The best women’s backstroker Canada has ever produced refuses to look deep into the future. Five-time Olympic medallist Kylie Masse of LaSalle, Ont., has her mind on the world swimming championship starting Saturday in Singapore, and not on Los Angeles in 2028. The 50-metre backstroke added to the Olympic swim program in 2028 seems a boon for one of the best in the world at it, but the 29-year-old has yet to decide if she’ll compete in her fourth Olympic Games. “I am still in a position where I’m just kind of taking it moment by moment and figuring it…

We’re finishing our live updates An Ontario Superior Court justice today found five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team not guilty of sexual assault charges, ending an eight-week trial that captured national attention and prompted widespread debate on sexual assault, hockey culture and the legal definition of consent. Justice Maria Carroccia found all of the accused men not guilty. She went through each of their names in court, one after the other: Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Dillon Dubé and Michael McLeod. In each, she said the Crown had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that…

Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo was ousted in the third round of the Citi Open hardcourt tennis tournament Thursday with a 6-3, 6-2 loss the fourth seed Ben Shelton of the United States. Shelton was nearly unbeatable on serve, firing 16 aces to Diallo’s five and winning a whopping 86 per cent of total service points. The American did not face break point while breaking Diallo three times on four chances. Diallo, seeded 15th in Washington, entered the tournament with a career-high world ranking of No. 35. He will next play at the National Bank Open in Toronto, where he is seeded…

The Toronto Blue Jays made a strong case for old school baseball in their series win over the long ball-loving New York Yankees. Bo Bichette’s two-run homer capped off a wild victory as Toronto held on for an 8-4 win over the visiting Yankees on Wednesday. The Blue Jays’ other six runs came from smart baserunning, heads-up plays, and forcing New York into a handful of errors. “Geez, we can score runs in so many different ways,” said infielder Ernie Clement, who went 2-for-4, including a triple, scoring a run and driving in another. “Pitching has been a common theme…

What the Crown must prove To prove sexual assault, Carroccia says the Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that: There was touching. The touching was sexual. The sexual touching was not consensual. She says that except for Foote, the first two questions are not at issue. There was touching and it was sexual. At issue at this trial is whether it was consensual. The complainant must be aware that she has a choice whether or not to engage in the sexual touching at issue. No consent is obtained if the complainant expresses a lack of agreement to engage in…

Eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao used ring I.Q. and boxing geometry to overcome height and reach deficits in his title fight against Mario Barrios, earning a controversial draw against a bigger, stronger, harder-hitting opponent. And if you think we’re re-heating headlines from the Pac Man’s late-2000s heyday, think again. That bout happened last Saturday in Las Vegas. Barrios, the World Boxing Council welterweight champion, is 30. Pacquiao, who last fought in August 2021, will be 47 in December. If he had edged out one more round on two judges’ scorecards, he’d have become the first boxer in history to…

WARNING: This post includes graphic language. Carroccia now turns to reading out what Hart told the court. He was the only one of the five men on trial to testify in his own defence. He was 19 years old in June 2018, single and open to sexual encounters. He texted, “‘I’m in’” when McLeod invited the others to his Delta hotel room for a “3 way.” Hart asked E.M. if he could “‘get a blowie,’” and E.M. performed oral sex. Hart also texted teammate Dante Fabro to, “‘Get to 209 quick,’” because he believed E.M. wanted to have sex with…

Hulk Hogan, who helped lead professional wrestling’s rise in popularity in the 1980s and beyond, has died, Florida police and World Wrestling Entertainment said Thursday. He was 71. “WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away,” the organization said in a statement. “One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans. Born Terry Bollea, Hogan began wrestling in the mid-1970s. His popularity soared in 1984 after he defeated the Iron Sheik to win the heavyweight championship of what was then called the…

On several occasions, E.M. tried to leave the Delta hotel room but would stay when the men told her not to leave, Carroccia says. E.M. also told court that the men likely wouldn’t have physically stopped her from leaving. She also testified that it was made known to her that she should perform oral sex on McLeod again, and when she did, she was slapped on her butt really hard and told the men to stop, which they did. “The men seemed amped up, loud and chaotic,” Carroccia says. After the initial sexual encounter, E.M. testified that her mind just…

Reasonable steps to confirm consent Daphne Gilbert, a professor of criminal, constitutional and advanced sexual assault law at the University of Ottawa, says it’s possible the judge will find E.M. did not consent, but that some or all of the five accused had an honest mistaken belief that she did. In that defence, the accused must have taken reasonable steps to confirm the complainant’s consent, something the Crown argues the players did not do. “The Supreme Court of Canada has been very clear that the reasonable steps requirement will change depending on the context of the sexual activity,” said Gilbert,…