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Ottawa appoints new official in charge of Indigenous corrections

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:25:05 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government has appointed a deputy commissioner for Indigenous corrections in a move towards tackling the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Canada’s criminal justice system.Correctional Service Canada announced Monday that it is promoting Kathy Neil, a Métis official, to serve in the role beginning May 1.The hiring of such a position was a call to justice in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which released its recommendations in 2019.Neil is currently the corrections agency’s assistant deputy commissioner of correctional operations in the Prairies, was previously the warden of Saskatchewan Penitentiary and has also served as a community health worker.“Through my personal and professional experience, I have seen first-hand the challenges and opportunities we have before us to improve the lives of Indigenous peoples in our care and custody,” Neil, who has 27 years of exper...

B.C. tribunal orders $9,755 payout to taxi driver over caste-based discrimination

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:25:05 GMT

VANCOUVER — The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has ordered that a taxi driver be paid more than $9,000 in compensation because his caste was insulted during a physical altercation at a staff Christmas party.The tribunal’s March 15 decision says Manoj Bhangu, an immigrant from Punjab in India, was discriminated against by two co-workers on the basis of his ancestry, place of origin, and race.Tribunal adjudicator Sonya Pighin says brothers Inderjit and Avninder Dhillon used a caste-based slur against Bhangu during the brawl at the B.C. firm’s 2018 party, and ordered that they pay him $9,755 in compensation.Pighin says in the decision that although she couldn’t conclude the brothers regarded Bhangu as their inferior, he had proven his “protected characteristics” were a factor in the adverse psychological impacts he suffered.She says Bhangu provided uncontested evidence he experienced shock and embarrassment after the incident and described it as di...

Patriots owner Robert Kraft campaigns against antisemitism

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:25:05 GMT

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft faced the camera during a video call, pointing to a small, sky-blue lapel pin on his blazer.The pin is the symbol of a $25 million “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” campaign launched Monday by the 81-year-old billionaire through his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, aiming to raise awareness nationwide about soaring incidents of antisemitism online and in person. The campaign will feature emotive ads to be introduced by stars of top television shows such as NBC’s “The Voice,” and the “Kelly Clarkson Show,” and Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.”“This little blue square represents the Jewish population in the United States – 2.4%,” said Kraft, who was raised in Brookline, Massachusetts, in an observant Orthodox Jewish family. “But we’re the victims of 55% of the hate crimes in this country.”The ads are intended to tug at the heartstrings of non-Jewish Americans, said Matthew Berger, the foundation’s executive director. One o...

NJ takes over Paterson police after crisis worker’s shooting

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:25:05 GMT

PATERSON, N.J. — New Jersey’s attorney general said Monday that his office has taken control of the police department in the state’s third-largest city, Paterson, less than a month after officers there fatally shot a well-known crisis intervention worker during a tense standoff. Attorney General Matt Platkin said at a news conference that his office had assumed control of all police functions without delay, including the division that investigates internal police matters. His announcement didn’t mention the shooting of 31-year-old Najee Seabrooks directly, but it reflected activists’ concerns about how the department was being run. “There is a crisis of confidence in law enforcement in this city,” he said. “Something has to change and it will change starting now. Earlier this morning I exercised my authority as attorney general and superseded the Paterson police department.”Cheers from people in the audience erupted briefly, as well as calls of “thank you.” P...

Multidisciplinary artists from Vancouver, Toronto to vie for $50K photography award

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:25:05 GMT

TORONTO — Multidisciplinary artists from Vancouver and Toronto are in the running for the $50,000 Scotiabank Photography Award. Prize organizers have announced a short list including Ken Lum of Vancouver and Sandra Brewster and Chris Curreri, both of Toronto.The three finalists each get a $10,000 cash prize. The winner will be announced May 4. In addition to $50,000, the winner gets a solo exhibition at the 2024 Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival and a book of their work distributed worldwide by art book publisher Steidl. Scotiabank co-created the prize with Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky in 2010.Burtynsky, chair of the award jury, says this year’s finalists “represent exceptional perspective, innovation and creativity within the photographic medium.”Last year’s winner, Jin-me Yoon, will have a solo exhibition at the festival in May.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2023.The Canadian Press

Funeral for two Edmonton police officers shot and killed responding to call

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:25:05 GMT

EDMONTON — Under a bright sun on streets wrapped in a chill wind, the formal goodbye for two Edmonton police officers began Monday with a solemn procession from the legislature through the city’s downtown.The caskets of Const. Travis Jordan and Const. Brett Ryan inched along in side-by-side black hearses followed by block, after block, after block of police officers from across Canada. There were Edmonton officers in dress blues and black pants, and Mounties in red serge and Stetsons.They marched eight abreast, arms swinging amid the pipes and drums of interspersed marching bands while onlookers lined the streets, staring, some with hands in pockets, others holding up their cellphones. Some held up placards with painted blue hearts, others placed their right hands over their hearts as the hearses passed.High overhead, a helicopter clattered.“We’re here to support all of the first responders but in particular our son, who is a police officer with Calgary Police Services,” said Jim Fu...

Train derails in rural North Dakota and spills chemical

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:25:05 GMT

WYNDMERE, N.D. (AP) — A Canadian Pacific train derailed in rural North Dakota Sunday night and spilled hazardous materials. But local authorities and the railroad said there is no threat to public safety.There were no injuries and no fire associated with the derailment, which occurred in a rural area outside Wyndmere, a town of several hundred people about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Fargo.Canadian Pacific spokesperson Andy Cummings said 31 of the 70 cars on the train left the tracks around 11:15 p.m. Sunday, and some of the cars leaked liquid asphalt. But there are no waterways near where the derailment happened.The railroad’s hazardous materials experts are working with local first responders to clean up the spill. Several roads in the area were shut down.It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the derailment or exactly how much liquid asphalt spilled.Railroad safety has been in the spotlight nationally ever since last month’s fiery derailment of a Norf...

Vancouver looks to frozen eggs to help control Canada goose population

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:25:05 GMT

VANCOUVER — The booming population of Canada geese is “wreaking havoc” on Vancouver’s green spaces, and the park board is asking for help in keeping their numbers in check. The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation wants the public to report a nest sighting so staff can replace the eggs with ones that have been frozen to help control the population.Vancouver is an ideal habitat for the birds, with few natural predators and plenty of newly seeded fields and lawns. However, the board says the birds have an inefficient digestive system, prompting them to defecate about every 12 minutes, presenting “a significant challenge” to clean.It says their growing population causes damage to parks, pollutes outdoor swimming pools and beaches, and destroys juvenile salmon habitat, in addition to their aggressive behaviour during mating season. The board says replacing eggs, in a process known as addling, is one of the most humane ways to control the birds’ pop...

Teenager fatally stabs teacher, wounds five people in Brazil

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:25:05 GMT

SAO PAULO (AP) — A 13-year-old student in Brazil’s biggest city fatally stabbed a 71-year-old teacher and wounded three teachers and two fellow students Monday in a knife attack at a public school, state officials said.The five wounded victims from the Thomazia Montoro school in Sao Paulo were in hospital in stable condition. The suspected attacker was detained and the state’s military police is investigating. “Our efforts are concentrated on helping the wounded and comforting the family members,” Gov. Tarcísio de Freitas wrote on social media.A student who spoke to reporters alongside his mother outside the school said the attacker had insulted another student last week, and that the female teacher he fatally stabbed had tried to settle the conflict.The attacker had called the other student a “rat,” and “the other one did not like it, and they began fighting,” said Gabriel Livramento, 13, who is in the same class as the suspect. He added that the attacker did not like the way...

Family seeks tips after woman with disabilities goes missing in University Park

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:25:05 GMT

UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. — A suburban family is seeking the public's help with locating a woman with disabilities who was last seen over a week ago.Carol Lenahan, 64, was last seen Saturday, March 18. She suffers from schizophrenia, early onset dementia and left her home in the 800 block of Oakside Lane without any personal items."She doesn't drive and has trouble understanding how to use her phone," longtime partner Bill Ellis said.Lenahan was last seen wearing a purple jacket and a hoodie with a heart on the back of it and a picture of an orange cat.She is 5'6" and weighs around 110 pounds."It's like she simply vanished," Ellis said.Family hired a private drone operator and have been searching the area on foot. So far, she has not been located. If anyone sees her, you can call 911 or family at 708-228-8282