TORONTO — A uniquely violent year in Toronto marked by a major surge in gun-related crimes saw police seize an unusually high number of handguns from city streets, the force’s chief said Thursday.

Mark Saunders said officers had recovered 514 handguns so far in 2018 — or 222 more than in 2017 — and the number of homicides caused by shootings had gone up by nearly 30 per cent.

The influx of guns came from a variety of sources, said Saunders, softening previous police statements suggesting domestically sourced firearms were the cause of the majority of gun crimes in the city.

‘We’re seeing more guns’

The serge in gun violence remains his highest concern moving into 2019, said Saunders as he reflected on a year that’s seen Toronto grapple with a new homicide record and the aftermath of two mass-casualty attacks.

“Every day, we’re seeing more guns,” Saunders said at a year-end news conference. “So that’s one aspect that has to be looked at. The second piece is what’s motivating people to use a gun to resolve issues.”

Saunders did not provide a detailed breakdown of where the guns were coming from, though he indicated a growing numbers are produced by three-dimensional printers and repeated a regular claim that domestically registered guns were implicated in many crimes.

In the past, both Saunders and senior officers with the force’s guns and gangs unit have said the domestic firearms have eclipsed weapons imported from the United States as those most likely to be used to commit a crime.

Earlier this year, for instance, guns and gangs Det. Rob Di Danieli said about half of all guns used in crimes came from domestic sources, citing 2012 as the year when the trend took root.

Internal police data obtained under a Freedom Of Information request and shared with the Canadian Press, however, paint a different picture.

While the number of guns used in crimes dropped off between 2007 and 2017, guns imported from the U.S. were implicated in those crimes more often than domestically sourced firearms in eight of the past 11 years. Domestically sourced crime guns only surpassed U.S. imports in 2010 and 2015, with the two figures tied in 2016. The data did not include a breakdown of how many guns were sourced from countries outside of the United States or the number whose origins could not be traced.

When asked to comment on the apparent contradiction, a Toronto police spokesman said that over the last five years, there’s been a significant increase in investigations, arrests and successful prosecutions of people who have legally purchased firearms in Canada and then diverted or resold them for profit.

“The majority of crime guns that are handguns seized by the Toronto Police Service are sourced via the U.S.,” Kevin Masterman said in an email to The Canadian Press. “The majority of crime guns that are long guns, which includes sawed-off shotguns, are domestically sourced.”

At Thursday’s news conference, Saunders said he was less concerned with identifying the source of firearms than pinpointing what prompted people to use them, attributing the spike in gun violence to street gang activity.

“If somebody wants a gun, they’re going to get a gun,” he said. “There are more streams to get access to them than ever before, and so dealing with that is one aspect of it, but changing that motivation, or apprehending those that are motivated to shoot I think is more of a primary concern in today’s environment.”

Saunders acknowledged that 2018 was a particularly challenging year for the force that found itself taxed by a series of high-profile incidents.

Vast resources were devoted to the investigation of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur, who is accused of killing eight men with ties to the city’s gay community over a seven-year period.

Large-scale attacks

In addition, two large-scale attacks in busy Toronto neighbourhoods added 12 to the city’s overall homicide tally and strained police resources, Saunders said.

A deadly van attack in April saw Alek Minassian allegedly go on a deadly rampage down a stretch of Yonge Street in a rental van, mowing down pedestrians and killing 10 people. Three months later, a gunman opened fire in the bustling Greektown neighbourhood, firing indiscriminately at pedestrians and restaurant patrons and killing two people before turning the gun on himself.

Saunders said those two high-profile events caused public concern about the safety of the city — even more so than the surge in gun violence.

“It’s one thing when you’re dealing with the gun play. It’s another thing when you’re walking down a street and looking over your shoulder or you’re sitting in a restaurant,” he said. “The general public really felt stung by the two mass casualties back to back, and it’s still there.”

Toronto residents, however, have been raising concerns about public safety as the city’s homicide rate steadily climbed throughout the year.

Police have recorded 95 homicides so far in 2018, six more than the previous record high of 89 set in 1991. Force statistics suggest 50 of those homicides were caused by shooting, up 28 per cent from last year.

Mayor John Tory has repeatedly called for a handgun ban in the city.

Saunders said he believes Toronto is still one of the safest cities in North America and expressed hope that 2018 was an outlier rather than the start of a trend towards increased violence.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tickets for the 2017 NPF Championship Series presented by Marucci are on sale now through the NPF website. The Series will be held August 17-20 at LSU’s Tiger Park.

Ticket purchase options range from single session General Admission to Series Pass with Hospitality. Pricing ranges from a $7.50 single session general admission daily pass to a $210 four-day premium level hospitality pass. Discounts are available for senior citizens, active duty military and students. Group discounts are also available for groups or teams of 10+. Children under the age of three are admitted free of charge.

In addition to the group discounts, corporate ticket and hospitality packages are available as well as charitable ticket giving options.

All competition tickets are available online and will also be available at the Tiger Park ticket office beginning August 15th. Tickets for competition may be purchased on the day of the event.

An add-on feature for the Championship Series is the annual NPF Awards Banquet and Reception presented by Visit Baton Rouge. Fans of the NPF get to mix and mingle with their favorite players. The Championship Banquet includes a catered meal along with the league awards presentation. The individual price for the banquet is $60 with an added pre-banquet reception option of $15. Banquet tickets must be purchased in advance of the event.

The Championship Series ticket packages are listed below:

NPF AWARDS BANQUET presented by Visit Baton Rouge

Banquet Only — $60.00

VIP Reception and Banquet — $75.00

***Must be purchased in advance.


NPF Championship Series Presented by Marucci

PREMIUM LEVEL TICKETS – Reserved Chair Back Seating (Sections 103,104,105)

Championship 4-Day Package (Thurs – Sun) — $90

Championship Weekend Package (Fri – Sun)—$69

Daily Tickets—(Thurs – Fri) – $25.00

Daily Tickets –  (Sun – Mon) – $12.50

RESERVED SEATING TICKETS – Reserved Bleacher Back Seating (Sections 102,106)

Championship 4-Day Package (Thurs – Sun)—$74

Championship Weekend Package (Fri – Sun)—$57

Daily Tickets—$25 per day (Thurs – Fri) – $21.00



Daily Tickets – $12.50 per day (Sun – Mon) – $10.50

GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS – Bleacher Seating (Sections 101,107) & Tiger Park Terrace

Championship 4-Day Package (Thurs – Sun) — $50


Championship Weekend Package (Fri – Sun)—$37.50


Daily Tickets—(Thurs – Fri) – $15.00


Daily Tickets – (Sun – Mon) – $7.50

Hospitality Package (per day) – $30.00 per day per person

The Championship Series competition schedule is as follows:

Thursday – August 17 – Session 1 – Best 2 of 3

5:00 pm CT – Semifinal Game #1

8:00 pm CT – Semifinal Game #2

Friday – August 18 – Session 2

5:00 pm CT – Semifinal Game #3

8:00 pm CT- Semifinal Game #4

Saturday – August 19 – Session 3

10:00 am CT Semifinal Game #5 – If Necessary

1:00 pm CT Semifinal Game #6 – If Necessary

Saturday – August 19 – Session 4 – Best 2 of 3

7:00 pm CT – NPF Championship Series – Final Series – Game #1 – Best 2 of 3

Sunday – August 20 – Session 5

1:00 pm CT – NPF Championship Series – Final Series – Game #2

Sunday – August 20 – Session 6

4:00 pm CT – NPF Championship Series – Final Series – Game #3– If Necessary

— Courtesy of NPF

Canada is staring into a black hole when it comes to the future of its outer space exploration, and if nothing changes, David Saint-Jacques could be the last Canadian astronaut to leave Earth.

The country has been without a formal space plan since 1999 and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has faced budget cuts and stagnation for just as long, researchers and industry experts say. Even with NASA requesting Canada build a new robotic arm for its next space station project, Lunar Gateway, the federal government has yet to commit to any future projects.

And for Canada, which doesn’t have its own rockets, these types of commitments are the only way for it to secure spots for its astronauts to travel on other countries’ spacecrafts, said Gordon Osinski, a Western University professor and Canada Research Chair in earth and space exploration.

Watch: Meet the 10 Canadians who’ve been to space.

“If we don’t have that ticket for the moon, not only do we not have those industrial investments and jobs, we won’t have a current way for astronauts to go to space,” said Osinski. “No more Canadian astronauts will be a bit of a shock to the Canadian system.”

The CSA told HuffPost the federal government recognizes the “need to lay out a long-term vision for space moving forward and is committed to maintaining Canada’s continued activity in this evolving industry.”

“Canada has been a global leader in space robotics for decades, and is a recognized powerhouse in artificial intelligence,” CSA spokesperson Marie-Andre Malouin said. “We see these two sources of national expertise and pride coming together to enable human exploration of deep space: the space robots of the future will have to work with minimal human help, using artificial intelligence to make decisions.”

But if Canada wants to be competitive, it must invest in its space industries more than it currently does, experts say.

Missed opportunity

Out of the G8 countries, Canada spends the least amount on its space program and the second lowest per capita, according to a 2017 report from the University of British Columbia (UBC). It provides about $16 million a year towards space exploration missions and technology, and about $250 million in base funding for its space agency — $50 million less than in 1999.

It’s a missed opportunity, said the UBC report. Canada is a world leader in the aerospace industry, and every $1 billion invested into space innovation generates an additional $1.2 billion in economic activity. The Canadian space sector’s annual revenue is more than $5 billion mostly from satellite operations and services and it employs about 25,000 Canadians. The UBC researchers recommended a $1-billion investment in a structured space program over the next 10 years.

The global space and satellite markets are expected to grow from about $350 billion now to trillions of dollars by 2030, said Ryan Anderson, president and CEO of the Satellite Canada Innovation Network, a not-for-profit organization that drives growth for Canada’s space industry. The network is also a member of a coalition of 60 industry partners called Don’t Let Canada Go, which is raising public awareness and lobbying the federal government to increase the space budget in 2019.

“As other nations have been increasing their investments and new nations entering the sector, Canada is rapidly losing ground,” Anderson said. “The coalition formed to raise public awareness of the situation and the implications of not reversing the trend.”

Public support

There appears to be support for Canada’s space program. A petition to the House of Commons to develop a space strategy and increase funding has been signed by more than 3,500 people.

A poll from September found that 84 per cent of Canadians are in favour of developing the country’s space sector, and the majority said it would be a good idea to increase investment in satellite communications, space science, space robotics and international space missions, according to Ipsos. It surveyed 1,602 Canadians over the phone in June, yielding a margin of error of 2.45 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Between now and February, Canada will mark a number of space innovation achievements, which Osinski said are “bittersweet” because they stem from previous commitments, not matched for the past decade.

On Monday, the same day Saint-Jacques became the ninth Canadian astronaut to venture into space, a NASA asteroid probe equipped with a Canadian-made laser system arrived at its destination. The laser will scan an asteroid, create a 3D model, provide scientists with “unprecedented” information about its surface and help determine the best spot to take a sample from, according to the CSA’s website.

The CSA will also see the launch of three made-in-Canada satellites in February 2019 to monitor and provide data on ecosystems, agriculture, natural disasters and climate change in Canada.

Meanwhile, Canada has failed to join recent NASA missions including the launch of a Mars rover in 2020, and has been non-committal on whether it will build the robotic arm for NASA’s Lunar Gateway, a new space station to orbit the moon as early as 2024 that will serve as stepping stone to deep space. The new arm will cost about $2 billion to build over at least a decade, said Osinski. The International Space Station will shutdown by 2028.

“Canada’s participation in the Lunar Gateway is still being discussed by the Government of Canada,” said the CSA’s Malouin. “We are advancing technologies that are needed by the partnership in areas of strength for Canada, like robotics.”

Watch: NASA’s ‘deep space gateway’ could put us on Mars in 2030

If Canada doesn’t act fast, it can also say goodbye to being part of the next stage of space exploration including asteroid mining and eventually human settlement on Mars.

“Space is opening up at incredible speed because of technological advances,” said Michael Byers, University of British Columbia professor, focusing on outer space and Arctic sovereignty, and Canada Research Chair in global politics and international law.

“If Canada wants to be at cutting edge technologically, it has to be seriously engaged in space. If Canada wants to be a serious participant, it has to be there for the rule-making.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – UCLA’s Rachel Garcia and Florida’s Kelly Barnhill were named Louisville/Slugger NFCA Division I National Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for games played Feb. 19-25.

Garcia had an outstanding week in the circle and at the plate for the third-ranked and still undefeated Bruins (15-0). The sophomore form Palmdale, Calif. went 3-0 with a 0.40 ERA, a save and 30 strikeouts in 17.2 innings of work. At the plate, she hit .529 over six games with nine hits, four RBI and two runs scored.

Surrendering just five hits, one run and three walks, Garcia limited her opposition to a .085 batting average against a strong field at the Mary Nutter Classic. Twenty-three of her 30 punchouts came in 12 innings against RV Nebraska (11 K) and then-No. 7 LSU (12 K). Additionally, she was 2-for-2 with an RBI versus the Huskers and knocked in two runs against the Tigers.

Barnhill, a junior from Marietta, Ga., tossed a perfect game and a no-hitter over the weekend as the second-ranked Gators went 8-0 at home last week. The hard-throwing righty fanned 11 over five innings against Georgia Southern in her first collegiate perfect game. That was preceded a day earlier by a five-inning no-hitter against Iowa State in which Barnhill struck out nine and walked two.

Barnhill added 15 more strikeouts (5.2 IP) in her first start of the week against Oakland. Over four starts, she was 4-0 with a 0.31 ERA, 44 strikeouts and four walks in 22.2 innings of work. Barnhill limited her opposition to six hits and a .081 batting average.

Player & Pitcher of the Week
Feb. 27 – Rachel Garcia, UCLA | Kelly Barnhill, Florida
Feb. 20 – Tori Vidales, Texas A&M | Kylee Hanson, Florida State
Feb. 13 – Vanessa Shippy, Oklahoma State | Missy Zoch, DePaul

Selected Top Performances
Taylor McQuillan, Arizona – 5 app/3 GS, 4-0, save, 3 SHO, 0.29 ERA, 27 K, 24 IP, .064 opp BA; Taran Alvelo, Washington– 4-0, 1.04 ERA, 2 SHO, 32 K, 3 BB, 13 H, .144 opp BA; Carlee Wallace, Baylor– Hit for the cycle; 4-for-6, 6 RBI, .1.667 SLG; Jessie Warren, Florida State– .476, 10 H, 2B, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 7 R, 1.238 SLG, .542 OBP; Caylan Arnold, Tennessee– 6 APP / 2 GS, 3-0, save, 0.00 ERA, 32 K, 5 BB, 10 H, 21 IP; Kirstyn Thomas, Washington– .593, 16 H, 4 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 8 R, 1.148 SLG; Lili Piper, Ohio State – .500, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1.400 SLG, .545 OBP; Jenna Holcomb, Tennessee– .524, 11 H, 13 R, RBI, GW run vs. Oregon; Emily Watson, Tulsa– 3-0, 0.00 ERA, 30 K, 2 BB, 9 H, .129 opp BA, 20 IP; Angel Love, North Dakota– .500, 7 H, 7 R, 2B, 4 3B, 3 RBI, 3 SB; Shea Smith, Grand Canyon– .522, 3 2B, 2 2B, HR, 8 RBI, 5 BB, .607 OBP; Megan Beaubien, Michigan- 3-1, 0.00 ERA, 2 SHO, 16 K, 19 IP; Nicole Timmons, Drake– 3-0, 0.86 ERA, 27 K; Amanda Lorenz, Florida– .455, 10 H (9 XBH), 6 2B, 2 3B, HR, 10 RBI, 12 R, 6 BB, SB, 1.045 SLG; Holly Speers, Kent State- .615, 8 H, , 2 B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 5 BB, .722 OBP.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — An undefeated run to the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic championship further solidified reigning national champion Virginia Wesleyan’s grip on the No. 1 spot in the NFCA Division III Top 25 rankings.

The (14-0) Marlins won all six of their games at Tucson’s Lincoln Park complex over the weekend, winning four games by run rule and outscoring opponents in their six contests, 65-16. In its other two games at the elite 32-team showcase, Virginia Wesleyan overcame a leadoff homer by Brooke Wehr off reigning Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Player of the Year Hanna Hull to edge Moravian, 2-1, in eight innings on day one, and scored two runs in the first inning en route to a 5-0 victory over Texas Lutheran in a battle of unbeaten teams on the final day.

On the strength of its 5-1 Leadoff showing, the (7-1) Bulldogs move up seven places, to the No. 2 spot, in the rankings this week, while Texas-Tyler, which lost the finale of a three-game American Southwest Conference series with Mary Hardin-Baylor, 5-3, on Friday, remains No. 3. The (8-1) Patriots easily bounced back from the loss on Tuesday for an 8-0, five-inning triumph over Centenary (La.), in which Texas-Tyler’s Colleen Bentke tossed a tidy one-hour-and-25-minute one-hitter.

Williams, which has high hopes for its season when it starts on March 18, remains fourth, while Trine, which opened its season 5-1 at the Leadoff, moves up one position to fifth. Christopher Newport (8-2), which also dropped just one Leadoff game, got a boost as well, going from 11th to sixth.

Amherst (opens March 11), Berry (16-3), Luther (5-1) and Wisconsin-Whitewater (starts March 22) round out the first 10, while St. John Fisher (3-5) drops from second to 11th this week after a 2-4 start to its season at the Leadoff.

Familiar poll teams Linfield (12-4) which went 5-1 at the Leadoff, and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (10-4), which went 5-1 to finish second at the Leadoff, are back in the rankings, as are Alma (10-2), Whitworth (7-7), La Verne (9-3) and Salisbury (7-1). Messiah (4-6) and St. Catherine (5-5) dropped out this week.

The NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll is selected by eight NCAA Division III head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions. Current 2018 records are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses.

NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll – March 7, 2018

Rank

Team

2018 Record

Points

Previous

1

Virginia Wesleyan (8)

14-0

200

1

2

Texas Lutheran

7-1

192

9

3

Texas-Tyler

8-1

184

3

4

Williams

0-0

176

4

5

Trine

5-1

168

6

6

Christopher Newport

8-2

160

11

7

Amherst

0-0

152

7

8

Berry

16-3

144

T24

9

Luther

5-1

136

8

10

Wisconsin-Whitewater

0-0

128

10

11

St. John Fisher

3-5

120

2

12

Ramapo

0-0

99

14

13

Randolph-Macon

7-1

90

16

14

East Texas Baptist

7-3

75

13

15

Babson

3-3

63

T24

16

Ithaca

0-0

61

19

17

Illinois Wesleyan

3-3

56

5

18

George Fox

11-3

52

22

19

Lynchburg

8-0

38

RV

20

St. Thomas (Minn.)

3-3

30

RV

T21

Central (Iowa)

4-4

28

21

 

Linfield

12-4

28

NR

T23

Emory

6-2

27

RV

 

Kean

2-0

27

23

 

Wisconsin-Oshkosh

7-3

27

20

Others receiving votes: Moravian 21, Texas-Dallas 21, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 17, Alma 16, Washington (Mo.) 12, Whitworth 10, La Verne 7, Cortland 6, Salisbury 6, Rowan 4, Hope 3, Transylvania 1 and Wisconsin-Eau Claire 1.

Dropped out: Messiah and St. Catherine.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — Two days after nearly being eliminated from the Pan American Championship, the USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) bounced back and dominated the final day with a pair of run-rule victories. After dropping the opening medal round game, the U.S. won its final four contest to claim the Gold.

Behind Kelly Barnhill’s no-hitter, the reigning champs knocked off Mexico in 9-0 (5) on Sunday in the title game. Her performance nearly mirrored Cat Osterman’s perfect game twirled in the 2003 Pan American Games against Canada nearly 14 years ago to the day on the very same field.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. defeated Canada 11-3 (5) to advance to the Gold Medal Game for a rematch with Mexico, who’s extra-inning win over the U.S. in the first round of playoffs sent the Americans to the loser’s bracket to battle their way back. 

“Unbelievable,” said head coach Ken Eriksen.  “I think it’s the first time in double-page system that a team has lost the first game and then won four-in-a-row to win the tournament.  We needed a wakeup call.  I don’t know if anyone realized that we were at the brink of elimination over the course of the next four years because of the way the system is setup.  This team took it upon themselves and they got in a groove.  We had really good pitching and defense yesterday to carry through and it made the hitters more comfortable.  Michelle Moultrie, Amanda Chidester, Valerie Arioto and Jess Moore did an incredible job in leadership.  I was here the last time Team USA won a Gold Medal on this field when Cat Osterman pitched a perfect game and Kelly Barnhill almost matched her today.  History repeats itself here in Santo Domingo.”

Barnhill got the start and retired the first three batters she faced. After hitting the first batter of the second innng, she retired the final 12 to earn the victory. Barnhill fanned 10 and did not walk a batter.

The U.S. bats came alive during a nine-run outburst in the bottom of the second  Ali Aguilar put the Red, White and Blue on the board with a two-run bomb to centerfield. Following a pitching change, Janie Takeda sent a first-pitch, three-run home run over the centerfield fence to extend Team USA’s lead to five runs. 

The U.S. continued to pounce offensively scoring the final four runs with two outs thanks to an error that extended the inning. Amanda Chidester plated Kelsey Stewart and put runners on the corners.  On a 3-1 pitch, Valerie Arioto hit a no-doubter, over the leftfield fence for the third home run of the inning.  

“I was really excited going in to today,” said Barnhill.  “For us to win Gold on this field like so many of the Olympians before us is amazing.  It’s something that I’ve been dreaming of, to be like those Olympic pitchers, and to be on that path that they were once on is really special because we’re all on the same path in the end.”

In the victory over Canada, the United State bounced back from a three-run deficit after the first inning with 11 unanswered runs. Moultrie shined at the plate for Team USA, going 3-for-4, including a three-run home run which put the U.S. up in the top of the fourth inning. 

Each U.S. batter recorded a hit in the win over Canada, while Jessica Moore  earned the win after entering in relief in the top of the first inning.  Moore tossed four and one-third scoreless innings with one strikeout, two hits and one walk.  Danielle O’Toole got the start in the circle for the U.S. while Barnhill tossed the final out of the game.

With their backs against the wall, the United States accomplished what no other team has been able to do in the history of the event. 

“It would have been so easy to just fall apart after that loss,” said Arioto.  “It just shows our closeness and how we believe in each other and each person’s heart.  We did it as a unit.  That loss could have really set us back, and we said ‘No way, we’re fighting.’  We fought every single pitch.  It wasn’t every single game, it was every single pitch.  The world saw our heart there, we just laid it out and played some good softball.”

As a team, the U.S. hit an astounding .436 with 19 home runs and 102 RBI in 12 games played.  Haylie McCleney paced the offense, hitting .613 (19-for-31) as the leadoff batter with one home run, five RBI and 17 runs scored.  Arioto picked up 18 RBI while hitting .357 (10-for-28) and amassing a .857 slugging percentage.  From the circle, the U.S. staff combined for a 1.40 ERA.  Moore was a perfect 4-0 with 16 strikeouts and a 0.68 ERA in 20.2 innings in the circle.  Barnhill went 3-0 while fanning 40 batters with a 0.35 ERA in 20 innings pitched. 

Up next for Team USA is the Japan Cup, which will be held August 25-27 in Takasaki City, Japan.  It will be a battle of the top-four ranked teams in the world as No. 1 Japan, No. 2 USA, No. 3 Canada and No. 4 Australia are all slated to compete. 

Fans can follow along with the USA Softball National Team programs all year long at USASoftball.com. 

— Courtesy of USA Softball