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CTV News
38 minutes ago
- CTV News
As waitlist grows, province announces just three new childcare spaces for the Sault
Sault Ste. Marie's provincially funded childcare expansion falls short, with only 3 of 30 expected spots added this year. Cory Nordstrom explains.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Raptors mailbag: Masai Ujiri's replacement? Are they a playoff team?
The NBA draft is over, free agency is underway and Summer League tips in less than a week as the page turns to the 2025-26 season. Article content Which means it's a good time for a Raptors and NBA mailbag. Wasn't surprised to see a lot of questions about the departure of Masai Ujiri and his possible successor. Article content Article content Thanks as always for the queries. Here's Part 1: Article content Pierro @Oliaros2: 'Are we, for the foreseeable future, going to be Washington Wizards bad? Or are we going to be in hateful NBA purgatory: too good to get a high lotto pick that pushes the team forward, not good enough to contend for the playoffs.' Article content RW: It's amusing to ponder this in the wake of Masai's exit since he was adamant the middle was no place to be in the NBA (an accurate statement). He was always dead-set against the Raptors lurking there. I believe in the near term the team will indeed be too good to get a high lottery pick (assuming the key players stay healthy), but I'm more optimistic about the playoffs. In the West they'd be near the bottom, but the East stinks, so the play-in is my absolute floor for these Raptors. Only Cleveland, Atlanta, Orlando and New York seem definitively better. That leaves four playoff spots for Boston (no Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday or Kristaps Porzingis), Indiana (no Tyrese Haliburton or Myles Turner), Detroit (weakened by some defections and no longer benefitting from the element of surprise), Philadelphia (if two of Joel Embiid, Paul George or Jared McCain play 60 games apiece, which is far from guaranteed), Milwaukee, and maybe Miami for Toronto to fight it out with. Article content Brooklyn, Charlotte, Washington, Chicago, Miami, weakened Indiana and Detroit seem less talented than these Raptors, but we'll see. Article content Article content Article content Sean @Whispering375: 'Who in your opinion would be the front runner on Masai's job? And if they do hire someone outside of Bobby, don't you think that new person would want a new coach and management?' Article content RW: Ujiri built a very diverse front office complete with a little bit of everything ranging from a jack of all trades with a specialty in the salary cap in Bobby Webster, lots of people with scouting backgrounds, someone who was in media relations (and scouting) in Dan Tolzman, analytics (Keith Boyarsky), and even a former journalist (Luke Winn), amongst others. One thing they don't have is a former agent in a prominent position. That's been the trendy thing in the NBA for a while now (like with Leon Rose in New York). To that end, Bob Myers would be a great candidate, but can't imagine Rogers would meet his price or he'd want to move his family at this point, but you never know. Ideally they'd find an agent-type to work under Webster and maybe even Tolzman, but not sure how likely that is. As you mentioned, it's tough to hire someone above as they usually do want their own people (and I think Webster and Tolzman are more than deserving of showing what they can do in the top two roles. Both are extremely well-regarded league-wide and it would be a shame if Rogers turfed them solely as further cleaning out of the old Ujiri regime. Article content I'm not the only one that's thought a former (or current) agent is most likely to come aboard, but don't know specific candidates. Article content Another idea is a veteran presence in the mix, which was lost when Jeff Weltman went to Orlando years ago. Someone with decades of experience in management as the great Wayne Embry is not a daily presence with the franchise. Article content Or, an out of the box one, what about Steve Nash? (Though that would mean you could shut down all those RJ Barrett trade rumours, since Nash is his godfather). Article content Freeman Igers @freemanigers: 'Do you think Masai's departure is more performance related or compensation?' Article content RW: A little from Column A, a little from Column B, but they're related. From what I've been able to report from sources, Ujiri wasn't keen on Raptors life post-Larry Tanenbaum with Edward Rogers calling all the shots and Rogers wasn't willing to pay Ujiri anything close to what he wanted anyway. So there was no pathway to Ujiri sticking around. If Tanenbaum wasn't on the way out (reports have said Rogers can buy his shares by next summer, they just closed their purchase of Bell's shares this week), there was a good chance Ujiri would stick around a bit longer. But the team's struggles over the last half-decade really soured Rogers on Ujiri at his upper echelons of NBA executives compensation point. Article content Just Win @ 'How much of the current Raptors makeup was Masai and how much is Bobby (who has been GM for years now)? Do you expect significant changes on the court to reflect those differences (what major differences in philosophy might Bobby have)?' Article content RW: Bobby has a different background than Masai, who was always a scout through and through. Webster came up studying and anticipating league trends, helped write a previous CBA, saw how the Magic operated back in the day, etc. It's too early to know how different he will be making the final call. He and Ujiri and Tolzman were aligned on a lot of the prospects they previously liked and the room has always been very inclusive, with opinions solicited from everyone. 'Cross-checking' was a key principle and everyone was encouraged to give their opinions on prospects or trade targets and I wouldn't expect that to change. Article content
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Severe thunderstorms possible in and around Calgary Thursday
More moderate temperatures are expected for portions of central and southern Alberta on Thursday, while the southeast corner of the province is expecting one more day of unusually warm temperatures. A heat warning was issued for most of east-central and southeastern Alberta on Wednesday, including Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton. Those warnings have been lifted for the QEII corridor Thursday due to cooler temperatures expected, but continued for southeastern Alberta with daytime highs expected to reach the low 30s. Calgary weather forecast for Thursday, July 3, 2025 Heat warnings (pink) issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada on Thursday, July 3, 2025. As expected, thunderstorms developed in central and southern Alberta on Wednesday with some cells rapidly intensifying into supercells. Local storm chasers reported a tornado touched down near Drayton Valley on Wednesday around 5:30 p.m., but this has not been confirmed yet by Environment and Climate Change Canada. There is a risk of severe thunderstorm activity across central and southern Alberta again on Thursday, with the moderate risk zone extending into Calgary. If these storms do develop, the greatest threats include strong wind and large-sized hail. Other potential risks include pockets of heavy rain, and possible rotation – especially in communities east of the QEII Highway. Calgary weather forecast for Thursday, July 3, 2025 More seasonal temperatures are expected over the next few days – with daytime highs ranging from 20 C to 23 C from Thursday until Sunday. The forecast for the Calgary Stampede parade should be pleasant, with a mix of sun and cloud and morning temperatures around 11 to 17 C. More showers and thunderstorms are possible across southern Alberta on Saturday and Sunday, with heavier rainfall likely along the southern border.
