Five former members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team — Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod — were acquitted in July 2025 on sexual assault charges stemming from an encounter at a 2018 Hockey Canada gala in London, Ont.

Since then, the NHL has reinstated all five, allowing them to play beginning Dec. 1, 2025. Hockey Canada’s appeal board later ruled all five breached the governing body’s code of conduct and extended its ban from national programs for three of the five.

With Formenton recently signing a contract with the Edmonton Oilers, here’s a look at where the five players have landed since the trial ended.

ALEX FORMENTON

The 26-year-old signed a one-year, US$850,000 contract with the Oilers on Sept. 9 after spending three of the previous four seasons in Switzerland with HC Ambri-Piotta and the other out of hockey.

Formenton was the only player of the five made immediately eligible for reinstatement in Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs after the appeal-board ruling.

His signing triggered a backlash in Edmonton, including an online petition calling on the club to reverse the deal and a protest outside Rogers Arena on Saturday, when the Oilers opened their pre-season schedule against visiting Winnipeg.

The Oilers have defended the move, citing Formenton’s acquittal, his reinstatements, and what the team called a “lengthy due diligence process.”

CARTER HART

The netminder was the first of the five to return to the NHL, signing a two-year, $4-million contract with the Vegas Golden Knights in October 2025.

He returned to action Dec. 2 and helped Vegas reach the 2026 Stanley Cup final with a 12-4 playoff record, a 2.22 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage leading into the title series against Carolina.

He remains suspended by Hockey Canada until Nov. 10, 2027.

DILLON DUBÉ

The centre became the second of the five players to return to the NHL when he signed a one-year contract worth $850,000 with the St. Louis Blues on July 1.

Dubé signed the deal after agreeing to a professional tryout with the Springfield Thunderbirds, the club’s American Hockey League affiliate, in December. He had 20 goals and 17 assists in 46 regular-season games with the Thunder, then added five goals and three assists in 12 playoff contests.

He joined the organization after playing for Minsk Dynamo of the Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League in 2024-25.

Dubé remains suspended by Hockey Canada until Nov. 10, 2028.

CAL FOOTE

Foote signed an AHL contract with the Chicago Wolves in December 2025, where the defenceman had four goals and 14 assists in 48 games.

He signed a one-year contract with Swedish club Farjestad BK in July, but the deal was rescinded two days later.

Foote is the next player eligible for reinstatement by Hockey Canada, with his suspension set to end on Nov. 10.

MICHAEL MCLEOD

The centre signed a three-year contract with Avangard Omsk of the KHL in October 2025.

McLeod previously split the 2024-25 KHL season between Omsk and Barys Astana.

He is the only one of the five not to play in North America since the trial ended.

Hockey Canada imposed the longest ban on McLeod, making him ineligible for reinstatement until Nov. 10, 2030.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

EDMONTON – Dozens of protesters chanted “no means no” and “drunk isn’t consent” outside Rogers Place arena ahead of the Edmonton Oilers’ first home game on Saturday, which featured the team’s controversial new forward Alex Formenton.

Protesters held signs with messages such as “Believe Survivors” as fans streamed in, renewing calls for the Oilers to reverse their Sept. 9 signing of Formenton.

He is one of five former members of Canada’s world junior team who were acquitted last year of sexual assault charges stemming from an encounter with a woman in a hotel room after a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ont., in 2018.

Jaclyn Prouse took part in Saturday’s demonstration. She said the case shone a light on the dark side of Canada’s hockey culture and for the first time she would not be supporting her hometown team because of Formenton.

“I’ve been an Oilers fan my whole life, I’ve lived in Edmonton my whole life, and so it’s really unfortunate and heartbreaking to see the decisions that are being made by this team and the organization itself,” she said.

“I think it’s important that we have some accountability here today.”

Oilers superfan Mary Loewen, known as “Mama Stanley,” whose petition against Formenton has garnered nearly 70,000 signatures, said sexual assault survivors and women in general feel ignored and betrayed by the team.

“I am Mama Stanley but before anything else, I am a survivor,” she said Saturday, dressed in her signature silvery makeup and attire to mimic the Stanley Cup, complete with a tinsel wig and cup-like crown on her head.

“Fans have pleaded with the Edmonton Oilers to listen and this organization has chosen to move forward as though our voices do not matter.”

Prosecutors had argued during the players’ trial that the woman in the London, Ont., hotel room did not voluntarily consent to the sexual activity that took place, and the players did not take reasonable steps to confirm whether she consented.

Lesley Mutschke, another protester, said she shed tears when she heard the team she had supported most of her life signed Formenton.

“My heart is quite broken,” she said.

“I firmly believe that survivors should always be believed.”

The Oilers have defended the signing.

Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman has said he respects that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the Oilers did their due diligence before signing Formenton to a one-year, US$850,000 contract.

“I’ve had a lot of conversations with Alex,” Bowman said on Wednesday. “He’s grown a lot in the intervening years from where he was then to where he is now. He’s shown that growth.”

Loewen’s isn’t the only petition related to Formenton. Another aimed at showing support for the Oilers and its forward has received more than 2,500 signatures.

“Respect the verdict,” said the message attached to the petition.

“The presumption of innocence is one of the foundations of the Canadian justice system. It exists precisely because accusations can permanently affect a person’s reputation, livelihood and future long before guilt has ever been established,” it said.

“Supporting the Edmonton Oilers’ decision to sign Alex Formenton does not require anyone to minimize sexual assault.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

CALGARY – A 62-yard field goal by Rene Paredes, for the longest of his career, with two seconds remaining gave the Calgary Stampeders a 40-38 win over the visiting Ottawa Redblacks in the CFL on Saturday.

Quincy Vaughn scored a pair of short-yardage rushing touchdowns and Tevin Jones and Jalen Philpot each caught touchdown passes for Calgary (6-8), which stayed in the playoff conversation, albeit in last place in the West Division.

Paredes also produced field goals from 57, 23 and 19 yards, as well as four convert points in front of an announced 20,113 at McMahon Stadium.

Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, in his first start for Ottawa this season, threw five touchdown passes and Keelan White caught three of them as the Redblacks fell to 0-13 on the season.

The Redblacks became just the second team in CFL history to start a season with 13 straight losses after the Shreveport Pirates in 1994.

Justin Hardy’s touchdown catch with 72 seconds remaining and Brett Lauther’s convert point gave the Redblacks at 38-37 lead.

Kalil Pimpleton caught a touchdown pass in the third quarter to cut Calgary’s lead to a field goal heading into the fourth quarter.

Lauther missed a field-goal attempt from 43 yards, but was good from 37 yards and added four convert points.

Bethel-Thompson, 38, completed 27 of 48 pass attempts for 379 yards and was intercepted once.

Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was 28-for-41 in passing for 357 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted for a fifth time in five games after a clean sheet in his first eight games this season.

Adams went down clutching his left ankle after contact with one of his offensive lineman early in the third quarter.

He returned to play the next series, however, and orchestrated a seven-play, 57-yard touchdown drive finished by Vaughn for Calgary’s 24-14 lead.

But Bethel-Thompson connected with Pimpleton on a 28-yard catch and run to score. Lauther and Paredes traded field goals early in the fourth quarter.

Bethel-Thompson threw to White at Calgary’s nine-yard line and the 24-year-old from North Vancouver, B.C., ran the ball in for a four-point lead.

But the Stampeders countered with a 63-yard march that concluded with Philpot’s 26-yard catch in the end zone to re-take the lead 34-31.

Zy Alexander picked off a Bethel-Thompson throw on the Redblack’s subsequent drive that bounced out of Hardy’s hands to give Calgary the ball on Ottawa’s 23-yard line.

The Stampeders managed only a field goal to lead by six points with just over two minutes to play.

Their defence thought Ottawa turned the ball over on downs on the Redblacks’ next drive, but Ottawa kept the drive alive on a successful pass interference challenge by coach Ryan Dinwiddie.

Bethel-Thompson threw 15 yards to Hardy for a one-point lead. The game was left to the leg of Paredes after Calgary’s offence struggled to push deep into Ottawa territory.

Calgary was up 17-14 at halftime after Adams aired the ball downfield to Jones for a 60-yard touchdown with 36 seconds remaining.

Ottawa led for the first time in the game with a minute left in the first half. Bethel-Thompson found White in the end zone a second time in a three-minute span with a 25-yard throw for a 14-10 lead.

Calgary’s Paredes drilled a low, hard kick 57 yards with the wind behind him for a field goal.

After failing to cash a second-quarter interception of Adams into points and then turning the ball over on downs on Calgary’s 11-yard line, Ottawa scored just inside the three-minute warning when Bethel-Thompson threw 19 yards to White in the end zone

The host Stampeders scored on their first possession with an 11-play, 66-yard march capped by Vaughn’s one-yard plunge.

On Ottawa’s opening drive, Lauther’s field-goal attempt on a 43-yarder was wide for just his second miss this season.

Temperature at kickoff was C 22 with winds gusting to 44 km/h.

UP NEXT

The Redblacks host the Stampeders next Saturday in the second game of a home and home.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Maksymilian Szuber scored the winner in the third period as the undermanned Montreal Canadiens topped the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 in a split-squad game on the first night of the NHL’s pre-season schedule Saturday.

Phillip Danault, including one into the empty net, added two goals for Montreal, while Samuel Poulin rounded out the scoring. Samuel Montembeault was perfect in making 13 stops. Kaapo Kahkonen made 11 saves in relief after coming on in the second period.

No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna made his professional debut for Toronto, which got its goal from Darren Raddysh.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 10 of the 11 shots he faced before being replaced by Anthony Stolarz midway through the game. Stolarz finished with 15 saves at Scotiabank Arena.

Toronto iced the majority of its NHL roster, while Montreal travelled with a younger lineup minus the club’s usual star power.

The Canadiens, who made last season’s Eastern Conference final, hosted the Maple Leafs in the other half of the split-squad matchup at the Bell Centre.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Chad Kelly and the Toronto Argonauts achieved two pre-season goals Saturday afternoon.

Kelly threw two touchdown passes as Toronto held on for a 24-19 win over the Edmonton Elks. The Argonauts (8-6) not only cemented a post-season berth with the victory but will begin the playoffs at BMO Field despite rushing for -1 yards.

Toronto was in a position to clinch a playoff spot Saturday after Montreal defeated Hamilton 37-25 on Friday night.

“That’s first and foremost (reaching playoffs),” Kelly said. “It doesn’t matter how you do it, (getting) a win is very difficult in this league.

“The first half wasn’t bad but the second half was very, very underwhelming. We’ve got to be able to run the ball, too. Some of that is on me as well, we’ve got to get better.”

Kelly finished 19-of-31 passing for 373 yards with two interceptions. But Kelly was a one-man show in the first half, completing 13-of-19 passes for 289 yards with the two TDs and a pick.

However, Toronto ran the ball just six times in the contest while improving to 4-0 at BMO Field.

“We always work to be as multi as we can but each game will present different challenges,” said Toronto head coach Mike Miller. “Sometimes it’s like that, you don’t match up as well against certain teams.

“But we’ve got to go with whatever is helping us move the ball and we’re ready to make those adjustments. This (making playoffs) was a goal of the season and I’m pleased with how we did it … we want to be a physical football team and I think we kept answering the bell on that against a good team.”

Edmonton (10-4) threatened to complete the comeback, driving to the Toronto 21-yard line. But Tarvarus McFadden’s interception with 19 seconds remaining ended the threat.

Edmonton remains atop the West Division and was chasing a fifth straight win. It last achieved that milestone in 2017.

“Turnovers hurt us, ” said Edmonton head coach Mark Kilam. “Turnovers in the red zone, especially (an) unforced error, gives them a touchdown.

“We got hit with too many explosions in the first half. Defensively, we pulled it together in the second half, but those explosions were just …”

Edmonton’s Cody Fajardo completed 31-of-42 passes for 360 yards with two interceptions and also ran for 63 yards and a touchdown. Austin Mack had seven receptions for 116 yards while Justin Rankin rushed for a game-high 89 yards while adding five catches for 47 yards.

Vincent Blanchard cut Toronto’s lead to 24-19 with a 19-yard field goal before a BMO Field gathering of 15,991. The four-play, 52-yard march was set up by Montrell Washington’s 38-yard punt return and included a penalty against an Argos coach for contacting an official.

Blanchard missed from 42 yards out with 6:05 remaining. That forced Edmonton to go for the touchdown late rather than move downfield for a winning field goal.

Kevin Mital, Dymere Miller and Ralph Holley scored Toronto’s touchdowns. Lirim Hajrullahu added the converts and a field goal.

Blanchard kicked four field goals and a convert.

Edmonton was poised to tie the game, driving to the Toronto four-yard line. But Benjie Franklin’s interception halted the 12-play, 70-yard drive.

Holley’s 55-yard fumble-return TD at 8:11 gave Toronto a 24-16 lead. Fajardo had a shot at the recovery following a high snap but couldn’t corral the ball, allowing the six-foot-one, 285-pound Holley to scoop it up and rumble downfield for his first-ever defensive touchdown.

“It was a defensive effort, I just finished the play,” said Holley, adding he scored a touchdown once in high school as a running back. “I could’ve kept going, that adrenalin was pumping.

“I only felt tired after I knew I’d scored.”

The win was sweet redemption for Toronto, which dropped a 42-12 decision in Edmonton on Aug. 15.

Blanchard connected from 16 yards out at 4:19 to pull Edmonton to within 17-16.

Blanchard’s 18-yard field goal at 14:47 of the second quarter cut Toronto’s halftime lead to 17-13. But despite Kelly’s first-half play, it looked like it might be a short day for him as Kelly was limping after a first-quarter TD pass to Mital and went to Toronto’s medical tent.

Kelly suffered a broken toe in Toronto’s 28-24 loss in Regina on Aug. 29. And on another first-half possession Saturday, Kelly took a shot to his right hand.

Kelly’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Miller put Toronto ahead 17-10 at 12:33. Kelly began by rolling to his right, then reversed field before finding Miller in the corner of the end zone.

Things got testy on the march as Elks defensive back Chelen Garnes was ejected for rough play after an altercation with Mital, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness. Then Toronto’s Damonte Coxie and Edmonton’s J.J. Ross received offsetting objectionable conduct penalties.

Fajardo made it 10-10 with a one-yard TD run at 9:55. Hajrullahu’s 19-yard field goal extended Toronto’s lead to 10-3 at 11:56 of the first.

Kelly capped Toronto’s opening two-play, 70-yard drive with a 14-yard TD pass to Mital at 4:12. It came after Blanchard’s 33-yard field goal at 3:16.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Amid speculation of a snap election call, the NDP government is now funding treatment for a Surrey boy’s rare disease, despite previously denying the funding. The potential snap provincial election causing uncertainty amid the Abbotsford-Mission byelection. Two men now charged, seven years after 41-year-old Rex Gill was killed in a Kamloops shooting.

Watch ‘Global News at 6 BC’ for the latest news in British Columbia.

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© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron are holding a symbolic meeting on an archipelago 20 kilometres off the southern coast of Newfoundland on Sunday, in what both countries say is a show of unity and mutual respect.

The two leaders will hold a working lunch and attend a wreath-laying ceremony in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a French territory which just barely beats out Greenland as the geographically closest European territory to Canada.

The meeting comes as Canada and the European Union are in talks to create a tighter alliance amid ongoing animosity with the United States and President Donald Trump.

“In a world characterized by a return to power politics, geopolitical tensions and new dependencies, France and Canada share a common ambition: to work together — and with all countries that share these values — to strengthen their capacity to make decisions and act independently,” a spokesperson for Macron’s office said in an email.

The email said France and Canada “share the same values ​​of freedom, democracy, rule of law and respect for national sovereignty.”

Macron was scheduled to be on the islands from Sept. 19 to 21, ahead of his trip to New York City for the UN General Assembly next week. Carney, who will also travel to New York, will join Macron on Saint-Pierre for a few hours on Sunday.

Macron’s office said Carney will become the first Canadian prime minister to have an official visit to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. Macron is the first French president to visit in more than a decade.

For Carney, it’s another chance to showcase Canada’s growing ties with Europe, just days after he visited the European Parliament.

On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she wants Canada to become the first “associate member” of the European Union.

In her state of the union speech to the European Parliament, she said the two sides must “urgently reimagine” their partnership and move beyond a free-trade agreement to bring the relationship to the “highest level possible.”

Carney addressed the Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Thursday, saying he welcomed von der Leyen’s ambitions for Canadian partnership.

Carney said while the name and nature of the new arrangement have yet to be determined, the partnership will go up for debate and a vote in Parliament. He said he’s interested in expanding a number of ties, including opportunities for young people, and an integrated market for financial services.

Canada and Europe already have a free trade deal — though it has not been ratified by all EU members — and last year Canada became the only non-European member of the EU’s new defence procurement program.

Carney signalled a desire to become closer to Europe immediately after becoming prime minister in March 2025, when he travelled to meet Macron in Paris, and King Charles in London, within days of being sworn in.

Diya Jiang, a researcher at McGill University at the University of Calgary, said Carney’s visit to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon reflects that vision.

“I also think the location of it in itself is symbolic. It is right off the coast of Newfoundland,” she said. “Canada geographically is far away from Europe but this shows … that actually we are closer than you think.”

The Prime Minister’s Office said in a news release that, during the visit, Carney and Macron will discuss “deepening the Canada-France partnership” in sectors such as aerospace, energy and critical minerals. They’re also expected to discuss advanced technologies in quantum science, satellites and supercomputing.

An official from Macron’s office who briefed reporters Thursday said the leaders’ meeting will be an opportunity to promote regional co-operation on fishing, transport, the transit of travellers, university exchanges and trade.

In addition to a working lunch, Carney and Macron will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at a memorial for Free France volunteers. In December 1941, Free French forces peacefully liberated the archipelago from the control of the Vichy regime, which aided Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

— With files from Nick Murray

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Two people have been killed in a small aircraft accident near Kisbey, Sask., according to a Manitoba-based pilot training school.

Harv’s Air said a Cessna 172 was on a flight from Regina to Steinbach, Man. via Carlyle, Sask. on a night flight but did not arrive as scheduled.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said the plane was reported overdue around 10:30 a.m. Friday. The aircraft was located later that evening by search and rescue crews.

A statement from Harv’s Air president, Adam Penner, confirmed both occupants of the aircraft were found deceased.

“The entire Harv’s Air family is shocked and saddened by this tragedy. Both pilots had close ties to their fellow students and instructors. We extend our deepest condolences to family and friends,” he wrote.

“Harv’s Air is working closely with the Transportation Safety Board, Transport Canada, and the RCMP to investigate the cause.”

A witness from the area said she watched searchers fly overhead looking for the crash site Friday evening.

“I’m looking out the vehicle and I’m trying to drive safely. And then, I pull over, I pull out my binoculars and he’s got the tail. He’s got it open. And then I see two guys — two orange things — jump out. And they’re coming down like this. I’m like, ‘Those are parachutes,” said Chenoa McArthur.

“I see the orange smoke, like the orange smoke starts to build at the top of the hills. And I’m, like, ‘They located something.'”

The TSB deployed a team of investigators to the site on Saturday, which is located in southeast Saskatchewan.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

National Defence Minister David McGuinty says the United States’ deal to boost its military presence in Greenland while keeping the island under Danish control is “encouraging.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he has a deal with Denmark after months of threatening to take the island by force from the NATO ally.

The office of Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, says the agreement will be signed by three governments next week during the United Nations General Assembly, but parliamentary action is still needed by the Danish and Greenland governments before it can be enforced.

Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill on Saturday, McGuinty says it’s encouraging that the U.S. and Greenland have found a way to move forward together.

He also says Arctic nations are coming together, adding that it’s encouraging NATO allies understand that the Arctic is part of their responsibilities.

With his return to the White House last year, Trump called on Denmark to sell Greenland to the United States, and wouldn’t rule out taking the island by military force, even though Denmark is a NATO ally of the U.S.

–With files from The Associated Press

© 2026 The Canadian Press

An emotional Premier Danielle Smith held back tears Saturday as she recounted a long list of historic indignities Albertans have suffered at the hands of the federal government.

Smith was the opening speaker at a virtual assembly discussing Alberta’s future in Canada, an event co-hosted by former Opposition leader and conservative elder statesman Preston Manning and former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell.

The Alberta premier has called a referendum for Oct. 19 that includes a question on whether Alberta should remain in Canada or whether it’s time to hold a second, binding referendum on starting the legal process to separate.

She was speaking on the reasons for a sovereign Alberta to stay within a united Canada in the future.

“A lot of Albertans are angry and some are more than angry. They’re hurt. I hear it at town halls, in coffee shops, at hockey rinks and in my email inbox,” Smith said before choking up and taking deep breaths before haltingly speaking about the impacts on Albertans.

“From the farmer that felt pressured … sorry all,” she sighed. “By people who never made a living off the land. For the young family who did everything right and still can’t see how they can afford a home.”

Smith also spoke of parents watching an increasing grocery bill and opening a utility bill in January with “a knot in their stomach.”

Manning noted Smith’s emotional response to the issue.

“You should not feel embarrassed about showing your emotions at the front end. I’m reminded that Abraham Lincoln did not use the term public opinion. He said he was interested in public sentiment.”

Smith called the referendum earlier this year. She has said enough Albertans now view separation as a legitimate response to federal interference in provincial affairs, and that it’s time to put the issue to rest once and for all in a vote.

Critics, including the Opposition NDP, say Smith is inflating and legitimizing the grievances of a small sliver of discontented Albertans in order to mollify hardline separatists in her United Conservative party.

Smith said Saturday that western frustration with Ottawa is nothing new and for the past 10 years in particular, it felt like Ottawa was trying to shut down the province’s economy.

“When a proud, hardworking people feel their contribution is taken for granted and their livelihood is treated as something to be phased out, some begin to ask a painful question. Does this country actually want us?”

Smith said even with polls suggesting the remain in Canada vote will win, the number of those voting for separation is “too high for comfort”

But she said there is reason to be optimistic about Alberta’s future relationship with Ottawa, including battles over Bill C69, also known as the no new pipelines act, caps on oil-and-gas production, and on clean-energy electricity regulations.

“I support Alberta remaining in Canada … I also believe Albertans deserve a say. The fight to make Canada work for Alberta is working. When Alberta stood up and refused to back down, the country started listening,” she said.

“It happened because Albertans got loud and stayed loud. Your anger was not wasted,” she said.

Smith said new Prime Minister Mark Carney has acted constructively with Alberta in coming up with an Alberta-Ottawa energy agreement and working toward a new West Coast pipeline.

“Not long ago the oilsands were treated as a national target. Today they’re increasingly seen as a national treasure,” Smith said.

“Why walk away from the table when we’re finally winning at it? And to those who have always wanted to stay — staying should not mean settling. A future federal government could undo all this progress that we’ve made with a stroke of a pen.”

© 2026 The Canadian Press