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CTV News
18 minutes ago
- CTV News
Camper ‘singing his heart out' triggers search and rescue response in B.C.
Central Okanagan Search and Rescue shared this photo, along with a story about a unique call the team responded to. A solo camper belting out a plaintive tune was mistaken for someone in distress, prompting a full search and rescue response – including police and a drone team, in B.C.'s Okanagan last week. Volunteers with Central Okanagan Search and Rescue were in the midst of their weekly training session last Thursday when they were deployed to the Boulderfields, a popular hiking and climbing destination near Kelowna. 'Two concerned hikers called 911 after hearing repeated cries,' a social media post from COSAR said, describing what triggered the operation. 'We responded with a full contingent of members, two RCMP officers, and our drone team. Early responders even heard faint yelling—but couldn't make out what was being said.' The team, along with two Mounties, started combing the area on foot while a drone team searched from above. 'Then we found him: a lone camper, singing his heart out to the trees, blissfully unaware that the acoustics of the Boulderfields had turned his tent-side concert into an accidental distress signal,' the poste continued. 'He wasn't in trouble. Unless you count his singing.' Even though no one was in need of rescuing, the team said they appreciated the people who made the 911 call for trying to help when they thought someone was in need. They also took the opportunity to remind the public that search and rescue services are always free and available to all.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
‘They're real people': Mob focus of JFK assassination flick filmed in Winnipeg
A film crew works on the set of "November 1963" in Winnipeg in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Allen Fraser/November 1963 (Mandatory Credit) WINNIPEG — Nicholas Celozzi has spent much of his life revisiting the events leading up to the assassination of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Hushed stories filled his childhood home. Conversations with his uncle Joseph (Pepe) Giancana, brother to Chicago Mob boss Sam Giancana, later helped shed light on his family's possible involvement in one of the most debated moments in American history. After decades of film and television portrayals of Sam Giancana, Celozzi is reconceptualizing the 1963 shooting of Kennedy with a focus on the major players in the Chicago Outfit, a powerful Italian-American criminal organization. For Celozzi, his latest screenwriting endeavour is about more than telling another assassination story. It's about family. 'My family, my cousins, really got tired of people using our name, monetizing our name and telling a fake story,' Celozzi said in an interview. 'These aren't fictional people ... they're real people. They're vulnerable, they have nerves, they make mistakes, they are not quite sure about things.' Sam Giancana, head of the Chicago Outfit in the 1950s and 1960s, was widely known for his ties to the Kennedy family. He was gunned down in his home in 1975, and his killing remains unsolved. Many have speculated the Mob group also played a role in Kennedy's assassination, and this is explored in Celozzi's 'November 1963,' which began filming in Winnipeg this summer. Relying on Pepe Giancana's stories, Celozzi focuses on the 48 hours leading up to the assassination. Giancana, a fill-in driver for his brother, had been a fly on the wall in the days leading up to the assassination, said Celozzi, who is also one of the producers on the independent film. Many conversations led to what Celozzi calls the 'Pepe chronicles,' a series of stories detailing the family's Mob ties. 'I was always aware of who they were. These aren't things that everybody just kind of goes home and talks about. It's an awareness. It's kind of a strange reality that you're born into,' said Celozzi. Pepe Giancana died in the mid-'90s, leaving his stories with Celozzi. The writer said he knew he wanted to do something to honour his family's history without degrading them to caricatures often found in Mob flicks. So he began working with Sam Giancana's daughter Bonnie Giancana to craft the script. Over the course of several years and rewrites, Celozzi said they worked to ensure every detail was accurate. 'I needed to keep that honest with the story Pepe gave me, or why do it at all? If I wasn't going to be truthful to what he gave me, there was no purpose in me doing it,' said Celozzi. He brought veteran Canadian producer Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye Entertainment on board to produce the movie, which wrapped shooting in Winnipeg last week and goes into post-production in Saskatchewan. 'I don't think the family's proud of what happened ... it was important for them to tell the truth before they die,' DeWalt said. The cast includes John Travolta, Dermot Mulroney and Mandy Patinkin and is directed by Academy Award nominated English filmmaker Roland Joffé. When it came time to pick a location that could mimic 1960s Chicago and the landmark Dealey Plaza in Dallas, where Kennedy was killed, producers chose Winnipeg over other major cities such as Atlanta and New Orleans in part because of its Exchange District neighbourhood. Producers decided Winnipeg was a perfect stand-in for the Windy City. Dealey Plaza, and the famous Grassy Knoll, was built from scratch at Birds Hill Provincial Park, northeast of Winnipeg. The film features 1,500 extras and 75 to 80 period cars to accurately portray the time period. DeWalt said he expects viewers will be blown away by the film's ability to bring a new level of authenticity and validity to the moment in history. 'People will walk out of the theatre with their own impressions about what it all means,' he said. 'At the end of the day, at least we've given them the tools for one of these things that's been told, and they can make their own impressions in terms of how they feel about it.' When asked if he thinks the film might ruffle feathers with historians, governments or Mob members, Celozzi said that's not his goal. 'What I'm doing is just putting in that missing piece, not glamorizing, just writing it.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2025. Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
What's open and closed for Heritage Day in Calgary
Social Sharing Alberta's heritage will be in the spotlight on Monday. Heritage Day has been celebrated on the first Monday of August since 1974, and while it's not one of the province's nine statutory holidays, it's part of the long weekend for many Albertans. Here's what to know for Heritage Day 2025: Events Heritage Park is hosting a variety of events to mark the occasion from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Multicultural musical performances including Métis fiddling, Middle Eastern oud, traditional Blackfoot drumming, and Chinese music and dance will take place at Heritage Plaza throughout the afternoon. Calgary artist Rik Barry will give a talk on preserving the province's history through miniature signs at the Railway Orientation Centre. Heritage Park's afternoon tea, hosted every Sunday from July 6 to Aug. 24, will also be held on Monday for a special Heritage Day Tea at the Famous 5 Centre of Canadian Women.. WATCH: Heritage Park welcomes historic train engine in July: Heritage Park adds another historic locomotive for the first time in nearly 50 years 5 days ago Heritage Park has acquired a 1951 diesel-electric train engine. The locomotive is better suited to Calgary's frigid winter weather than steam engines, and is expected to start pulling passengers this fall. The Calgary Folk Arts Council's annual Heritage Day Festival will be held from 12 to 6 p.m. at Eau Claire Plaza, with the free event featuring multicultural performances, artisan and food vendors and cultural kiosks. The Tour de Bowness returns for its 22nd year on Monday, with a race billed as the province's largest amateur cycling event, alongside a a festival featuring live music, street performers, and artisan and food vendors. The race is on from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the festival running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The long weekend's Taste of Calgary, featuring over 350 food and drink offerings, wraps up on Monday with holiday hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Eighth Street S.W. in the city's downtown. Heritage Day hours for services around Calgary Calgary Transit — including buses, CTrains and On Demand services — will operate on a Sunday schedule. The Calgary Transit call centre and customer service centres will be closed. There will be an all-day Red Line closure from Lions Park Station to the 7 Street and 8 Street stations, with full service resuming Tuesday morning. All city-operated arenas, indoor pools and fitness centres will be closed on Monday, as well as the Calgary Soccer Centre, Animal Services Centre, North Mount Pleasant and Wildflower art centres. Canada Post will not collect or deliver mail on Monday. Major malls will be open throughout the city on Monday, with most having reduced hours. Along with Heritage Park, attractions open to the public on Monday include TELUS Spark and the Calgary Zoo. Both opening at 9 a.m., and close at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively. Parking at ParkPlus on-street locations will be free on Monday, while weekend rates will apply at parkades and surface lots.
