus, in-person synchronous
Virtual synchronous
Virtual asynchronous
Each multimodal enhanced classroom is outfitted with the following equipment:
Additional classrooms will be also equipped with cameras and a microphone, and there is particular emphasis placed on audio quality – to ensure learners pick up every nuance from a virtual classroom setting.
A recent pulse survey conducted with our learners was another confirmation that the vast majority of students are looking for choice and flexibility in how they learn. Of course, for those who want the full campus experience – that option will certainly remain as we increase in-person options in line with public health guidance. We are looking forward to the return of our vibrant campus environment, and the in-person connectivity that comes from face-to-face experiences and learning. The choice is totally up to each learner, catered specifically to their individual needs.
Obtaining feedback from our learners is critical to how multimodal options will evolve – changes and tweaks will be made thanks to their input and feedback on the experience. As more programs and courses are offered in a multimodal option, students will be asked to participate in surveys and focus groups to provide their feedback.
At its core, our multimodal delivery is all about supporting you in customizing your learning experience to best suit you. For more information, please visit this link.
Local News
Ottawa Citizen: Tamara Lich, one of the principal organizers of the convoy protest has been released on $25,000 bail Monday, March 7. Her release is with strict conditions, including the immediate return to her home in Medicine Hat, Alta., under supervision. This is because Superior Court Justice John Johnston found “errors” in the previous judge’s detainment of Lich, after her lawyer Diane Magas made allegations of judicial bias.
National News
CBC News: Canada has announced new sanctions on Russian individuals in an attempt to increase pressure on Russia’s leadership in wake of the ongoing attack on Ukraine. These sanctions are to be imposed on notable Russian figures in business as well as media personalities and public figures. Known Putin critic and activist Alexei Navalny has suggested some of the names amongst the hundreds noted in the sanctions by Canada. The Liberal government is facing pressure from the Ukrainian government to target controversial Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
International News
BBC News: The war in Ukraine poses a new threat due to soaring food prices, bringing the world’s poorest even closer to starvation. With Russia and Ukraine once named “The breadbasket of Europe” due to its large production numbers and exportation of wheat products across the eastern hemisphere, the ongoing war could greatly impact industry and even double global wheat prices. Many farmers are abandoning their land to fight for their country alongside many other civilians.
The Algonquin Wolves men’s basketball team secured two wins on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, to finish the regular season.
The Wolves played in front of fans for the first time Friday night at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre. They faced off against the East division leading Georgian Grizzlies, who were 6-1 heading into the game.
The Wolves finish the regular season with a 6-2 record and are seeded third in the East division. They will host the 3-5 Seneca Sting Wednesday, March 9 at 8 p.m. in the qualifying round of the playoffs.
During the weekend games, the Wolves were not intimidated by their opponents’ record and took advantage of turnovers and fouls to lead by 10 points at halftime.
The Wolves continued to dominate in the second half, at one point leading the Grizzlies by 24 points. The Grizzlies pushed back late in the game, but the Wolves hung on to win by five. 87-82 was the final score.
Wolves forward, Zerious Loney, led the team in scoring with 31 points.
Simon Desta scored 24 points for the Wolves and said the win against the Grizzlies gave the team a lot of confidence, “These were the top dogs in the East, and we took them down.”
Head coach Trevor Costello agreed.
“It gives us a lot of confidence, you know we were prepared, we were so prepared for this game, we had good practices this week, we watched lots of video, we knew what they were doing,” Costello said.
Costello also commented on having fans back in the building.
“It was awesome to hear people cheering, what a great feeling and great atmosphere,” said Costello.
The Wolves were back in action Saturday afternoon to face the Centennial Colts.
The game stayed close in the first half with the Colts leading for most of it. The Wolves however stayed in the fight and tied the game at halftime, 38-38.
The Wolves dominated the start of the second half, scoring 13 unanswered points. At the end of the third quarter the Wolves led by 12.
The Wolves did not take their foot off the gas and cruised through the fourth quarter to win 85-67.
The win did however come at a cost. Starter Kaylum Bobal will not be joining the team in the playoffs with an apparent wrist injury he suffered during the game. Coach Costello lamented the loss of Bobal, calling him a leader and a veteran on the team. Bobal recorded three points before leaving the game.
It is mind-boggling to think that in 2022, women’s hockey is still being ridiculed and viewed as inferior to men’s hockey.
Can you imagine? After the likes of Manon Rheaume, who was the first woman to compete in an NHL exhibition game, strapping on her goaltending gear for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Kendall Coyne-Schofield had a taste of the NHL when she competed in the fastest skater competition during the NHL’s annual all-star weekend festivities hosted in San Jose, California during the 2019-20 season.
And, last but not least, Hockey Canada women’s Olympic team three time gold medalist Marie-Philip Poulin, who captained her squad to their latest gold medal during the 2022 winter Olympic Games, in Beijing.
If that isn’t impressive enough, which it certainly is, listen to this: Poulin scored the three gold medal clinching goals, respectively, and is reported to have been sought out by a team representative of the East Coast Hockey League’s Trois Rivieres Lions, affiliated with the Montreal Canadiens, which she ultimately turned down.
So, why are they still subjected to such treatment?
Envisioning an inclusive sport for all genders and ethnicities is something we should all do. I can’t imagine ever telling my daughter she shouldn’t or can’t play because she is a girl.
The thought of anybody being discouraged from playing hockey is unfathomable. I hope one day all the women’s hockey knowledge I pass down to my one-year-old daughter Emma is passed down to another generation of women’s hockey players.
Hockey is more than just a game and encourages many great qualities. My daughter will acquire many life skills through playing and every girl who wishes to play will gain those as well.
Having grown-up around hockey, I can attest firsthand to how men’s hockey has always been viewed as superior to women’s, because of physicality, brutality and strength.
However, long before I had a daughter, I had to sit back and have an embarrassed chuckle. These women who work their tails off, for a decreased pay in comparison to professional male hockey players, still give their all and attend full-time jobs during the week. If that isn’t dedication, I can’t tell you what is.
I’ve always tuned in to women’s hockey when it was televised, because to me hockey is hockey and that is the way it was meant to be.
Hayley Wickenheiser, Meghan Agosta and Shannon Szabados are the players who stood out to me and helped fuel the idea I would one day put my daughter – if I had one – into hockey, and I would show her some incredible women who have advanced the sport in such a huge way.
Many former women’s hockey Olympians, and one current, have found their way into broadcasting and hosting roles through TSN and SportsNet; Cheryl Pounder, Tessa Bonhomme, Cassie Campbell-Pascall to name a few.
This has been an integral breakthrough for women’s hockey, as these incredible women have been given a national platform in which they can express themselves and encourage girls to pursue hockey. My daughter isn’t currently old enough to lace up a pair of skates, but as soon as she is, she will.
I can wholeheartedly say with confidence I am excited to see how far the game will go, not only because of my daughter, but because hockey is meant to be inclusive and a Canadian staple.
It’s not as though women hockey players needed to prove themselves, however, bringing the gold medal home for the Women’s Olympic hockey tournament was exciting; especially considering the men failed to advance to the medal round.
My daughter is set to strap on her first pair of skates once she can walk, and while that hasn’t happened yet, the plan is to get her familiarized with skates through wearing them around the house with the guards on if the ice is melted away. I am not ignorant to the fact she may face crude comments, and hear unwarranted opinions, however I will educate her on how wanted and respected women’s hockey is.
The only boundaries that should be in her way are those in her mind, as her ability and skill are not lesser than those of any male hockey players.
If I can offer up a piece of advice for any future women’s hockey players and their parents it would be: Your only limitations are those you set for yourself. The outside noise and comments are just a hurdle along your journey. A strong supporting cast is crucial. Encouragement and reassurance for future women’s hockey Olympians will provide them with the necessary foundation to thrive and reach their goals in sport and life.
The Algonquin Wolves women’s basketball team has wrapped up their short eight-game season with two close wins against a tough Centennial Colts team this weekend, finishing 7-1 and second in the East Division standings.
On Friday, March 4, the Wolves were down 13 points going into the half but came back from the large deficit and won 55-53. The Wolves struggled to make some open looks, but with tough and gritty defense, crashing the offensive glass and hustling for the ball, the team was able to squeeze out the win.
“Huge character game for us today,” said Jaime McLean, the head coach. “Our girls got a little shell shocked in that first-half and then really showed the amount of effort and character and resiliency it takes to win in this league. For them to come back and fight and chip away point by point, stop by stop, the girls showed real amazing character and supporting each other. It was phenomenal.”
The team’s success this season is no mistake, it is a result of hours of hard-work in the gym. Friday’s game was indicative of the Wolves’ character.
“It shows the hustle and we have been practising so hard this year, four nights a week,” said Madison Robert, who had 10 points in the game. “It just really shows the hours we have put into getting where we are.”
The Wolves held the OCAA’s leading scorer, Abigail Baptiste-Phillip, to her lowest-scoring game at 17 points.
Friday’s game also marked the first time the team has played with fans in stands at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre.
“It felt like home,” said McLean. “This place has just felt like a cave for the last few months, now it felt like home. We had fans, we had energy, the place got behind us in the second-half and off we went.”
Instead of being filled with squeaks of shoes, the bounce of the ball and the yells of coaches, the gym was filled with cheers of the Algonquin faithful.
“It felt amazing, I have not felt that alive in so long, it just really fires us up and it is really awesome,” said Robert.
The presence of the home crowd was well felt in the final stretch of the game. “It gave some positive energy and gave the girls the feeling of ‘let’s go’ because they had everyone behind them,” said McLean.
In their final game of the regular season on Saturday, March 5, the game came down to the final possessions again, but the Wolves pulled away with another two-point win against the Colts, 56-54. The game was even throughout and neither team pulled away with a sizable lead.
“Better overall performance for us tonight. I do not like these tight games, I do not think any coach really likes these tight games, but it does show versatility and perseverance out of our girls,” said McLean.
McLean was pleased with the maturity of his team to take advantage of the right matchups at the end of the game and slowing things down to use the clock to their advantage.
Although getting the win, McLean feels the Wolves could have had better shots on offense. “We were not getting the easy layups that we want to get, we were getting little jumpers that work for us or wide-open threes but usually when we are running through our offense we want to try and get that easy layup,” he said.
Defense has been a key contributor to the Wolves’ success this season. Opponents score an average of 52.5 points per game against the team, while the Wolves score an average of 64.1 points per game. During a four-game stretch against the Loyalist Lancers, St. Lawrence Surge, Seneca Sting and the George Brown Huskies, the Wolves held all of their opponents under 50 points and in two games under 40.
McLean attributes to the team’s defensive success. “Just being disciplined and knowing your matchups,” he said. Making sure key players are not doing what they want to be doing, so we can move teams out of their offensive strategy.”
After several delays to the season due to COVID-19 guidelines, the Wolves had to prepare for the short season with a quick turnaround.
“With a short season, it has been hard. It has been hard on the girls, it has been hard on their bodies. The whole season goes on down, it is their work ethic, their time, their effort that they have put into this to try and make a short season work, so I am really proud of them for stepping up,” said McLean.
“It was tricky to get back into it. It did take a lot of hustle and it did take a lot of extra hours to put into it and get back into shape and back into the way we were playing before the pandemic,” said Robert.
Although there have been obstacles, the Wolves have made the best of their season.
“Overall these girls have come together, they have worked really hard, were showing great potential, so I can not complain. It has been a lot of fun to be back in the gym and coaching again,” said McLean.
The Wolves’ win on Saturday extended their winning streak to six, going into the playoffs.
The team will host their first playoff game of the season on Wednesday, March 9 at 6 p.m. against the Loyalist Lancers.
Ontario college faculty have started phase three of their work-to-rule action on March 2 after they rejected the contract offer by a vote of 62 per cent.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union’s action is meant to increase pressure on the College Employer Council to reach a resolution either by negotiating to an agreement or is resolved through arbitration.
The online vote on the Jan. 17 contract offer was held from Feb. 15 to 17 and was open to all 16,000 Ontario college faculty members at 24 colleges. Sixty-six per cent of members participated.
Algonquin College had 699 ballots cast in which 375 rejected the offer, representing 53.4 per cent. This was five points higher than those who supported the December strike vote.
Annette Carla Bouzi, president of OPSEU Local 415 (Academic Union) for Algonquin College, said the faculty sent the CEC a message that the offer they had on the table was not acceptable and negotiation should begin in earnest.
“We had 699 voters at Algonquin and of those 699, that’s a significant portion of our population and a significant number of members who chose to participate,” said Bouzi. “And a majority of them, a majority of us rejected the offer. So it’s consistent with the message that all 24 community colleges are sending.”
Bouzi explained there are several issues of concern. One of them is about precarious work for non-full-time faculty. The college works with the fact that faculty accepts these four-month contracts, which is the overwhelming majority of faculty in the college system, but is across all Ontario, including Algonquin College.
“The colleges have more part-time faculty who are contract workers,” she said. “So they work by a four-month contract, they have no job security beyond the four months of the semester. And I’ve been thinking about it a lot because I don’t know one manager, I don’t know a single college manager, who would accept those conditions for themselves.”
Then there is the issue of job security and support for in-house counsellors.
“We are arguing for more job security for partial-load faculty,” she said. “We’re also very concerned about the outsourcing of counsellor positions. For example, we feel that our students are best served by having full-time counsellors on-site to support them. We don’t think that the mental health needs of the students with a disability or accessibility needs are best served by having these services outsourced to a third party. It should be done in-house. So we’re fighting for job security for our counsellors. So if one of us is harmed, we all are. It’s a harm to the collective.”
The OPSEU and CEC bargaining teams have been negotiating since August 2021, but talks have broken down. As a result, the parties have been at an impasse at the table.
After the college faculty’s contract expired on Sept. 30, the faculty continued working without one. This means that phases one and two of work-to-rule actions have been in place.
For phase three work-to-rule, additional actions are now in effect.
These include the mode of delivery, where professors and instructor can decide if they want to continue online or in-class teaching if it appropriate for the students.
It also gives faculty the option to record the class or not. If they do so, they may share the recordings in other means with students.
For evaluation, full-time and partial-load faculty will not have to grade during non-teaching weeks and non-working hours. But it should be done within regular working hours within their contract terms. This may mean that students may not receive feedback because of work time.
It also means that the grades will be off the learning management systems of Blackboard, Brightspace and 2DL to reduce the likelihood of a lockout. So instead, the grades will be kept by the professors and instructors and be updated via email.
Phase three work-to-rule also includes non-teaching activities. During non-teaching weeks or non-teaching work hours, professors and instructors will only perform activities they have started and not activities assigned by their supervisors.
Also, the professors and instructors do not need to volunteer their unpaid time because they are not given enough time to do so.
“We are following our contract to the letter of the law, so we are given just a few minutes for every student we have in the classroom,” Bouzi said. “And under the work-to-rule, we say, ‘OK, so you’ve given me 5 minutes to mark this assignment, so that’s what I’m going to do.’ And we are not sitting on any committees or the volunteer stuff that we ordinarily do. We’ve chosen to do that, to be there for our students. Rather than to withdraw our labour and to picket.”
Graham Lloyd, CEO of the CEC, wrote an email to the Algonquin Times that the academic employees/OPSEU may continue its work-to-rule or escalate to a full walk-out strike without consulting with faculty again. Therefore, the final offer vote is academic employees’ last opportunity to avoid escalation to the strike action.
“We have told OPSEU many times since August that we cannot agree to their outstanding demands and that Arbitration is the wrong way to address workload and to advance EDI and Truth and Reconciliation,” he said. “We need to move forward together through consensus.”
“The final offer is the best offer we can put forward. There will not be a further offer,” he said.
“The CEC will still be unable to agree to the outstanding Union demands that are still on the table. The only way that we will be able to reengage in negotiations with the Union is if they moderate their demands and rejoin the CEC at the table to continue bargaining,” said Lloyd in the email.
Bouzi hopes the CEC will get back to the table and negotiate in good faith with constructive conversations with the faculty bargaining team to resolve and benefit everyone, especially the students.
“We already know what the issues are,” said Bouzi. “We already know what the problems are. We have decades of research and data. What we need is action and we need them fixed.”
