#toronto new

[intheupside]

sid: kids these days

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Ahmad Islaih, a 26 year old elementary school teacher, was accused of participating in a demonstration that briefly halted traffic on Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway in November. The protest against Israel’s assault on Gaza had lasted for only five minutes. After waking up Ahmed, handcuffing him and charging him with “mischief,” eight police officers sat the family, still in their pajamas, at their dining room table. While they searched their home, the front door stayed open, despite freezing winter weather and the family’s pleas to police to close it. [...] After the police left with Ahmad’s computers, electronics, and clothes, the family discovered his room “turned upside down.” Drawers had been emptied on the floor, his mattress was thrown off the bed, a vase was broken, and several boxes had been rifled through. “It took us back to our life in the West Bank,” Suha said, “when Israeli soldiers raided our home.” 

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Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[yellodisney]

[queen-street-news]

New Post has been published on https://bloornews.com/blog-toronto/?p=209153

Best Worst Canadian Merchant Account Providers

Best Worst Canadian Merchant Account Providers

Are you a small business in Canada and you need merchant services like Interac and credit card processing and don’t know where to go? Online is misleading at best, and countless payment processing companies make promises they can’t keep. Here’s the truth from some people who have worked with and for countless questionable companies and landed at First Data. If you want the REAL dirt on these companies, this is an excellent source.

Major Banks (Moneris; RBC/BMO, TDCanadaTrust

Banks are great.. They are well established, reliable, and have longevity.. You certainly don’t have to worry about calling on Monday and worrying about them going bankrupt and skipping town. 

That being said, in order to be approved, you need to have a pretty stellar credit rating. And, much like anything else in the world, you get what you pay for, so you will be paying premium rates to work with the biggest, best,  and most established in the industry.

If you are primarily doing business in Canada, there’s no point in approaching Chase for credit card processing, as they are an American company, without a single Canadian office.

Helcim, as a matter of fact, is a reseller of Elavon, which is an American company without a single Canadian office. 

Merchant maverick, Frank Kehl is a reseller of Elavon, which is an American company without a single Canadian office. 

**BEST ALTERNATIVE**

First Data might be an option for those of you who have or will face rejection by the major banks for POS terminals. They have excellent customer service, tech support, swipe rates, and machines when it comes to independent companies. Basically, they offer everything a bank does, but they offer it to more customers, and at a lower rate.

Helcim has lower rates than the fly-by-night company, KIS, which isn’t any better than they are. They should be your last resort. They are all bait and switch situations filled with misleading information, broken promises and hidden charges. They advertise one deal and deliver quite the opposite. In THEORY, they can promise to PERSONALLY keep you free of a lease, but they hand you a machine from a leasing company that will continue to charge you monthly fees for up to four years. The service is garbage because the turnover rates are insane.. Reps don’t get paid, even after getting endless grief from disappointed and angry customers. The reps don’t even get the full story, so they believe they are telling you the truth only to discover later that they are essentially part of a scam they are selling to innocent people for little or no commission or pay. 

Square is great if you don’t need to get paid for three months. It’s the sort of company that would be ideal for someone who already has a day job, but sells bananas at a flea market on weekends for extra cash. The percentage the company takes is double what you would pay to First Data, or even to the terrible last-resort providers.

The list goes on.. PandaPay Merchant Services advertises low rates and doesn’t deliver. People sign a lease and suffer long-term. Royal Debit, to be frank, are liars. They offer free terminals, but there is nothing free about them. Clients are misled about rates. The people who run it just have questionable morals, and you can’t believe a word they say.  Royal Debit is a reseller of Elavon, which is an American company without a single Canadian office.

In conclusion, go with a major bank if you have the credit rating and extra money to pour into the costly sense of security. If you want similar customer service, quality, and satisfaction for a fraction of the cost, First Data is your best bet by far. They have an office in Mississauga, so you aren’t dealing with customer service overseas with little or no understanding of credit card processing in Toronto or simply doing business in Canada.

Debitmachine.mobi is run by Paul Murton. He runs the website a little bit like a payment processing dating service, trying to pinpoint ideal long-term merchant account relationship goals and match the small and home business Canadian clients and companies perfectly, creating a mutually beneficial relationship for everyone involved. 

Reps first data, elavon, pivotal payments/nuvei, global payments and a high risk merchant service called people’s credit

Online services, for which he provides personalized e-commerce websites….is a reseller of PayPal, which is an American company without a single Canadian office.

Murton is a salesman for the various Canadian credit card processing companies; He helps increase sales when the economy dictates that the calls just aren’t’ coming in on their own. All of these merchant services companies have a mandate to reach a particular quota, inspiring them to run deals including new and free machines and reduced rates. Because Paul is not legally obligated to one specific company, as he is contracted as a commission-based sales representative, Paul has access to the best possible credit card processing deals at the exact time that each client requires merchant services. He has been in the industry for 20 years now, since 2001, and is knowledgeable about each and every company in his roster. If you call any of these companies individually, they are all going to tell you that they are the best and the cheapest, with the lowest swipe rates, but Paul has no reason to mislead you. He will make a commission only if your contract works out to your satisfaction, so it’s in HIS best interest to lead you to the best solution for your business. Word-of-mouth is the best way to increase business for Paul personally, as a small business owner in Toronto. He wants to give you what you want and need out of a merchant provider so you recommend him to your friends and associates. Paul Murton’s commission is a one-time thing.. There are no residual or hidden fees on Paul’s part after you’ve signed the contract.

***Nuvei/Pivotal is offering a free machine for the life of your and your business that provides credit card processing and Interac. Qualified rate 1.17%, Non-Qualified rate 0.40%, Debit 3.5 cents, with a low monthly fee of $7. (Banks charge $10-12 PLUS rental of your POS terminal $40 for wired, $70 for wireless, so it’s a substantial savings each month!)

+Please be advised that Paul is introducing and securing your contract with the merchant provider.. The relationship beyond the initial sale is between you and the provider, so please ensure you read and understand the small print as Paul does not have the power to alter the terms of your contract. 

Apply For A Debit Machine Free 1,000 Business Cards With SEO Help With Marketing Your Business Free Help With Maps From A Google Guide Google Maps (I am a “Local Guide for Google Maps” Just Say Hello

[tampire]

My Deadpool had a wonderful Tam with Santa Claus this Christmas. I hope you all had Happy Holidays despite what's going on in the world, but yeah, sending you all the love cause y'all need it. <3

[aerinfrankellove]

Ahem ahem hear ye hear ye

My very professional slideshow tm made instead of the actual work I should be doing

[ohpuckno]

Hockeyblr is hilarious because every now and then, you’ll catch your mutuals cheering for teams you despise on your dash. It’s like discovering your dad has a secret second family. My brother in Christ, we were fighting on the frontlines together in the same lb no more than 24 hours ago, what happened

[nottodayjustin]

January 4th 2024 best hockey tweet of the day

[grantmentis]

PWHL 2024-2025 Primer

It's that time of year again folks. PWHL starts on November 30th.

The sections of this primer are: What is the PWHL, Where can I watch, Rules/League Structure, Official league pages, journalists to follow, and an introduction to each team (what they did last year, who's on the team, notable players, you should root for them if you..)

What is the PWHL?

The Professional Women's Hockey League was created in 2023 and launched in January 2024. It is currently the sole professional women's hockey league in North America.

Heading into the 2024-2025 season, the PWHL has six teams: The Toronto Sceptres, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, New York Sires, Montréal Victoire, and Ottawa Charge. Each team plays 30 regular season games per team. You can find the full season schedule here.

Where can I watch?

Disclaimer; We don't have an official 100% confirmation on the American and non-North American ones yet, just reports from journalists who I do deem trustworthy. I will edit any changes and highlight them in bold if necessary.

On Television/Streaming

Canadian fans will have games on TSN and its affiliates (such as TSN+) primarily, with select games on CBC and Prime video.

French broadcasts of Montreal games can be found on RDS (18), Radio-Canada (6) on ICI TÉLÉ and ICI TOU.TV

Full streaming/television schedule for Canada

All fans not in Canada are available to stream on the PWHL Youtube regardless of location (so if you're "in market" there's no black outs like there is NHL games)

Last year regional games were held on: Bally Sports North in Minnesota, NESN/NESN+ in Boston, MSG/MSG+ in New York, Sportnet Pittsburgh has carried select games. Not 100% confirmed this will be the case last year. Even if your regional sports network carries it, however, you should be able to access it on Youtube in America

In Person

Toronto and New York (sort of) have new locations this year

Toronto Scepters play at Coca-Cola Coliseum

Ottawa Charge play at TD Place

Montréal Victoire play at Place Bell

Boston Fleet play at Tsongas Center (Lowell, MA)

Minnesota Frost play at Xcel Energy Center

New York Sirens will play at Prudential Center (Newark, NJ)

There are also many neutral site games this year including Detroit, Quebec City, Raleigh, Vancouver, Denver, Buffalo, St. Louis, and Seattle that you can read about here

What are the rules? The League Structures?

Who makes the playoffs and what do they look like?

Please keep in mind that with such a young league, it's possible this will be tinkered with.

Each game is worth three points: 3 for a regulation win, 2 for an overtime win, and 1 for an overtime loss

Last year, the PWHL had 4 of the 6 teams make the playoffs. The number one seed got to choose their opponent between the third and fourth seed.

All series were best of five series, the two semi finals and then the finals.

Rules

If you are an NHL fan looking to jump in, here are the differences in the PWHL. The rulebook is also here.

Bodychecking is allowed in the PWHL, so long as it is done in an attempt to play the puck or gain possession. While women's hockey has always been physical, bodychecking at this level is fairly new, the SDHL in Sweden started to allow it just in 2021 and then the PWHL last year, so refs and players are adjusting in how they're going to draw the line between legal and illegal. This is also not the case in international competition, so it is a little different than the olympics or worlds if you are used to watching those.

The PWHL has a "jailbreak rule" which means that if you are shorthanded and score, the penalty ends.

In shootouts, a player can go as many times as they'd like.

New this year is the "No Escape" rule where players of a penalized team are required to stay on the ice to start the penalty kill.

Coaches can challenge delay of game puck over glass penalties.

Hits to the head, headbutting, and grabbing an opponents helmet strap, throat protector, or hair is an automatic major penalty and game misconduct.

What are the official social media pages? Who are good people to follow?

Official league pages:

PWHL: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

There's also a unofficial bluesky bot that re-posts all of the PWHL X content

Sceptres: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

Fleet: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

Victoire: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

Frost: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

Sirens: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

Charge: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

News and Journalists:

This is not a comprehensive list, just a starter pack! feel free to add any recommendations in the comments.

Kyle Cushman: Works for the score, covers the whole league (as well as some nhl), keeps public statistical information. The Score author page / Twitter / Bluesky

The Ice Garden: Long time women's hockey publication. I'd also recommend going through their contributor/author page and following them individually! Website / Twitter / Bluesky

Hailey Salvian: Long time reporter for the Athletic for women's hockey Twitter

Kenzie Lalonde: TSN reporter based in Montreal covering PWHL among others, also does play by play Twitter

Rick Menning: Local reporter for the Sirens Twitter

Kelsea Durham: Local reporter for the Boston Fleet for Inside the Rink Linktree

Christine Roger: French-Canadian reporter, who posts in French, mainly about Montreal Twitter

PWHL Report: Content aggregator for if you don't want to follow a bunch individually and really the only one i've seen post stuff to Instagram Twitter / Instagram

Who are the Boston Fleet?

The Boston Fleet were last years runner up in the league.

Their roster can be viewed here, with updates to be expected in the next few days as training camp cuts and contract being signed, the waiver period starting for teams to sign players that got cut from other teams training camps, and final rosters are made.

Notable players: Hilary Knight (captain), Aerin Frankel (Star goalie), Alina Müller (Swiss hockey star), Hannah Bilka (first round pick this last draft.)

You should root for this team if: You like defense-first hockey, strong New England college hockey connections, rooting for the youngest ice hockey player to win an olympic medal (Alina Müller), a player who got a custom outfit for pride night (Jamie Lee Rattray), Jewish hockey icons (Aerin Fankel), and players who are also podcasters and make a lot of tiktoks (Lexi Adzija and Taylor Girard)

Who are the Montréal Victoire?

The Montréal Victoire finished second in the standings last year, where

Live roster viewable here with expected updates the next few days

Notable players: Marie Philip-Poulin, Laura Stacey, Erin Ambrose, Ann-Renée Desbiens (all four are long time Team Canada legends), Lina Ljungblom (young Swedish superstar), Mikyla Grant Mentis and Kennedy Marchmand (both former PHF MVPs)

You should root for this team if: You love two way defensive minded centers, rooting for the league favorite, star players who are married to each other (Poulin and Stacey), short defenders (5'1 Amanda Boulier and 5'2 Cayla Barnes), post game victory dances, I dont even know how to describe this but heres grant mentis and Lásková watching golf i have to put it here

Who are the Toronto Sceptres?

The Sceptres were the first place team in the PWHL last year.

Roster here, once again will change this week

Notable players: Natalie Spooner (league MVP and long time team Canada player), Sarah Nurse (Olympic record holder for points and top scorer), Julia Gosling (first round pick), CJ Jackson (backup goaltender, social media darling, and LGBT activist), Renata Fast (top defender for both PWHL and Team Canada)

You should root for this team if you: love all the Team Canada players who grew up outside Quebec and also the coaches (all but three players are Canadian and many have played internationally for Canada, the coaching/management also largely from team canada and shares stylistic similarities), are interested in Nursey Nights (Sarah Nurse's collaboration with Black Girl Hockey Club during Toronto Sceptres games!), want to root for the other league favorites, love noted pancake enthusiasts (Kali Flanagan), or if you're more on the savory side, love a hot dog enthusiast (CJ)

Who are the Ottawa Charge?

The Ottawa Charge finished fifth in the league last season

Roster here with updates to come

Notable players: Brianne Jenner (team Canada and captain of Ottawa), Emily Clark (top scorer), Kateřina Mrázová (top scorer and Czech national team icon), Danielle Serdachny (second overall pick), Ronja Savolainen (Finnish national team mainstay and SDHL icon)

You should root for this team if you: Have an interest in Czech players (Mrázová, Vanišová, Tejralová), you like podcasting players (but gay this time), enjoy a team that regularly updates their youtube channel and does a fan fest and has some of the best player created content, like a team that is not afraid to make bold roster moves

Who are the Minnesota Frost?

The Minnesota Frost are your inaugural PWHL champions!

Here is a live, updating roster

Notable players: Kendall Coyne (Captain, Team USA), Taylor Heise (last years #1 overall pick and one of the leagues scorer), Grace Zumwinkle (also a top scorer), Nicole Hensley (star goalie and also Team USA starting goaltender typically), Michela Cava (extensive experience as top player in PHF, SDHL, and Russia.)

You should root for this team if you: Have a lot of midwest pride and like teams in the WCHA, value speed when watching hockey, like players with unconventional paths to stardom (Hensley, who played at Lindenwood in college and made team USA only after college finished), want to root for the ultimate playoff sicko (Michela Cava, who has 4 championships across four leagues, two finals MVPs, and is over a point per game combining all playoffs), like franchise cornerstones who are besties and call each other 'the dog to their cat" and vice versa (Heise and Zumwinkle)

Who are the New York Sirens?

The New York Sirens finished last in the PWHL last year

Roster with updates to come

Notable players: Abby Roque, Alex Carpenter (both team usa and PWHL top scorers), Corinne Schroeder (had the best goaltending season in PHF history in 2023 and followed it up by having one of the best PWHL seasons despite a tough workload), Sarah Fillier (first overall pick this year, team Canada star), Maja Nylén Persson (round two pick, SDHL best defender of the year last year, team Sweden's #1 defender), Noora Tulus (finnish national team star and one of the best SDHL players of all time.)

You should root for this team if you: want to see a team really build itself up from the ground floor, as theres a lot of roster turnover this year and a new coaching staff, with a lot of exciting draftees. like a team that has a little more physicality/grit. want to maximize the number of crossovers with other professional sports teams possible, like the nickname pizza rats. Want to enjoy some of the best mic'd up content (Roque)

[reviewed-rated]

Best Worst Canadian Merchant Account Providers

Best Worst Canadian Merchant Account Providers Are you a small business in Canada and you need merchant services like Interac and credit card processing and don’t know where to go? Online is misleading at best, and countless payment processing companies make promises they can’t keep. Here’s the truth from some people who have worked with and for countless questionable companies and landed at…

[intheupside]

“i’m sidney crosby and i’m giving a compliment to someone who can play the whole 60 minutes”

[andsami]

× PWHL - New Names ×

[yellodisney]

👹

🎬

[melancholytimes]

[honk-nee]

im a simple woman, i see a brawl, i post it

[butchmarner]

Who is the gayest PWHL Team?🌈

(Based on my extensive and unprofessional research of players' instagrams lol)

Minnesota: 3 confirmed

Michela Cava- dating teammate Emma Greco

Emma Greco- dating teammate Michela Cava

Liz Schepers- dating Ohio State teammate Michaela Boyle

Toronto: 7 confirmed

Brittany Howard

Carly Jackson

Allie Monroe

Jess Jones

Hannah Miller

Kristen Cambell- dating Team Canada softball player Emma Entzminger

Erica Howe

Ottawa: 7 confirmed

Brianne Jenner- (C) Married w/ 2 kids to Hayleigh Cudmore, her former teammate in Calgary

Emily Clark

Emerance Maschmeyer- married to Team Canada goalie Genevieve Lacasse

Ashton Bell

Malia Schneider

Zoe Boyd- either gay or really really really good at lesbian thirst traps and a queerbait of an instagram

Amanda Boulier

Boston: 7 confirmed

Hilary Knight- (C) dating speed skater Brittany Bowe (sorry Freddy Anderson)

Shiann Darkangelo- dating Montreal's Elaine Chuli

Jamie Lee Rattray

Samantha Isbell- exes with New York's Jill Saulnier

Taylor Wenczkowski

Amanda Pelkey- married to Finnish Olympian Venla Hovi

Erin Brown- dating New York's Savannah Norcross

New York: 9 confirmed

Micah Zandee-Hart (C)

Madison Packer- married to former teammate Anya Packer

Jade Downey-Landry

Jill Saulnier- exes with Boston's Sam Isbell

Chloe Aurard- dating basketball player Ella Bushee

Savannah Norcross- dating Boston's Erin Brown

Olivia Zafuto- dating former Boston Pride teammate McKenna Brand

Elizabeth Giguere- married

Johanna Fallman

Montreal: 9 confirmed

Marie-Philip Poulin- (C) engaged to teammate Laura Stacey

Laura Stacey- engaged to teammate Marie-Philip Poulin

Elaine Chuli- dating Boston's Shiann Darkangelo

Sarah Bujold

Erin Ambrose

Leah Lum

Mélodie Daoust- has a son with ex-wife, currently dating retired Team Canada player Hannah Bunton

Cath Dubois

Brigitte Laganiere

Notable mentions to 4/6 captains in this league being gay 🌈

(thank you @lesbianracecars for helping me in my extensive research)