Plenty of far-reaching discussions of late about the state of women’s sports in Canada. Most notably the salary discrepancy between the men’s and women’s national soccer teams.
There is now serious talk of a national women’s soccer league to debut in 2025.
Earlier this spring, optimism was in the air over the interest generated by the WNBA game played in Toronto and whether that could result in an expansion franchise for that city.
Hockey meantime has witnessed steady growth of the Premier Hockey Federation and the Isobel Cup-winning performance in March of the Toronto Six.
The first time the championship has been won by a Canadian team.
So, who best to speak to about the future of women’s hockey than a member of that successful squad?
And, the obvious choice would be the city’s own, Brittany Howard, who led the team in scoring over the regular schedule with 16 goals and 10 assists in 20 games.
She was named to the Canadian team to play in the league’s three-team all-star event in Toronto in January of this year.
She made her professional debut with the Toronto Furies in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League in 2018.
Prior to that, Howard was an NCAA top female collegiate player finalist in the 2017-18 season. She was a stand-out with Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania.
We caught up with Brittany last Sunday (June 4) at the Joe Thornton Community Centre.
She reminded us her mom, Ann Howard and Brittany’s aunt also played hockey with the Bannockburn Farms squad out of Port Stanley.
We started by asking Brittany if she could have imagined as a youngster becoming a professional hockey player.
“NCAA was the goal because, at the time, there was nothing I could really watch on TV or really aspire to other than, obviously, the Olympics which were on television.
“That just shows the growth of the game, being on TSN, ESPN+ and all those different opportunities for fan engagement.
“It’s awesome to see and obviously I’m able to use this as my profession for the time being and make a wage and a liveable wage, which is amazing.”
A liveable wage but hopefully there is plenty of room for much higher salary caps.
“We’re still growing, but the cap increase to $1.5 million (per club) has made a huge difference to the athletes on the entire roster.”
By the way, that is a 900 per cent increase since the 2021-22 season.
“Last year we had many players on our team who still had to work and obviously they had two full-time jobs, working professional hockey as well as their career away from the ice rink.
“So, it’s definitely growing and we like to see our entire roster be able to live and have a liveable wage playing hockey.”
Brittany referenced the impact on women’s sports with the WNBA game played in this country.
“It filled out Scotiabank Arena and that’s what you want to see. You want to see other sports prosper as well as our game.
“The growing investment in women’s sports and athletics is amazing.”
“So to be able to be one of the smaller but emerging and thriving leagues for women’s sports in the professional realm, to be leading in salary cap is something, you know, we’re really proud of and hopefully an indicator of where we’re headed.”
A far more positive future for young girls looking to play the game they love, whatever sport that may be.
“When I graduated university, I knew I was going to continue to play professional, but with the wage, I had to go back to school and get my teacher’s degree.”
She continued, “The growth of the league has been amazing and we’ve seen that in free agency. And it’s going to show come September with the talent pool that is around the league.”
Having set the bar quite high this past season, what can fans expect in the 2023-24 season from Brittany and the Toronto Six?
“I’m hoping to get the ball rolling from where we took off this year and I think my signing is going to be announced next week and I’m really excited about next year and I think it’s going to be an awesome opportunity and hopefully bring back another cup to St. Thomas.”
And, in general, noted Brittany, the investment in women’s hockey going forward “is awesome.”
Brittany paid credit to league commissioner Reagan Carey. In an interview with Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post, Carey stressed, “we’re largely an impatient group. We want to see the future here faster, and we have the right team around us to do that.
“So to be able to be one of the smaller but emerging and thriving leagues for women’s sports in the professional realm, to be leading in salary cap is something, you know, we’re really proud of and hopefully an indicator of where we’re headed.”
Last month, the league’s Metropolitan Riveters announced they had signed another St. Thomas hockey product, Lexie Adzija, who spent a couple of years at Parkside Collegiate Institute before moving to Toronto to continue her schooling.
We’ll continue the conversation with Lexie next week.
GIVE US GREEN TO REMEDIATE BROWNFIELDS
Being the former Railway Capital of Canada and a manufacturing centre throughout its history, St. Thomas has its share of brownfield sites.
Mayor Joe Preston raises the issue in a letter sent this week to MP Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.
Preston points out, “St. Thomas is distinctive from other municipalities in that our brownfields are located throughout the municipality and occupy very large and strategically located vacant parcels of land that currently hinder our ability to grow within city limits.”
Preston continues, “The ongoing existence of brownfield sites creates significant environmental, economic, and social impacts in our community.
“Large sites in serviced urban areas of St. Thomas represent a lost opportunity to limit greenfield development and urban sprawl, contributing to both fiscal and environmental costs and reducing the availability of agricultural lands.”
Of course, the concern for lost farmland comes on the heels of 1,500 acres of prime farmland taken out of production forever to accommodate Volkswagen’s EV battery plant.
“Cleaning up brownfield sites contaminated because of historic use is a promising way to unlock valuable land in St. Thomas for residential development and employment opportunities, including affordable housing in areas primed for densification.”
Preston advises, “Directing resources and funding towards the revitalization of underutilized and contaminated brownfield sites in our municipality is a promising way to strengthen neighbourhoods, put people and activities closer to our downtown and urban core, promote densification and walkable communities by encouraging active forms of transportation, and reduce urban sprawl.”
He goes on to note the success stories already documented.
“St. Thomas has had great success in recent years because of brownfield remediation, culminating in the addition of two social housing buildings, one which contains 28 affordable apartments and the other which provides 45 one-bedroom units.
“An almost completed childcare centre will open this year after having been built on remediated land.
“Despite these accomplishments, there are still numerous brownfield sites in the city that present opportunities for much-needed housing and social benefits.”
Oddly enough, Preston doesn’t mention a unique housing initiative just commencing with Project Tiny Hope on the site of the former Elgin Handles factory (pictured above).
Preston concludes, “Cleaning up brownfield sites contaminated because of historic use is a promising way to unlock valuable land in St. Thomas for residential development and employment opportunities, including affordable housing in areas primed for densification.”
Preston’s ask of the federal government?
“. . . provide direct funding to brownfield remediation for municipalities to create opportunity for redevelopment in a safe, green, and sustainable manner.”
LANE LIMBO
Last week we wrote about what appeared to be a dead end for the closure of a downtown lane.
At the May 8 meeting of city council, C.J. Allen, on behalf of Good Vibes Community Association (GVCA), sought council’s permission to close the laneway that connects the city hall parking lot to St. Catharine Street.
The closure would be in effect from May 19 through to Sept. 9 and allow for pedestrian access to the Talbot Street businesses with rear entrances.
At Monday’s (June 5) meeting, members of council were not in favour of approving closure of the lane based on city staff concerns but left the door open to consider Plan B from Allen.
That called for closing the lane on Fridays from noon to 11 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
This would still allow for the creation of a cultural space during the summer months that could include an outdoor patio or bistro with live music; permit space for a food truck on Fridays and Saturdays; make a space available for artisan vendors to sell their products Saturday afternoons; live mural painting at the same time; and other cultural activities and programming to be determined.
Council requested a follow-up report from staff on the parking situation in the lane which is used by Talbot Street businesses and tenants in the second-floor apartment units.
Mayor Joe Preston stressed this should be done sooner rather than later to allow the GVCA to undertake activities as early in the summer season as possible.
However, the report is not included in Monday’s (June 12) agenda with council having just one more session before the summer schedule takes effect.
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BRACASHIRTS, A STYLISH ST. THOMAS SUCCESS STORY
While the talk over the past few months has been focussed on the billions of dollars spent attracting the Volkswagen EV battery plant to the city, it is too easy to push to the background the innovative entrepreneurs who are making a difference with no funding from any level of government.
Individuals like Catharine Janssen and BRACAShirts, which is a finalist in the 2023 Tales of Triumph contest presented by Canada Post.
Voting is now open for all Canadians to choose their favourite small business.
And there is added incentive for St. Thomas and Elgin county residents to cast their ballot for Janssen.
The apparel she produces is high-quality and fashionable shirts and hospital gowns to help surgical patients manage their post-surgical drains.
It is also favoured by more and more individuals in the medical profession.
She begins her story by noting, “I started my business after having breast cancer and I struggled with my post-surgical drains.
“And, every day I almost pulled them out. And I thought I would have little, tiny surgical drains but I ended up with these great big six-inch hemovac drains and they didn’t fit in any pocket.
“I was constantly catching them on door knobs and drawer knobs,” and here she lowers her voice, “even the toilet paper holder.
“Everything just seemed to result in almost pulling out my drains. I was walking down the aisle in the hospital and someone swung their purse and it caught my drains.”
“But, they also like the fact they’re a little more fashionable and also the fact they can wear them later. But, I think for them it is peace of mind that I’m there and they can call me at any time.”
While she can laugh about it now, the frustration is audible as Janssen recounts the many close calls.
“This is a major safety issue for patients and I’m a Registered Nurse and I’m used to working in intensive care . . . and I thought we need something here that’s really effective for women, but also I started thinking about nursing staff and how it would be easy for them and what I could to help them as well.
“So, I started with BRACAShirts. I designed the shirts with two pockets in the front so that healthcare workers can easily access them.
“The patient doesn’t have to expose themselves because that’s a big thing, privacy. It goes when you have surgery.
“We all know that. But, more than that, it was about being able to easily access those drains, prevent infection and prevent the patient from pulling them out.”
They come in 2 styles – pockets outside for easy access, and pockets inside to hide the drain.
BRACAShirts also has a YouTube channel (CancerCareRoundup) where they interview leaders of cancer care initiatives and bridge the cancer and surgery patient knowledge gap.
Janssen is also a certified holistic cancer coach who is fundraising for Hospice of Elgin and an MRI at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital.
Janssen launched BRACAShirts just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but that hasn’t hindered the growth of her business, producing high-quality embroidered shirts and gowns designed for post-operative mastectomy or reconstructive surgery patients.
“It was designed for patients and it’s not just for breast cancer. Abdominal surgery and I also have shirts for men.
“The hospital gown can also hold medication packs and so there is more than just one use. Cardiac packs, there are a lot of nice little things that gown can do.
“And at night, those drains are safe in your pocket.”
BRACAShirts has an opportunity to either win in the Customer Connection category, be the Canada’s Choice winner, as voted by Canadians, or the Employee’s Choice winner, as voted in by Canada Post employees.
“I do know that all the women that have used my BRACAShirts have enjoyed that sense of safety from the shirts.
“But, they also like the fact they’re a little more fashionable and also the fact they can wear them later. But, I think for them it is peace of mind that I’m there and they can call me at any time.”
She explains her mantra is “Educate to Advocate” and “Knowledge is Power” and she indicates what she would like to do with any prize money.
“The nicest thing is I would like to be able to take the promotional advertising (part of the prize package) and hopefully build my coaching side of my business.
“The shirts will follow, that I know. it’s helping these women overcome the issues while they are going into treatment.”
Created in 2020 to help support small businesses, the Tales of Triumph contest is open to Canadian companies with less than $5 million in annual gross sales.
The contest lets small businesses share their stories of creativity and resiliency for a chance to win prizes such as credits for Canada Post Parcel, Smartmail MarketingTM services and paid advertising in local markets and national exposure.
To learn more about the Canada Post Tales of Triumph contest and to cast your vote by June 30, visit here.
To learn more about BRACAShirts and Catharine Janssen’s cancer coaching support, visit https://bracashirts.ca/
And, don’t forget to vote by June 30.
THE ECHO CHAMBER
Responding to our item last week on Phase 2 of Alma College Square, Dave Mathers sent in this colourful snippet of history.
“You referenced the girls from St. Hilda’s Anglican College coming to Alma. Those girls actually stayed in our family home at 138 Wellington St. in 1944.
“Our family moved to another house that my grandmother owned at 84 Hincks St. In fact, the garage at 138 was used as a chapel for the girls and some of the windows still have the stained glass-looking decals.”
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