Barrie Baycats eager for next week's home opener
The Barrie Baycats are back on the field, practicing ahead of next week's home opener.
On Thursday, the team introduced itself to the community as players prepare to host the Toronto Maple Leafs at next week's home opener.
"So we have some new players, and we have a good core from last year that came back," says Josh Matlow, the club president. "We lost in the semi-finals, but we anticipate to hopefully be a contender this year. We think we're going to be there!"
Jake Wilson plays centerfield. As a lifelong fan, he's thrilled to be representing the team this year.
"I grew up watching them as a young guy, so it's kind of cool to see myself on the field as a Baycat and no longer just watching them, being part of the team," says Wilson. "It's just so much excitement. I'm just waiting to play in the summer."
This year's season is longer than usual, with 42 games scheduled compared to the typical 36 games. Last year's season was even shorter due to COVID-19, with only 30 games scheduled.
Matlow says as a small-town team they are excited to engage the community as often as possible.
"I think we're going to be focusing a lot on getting to know some of our local guys specifically so that the fans know who's from the area and who is part of the community, and a lot of these guys are coming out to a lot of the community initiatives as well which I'm very lucky for," says Matlow.
The team's first regular-season game is next Thursday at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.
EXHIBITION GAME
The Baycats will also play an exhibition game against the Thornhill Reds on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Fans can enter the game free with a non-perishable food donation for the Barrie Food Bank. Without a donation, entry costs $2, with proceeds going directly to the food bank.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince Charles and Camilla kick off three-day Canadian tour in St. John's today
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, are in Newfoundland and Labrador's capital today to begin a three-day Canadian tour focused on Indigenous reconciliation and climate change.
Average price of gas in Canada tops $2 a litre for first time
Gasoline prices are showing no signs of letting up as the average price in Canada tops $2 a litre for the first time. Natural Resources Canada says the average price across the country for regular gasoline hit $2.06 per litre on Monday for an all-time high.
Top 6 moments from the 2022 Ontario election debate
Ontario’s four main party leaders were relatively civil as they spared at Monday night’s televised election debate in Toronto.
Attacking schools, Russia deals a blow to Ukraine's future
The Ukrainian government says Russia has shelled more than 1,000 schools, destroying 95. Intentionally attacking schools and other civilian infrastructure is a war crime. Experts say wide-scale wreckage can be used as evidence of Russian intent, and to refute claims that schools were simply collateral damage.
Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber set to launch Biebs Brew
A match made in marketing heaven between Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber is back with a new French vanilla-flavoured chilled coffee. Biebs Brew is the pop star's rendition of the coffee chain's cold brew coffee launched last year.
Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre denounces 'white replacement theory'
Pierre Poilievre is denouncing the 'white replacement theory' believed to be a motive for a mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., as 'ugly and disgusting hate-mongering.'
Rising cost of living worries Canadians, defines Ontario election
The rising cost of living is worrying Canadians and defining the Ontario election as prices go up on everything from groceries to gas.
Online diary: Buffalo gunman plotted attack for months
The white gunman accused of massacring 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket wrote as far back as November about staging a livestreamed attack on African Americans, practiced shooting from his car and travelled hours from his home in March to scout out the store, according to detailed diary entries he appears to have posted online.
Man killed in California church shooting called a hero
A gunman motivated by hatred against Taiwan chained shut the doors of a California church and hid firebombs before shooting at a gathering of mostly elderly Taiwanese parishioners, killing a man who tackled him, authorities said.
Atlantic
-
Prince Charles and Camilla kick off three-day Canadian tour in St. John's today
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, are in Newfoundland and Labrador's capital today to begin a three-day Canadian tour focused on Indigenous reconciliation and climate change.
-
Mother of Chantel Moore tells inquest about night N.B. police shot her daughter
The mother of an Indigenous woman shot by New Brunswick police in 2020 told a coroner's inquest Monday that less than two hours after she was awakened by an officer seeking her daughter's address to check on her safety, police returned with news that her daughter had been killed.
-
'Absolutely disgusting': Team leader critical of RCMP mental health support after N.S. shooting
The RCMP's treatment of their tactical team in the days following the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia was characterized as "absolutely disgusting" Monday during testimony before the public inquiry examining the killings.
Montreal
-
Quebec English-speakers have higher unemployment, lower income than French-speakers: study
Who are Quebec's English-speakers in 2022, anyway? A new study shows they're young, extremely ethnically diverse -- and are struggling in the workforce, with higher unemployment and lower income than French-speakers.
-
Apartment hunting: What can you get for $1,450 in Montreal?
As moving season approaches, the ongoing housing crisis is on the minds of many Montrealers seeking a new place to live.
-
Classes cancelled at Royal West Academy due to small fire
Classes at Royal West Academy in Montreal West have been cancelled due to a small fire on campus.
Ottawa
-
Prince Charles and Camilla kick off three-day Canadian tour in St. John's today
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, are in Newfoundland and Labrador's capital today to begin a three-day Canadian tour focused on Indigenous reconciliation and climate change.
-
NEW THIS MORNING
NEW THIS MORNING | Hog's Back Swing Bridge closing for two days of maintenance
The National Capital Commission is closing the Hog’s Back Swing Bridge for two days starting tonight to conduct 'further maintenance on the bridge closing system.'
-
Top 6 moments from the 2022 Ontario election debate
Ontario’s four main party leaders were relatively civil as they spared at Monday night’s televised election debate in Toronto.
Toronto
-
Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner had his Range Rover stolen at gunpoint in Toronto
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner was the victim of an armed carjacking outside a movie theatre in Etobicoke on Monday night, multiple sources confirm to CP24.
-
Top 6 moments from the 2022 Ontario election debate
Ontario’s four main party leaders were relatively civil as they spared at Monday night’s televised election debate in Toronto.
-
Ontario party leaders attack Ford on health, education in election debate
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford faced a barrage of attacks from the other three major party leaders in the Ontario election debate Monday.
Kitchener
-
Police searching for man after child's suspicious death in Cambridge
The Waterloo Regional Police Service has released the name of a man they say could have information on the suspicious death of an eight-year-old boy in Cambridge.
-
Police seek driver in hit and run collision involving cyclist
Police are looking for a driver involved in a hit and run collision in Kitchener that sent a cyclist to hospital with serious injuries.
-
Kitchener Rangers reflect on rollercoaster season
The Kitchener Rangers' playoff run came to end over the weekend and the team is reflecting on their up-and-down OHL season.
London
-
Mitch Marner had his Range Rover stolen at gunpoint in Etobicoke
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner was the victim of an armed carjacking outside a movie theatre in Etobicoke.
-
Tributes pour in for victim of Grand Bend altercation
“He did not have a bad bone in his body.” That’s what Gaetano Pelliteri said Monday in a letter to CTV News about his best friend, Zachary Hartman, 27, who passed away over the weekend.
-
London man charged with sexual assault of two young girls
A man from London, Ont. is facing charges in relation to two alleged sexual assaults that took place on Friday evening.
Northern Ontario
-
Top 6 moments from the 2022 Ontario election debate
Ontario’s four main party leaders were relatively civil as they spared at Monday night’s televised election debate in Toronto.
-
Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber set to launch Biebs Brew
A match made in marketing heaven between Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber is back with a new French vanilla-flavoured chilled coffee. Biebs Brew is the pop star's rendition of the coffee chain's cold brew coffee launched last year.
-
Sudbury’s Positive Inception store reopens after fire
After a fire in a nearby business closed the shop, Sudbury’s Positive Inception officially reopened Monday.
Windsor
-
Sunshine and average temperatures in Windsor-Essex weather
Environment Canada is expecting a clear Tuesday with average temperatures in the Windsor area.
-
Mitch Marner had his Range Rover stolen at gunpoint in Etobicoke
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner was the victim of an armed carjacking outside a movie theatre in Etobicoke.
-
What will it take to win the vote of Windsorites? Residents share their top issues ahead of the Ontario election
With just over two weeks until Ontarians head to the polls, candidates are running out of time to convince voters they will keep their election promises.
Calgary
-
Warrant issued for suspect in crash that killed Calgary mother of 5
Calgary police said in a statement issued Monday they have identified a suspect wanted in an incident that resulted in the death of a Calgary mother of five.
-
'Great for all of Alberta': Flames, Oilers prepare for battle in second round
Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk weren't even born the last time the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they still understand how much the Battle of Alberta means to fans of both teams.
-
Italian language program cancelled for 2022-23 school year at Catholic school
Kids at St. Alphonsus elementary and junior high won't be able to continue in the school's long standing Italian language and culture program in September.
Saskatoon
-
Rising fuel costs a challenge in search for missing Sask. boy
The rising cost of fuel is complicating the nearly month-long search for a missing Saskatchewan boy continues.
-
Sask. doctor says he lost sleep over decision to take Ontario job
Saskatoon intensive care physician Dr. Hassan Masri says he has taken a leadership role in Ontario.
-
Where most police street checks happen in Saskatoon
Saskatoon Police Service says all of the 189 contact interviews conducted by its officers last year complied with policy.
Edmonton
-
Alta. man pleads guilty to 1st-degree murder in deaths of woman, toddler
The Alberta man accused of first-degree murder in the deaths of a 24-year-old woman and her 16-month-old child is due in court on Monday.
-
New strategy aims to make Edmonton safer as community calls for more EPS officers
Community members and councillors weighed in on a newly proposed safety and well-being plan crafted by administration to make Edmonton the safest city in Canada by the end of the decade.
-
Police takedown suspect vehicle in northeast Edmonton
Officers performed a vehicle takedown in northeast Edmonton Monday afternoon to end a "short" police chase.
Vancouver
-
'Devastating': Vancouver dad's tweet about son's empty birthday party strikes nerve
A Vancouver dad whose son is on the autism spectrum took to social media to share how painful it was to see only one classmate at his birthday party. Now, he's receiving a flood of support that he hopes marks the start of an important conversation.
-
Metro Vancouver fresh food bank sees 10-fold surge in demand during pandemic
A Metro Vancouver food bank program that provides fresh groceries to people in need is serving 10 times more families than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
B.C. liberal leader slams $800M museum 'vanity project' on first day in legislature
British Columbia Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon said that if elected premier he would halt plans to build a new Royal B.C. Museum, calling it a “billion-dollar vanity project” after he took his seat in the legislature.