BBC issue tribute to Field of Dreams’ Umar Mahmood who died in Chain Caul Way crash
The team behind Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams have paid tribute to cast member Umar Mahmood. Now aged 18, Umar, from Broadgate, died in hospital on Thursday from injuries sustained […]
He appeared in the first series of Field of Dreams and was then unable to travel with the team to India in the second series due to being from Pakistan and visa issues occurring.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We are very saddened to hear the news of Umar’s passing and the thoughts of everyone in the Field of Dreams team are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
Umar was hurt on Tuesday evening when the Audi A3 Sport he was driving hit a tree in Chain Caul Way near Preston Docks.
He was taken to hospital along with 16-year-old Adam Bodi, also from Broadgate, and an unnamed 17-year-old boy who is from Preston.
Both Umar and Adam died in hospital from their injuries. Their funerals will take place during Friday (13 September) afternoon at Preston Cemetery.
The 17-year-old boy remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.
A police appeal sign up in Chain Caul Way during Friday 13 September Pic: Blog Preston
Preston Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses and information regarding the crash.
Sergeant Paul McCurrie, of Lancashire Police’s Road Policing Unit, said: “This was a collision with tragic circumstances.
“Two young people have died, and I wish to extend my sympathy to their families, loved ones and friends.
“We are investigating how the collision happened, and we continue to ask for anyone who witnessed it to contact us.
“Also, if anyone was driving in the Chain Caul Lane area around the time of the collision and has dash cam footage, or they have CCTV footage from the area, please get in touch.”
Anyone with information can contact police on 101 quoting log 1538 of 10 September 2024 or email SCIU@lancashire.police.uk
In the public imagination, Stephen Miller is the dark heart of the Trump administration — a pulsing mass of anti-immigrant hatred behind its most aggressively authoritarian moves. But what if there’s a different story to be told — that Stephen Miller’s obsession with deportations isn’t helping President Donald Trump secure control over the country, but […]
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/elizabeth-may-and-jonathan-pedneault-in-canada-s-parliament.jpg?id=60032029&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C124%2C0%2C124"/><br/><br/><p><a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/why-vote-liberal-mark-carney-2025-federal-election">https://www.mtlblog.com/why-vote-liberal-mark-carney-2025-federal-election</a>With the 2025 <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/federal-election" target="_blank">federal election</a> just around the corner on Monday, April 28, you might be wondering who to vote for.</p><p><a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/election-debate-green-party" target="_blank">Green Party</a> co-leaders Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault are hoping to win over voters with a series of big campaign promises.</p><p>The Green Party has laid out several clear priorities during the election campaign so far. From building more affordable housing to transitioning to clean energy, May and Pedneault say their plan will protect the environment and create a more fair and resilient economy.</p><p>If you're still weighing your options, here's a look at six of the main promises the Green Party is making in the 2025 election — including where they stand on housing, climate action, taxes and health care. For the Conservatives, Liberals, Bloc Québécois, PPC and NDP, check out <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/who-to-vote-for" target="_blank">MTL Blog's election hub here</a>.</p><h3>Affordable housing</h3><br/><p>The Green Party believes housing is a human right — and they're promising to treat it that way by getting the federal government back into building homes.</p><p>Their plan focuses on making housing truly affordable by linking costs to income, not the market. Specifically, homes built with public money would be priced so that a household spends no more than 30% of their income on rent or mortgage payments.</p><p>The Greens want to launch what they describe as the largest public housing construction program since the 1970s. The plan includes using Canadian-made materials, hiring local workers and increasing the overall supply of non-market housing.</p><p>To protect the housing stock, the May and Pedneault propose restricting corporations from buying single-family homes, closing loopholes that allow money laundering in real estate and ending certain tax advantages for real estate investment trusts (REITs). They also plan to use covenants to ensure homes built with public funding remain affordable over the long term.</p><h3>Climate action</h3><br/><p>True to its name, the Green Party says the climate crisis requires urgent action and is proposing a national strategy to reduce pollution, shift to clean energy and better prepare communities for extreme weather.</p><p>Under their plan, Canada would stop approving new fossil fuel projects and begin building a modern, interconnected power grid to support a 100% clean energy transition. The Greens say this would lower energy bills and create thousands of jobs in renewable energy sectors like solar, wind and hydro.</p><p>The platform also calls for the creation of a Youth Climate Corps — a national program to hire young Canadians to support local climate adaptation and disaster readiness efforts.</p><p>To hold industries accountable, the party proposes eliminating subsidies for oil and gas companies and redirecting those funds toward clean energy development. It also calls for science-based limits on total pollution, and new rules requiring companies to have verified plans for managing climate-related risks.</p><p>The Green Party says these measures are designed to respond to the scale of the climate emergency while creating jobs, protecting communities and making life more affordable over the long term.</p><h3>Peace & security</h3><br/><p>The Green Party says Canada needs to modernize its approach to national defence and foreign policy to better respond to today's challenges — including cyber threats, Arctic security and disaster readiness.</p><p>Their plan includes increasing patrols and equipment in Canada's Arctic and coastal regions and improving the military's ability to respond to new forms of conflict. May and Pedneault also propose a National Civil Defence Corps, which would support disaster response and community resilience efforts across the country.</p><p>The Greens say they would build stronger cybersecurity systems to better protect Canadians. They also support ending the export of Canadian weapons to countries with poor human rights records.</p><p>To increase Canada's self-reliance, the Greens want to process more natural resources domestically, rather than exporting them raw. They propose creating strategic reserves of key materials through Crown corporations and offering "Saving Canada Bonds" to allow Canadians to invest in resource development at home.</p><p>The Green Party also plans to prioritize diplomacy and conflict prevention by supporting nuclear disarmament, climate security and human rights in trade agreements. They say true security comes from addressing the root causes of global instability, not just building up military strength.</p><h3>Fair taxation</h3><br/><p>The Green Party says Canada's tax system needs major changes to make it fairer for everyday Canadians. Their plan focuses on reducing the burden on lower-income earners and making large corporations contribute more.</p><p>A key part of their proposal is eliminating federal income tax on earnings under $40,000. This would be done by raising the <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/revenu-quebec-cra-income-tax-brackets-2025" target="_blank">basic personal amount</a> — the portion of income exempt from federal taxes — from $15,705 to $40,000. For someone earning $40,000 (or more) a year, this would mean around $3,644 in tax savings.</p><p>The Greens say the measure is designed to ease financial pressure on low- and middle-income households, particularly renters and those living paycheque to paycheque, and would help working Canadians keep more of their pay and support local economies through increased spending.</p><p>The Green Party also wants to close tax loopholes used by large corporations, especially in sectors like banking and tech. Their plan includes updates to Canada's tax laws to prevent profit shifting and tax avoidance, while ensuring that all businesses contribute to public services.</p><p>The party says their goal is a modern tax system that supports fairness, strengthens communities and funds services Canadians rely on.</p><h3>More health care</h3><br/><p>The Green Party says Canada's universal health care system needs to be expanded and better funded to meet growing needs and ensure equal access across the country.</p><p>Their plan includes increasing long-term funding to provinces and territories, as well as training and hiring more health care workers to help reduce wait times and improve access. The Greens also want to expand home care and community care, and ensure access to reproductive care in all regions.</p><p>The party says it would keep health care delivery public, rather than allowing more services to be handled by for-profit corporations.</p><p>The Green platform also calls for expanding what is covered under the Canada Health Act. This includes universal pharmacare to make prescription medications free, dental care for people who can't afford it and expanded mental health services. They say mental health care should be available in schools, communities and prisons, with a focus on early support to prevent more serious problems later on.</p><p>The Green Party's goal is to maintain a fully public health care system that includes a wider range of essential services and puts patient needs first.</p><h3>Green economy</h3><br/><p>The Green Party says Canada needs to move quickly to compete in the global shift toward clean energy and new technologies. Their plan focuses on creating jobs, modernizing infrastructure and protecting workers during economic transitions.</p><p>The party would invest in clean energy projects, a national power grid and large-scale retrofitting programs for buildings and homes. These initiatives are aimed at reducing emissions, lowering energy costs and generating new employment opportunities across the country.</p><p>The Greens also want to support innovation in clean technology and climate adaptation, while setting strong environmental standards for industries like mining. They say any new extraction projects must have the consent of Indigenous communities and meet strict environmental protection rules. AI data centres would be required to run on clean power.</p><p>To support workers through the shift away from fossil fuels and changes driven by automation, the party plans to guarantee wages during transitions, expand access to training programs and strengthen labour protections. They also propose a Guaranteed Liveable Income to help people adjust to changes in the workforce.</p><p>The Green Party says this approach would build a more resilient and inclusive economy while addressing the impacts of climate change.</p><p><em>Looking for more election information? Here's why federal party leaders want you to vote <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/why-vote-conservative-pierre-poilievre-2025-federal-election" target="_blank">Conservative</a>, <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/why-vote-liberal-mark-carney-2025-federal-election">Liberal</a>, <em><em><a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/why-vote-blanchet-bloc-quebecois-2025-federal-election" target="_self">Bloc Québécois</a>, <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/ppc-why-vote-maxime-bernier-2025-election" target="_self">PPC</a></em> </em> and <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/why-vote-ndp-jagmeet-singh-2025-federal-election" target="_blank">NDP</a>.</em></p><p><em>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.narcity.com/why-vote-green-may-pedneault-2025-federal-election" target="_blank">Narcity</a>.</em><br/></p>
