Lloyd Robertson has Passed Away

Posted on August 5, 2026 by Edward Brain
Lloyd Robertson

Legendary newsman Lloyd Robertson has passed away.

He was born January 19th, 1934 to Lillie Francis and George Henderson Robertson in Stratford, Ontario. He had nine siblings.

He would start working radio in 1952 on CJCS. He would go onto working for the CBC switching over to television and evenutally hosting CBC Weekend in the late 1960s. From 1970 to 1975, Mr. Robertson was the anchor for The National. He left in 1976 as he wasn’t allowed to write his own scripts, choose any stories to report on or doing any reporting in the field.

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Happy Sir John Graces Simcoe Day, 2026

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Edward Brain

Today is Sir John Graves Simcoe Day in Ontario, I would like to discuss the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791 to 1796. Of course Upper Canada would later become the Province of Ontario.

Sir John Graves Simcoe. Portrait by George Theodore Berthon via Wikipedia

Born in Cotterstock, England in 1752, Simcoe would be educated at Eton and spent one year at Oxford. He joined the 35th Regiment of Foot, as an ensign, in 1770. He purchased a captaincy in the 40th Regiment of Foot and was injured in battle during the American Revolution. He was responsible for a successful battle in the battle of Crooked Billet.

He became Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada in 1791 when the British Government created the Province of Upper Canada out of land around the Great Lakes that stayed part of the British Empire after the American Revolution. Simcoe would see to the building of two major roads: Yonge Street (named after Sir George Yonge then the Minister of War), and Dundas Street (named after Henry Dundas, later the 1st Viscount Melville.) Originally built for defensive purposes, later both streets served to help settlement Upper Canada, and as trading routes.

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Canada Succeeds at the 2026 Commonwealth Games

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Edward Brain

The 2026 Commonwealth Games has finished.

Canada finished third overall in both Medal Count (62 total medals) and in Gold Medals (19) behind only Australia (170 Medals – 70 Gold, 45 Silver, 55 Bronze), and England (110 Medals – 29 Gold, 45 Silver, 36 Bronze).

Canada was represented by 149 athletes competing in nine of the 10 sports (netball being the only exception.)

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FIFA 2026 World Cup Finals Set

Posted on July 16, 2026 by Edward Brain

The finals of the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup is now set.

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FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi-Finals

Posted on July 12, 2026 by Edward Brain

The Semi-Finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 are now set.

In the first Semi-Final match two time Champions France take on 2010 Champions Spain.

In the other Semi-Final, 1966 winners England take on the defending, and three time winners, Argentina.

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FIFA 2026 World Cup Quarterfinals

Posted on July 8, 2026 by Edward Brain

The Quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup is now set.

Co-hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States were eliminated in the Round of 32 (to Morocco, England, and Belgium, respectfully.) The big shock, at least to me, was Norway’s win over five time champions, Brazil. Switzerland is making their fourth ever appearance in the Quarterfinals and are hoping to making it to the Semifinals for the first time at the World Cup.

Four of the teams have previously won the World Cup: Argentina (defending and three time winners), France (two times), England and Spain (one time each.)

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FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 16

Posted on July 4, 2026 by Edward Brain

The FIFA World Cup 2026 has now reached the Round of 16.

Most winning teams were not all that unpredictable. However, I was pleasantly surprised that Canada won their first ever knockout stage. They have had their most successful World Cup appearance so far with two wins, one draw, and only one loss.

The main big shock from the Round of 32 is Germany’s defeat by Paraguay in a shootout. Germany is a four time winner of the World Cup, with four second place and four third place finishes as well. However, this year’s competition was the first time that Germany made it to the knockout stage following their win in the 2014 World Cup.

The following 16 teams won their Round of 32 games:

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Canada Celebrates 159 Years of Confederation

Posted on July 1, 2026 by Edward Brain

Today marks the 159th birthday for the Dominion of Canada since Confederation on July 1st, 1867.

Confederation was created thanks to the hard work of many people, and helped to create the Canada we know today.

The Maple Leaf

On July 1st, 1867, three British colonies: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada (the combined colonies of Upper and Lower Canada, now Ontario and Quebec.)

Other provinces and territories were added over the years: Manitoba (1870), Northwest Territories (1870), British Columbia (1871), Prince Edward Island (1873), Yukon Territory (1898), Alberta (1905), Saskatchewan (1905), Newfoundland and Labrador (1949), and Nunavut (1999.)

So, Happy 159th Birthday, Canada!

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FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 32

Posted on June 28, 2026 by Edward Brain

The knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is now set. The ‘Round of 32’ starts on June 29th, 2026.

For the first time ever in the history of the tournament 32 teams qualify for the knockout stages, up from 16 thanks to the tournament increasing from 32 to 48 teams (with the addition of four new Groups – 12 Groups instead of eight Groups.)

The top two teams from each Group (Group A-L) automatically advance to the knockout stages (24 teams) with eight ‘wild card’ teams: the best eight of the 12 third place teams.

The top teams from each Group are:

Group A: Mexico (co-host)
Group B: Switzerland
Group C: Brazil
Group D: United States (co-host)
Group E: Germany
Group F: Netherlands
Group G: Belgium
Group H: Spain
Group I: France
Group J: Argentina (defending Champions)
Group K: Colombia
Group L: England

The second place teams from each Group are:

Group A: South Africa
Group B: Canada (co-host)
Group C: Morocco
Group D: Australia
Group E: Ivory Coast
Group F: Japan
Group G: Egypt
Group H: Cape Verde
Group I: Norway
Group J: Austria
Group K: Portugal
Group L: Croatia

The third place teams from each Group are:

Group A: South Korea
Group B: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group C: Scotland
Group D: Paraguay
Group E: Ecuador
Group F: Sweden
Group G: Iran
Group H: Uruguay
Group I: Senegal
Group J: Algeria
Group K: DR Congo
Group L: Ghana

The eight third place finishers who qualified are (ranked 1-8):

DR Congo (Group K)
Sweden (Group F)
Ghana (Group L)
Ecuador (Group E)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B)
Algeria (Group J)
Paraguay (Group D)
Senegal (Group I)

All three host countries (Canada, Mexico, United States) and the defending champions (Argentina) qualified for the knockout stage. Of the four teams all but Canada finished first in their group – and Canada finished in second in their group.

Cape Verde is making their first appearance in the World Cup, and finished in second in their Group (Group H.)

As such, the following match-ups will occur in the ‘Round of 32’:

Paraguay vs. Germany
Sweden vs. France
Canada vs. South Africa
Morocco vs. Netherlands
Croatia vs. Portugal
Austria vs. Spain
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. United States
Senegal vs. Belgium
Japan vs. Brazil
Norway vs. Ivory Coast
Ecuador vs. Mexico
DR Congo vs. England
Cape Verde vs. Argentina
Egypt vs. Australia
Algeria vs. Switzerland
Ghana vs. Colombia

Look for the following 16 teams to advance:

Argentina
Australia
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Colombia
England
France
Germany
Mexico
Netherlands
Portugal
Ivory Coast
Spain
Switzerland
United States

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2026 FIFA World Cup

Posted on June 8, 2026 by Edward Brain

In just a couple of days the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to begin. The tournament runs from June 11th to July 19th, 2026.

Canada, Mexico, and the United States are hosting the tournament, and the 48 teams that qualified.

This year’s edition is the largest World Cup in history. Previously, only 32 teams qualified for the tournament.

The increase in the number of teams will see an increase in the number of Groups – from eight to 12 Groups, as well as an additional round for the knockout stages.

Here’s how the Groups break down:

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