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AFC Toronto adds to roster with defender Zoe Burns, forward Lauren Rowe
AFC Toronto adds to roster with defender Zoe Burns, forward Lauren Rowe

CBC

time30-06-2025

  • Sport
  • CBC

AFC Toronto adds to roster with defender Zoe Burns, forward Lauren Rowe

AFC Toronto has signed Canadian international defender Zoe Burns and Canadian youth international forward Lauren Rowe. Burns, 23, arrives from France's FC Fleury 91 while Rowe joins from North Toronto Women after a stellar career at Cape Breton University. A native of Issaquah, Wash., Burns is a dual citizen and represented the U.S. at the under-16 and under-17 levels before joining the Canadian under-20 program in 2022. She went on that year to play for Canada at the CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic, where she was named to the tournament's Best XI, and at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica. In 2022, she earned her first senior call-up and went on to win caps against Nigeria and Morocco. "Adding a right-sided wingback was always going to be a priority for us this summer, so we are delighted to welcome a multi-faceted talent like Zoe to Toronto," AFC sporting director Billy Wilson said in a statement. "Zoe is another player with senior national team appearances, and she is eager to play her way back into national team contention," he added. Burns played collegiate soccer at USC where she was named to the All-Pac-12 second team and All-Pacific Region first-team recognition. Selected by the Utah Royals in the second round (29th overall) of the 2024 NWSL draft, she went on to make 21 appearances before being released at the end of the 2023 season. "I've played in the NWSL, I've played in Europe, and joining a new league like this is definitely a different kind of risk. But for me, it was important to be somewhere that's truly investing in women's sports, and in doing things the right way," Burns said in a statement. "What stood out about Canada is that the support has always been there. I've seen it firsthand with the national team. Canadians care, they show up, and they want to see us succeed. That kind of energy matters. The NSL might be a new league, but it's not a new fan base. The foundation is strong, the investment is real, and the level of professionalism being built around it made this a risk worth taking." Burns officially joins the team Tuesday and will be available for selection when the NSL transfer window opens July 20. Her first eligible match will be July 24 in Vancouver. Rowe, 20, arrives from North Toronto Soccer where she scored seven goals and added 12 assists in 10 games. A native of Conception Bay South, N.L., Rowe scored the winning goal in both the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) semifinal and final, earning MVP honours in the championship match. Rowe was also named AUS Player of the Year. "Lauren came to our attention through her performances in League1 Ontario with North Toronto," said Wilson. "She's been training with us for the past month and has been great in our environment. She is a very direct player who possesses electric pace and enjoys taking on players head-to-head. "As a player from Newfoundland, her journey to this point has been a lot more challenging than others. She's forged a unique path for herself by fighting for every opportunity that's come her way. We believe we are signing a very exciting and talented player who will thrive in a professional environment." Rowe was part of the Canadian U-20 program from 2022 to 2024.

‘I was trapped': Nearly 100 people needed to be rescued from Toronto elevators during heat wave
‘I was trapped': Nearly 100 people needed to be rescued from Toronto elevators during heat wave

CTV News

time28-06-2025

  • General
  • CTV News

‘I was trapped': Nearly 100 people needed to be rescued from Toronto elevators during heat wave

Tenants in a North Toronto apartment tower have been without one elevator for months, and then lost the other one in the middle of a record heat wave. Tenants in a North Toronto apartment tower have been without one elevator for months, and then lost the other one in the middle of a record heat wave. CTV's Jon Woodward reports. Nearly 100 people needed rescuing from Toronto elevators that broke down or got stuck during the city's recent record-breaking heat wave, according to figures provided to CTV News by Toronto Fire Services. The rising temperatures, humidity, and sometimes power outages were all factors in the 96 rescues in three days – more than triple the usual call volume – as critics also wonder if weaknesses in provincial elevator regulations played a role. 'In the heat wave, you have moisture. These are mechanical units. They're often very safe, but sometimes they stop in the heat, and we respond,' said Toronto Fire Services Division Command Paul O'Brien in an interview. Residents of a north Toronto building at 45 Driftwood Ave. told CTV News they believe they're responsible for a disproportionate number of those responses. One of the two elevators in the 14-storey building hasn't worked for about five months due to a fire. The other went down a few days ago, tenants said. 45 Driftwood Ave. elevator The elevators at 45 Driftwood Ave. is seen in this undated photo. 'During the heat wave three days ago, I was trapped in the elevator. I was there for 32 minutes before the fire department came to take me down,' said Ola Adekolu, who lives on the seventh floor. She needs the elevator as her knees are so arthritic. 'We were sweating like crazy, four of us in the elevator,' she said. Another tenant, Marcia Walker, said when she uses the elevator, she is wary, wondering if she'll have to jump out at any time. 'I was lucky that it's only one time that I've been stuck in the elevator, but there are other times that it seems like the elevator wanted to get me stuck, and so what I did is I go like this,' she said, gesturing as if she was pulling the door open. 'I push the door open, and I run,' she said. Element Elevators, the company responsible for elevator maintenance at the building on Driftwood, told CTV News that the elevator has likely been on the fritz because of an unusual control system that was designed in Ontario but whose designers have since passed away. 'They are few and far between. Limited tech support and no documentation whatsoever to guide us,' said Bogdan Rus, the company's vice president of operations. 'It's a tricky situation,' he said. As for the other elevator, it was damaged in the fire, and he's waiting for the owners, Terrace Wood Apartments, to work through insurance complications related to the fire. An entirely new elevator system can cost between $200,000 and $300,000, he said. Rus said he was able to fix one elevator a few hours after CTV News visited on Friday. He shared some videos of the control room and the functioning system. Terrace Woods Apartments does wish to fix the other elevator but is hamstrung to some extent as the fire that damaged the elevator began in the unit of a tenant who didn't have insurance, said Ravi Sivalingam, the owner's representative. 'We are genuinely empathetic to the situation, and we don't want to frustrate our tenants, but our hands are tied as to what the elevator company can do to get the parts to restore the second elevator,' he said. The area's MPP, Tom Rakocevic, said he believes this situation is indicative of a failure of a provincial inspection regime that was called out in a provincial auditor-general's report in 2018. MPP Tom Rakocevic MPP Tom Rakocevic speaks with a woman at an apartment building in North York. (Jon Woodward) 'It's been seven years since, and it's happening not just here but across the city,' Rakocevic said. Ontario's elevator watchdog, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, said owners of residential elevators are required to report outages that last more than 48 hours. Those figures show an increase from 28 a month in June 2022- May 2023 to 29 a month in 2023-2024 and 34 a month in 2024-2025. 'As reporting requirements are only a few years old, it's not clear if there are more outages or the reporting has improved. Also, please note that these numbers do not account for any increases in the total number of residential elevators installed in the province,' wrote TSSA spokesperson Alexandra Campbell. O'Brien said elevators are generally safe, and if you are stuck in one, stay calm and don't try to escape, which can lead to a much more dangerous situation, he said. 'Do not try and self-rescue,' he said. 'There's usually a bell or a phone system, and they're usually monitored by a security officer on scene. Just remain calm. If you're feeling a little hot in there, sit down, we will get to you,' he said.

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