Bramburger, who was the interim dean of the Pembroke Waterfront Campus, passed away on March 11
Hau Ting Ng
Photos: Korbin Amaya
March 12, 2025 Revised: March 12, 2025 8:00pm
Photo: Korbin Amaya
Jamie Bramburger spoke with the Algonquin Times in 2024 after publishing "Sudden Impact — The Almonte Train Wreck of 1942."
Jamie Bramburger, interim dean of Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus, died suddenly on March 11.
An email to the college community from Claude Brulé, the president and CEO of Algonquin College, announced Bramburger’s death on the same day.
“His deep passion for Algonquin College and his beloved hometown of Pembroke was evident in everything he did,” Brulé said. “Jamie was a dedicated leader, a cherished colleague, and a tireless advocate for education and community.”
“I encourage us all to lean on one another during this difficult time. We are stronger together and in this moment of collective sorrow, it is important that we support each other.”
Bramburger worked in radio and television for 13 years before becoming manager of community and student affairs at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus, where he served for 25 years.
Over his career, he sat on several boards and committees, including the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Pembroke and Area Physician Recruitment Committee, the Pembroke Economic Development and Tourism Advisory Committee and the Jason Blaine Charitable Fund committee.
Bramburger was awarded the 2020 Algonquin College Employee Philanthropic Recognition Award for exemplifying the transformation of students’ aspirations into lasting success. He has supported students at all three campuses and championed various fundraising initiatives aligned with the college’s priorities.
Bramburger has published two books: Go Kings Go! A Century of Lumber Kings Hockey and Sudden Impact — The Almonte Train Wreck of 1942.
Algonquin College cancelled classes at the Pembroke Campus on March 12. Classes will resume on March 13. The campus remains open, providing counselling and support for students and staff.
“His loss will be deeply felt by many,” Brulé said.
Algonquin College hosted Ontario's Got Talent in the Algonquin Commons Theatre on March 7
Robyn Lanktree
Photos: Robyn Lanktree
March 12, 2025 Revised: March 12, 2025 3:42pm
Photo: Robyn Lanktree
Stallon Dcosta performing his calisthenics and dance fusion on March 7.
Algonquin College’s own Sun Dried Flies won the $500 first-place prize in Ontario’s Got Talent on March 7, the second year in a row students from the school won the contest.
The band, made of Branden Tyhy, Andrew Hudson, Ben Pontefract and Andrew Crozier, started their set in the Algonquin Commons Theatre with an original song before playing a set of classics that hypnotized the audience.
Nearly everyone was standing on their feet with their hands in the air — and certainly everyone was once the set was over.
“It was so thrilling. I can’t believe the amount of adrenaline that rushed through my veins when that happened,” Hudson said. “I just love the energy coming from the crowd. That standing ovation was beautiful.”
The night showcased seven amazing performances, which began after the lights in the theatre dimmed until blue and purple lights shimmered against the stage.
The first to step on stage was Algonquin College student and winner of Algonquin’s Got Talent in February, Monique Messier. Dressed in gold and white, Messier played an acoustic guitar and sang an original song. Her emotion reflected off the gold gems that studded her eyes and reached the audience through her voice.
Monique Messier opening at Ontario's Got Talent on March 7. Photo credit: Robyn Lanktree
“I had some feelings to expel,” Messier said as she explained her writing process after the show. “I came up with the chord progression and then it just came naturally.”
In a fusion performance, Stallon Dcosta, a student from Sheridan College, danced using calisthenics, an increasingly popular bodyweight workout.
Warning the theatre to take their jackets off because “it’s gonna get hot in here,” Dcosta wowed the audience with flips, handstands and some breakdancing.
After a 20-minute intermission, a blue stream of light shone on a drum set in the middle of the stage as the audience returned to their seats.
It was time for the Sun Dried Flies to perform. Their name is a metaphor, painting each member as a fly staring into the sun for too long.
Crozier, the band’s drummer, gave a flashy performance inspired by former Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham.
Andrew Crozier wildly drums on March 7. Photo credit: Robyn Lanktree
“Tonight when I tried to do my solo and throw out those triplets, I was looking up to Bonham in spirit,” Crozier said after the show.
The bassist, Pontefract, has been with the band for only a month or two. Their first show all together happened only a few weeks earlier.
“This is the first time I haven’t felt that nervous because I know the material better and I was grooving on stage,” Pontefract said after the show.
Sun Dried Flies (from left to right: Andrew Hudson, Branden Tyhy, Andrew Crozier and Ben Pontecraft) listen to feedback from the judges on March 7. Photo credit: Robyn Lanktree
Hudson, the keyboardist and co-lead singer, stunned the crowd by unconventionally playing his keyboard without a stand and with his intense vocals. Joining him in an eccentric display, guitarist and singer Tyhy played his instrument behind his head, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Andrew Hudson (left) and Branden Tyhy (right) stun the crowd with their unique playing style during their set on March 7. Photo credit: Robyn Lanktree
Following Sun Dried Flies was Pauline Katari, a journalism and filmmaking student from St. Clair College, performing three original songs in both English and Spanish.
Each song left the crowd mesmerized. Katari likes to sing in both English and Spanish so she can communicate her lyrics to English-speakers and comfortably use Colombian sayings in her songs.
Before leaving the stage, Katari made sure to greet her family watching the livestream from Colombia.
In third place, winning a prize of $100 was Messier.
“It was awesome to be on stage and performing and connecting with people in the audience,” Messier said, beaming with pride.
Katari came in second place, winning a prize of $250.
“I feel so grateful for this opportunity that they gave me and I was so excited to be part of it,” Katari said. “The scenario was so nice, so pretty, so well done. I just enjoyed it a lot.”
Sun Dried Flies accept the first-place prize of $500 (from left to right: Ben Pontecraft, Branden Tyhy, Andrew Hudson and Andrew Crozier. Photo credit: Robyn Lanktree
As for the Sun Dried Flies, they were just happy to perform.
“We didn’t care if we won,” Hudson said. “We just wanted to make the people feel good.”
Sun Dried Flies will play at The Rainbow Bistro in the ByWard Market on March 13 at 8 p.m.
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Top stories in your community and around the world by Algonquin Times journalists
Kevin Clasper-Inglis
Photos:
March 12, 2025 Revised: March 12, 2025 1:22pm
Local:
CTV: The Ottawa Real Estate Board says that the average home price in the city dropped from $670,258 to $669,945. However, prices were still up 1.4 per cent compared to last year.
Despite the slight decrease in price over February, sales were still down compared to February of last year.
The OREB president Paul Czan says that home purchases are being affected by market uncertainty despite new listings rising by 4.8 per cent from February 2024 and the number of new listings rising 10.8 per cent above the five-year average.
National:
Global News: Mark Carney, the newly elected leader of the Liberal party of Canada, who is set to take over from Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister, laid out his plan to deal with Trump’s threatened tariffs.
On top of the $6.5 billion in support measures announced by the federal government, Carney says that he will continue with reciprocal tariffs on U.S. goods until all tariffs from the U.S. are lifted. He also pledged to use all tariff proceeds to help businesses, families and workers hurt by the trade war.
Trump imposed sweeping 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods last week but then on Thursday paused them on select goods.
Carney’s leadership campaign has laid out plans to strengthen Canada’s economy by removing interprovincial trade barriers and diversifying trade relationships.
To further help with everyday costs, he has also pledged to eliminate the consumer carbon tax.
International:
Global News: Hours before talks were to begin between American and Ukrainian delegates in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, Russia shot down 337 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory.
The attack killed two and injured 18, including three children. No large-scale damage was reported in the attack that was carried out over 10 Russian regions.
The talks are seen as an opportunity for Ukraine to heal its relationship with the U.S. administration after a meeting in the White House between Ukrainian President Volodymyr and U.S. President Donald Trump broke out into a shouting match.
Jaideep Singh says his team is the only one in the city dancing with live music
Kendra Mendrisky
Photos: Kendra Mendrisky
March 10, 2025 Revised: March 10, 2025 11:51am
Photo: Kendra Mendrisky
Jaideep Singh (far right) rehearses with his team.
In December 2023, Jaideep Singh moved to Ottawa from India, bringing with him a fiery passion for the traditional folk dance, bhangra.
“I know that there are a lot of people who want to learn this, but they don’t have a good teacher here,” says Jaideep Singh, who studies business at Algonquin College. “I have teaching experience also, so there was a thought in my mind to make a new team who can represent Ottawa worldwide.”
Jaideep Singh pauses the dance to give instructions to his team. Photo credit: Kendra Mendrisky
The energetic and fast-paced dance originates from Punjab, India, and is ideally performed with live singing to a beat played on a drum called a dhol.
Jaideep Singh held a practice for his team on March 2 in room A1821. He has been rehearsing a dance with his team for the past two and a half months.
The team practises with head coverings as a sign of respect to the art form and barefoot to show respect to the stage.
“This is the first team in Ottawa (with live music),” says Jaideep Singh. “We don’t have any other team in Ottawa. We have in Brampton, we have in Surrey, we have in Vancouver. Canada, we have only 10 to 12 teams here.”
Now, he wants to offer basic drop-in classes to Algonquin College students, which he says will start “very soon.”
The club, called AC Bhangra, is open to students of all cultures. Family and friends outside of the college are also welcome to join, as long as 75 per cent of the members are AC students, according to Jaideep Singh.
“We can create our own club that would be in a good area, a good place, where people can learn this dance form,” says Jaideep Singh.
Students interested in joining AC Bhangra can check out the club on Instagram and the Students’ Association’s website.
Jaideep Singh is 21, but he’s been dancing since he was five or six years old, participating in school performances in his small village of Baba Bakala Sahib, in Punjab, India.
“My teacher would always tell me, ‘You want to perform, you have to perform, you are a good dancer, you have to learn’, ” says Jaideep Singh.
After Grade 12, he started dancing professionally and became a bhangra teacher.
Jaideep Singh highlights bhangra’s history, stating that bhangra was first performed in Sialkot, (now located in Pakistan,) but its roots lie in Punjab, India.
“People perform this on the occasion of Vaisakhi to show their happiness,” he says.
Vaisakhi takes place in mid-April and marks the beginning of the spring harvest season, although Jaideep Singh is not sure when his team’s first performance will be.
Chehakpreet Singh, an Algonquin College graduate, is the team’s singer. About five years ago, he moved to Ottawa from Punjab to study electrical engineering.
“When I was in school, I used to sing with my friends, and they were the first who said to me I can be a good singer,” says Chehakpreet Singh. “I’m not a professional, to be honest. It’s just my hobby.”
Chehakpreet Singh stands in front of the team, singing to the beat of the dhol. Photo credit: Kendra Mendrisky
Chehakpreet Singh has written music and sung at parties and family functions, although he admits he is not the best dancer.
Khushpreet Kaur, a graduate of Carleton University, has danced bhangra at weddings and ceremonies, but wanted to improve her skills. She found Jaideep Singh’s bhangra team through friends.
“I wasn’t a professional, but I like the way (Jaideep Singh) explains each step, how we can do it from scratch and how we can clean the moves,” says Kaur. “Because I can do some moves, it’s fine, but it’s basically how perfectly you can do the moves.”
Khushpreet Kaur (middle) dances with the team. Photo credit: Kendra Mendrisky
Jaideep Singh hopes to see his team perform at the Flower City Bhangra Competition in Brampton, Ont., which he says is one of the biggest bhangra competitions in the world.
“It will take almost one to two years for them to get ready for that competition,” says Jaideep Singh.
But he believes with hard work, his team will get there.
“Luckily I got this amazing team, these teammates,” says Jaideep Singh. “They are very good and they are helping me to create my vision in real life. They are making my dreams turn real.”
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Parking prices at Algonquin College are expected to continue to rise, all while students are expressing difficulties when it comes to paying for parking.
Currently the parking prices for an annual pass cost vary from $799 to $1,154. Students have the option to purchase passes annually, monthly and weekly. The prices have increased by 1.8 per cent each year in the past five years.
“Parking rates are reviewed annually, and any price adjustments would depend on factors such as inflation, maintenance costs, and campus expansion needs,” college parking manager Roch Lafond said.
The college’s most popular parking permit (fall annual, Lot 9) has increased about 1.8 per cent per year in the five-year period between 2020 and 2025 ($736 in September 2020 vs. $801 in September 2025).
“Our hourly parking rates have not increased in this time frame and remain at $4/hour,” Lafond said.
Students said parking prices at Algonquin College are higher compared to other schools like Carleton University.
Samiul Islam, a computer systems technician student at Algonquin College, has many frustrations with Algonquin parking prices.
“The school gouges such prices. Carleton University offers more parking options for cheaper,” Islam said.
Carleton University parking rates for yearly parking in certain lots are between $450 and $600. Carleton’s highest priced parking is $100 less than the starting parking rate at Algonquin.
Students said parking prices put stress on other expenses, such as tuition fees.
According to a 2024 report for Algonquin College’s Board of Governors, an average domestic student tuition fee is paying $1,361.29 per term in 2024-2025.
“As a student who is not working full-time, and often struggles to balance part-time work, academics and finances,” Islam said.
Camille Forgues, an Algonquin College student in the horticulture industry program, shared her thoughts on the expenses.
“We already put a lot of money towards tuition and then you have to add parking expenses on top of that,” Forgues said.
Students who have not bought their passes before the academic year starts are placed on a waitlist to purchase a parking pass.
Students have been finding it hard to park because of long wait times for receiving a parking permit.
Matt Wolff, a heating, refrigeration and air conditioning technician student at Algonquin College said, “I had to get on a waiting list for the one month of parking I have.”
The Honk app is used for parking at Algonquin College.
Because there is a waitlist, the app informs students that lots are sold out.
The college uses Honk for pay-as-you-go lots, but students are noticing that spots are available when the Honk app says there are not.
“I’m in parking Lot 8, there are always spots available,” Wolff said.
Students who do not have a parking pass tend to pay for a day pass.
Students are frustrated when there are open spots but they are not able to pay because the lot is sold out.
“I spoke with other students and we all think the parking situation here is abysmal,” Islam said.
“Given how expensive rent, groceries and other necessities are, having to worry about the parking situation here is another massive headache.”
The Wolves men's basketball team delivered their best season since 2022, led by one of the province's best scorers, Tesloch Luk
Gavin Oregan
Photos: Gavin Oregan
March 7, 2025 Revised: March 7, 2025 4:18pm
Photo: Gavin Oregan
Wolves men's basketball guard Tesloch Luk attempting a free throw against Niagara College Feb. 15 at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre.
The Algonquin Wolves men’s basketball team delivered their best season since 2022, capturing the fourth seed in the OCAA Eastern conference with a 12-6 record, giving the Wolves playoff birth
The team’s success is largely credited to star guard Tesloch Luk. The Ottawa native transferred home from Ontario Tech University this season and has developed into one of the province’s top scorers.
Luk finished the regular season as the second leading scorer in Ontario, averaging 19.9 points per game. He ranked fifth in total points scored with 318 and led the province with 90 free throws made. His success on the court is a result of being in a comfortable environment with a coach who understands his style of play.
Wolves men's basketball guard Tesloch Luk after a whistle vs Niagara College Feb.15 at the Jack Doyle Athletic and Recreation Centre Photo credit: Gavin Oregan
“Being back home has definitely brought more confidence into my game, and the fact that a couple of my games went the way I wanted early on grew my confidence on the court even more,” said Luk.
The season has been a success not just for Luk, but for the entire team. The Wolves improved their win total by eight games after going 4-14 in 2023-24, helping to establish a winning culture.
“My time at Tech, I was there from when we were losing, so seeing the culture shift to a winning mentality and just being around guys that want to win and want to get better is what I brought here,” said Luk.
The relationship between head coach Trevor Costello and Luk played an important role in his recruitment to the Wolves. Costello’s approach to long-term player development could also benefit future recruiting and prove beneficial in future recruiting efforts.
“I’ve talked to him over the years, but the thing about recruiting is, I never burn bridges,” said Costello. “Everybody’s got bigger things they wanna strive for, and I told him if he wants to use us as a stepping stone, I’m not here to hold you back. I’m here to help you reach your dreams.”
With the season now concluded, Luk and the Wolves have left their mark, proving they belong among the province’s top teams.
“Playoffs are completely different from regular season ball. The intensity grows, and we’re just trying to come into the playoffs hungry,” said Luk.
The Wolves kicked off their OCAA playoff run with a victory over the fifth-seeded Niagara Knights on Feb.15, at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre. The Knights, who finished third in the West Division for the third straight year, posed a tough challenge, but the Wolves prevailed. They traveled to Humber to take on the top-ranked team in Canada but fell short, bringing their season to an end.
With an impressive season behind him, Luk has his sights set on returning to university sports. His goal is to stay in Ottawa and compete at the next level.
“He’s going to be going to university. As far as where — somewhere in Ottawa that can take and use his skills to perfection. He’s gifted offensively,” said Costello.
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Rebecca Jordan
Photos:
March 5, 2025 Revised: March 5, 2025 7:01pm
Local
CTV: The Rideau Canal Skateway will be temporarily closed due to rain and warmer temperatures expected this evening, starting at 10 p.m.
The National Capital Commission posted on X stating “We hope that this temporary pause combined with the return of colder temperatures at the end of the week will allow us to reopen.”
Weather conditions are supposed to return to below freezing this weekend.
The 2024-2025 season for the canal has been the busiest since the 2018-2019 season, with nearly 1.2 million visits since it opened on Jan. 11.
The canal has been open in March five times since 2010.
National
CTV: One minute after midnight, March 4, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs against Canada went into effect.
Howard Lutnick, U.S. Commerce Secretary, says that there could be some exceptions to these new tariff implications. Canada has requested a consultation with the U.S. on unjustified tariffs at the World Trade Organization. This tariff implication could upend nearly $2.2 trillion in annual trade.
Trump claims that fentanyl being trafficked at the border is why the U.S. will no longer “subsidize” Canada and Mexico.
“Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again,” Trump said. ”It’s happening, and it will happen rather quickly. There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re okay with that. It won’t be much.”
International
CTV: The governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, says U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs are not what Americans voted for, and will cause significant harm, as prices will begin to rise.
“I believe that the people of Kentucky and the United States are going to feel betrayal. It is going to be incredibly difficult and challenging for our people,” Beshear said.
Beshear told Vassy Kapelos, CTV host, that the vast majority of Americans view Canada as “one of our closest allies and friends.”
“He and he alone has started this trade war,” the governor said of Trump. “We all certainly hope that there is a way that our leaders will move past this, because this relationship is far too important to have a trade war that ultimately raises prices and difficulties on both of our people.”
Meet the Oyenuga brothers and their Kickstarter for Project Aster
Robyn Lanktree
Photos: Robyn Lanktree
March 5, 2025 Revised: March 5, 2025 9:17am
Photo: Robyn Lanktree
Ola Oyenuga (left) and Tobi Oyenuga (right) smile and hold up their poster on Feb. 17.
When Olaoluwakitan “Ola” Oyenuga was young, he became obsessed with understanding how two people with the same experiences can have different perspectives on life.
Now 25, Ola and his older brother Oluwatobiloba “Tobi” Oyenuga, an Algonquin College student in the film and media production program, are collaborating on a Kickstarter campaign to launch the sale of their poster design that explores the balance between psychology and philosophy.
“It did start as sort of a research project, but also something that I wanted to look beautiful,” Ola said.
Ola first had the chance to create a poster when he studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto.
“We had an assignment to create a map. We could design it however we wanted to. I was in a group with two other designers, one who is an atheist and another who is Muslim,” Ola said.
“I had this idea that had been turning over in the back of my head for the past 20-something years of my life. They liked it.”
Ola’s idea was to tackle the concept of how people develop their beliefs and how they process the world around them.
A close look at the "Compass of Truth" poster. Photo credit: Robyn Lanktree
“Since we all had these very different world views, it also seemed kind of fitting,” Ola said.
Ola had been mulling over this idea since childhood. Raised in Lagos, Nigeria until he was 12, Ola was surrounded by various cultures and philosophies.
“Lagos is an ethnic medley,” Ola said. “There’s people from all sorts of backgrounds and belief systems there.”
“One of our close childhood neighbours was a Muslim family, and we’re from a Christian family. My parents raised us to see people who didn’t hold our Christian belief as still perfectly good people,” Ola said.
Having graduated and working as a graphic designer, Ola refined the poster into an academic work of art he could share after years in the making.
He calls the poster a “compass of truth.”
“It’s a way to guide the viewer through how information gets into our minds, and how it gets out of our minds and also what happens in the middle,” Ola said.
Ola hopes the poster will “help people navigate those influences that go on behind the scenes, those biases and coercive influences that affect us.”
The poster’s concept explains how people’s perception is formed. There are two prologues in the poster’s content.
“The first one is the origin of faith,” Ola said. “It explains how we live in this universe and we have this fundamental assumption that the world we live in makes sense.
Assuming the world makes sense is the foundation for science and academics. Since science deals with theory, it is a form of faith, according to Ola.
The second section of the poster is “wrestling with truth.”
“No matter how hard we try, we will never actually get to the truth, but we try anyways,” Ola said.
Ola would talk to his older brother Tobi about his poster ideas. The more Ola mentioned his poster, the more Tobi became invested in and involved in the project.
“He started pitching ideas to me and I would put in some input and there was a synergy going on,” Tobi said. “What started as a project that he was focusing on, became this thing that we were working on together.”
Together, the brothers are launching a Kickstarter campaign to sell the poster. They’re calling it Project Aster, a name inspired by Greek Mythology meaning “star.”
“In their culture, it symbolized wisdom and beauty. The poster, in a lot of ways, is meant to inspire wisdom,” Ola said. “It’s an artwork itself.”
Tobi is trying to raise awareness about the project by shooting a documentary about their crowdfunding process before their Kickstarter launch date, estimated in June or July.
Tobi sees his documentary as an opportunity to sharpen his storytelling skills.
“I’m an animator, there are a lot of characters and stories I want to tell. Do my stories matter? Can I tell my stories well?”
Film crew member Douglas Campbell estimated filming would be finished by April.
Once their Kickstarter is launched, Ola and Tobi have 30 days to reach their goal of $30,000. Those who put a down payment of one dollar towards the poster can get a $10 discount off the total $50 cost.
While following the “compass of truth,” the Oyenuga brothers hope the poster can inspire self-reflection.
“It’s a constant reminder of that necessity to have intellectual humility in the pursuit of truth,” Tobi said.
“The world is complicated, and I think we’re all doing our best to make sense of it,” Ola said. “So I think we should be more empathetic.”
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The Wolves' win streak came to an end in a clash with Humber
Jackie Beeston
Photos: Jack Beeston
March 4, 2025 Revised: March 4, 2025 12:55pm
Photo: Jack Beeston
The Wolves' Jessica De Haan brushing off Sarah Baptie fighting for space in the paint at the Jack Doyle Athletics & Recreation Centre.
The Humber Hawks flew past the Algonquin Wolves with a 57-43 semi-final victory on Feb. 28 at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre, handing the women’s basketball Wolves their first loss of the season.
The Wolves went on to win the bronze medal at the OCAA championship held that weekend at Algonquin College.
The Wolves were looking to secure a place in the gold medal game with a semi-final win against Humber.
The Wolves started forwards Mallory Katz and Libby Hirst and guards Dasia McDonald, Sydney Moore and Cianah Miller. The visiting Humber Hawks started Carina Wynter-Josephs, Kia Watt, Persia Martin-Brown, Sarah Baptie and Marley Bonnick.
Sydney Moore cruising through defenders while making a push towards the net at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre. Photo credit: Jack Beeston
The Hawks had other plans for the Wolves, as their starters came ready to hoop. Watt, Baptie and Bonnick had a combined total of 43 points. Each had double-digit points in the box score.
The Hawks made 23 points in the fourth quarter to seal their victory.
“If there’s a team to drop to, it’s probably gonna be the team that wins the whole thing,” said Jaime McLean, the head coach for the Wolves.
As it turned out, the Mohawk Mountaineers beat Humber 73-69 in the gold medal game the next day.
Kate Dahmer, (left) and Chloe Lapointe watching an opposing free throw shot at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre. Photo credit: Jack Beeston
“It’s still a shot at a medal,” McLean said after the Wolves’ semi-final loss. “We’ve got hopefully some good rest tonight. We’ll get some time in the gym to shoot around and walk through what Fanshawe does. It’s not the scout we were hoping to be going through, but it’s what we have to do.”
“We’re going to feel our feelings after tonight,” said Wolves forward Jessica De Haan. “Then we’re gonna turn around and get ready for the bronze medal game. We’re gunning for it.”
The Wolves beat the Fanshawe Falcons 68-50 to win bronze.
Olsen and Jojo Mason delivered an unforgettable show
Nicklaus Korim
Photos: Nicklaus Korim
February 28, 2025 Revised: February 28, 2025 3:37pm
Photo: Nicklaus Korim
Steven Lee Olsen draped in a Canadian flag performing in the Algonquin Commons Theatre Feb. 21.
Steven Lee Olsen, a Grammy-nominated country artist from Newmarket, Ont., came to the Algonquin Commons Theatre on Feb. 22 as part of his Country Night in Canada tour.
Jim Browne, a 19-year-old life-long fan of Olsen, was thrilled to hear him play live at the college.
“Life changing,” said Browne on the performance.
“I’ve been listening to him since I was nine.”
Browne brought his friend Aaron Sarsfield to the concert for his 20th birthday. Sarsfield, a country fan who didn’t know he was going to the concert until days before, was glowing after seeing Olsen live.
“Best birthday of my life,” said Sarsfield.
Steven Lee Olsen pointing to the crowd while singing into his hockey stick microphone Feb. 21 in the Algonquin Commons Theatre. Photo credit: Nicklaus Korim
Olsen played one of the wildest sets in country music, kicking things off with classic hits like Raised by a Good Time. He then transitioned into songs he had written for other artists, like Keith Urban’s Grammy-nominated Blue Ain’t Your Colour, which is one of Urban’s biggest and his most streamed songs on Spotify.
Then, in the blink of an eye…
“Let’s kick it up a notch!” Olsen shouted to the crowd, urging them to get fired up.
Olsen’s set also featured a rock portion. The artist, having fun with his band, covered portions of songs like My Hero by the Foo Fighters and Use Somebody by Kings of Leon.
The opening performance by Jojo Mason, a British Columbia native, left no one disappointed and energized the crowd before Olsen took the stage.
Eli Ferguson, a 27-year-old Algonquin alumnus, was surprised by how good Jojo Mason was.
“Opener Jojo Mason played some really good radio hits,” said Ferguson.
Ayden Jacobs shredding a guitar solo while Jojo Mason praises him Feb. 21 in the Algonquin Commons Theatre. Photo credit: Nicklaus Korim
Mason awed the audience in more ways than one. At the beginning of his set, Mason FaceTimed his child at home and even propped his phone up so his child could watch the show from home.
For Jada Ostapyk, an 18-year-old South Carleton High School student, it was her second concert ever. She was shocked by how nice the venue was and how good Jojo Mason was.
“Haven’t heard the opener before, but I liked it a lot,” said Ostapyk
“I’m excited to be in the theatre.”
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