Winter holds on tight in Newfoundland as snow squalls impact much of the Atlantic.
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Iran's support for Yemen's Houthi movement is "quite significant and it's lethal," U.S. special envoy on Yemen Tim Lenderking said on Wednesday, as he called a battle for Yemen's gas-rich Marib region the single biggest threat to peace efforts. Lenderking told U.S. lawmakers that Iran supports the Houthis in several ways including through training, providing lethal support and helping them "fine tune" their drone and missile programs.
OTTAWA — Canada's chief public health officer says new information on COVID-19 and variants prompted the National Advisory Committee on Immunization to suddenly cancel its planned announcement on who should get the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The panel, known as NACI for short, is made up of vaccine experts who volunteer their time to make non-binding advice on how vaccines should be used in Canada. NACI was minutes away Tuesday afternoon from providing an update to its advice that AstraZeneca shouldn't be given to people under the age of 55 but the planned briefing was called off. Dr. Theresa Tam says it had nothing to do with the risk the vaccine may pose from rare blood clots, but the panel felt the new data on the virus and its variants of concern had to be taken into account. It is not known when NACI will now deliver that update, but at least five provinces didn't wait for the panel's advice before lowering the age cutoff for the AstraZeneca vaccine. British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario are all now giving it to people as young as 40 and in Quebec as young as 45. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2020. The Canadian Press
A House of Commons committee heard startling testimony about rape and retribution from different witnesses today as it continued its examination of sexual misconduct in the military. The status of women committee heard both from complainants and from former senior military officer Bernie Boland — who alleges he stood up against the harassment of a female colleague and faced a deliberate, Department of National Defence-backed smear campaign as a result. Aviator Emily Tulloch, an air force technician, told MPs her military career has been one horrifying event after another. "I joined the Canadian Armed Forces in July 2018, and since then, I feel like I have experienced a lifetime worth of sexual assault and misconduct," she said. "I am here today to tell you that I was raped only one month into my basic training at St. Jean (Que.). One month. I was also sexually assaulted during my training at Borden (Ont.). And I have been groped and kissed unwillingly at group parties and mess events. These degrading behaviours are more common than you think." 'Treated like a criminal' Tulloch said her encounters with the military justice system have been "quite negative." She said she was interviewed three times by military police after reporting misconduct. Two of those interviews, she said, were "dreadful" experiences. "It felt more like an interrogation," she said. "During these interviews I felt investigators were not treating me like a human being, but as just another case file to them. There was no empathy and humanity, and it was so frustrating that during the second interview I left early because I felt like I wasn't being heard, and that I was being treated like a criminal." Tulloch said military police training related to sexual assault survivors must be improved. Dawn McIlmoyle, a former member of the military whose report of being raped by a colleague made national headlines in the late 1990s, told MPs she faced discipline herself over the incident involving her attacker — and was at one point made to stand alongside him during disciplinary proceedings. The system, she said, left her feeling abandoned, broken and at fault. "When I left the military, I had no self-respect, no self worth and no self value," McIImoyle said. Lt. (N) Heather Macdonald told MPs people who report sexual misconduct in the military face long odds.(CBC News/House Of Commons ) Lt. (N) Heather Macdonald, a naval combat systems engineer, told MPs that getting justice for a sexual assault in the military is even harder than it is in the civilian justice system. "Getting justice for incidents of sexual assault is generally very difficult for the average female in our Canadian society," said Macdonald, whose allegation is at the centre of a sexual misconduct investigation involving Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Art McDonald. "It becomes more difficult when you are trying to get justice through the military, under the National Defence Act (NDA) where there are more options to plead down to an NDA offence, which carries little consequences for the perpetrator. "And it becomes more difficult if you are in the navy and the incident happens on a navy ship at sea or in a foreign port." When Canadian warships are abroad, Macdonald said, there are no military police officers who serve on those ships. When an incident happens, investigations are often carried out by the ship's coxswain and section chiefs, who conduct disciplinary inquiries. "This greatly reduces the chances that admissible evidence will be gathered and preserved," she said. The committee steered clear of the specifics of the assaults involving all three women; chair Marilyn Gladu noted that some of the cases "remain under investigation by military police." Former officer says he was targeted for payback Testifying before a parliamentary committee does grant military witnesses a certain freedom to speak in public they might not otherwise enjoy. Boland, a retired lieutenant-colonel, told MPs that while he worked at DND headquarters in Ottawa, he was singled out for retribution after reporting the harassment of a junior female colleague by a senior engineering manager. Bernie Boland, a retired lieutenant-colonel, tells a House of Commons committee he was singled out for retribution in DND after going to bat for a colleague who reported sexual misconduct.(CBC News/House of Commons) Boland alleged his female colleague filed a human rights complaint and DND, in its response, blamed him for the harassment. "I reported it. He was promoted. We faced reprisal and retaliation," Boland told the four-party committee. "DND, in a formal departmental submission to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, secretly made me the scapegoat for the misconduct. I was made aware of these surreptitious actions by the woman who was harassed. DND secretly making me the scapegoat was reprehensible and I vehemently protested." In a formal complaint filed last January, Boland wrote to Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and singled out the department's deputy minister for allowing the submission to go to the human rights commission. He said his colleague's complaint was "summarily dismissed" by the department, despite Sajjan's public claim that all allegations will be thoroughly investigated, no matter the rank or position of the individuals involved. Boland filed a series of documents with the committee to support his allegations. "There is a cultural problem in defence," he said, "but there is institutional reluctance to distinguish between the proximate and the ultimate cause of this problem. "From my perspective, the ultimate cause is the failure and breakdown of leadership to act in an ethical, morally-appropriate, determined and deliberate manner to arrest and eliminate misconduct." Macdonald offered a similar warning, telling MPs that the future of the Canadian military is at stake. "I worry that if nothing comes from this issue, which has so much heat and light, that we will lose hope," she said. "People in uniform will lose hope that any other issue can be fixed, and that could trigger more people leaving uniform than what our organization can handle."
The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 20, 2021. There are 1,139,043 confirmed cases in Canada. _ Canada: 1,139,043 confirmed cases (87,872 active, 1,027,458 resolved, 23,713 deaths).*The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers. There were 7,276 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 231.21 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 60,487 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 8,641. There were 46 new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 321 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 46. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.12 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 62.39 per 100,000 people. There have been 30,168,562 tests completed. _ Newfoundland and Labrador: 1,048 confirmed cases (31 active, 1,011 resolved, six deaths). There were two new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 5.94 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 17 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is two. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 1.15 per 100,000 people. There have been 235,541 tests completed. _ Prince Edward Island: 174 confirmed cases (13 active, 161 resolved, zero deaths). There was one new case Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 8.14 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been nine new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is one. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people. There have been 135,297 tests completed. _ Nova Scotia: 1,831 confirmed cases (68 active, 1,696 resolved, 67 deaths). There were nine new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 6.94 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 50 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is seven. There were zero new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there has been one new reported death. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is zero. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.01 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 6.84 per 100,000 people. There have been 468,265 tests completed. _ New Brunswick: 1,797 confirmed cases (140 active, 1,624 resolved, 33 deaths). There were zero new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 17.91 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 61 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is nine. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 4.22 per 100,000 people. There have been 285,774 tests completed. _ Quebec: 339,180 confirmed cases (12,363 active, 315,984 resolved, 10,833 deaths). There were 1,136 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 144.18 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 9,708 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,387. There were 17 new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 77 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 11. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.13 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 126.34 per 100,000 people. There have been 7,878,652 tests completed. _ Ontario: 424,911 confirmed cases (42,941 active, 374,213 resolved, 7,757 deaths). There were 3,469 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 291.44 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 30,232 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 4,319. There were 22 new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 175 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 25. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.17 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 52.65 per 100,000 people. There have been 13,424,896 tests completed. _ Manitoba: 36,470 confirmed cases (1,783 active, 33,727 resolved, 960 deaths). There were 211 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 129.27 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 1,017 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 145. There was one new reported death Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of nine new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is one. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.09 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 69.6 per 100,000 people. There have been 635,043 tests completed. _ Saskatchewan: 38,651 confirmed cases (2,640 active, 35,546 resolved, 465 deaths). There were 249 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 223.98 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 1,759 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 251. There were zero new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of eight new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is one. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.1 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 39.45 per 100,000 people. There have been 729,935 tests completed. _ Alberta: 173,531 confirmed cases (18,481 active, 153,002 resolved, 2,048 deaths). There were 1,345 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 417.94 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 10,412 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,487. There were five new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 27 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is four. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.09 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 46.32 per 100,000 people. There have been 3,957,488 tests completed. _ British Columbia: 120,889 confirmed cases (9,377 active, 109,973 resolved, 1,539 deaths). There were 849 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 182.16 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 7,187 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,027. There was one new reported death Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 24 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is three. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.07 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 29.9 per 100,000 people. There have been 2,381,346 tests completed. _ Yukon: 77 confirmed cases (two active, 74 resolved, one death). There were zero new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 4.76 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of two new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 2.38 per 100,000 people. There have been 8,822 tests completed. _ Northwest Territories: 43 confirmed cases (zero active, 43 resolved, zero deaths). There were zero new cases Tuesday. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of zero new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people. There have been 17,005 tests completed. _ Nunavut: 428 confirmed cases (33 active, 391 resolved, four deaths). There were five new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 83.86 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 33 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is five. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 10.16 per 100,000 people. There have been 10,422 tests completed. This report was automatically generated by The Canadian Press Digital Data Desk and was first published April 20, 2021. The Canadian Press
An influential Canadian doctor and top adviser to the World Health Organization has come under fire from international experts for his controversial comments downplaying the risk of airborne spread of the coronavirus. Dr. John Conly, an infectious diseases physician and professor of medicine at the University of Calgary, not only denied that aerosol transmission is a primary route of transmission, despite mounting evidence to the contrary, but also said that N95 masks can cause "harms" — including acne. "Any time you look at benefits, you need to look at harms, of which there are many harms with N95s — and I think to ignore them you are at your peril," Conly told a panel discussion at the University of Calgary on April 9 on the role of airborne transmission in the COVID-19 pandemic. "There is acne, also issues with eczema, conjunctivitis, CO2 retention; there has been decreased O2 concentrations in pregnant women — many side-effects to this." His comments on oxygen and carbon dioxide have been largely discredited, with a 2014 study in the American Journal of Infection Control showing no significant differences in levels between pregnant and non-pregnant women wearing N95 masks. The WHO's position is there's a possibility that aerosol transmission can lead to outbreaks of COVID-19 in certain situations. A change in stance from the WHO on aerosol transmission as the main driver would have huge implications on the need for increased air ventilation and better personal protective equipment for health-care workers and essential workers around the world. Conly is one of Canada's most experienced infectious diseases experts who was once head of the department of medicine at the University of Calgary and the medical director for infection prevention at Alberta Health Services. He also holds considerable global influence in the pandemic as the chair of the WHO's Infection Prevention and Control Research and Development Expert Group for COVID-19, which makes key decisions on the research that informs the WHO's recommendations. "We absolutely know there are situational airborne settings," he added during the panel discussion. "But to be able to say that it is the only and predominant means, I think we need better scientific evidence." Conley carries 'a lot of weight' with WHO The WHO has been criticized in the past for its reluctance to acknowledge aerosol transmission — or microscopic airborne particles — as a primary driver of the pandemic, and experts say Conly is at the heart of the issue within the organization. "Frankly, I think he just can't admit he's wrong," said Linsey Marr, one of the top aerosol scientists in the world and an expert on the airborne transmission of viruses at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. "He does carry a lot of weight with WHO, and unfortunately I think his thinking is still stuck in what we knew 20 or 30 years ago and hasn't updated with what we've learned since then — and especially what we've learned over the past year." WATCH | Scientists suggest coronavirus is airborne, ask WHO to change recommendations: Global acknowledgement of airborne spread The United Nations agency also came under fire in July after 239 scientists from 32 countries wrote an open letter calling on it to update its messaging on the risk of airborne transmission of the coronavirus. The WHO amended its guidelines days after the letter and acknowledged the possibility that aerosols can lead to outbreaks of COVID-19 in places such as choir practices, restaurants and fitness classes. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidelines in early October to include that COVID-19 can sometimes be spread by airborne transmission, after mistakenly posting and later removing a draft version of guidelines in late September. The CDC also updated its guidelines to say the risk of COVID-19 infection from surfaces is now officially considered low — meaning disinfecting groceries, wiping down packages and cordoning off playgrounds are likely unnecessary. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) then quietly updated its guidance without notice in November, weeks after other countries and international health organizations, making mention of the risk of aerosol transmission for the first time. PHAC went another step further and released further recommendations for Canadians on April 12 aimed at reducing the spread of aerosol transmission of COVID-19 and the need for adequate ventilation and air filtration to reduce the number of virus particles in the air. An update to Public Health Agency of Canada guidelines on the risk of aerosol transmission came after Dr. Theresa Tam, the country's chief public health officer, recommended the use of three-layer non-medical masks in November to prevent the spread of COVID-19.(Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) Science 'very strong' in favour of aerosol transmission "The science is very strong to support aerosol transmission," said infectious diseases specialist and medical microbiologist Dr. Raymond Tellier, who is also an associate medical professor at McGill University in Montreal. "We keep having example after example, and the objections are becoming increasingly unconvincing." After the University of Calgary panel discussion, CBC News spoke to Conly, who said he was just one voice among many at the WHO. He stressed that the way the virus transmits is "very complex" and that the "majority" of transmission occurs through "close contact." WATCH | Should Canadians be wearing N95-style masks?: "Social distancing, or physical distancing as some call it, and hygiene, cleaning and disinfection of surfaces. That's where our focus should be," he said. "The science about how it's transmitted and where it goes, it will get itself sorted out." Conly was an author of a recent preprint study funded by the WHO that refuted the notion of aerosols as a primary mode of spread for the virus because "the lack of recoverable viral culture samples" from the air "prevents firm conclusions on airborne transmission." But in response to that study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, a group of researchers — including Canadian epidemiologist Dr. David Fisman — published a comment in The Lancet that called into question its conclusion. The researchers present 10 reasons why they conclude the virus that causes COVID-19 is primarily transmitted through the air, including superspreading events, long-range infections, the higher risk of indoor transmission and the fact that virus particles have been detected in the air. The paper concludes that casting doubt on airborne transmission of the virus amounts to "scientific error" and that there is "consistent, strong evidence" that it spreads via aerosols, which are "likely to be dominant" over droplet and surface transmission. "If you don't include airborne, how are we in the middle of the global pandemic?" said Kimberly Prather, an atmospheric chemist and aerosol scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, Calif. WATCH | Being outdoors reduces, doesn't eliminate, COVID-19 risk, experts say: "How do you explain outdoor versus indoor? How do you explain superspreader events? How do you explain everyone that shares the room and never touches each other or gets close to each other gets infected? I mean, you can't." Prather, who went head-to-head with Conly at the University of Calgary panel earlier this month in favour of airborne transmission, was one of the co-authors of The Lancet comment that argued against his preprint article and a signatory of the letter to the WHO in July. "The evidence just keeps coming in every day ... there has not been a single paper that has pointed out why it isn't aerosols," she said. "The fact that the [WHO] is not just shouting that from the mountaintops to save lives is, quite frankly, disappointing." Kimberly Prather, an atmospheric chemist and aerosol scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, says the evidence on aerosol transmission continues to grow and that Conly's reluctance to acknowledge it, combined with his influence at the WHO, has implications for global public health guidelines.(Ben Nelms/CBC) A recent study published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that a singer at a church in Australia in July was able to infect several others from a distance of more than 15 metres indoors, while a second CDC study found an infection occurred in a New Zealand quarantine hotel in September after an exposure time of less than a minute in an open doorway. And a recent outbreak at a gym in Quebec City where physical distancing and mask use were not enforced has been linked to more than 500 COVID-19 cases and become one of the largest recorded superspreading events in Canada. Prather said Conly's reluctance to acknowledge aerosol transmission as a main driver of the pandemic, combined with his influence at the WHO, has implications for global public health guidelines — such as for hospitals or schools. "He has tremendous power," she said. "What else is it going to take? Because just the amount of evidence in this short of a time period is incredible."
Travellers coming to Canada from the U.S. are avoiding hotel quarantine by taking flights close to the border, then walking or driving into Canada. Some snowbirds say there should be different rules for people who spend months at a time in the U.S. and are fully vaccinated.
Wildlife officials in Ontario are drafting a new strategy to keep wild pigs from establishing themselves in the province, to prevent what officials have referred to as an "ecological train wreck." The province published its proposal on Wednesday, asking hunters, trappers and other outdoor enthusiasts for their input into how to deal with a potential porcine invasion, should it arrive. "Based on experiences from other jurisdictions, it is clear that the least costly and most effective approach for managing wild pigs is to act early," the Ontario government website said. The proposal seeks to add wild pigs, along with 12 other invasive species, to the Ontario Invasive Species Act, giving authorities more means at their disposal to eradicate the wily and elusive animals. The new regulations would also ban the release of pigs into the wild. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is drafting protocols in the event a pig escapes from a farm or transport truck, so it can be notified immediately, and the animal can be recaptured or dispatched as soon as possible. Sask. expert says Ontario on right track Ontario's announcement Wednesday follows the introduction of a wild pig protocol this spring by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) to help hunters, trappers and outdoor enthusiasts properly identify the animals and report their locations to the MNRF. A wild pig spotted at the side of the road near Alderville First Nation, north of Cobourg, Ont.(Inaturalist.org) "Once they become established, it's virtually unheard of to get rid of them. If they become widespread in a place like Ontario, there's virtually no chance of eradication," said Ryan Brook, a wild pig expert and an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan. "We've missed that window in Saskatchewan. I think Ontario is in a good position to get on it. If I were grading this as a project, I would give them an A-plus for effort." Brook and his team have been studying wild pigs in Canada for 11 years. He said there is so far no evidence of any established populations in Ontario, and the province is doing the right thing by showing leadership on the issue and acting early. "I would argue they are the worst invasive large mammal on the planet. They have an amazing ability to reproduce," he said. "A small problem can turn into a massive out-of-control problem very quickly." "They can be very large. They're very dangerous to people. They have razor-sharp tusks. They can be aggressive and they're highly mobile, and they're incredibly smart. So all those characteristics and the fact that they will eat literally almost anything means they will be very successful." React 'as soon as you find pigs' Brook said wild pigs were introduced to Saskatchewan many years ago when a tractor-trailer carrying a load of domestic wild boar across the province crashed. The 11 animals on board escaped and only seven were recovered. "There was four that went into a park and they turned into well over 100 animals in a few years," he said. Brook said Saskatchewan has tried a number of methods to eradicate wild pigs without success, including traps and highly trained ground teams who quickly go into an area and physically remove the pigs. In his studies of wild pigs, Brook has travelled to other jurisdictions, including the United States, to see how other places have handled the problem, and in all of them, he's seen only one common thread for dealing with the animal effectively. "You need really good leadership that's going to make tough decisions. You need to be monitoring very hard, and as soon as you find pigs, you have to react." 'Active surveilliance' needed for eradication Brook said that, more than any other province, Ontario is showing solid leadership on the wild pig issue and is embracing a science-based approach. Researchers net a wild pig in Saskatchewan. The animal's legs are put in handcuff-like restraints and they are blindfolded while biologists examine and collar them.(Submitted by Ryan Brook) "I think eradication is on the table, but it will still take major effort, especially through active surveillance," said Brook. He said most jurisdictions rely on passive surveillance, by encouraging hunters, trappers and anglers to report pig sightings to a tip line. Ontario just recently added wild pigs to the list of animals that can be reported to its invasive species tip line. But Brook said finding wild pigs is more complicated than just sitting by the phone. The more proactive we are and aggressive we are in searching out those pigs, the better. - Ryan Brook, University of Saskatchewan, wild pig expert "'We'll wait and you call us,' that's useful, but we've found in our research here in the Prairies that you probably only get one to three per cent of actual pig sightings from that. The overwhelming majority of pig sightings we have is by putting out trail cameras or going out and knocking on doors." Brook said pigs are nocturnal, elusive and often hide in thick cover, making underground burrows or nesting among cattails in wetlands, spruce trees in forests and building what he calls "pigloos" in the winter. "They tunnel into snowbanks and make almost like an igloo," he said, noting he's fitted pigs with radio collars, and even with the aid of satellites and a helicopter, still wasn't able to spot them with his own eyes. "They're very hard to find," said Brook. "I don't think we should pretend this is easy. The more proactive we are and aggressive we are in searching out those pigs, the better."
PRAGUE, Czech Republic — The Czech Republic demanded on Wednesday that Russia should allow its expelled diplomats to return to Moscow, threatening that otherwise more Russian diplomats would be asked to leave Prague. The Czech request could further escalate a diplomatic conflict with Russia over the alleged involvement of Russian spies in a massive ammunition depot explosion. It came after Russia ordered 20 Czech diplomats to leave the country on Sunday, in retaliation for the Czech government’s expulsion of 18 Russian diplomats it identified as spies from the GRU and the SVR, Russia’s military and foreign intelligence services. The new Czech Foreign Minister, Jakub Kulhanek, summoned Russian ambassador to Prague Aleksandr Zmeyevsky to protest what he called Russia's “inappropriate reaction.” Kulhanek said that because of the high number of staffers at the Russian embassy in Prague, the Czech action “by no means” threatens its normal functioning. But for the Czechs, the Russian move “paralyzed" their Moscow embassy. Kulhanek gave the Russians a Thursday noon deadline “to enable the return of all (Czech) expelled diplomats to the Czech embassy in Moscow.” If not, he warned, “I will decide tomorrow afternoon to reduce the staff of the Russian embassy in Prague so their number equals the current number of staff at the Czech embassy in Moscow.” Kulhanek said he agreed the move with Prime Minister Andrej Babis and President Milos Zeman, who is known for his pro-Russian views. “Czech-Russian relations have entered an extraordinary difficult phase and I, as a foreign minister, am not happy about it,” he said. Czech leaders said on Saturday they have evidence provided by the intelligence and security services that points to the participation of two agents of GRU’s elite Unit 29155 in the 2014 blast that killed two. Russia denied that. The same two Russians were charged by British authorities in absentia in 2018 with trying to kill former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok in the English city of Salisbury. Kulhanek made the statement just hours after he was sworn in Wednesday. Before his meeting with the Russian ambassador, he consulted NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and thanked him for his support “in these uneasy times.” The Czech Republic — once part of Soviet Russian-controlled communist eastern Europe — is now a NATO member. Karel Janicek, The Associated Press
At least 24 COVID-19 patients in western India died on Wednesday when the oxygen supply to their ventilators ran out, amid a nationwide shortage of the gas and a surge in infections. Maharashtra State Health Minister Rajesh Tope confirmed the deaths at a hospital in Nashik city and said the hospital's oxygen supply ran out because a tanker refilling it suffered a leak. Hospitals in Delhi, the capital, and elsewhere have warned that their supplies of medical oxygen given to severely ill COVID-19 patients are running low.
After a nearby Easter weekend event turned into a COVID-19 superspreader, the mayor of Maple Creek, Sask., says the town has alerted the RCMP of a noted Canadian anti-masker's planned rally in the community this weekend. Chris Saccoccia, who also identifies himself as "Chris Sky," has rallied against health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. A "Calgary Freedom Walk" video dated April 17 and posted on Saccoccia's website shows him leading a crowd of dozens in a chant of, "Just say No!" According to Saccoccia's website and Twitter feed, his "freedom convoy" is set to arrive in Maple Creek on Saturday. Maple Creek is about 476 kilometres southwest of Regina, which is listed as Saccoccia's next stop after Maple Creek. CBC News has reached out to Saccoccia for comment. Chris Saccoccia's 'freedom convoy' poster touts upcoming stop in Maple Creek and Regina. (Chris Sky) Regina has faced the brunt of Saskatchewan's coronavirus variant of concern cases in recent weeks, as well as a surge in infected ICU patients. Maple Creek and its surrounding area has also been severely hit by the more-transmissible B117 variant first identified in the United Kingdom. An Easter weekend "recreational party" in the Maple Creek area went "way over" the current outdoor gathering limit and featured "minimal" adherence to public health rules, according to Health Minister Paul Merriman. According to Global News, more than 100 people attended that party and the ensuing outbreak involves the UK variant. As of Friday, 40 cases of COVID-19 were tied to the event. Michelle McKenzie, the mayor of Maple Creek, said the party was "very unfortunate." She said the town learned Tuesday afternoon of Saccoccia's upcoming weekend stop and alerted the RCMP to inform them of a possible large gathering. "They will be monitoring for non compliance," she said. CBC News has reached out to the Saskatchewan RCMP for comment. One Facebook post spreading the word about Saccoccia's event encouraged people from the nearby communities of Fox Valley, Consul, Richmound, Tompkins, Piapot, Medicine Hat and Swift Current to attend. "It is a high concern. It's very unfortunate," McKenzie said. 'We respect peaceful protests': mayor McKenzie said that as a leader, she has to walk a fine line when it come to events like those hosted by Saccoccia. "We want to make sure the Town of Maple Creek supports freedom of speech and respects each individual's rights and opinions. We also respect peaceful protests as it's the right of Canadian citizens," she said. "However, at this time, we do not encourage mass gatherings due to the increase of COVID-19 cases in our community and the variants of concern." If anyone is thinking of attending Saccoccia's event, they should "keep it lawful" and stay home if they're feeling unwell, McKenzie said. Chris Saccoccia, seen here during a protest against mandatory mask measures on Toronto's TTC, was fined $1,000 last fall for contravening the federal Quarantine Act. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) All public and private outdoor gatherings are limited to 10 people under Saskatchewan's current public health order. "Those public health orders are in place for a reason This is what can happen if they're not followed," McKenzie said.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri House on Wednesday ousted a lawmaker accused of sexually and physically abusing his children years ago. The Republican-led House voted almost unanimously to kick out Rick Roeber, a Republican from Lee's Summit who was elected in November to represent his suburban Kansas City district. Nobody voted against his ouster, though one lawmaker voted “present" to sidestep taking a position. Roeber's expulsion followed a House Ethics Committee investigation into claims made by his now-adult children that he sexually abused two of them at the ages of 5 and 9. The committee found their allegations credible. “It is unacceptable what he has done to the home life of these children,” GOP House Speaker Rob Vescovo said during an emotional speech from the chamber floor. “And I find him in the worst capacity to represent the people, and more specifically represent the children, of the 34th District or the children of the state of Missouri.” Roeber didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. He previously told the committee that he didn’t sexually abuse his children. Several of Roeber's children testified to House investigators this year that he also frequently beat them with a belt, choked them and once drowned a litter of puppies. One child who said Roeber was sexually abusive told investigators that “to have someone that you are trusting as your parent to treat you in that manner and to not treat you like a child ... takes away your innocence.” The committee found records showing that his children reported the abuse around the time it allegedly occurred in the 1990s, but the Jackson County prosecutor's office didn't file charges. Jean Peters Baker, the current Jackson County prosecutor, has asked for documents and transcripts from the House investigation so that her office can determine if crimes were committed. A spokesman for her office has declined to comment further about the matter. "The state of Missouri has failed these children," said state Rep. Robert Sauls, a Democrat from Independence who served on the Ethics Committee. “And I will not sit back and let the state of Missouri continue to fail them.” Roeber tried to resign last week after the Missouri Independent first reported that House leaders went to the Jackson County prosecutor with concerns that Roeber currently has weekend visitations with a child. Roeber didn't mention any of the allegations against him in his resignation letter, saying he planned to move out of state to be closer to family. But the House refused to let him resign, which allowed the Ethics Committee to complete its report and recommend that he be publicly expelled. “I don’t think it is appropriate for him to walk away on his own terms as he has continued to walk away on his own terms on his children his entire life,” Vescovo said to his colleagues Wednesday. Lawmakers also agreed with the committee's recommendation that Roeber should reimburse the House for the roughly $1,570 it spent investigating the claims. House leaders said in a joint statement Wednesday that they hope law enforcement "will continue the work we started by thoroughly investigating Rick Roeber and the serious allegations against him.” Summer Ballentine, The Associated Press
The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 10:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 20, 2021. In Canada, the provinces are reporting 240,000 new vaccinations administered for a total of 10,483,418 doses given. Nationwide, 944,342 people or 2.5 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated. The provinces have administered doses at a rate of 27,661.261 per 100,000. There were 1,198 new vaccines delivered to the provinces and territories for a total of 13,304,460 doses delivered so far. The provinces and territories have used 78.8 per cent of their available vaccine supply. Please note that Newfoundland and Labrador, P.E.I., Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the territories typically do not report on a daily basis. Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting 26,085 new vaccinations administered over the past seven days for a total of 138,422 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 264.35 per 1,000. In the province, 1.85 per cent (9,674) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Newfoundland and Labrador for a total of 173,840 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 33 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 79.63 per cent of its available vaccine supply. P.E.I. is reporting 7,925 new vaccinations administered over the past seven days for a total of 43,018 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 271.186 per 1,000. In the province, 6.04 per cent (9,579) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to P.E.I. for a total of 53,545 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 34 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 80.34 per cent of its available vaccine supply. Nova Scotia is reporting 60,428 new vaccinations administered over the past seven days for a total of 218,018 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 223.402 per 1,000. In the province, 3.31 per cent (32,255) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Nova Scotia for a total of 320,200 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 33 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 68.09 per cent of its available vaccine supply. New Brunswick is reporting 42,913 new vaccinations administered over the past seven days for a total of 204,576 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 262.263 per 1,000. In the province, 2.44 per cent (19,028) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to New Brunswick for a total of 255,205 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 33 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 80.16 per cent of its available vaccine supply. Quebec is reporting 48,475 new vaccinations administered for a total of 2,448,409 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 286.141 per 1,000. There were 1,198 new vaccines delivered to Quebec for a total of 3,042,405 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 36 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 80.48 per cent of its available vaccine supply. Ontario is reporting 90,409 new vaccinations administered for a total of 3,995,187 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 271.984 per 1,000. In the province, 2.37 per cent (347,597) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Ontario for a total of 5,242,495 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 36 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 76.21 per cent of its available vaccine supply. Manitoba is reporting 9,051 new vaccinations administered for a total of 350,977 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 254.885 per 1,000. In the province, 5.08 per cent (69,997) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Manitoba for a total of 479,010 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 35 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 73.27 per cent of its available vaccine supply. Saskatchewan is reporting 5,278 new vaccinations administered for a total of 357,447 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 303.139 per 1,000. In the province, 3.64 per cent (42,950) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Saskatchewan for a total of 397,575 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 34 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 89.91 per cent of its available vaccine supply. Alberta is reporting 31,205 new vaccinations administered for a total of 1,196,428 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 271.789 per 1,000. In the province, 5.44 per cent (239,277) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Alberta for a total of 1,456,295 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 33 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 82.16 per cent of its available vaccine supply. British Columbia is reporting 34,484 new vaccinations administered for a total of 1,414,644 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 275.674 per 1,000. In the province, 1.72 per cent (88,263) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to British Columbia for a total of 1,731,470 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 34 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 81.7 per cent of its available vaccine supply. Yukon is reporting 580 new vaccinations administered for a total of 45,971 doses given. The territory has administered doses at a rate of 1,101.603 per 1,000. In the territory, 49.74 per cent (20,755) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Yukon for a total of 54,320 doses delivered so far. The territory has received enough of the vaccine to give 130 per cent of its population a single dose. The territory has used 84.63 per cent of its available vaccine supply. The Northwest Territories are reporting zero new vaccinations administered for a total of 44,646 doses given. The territory has administered doses at a rate of 989.517 per 1,000. In the territory, 42.71 per cent (19,271) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to the Northwest Territories for a total of 56,300 doses delivered so far. The territory has received enough of the vaccine to give 120 per cent of its population a single dose. The territory has used 79.3 per cent of its available vaccine supply. Nunavut is reporting 487 new vaccinations administered for a total of 25,675 doses given. The territory has administered doses at a rate of 662.991 per 1,000. In the territory, 29.13 per cent (11,282) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Nunavut for a total of 41,800 doses delivered so far. The territory has received enough of the vaccine to give 110 per cent of its population a single dose. The territory has used 61.42 per cent of its available vaccine supply. *Notes on data: The figures are compiled by the COVID-19 Open Data Working Group based on the latest publicly available data and are subject to change. Note that some provinces report weekly, while others report same-day or figures from the previous day. Vaccine doses administered is not equivalent to the number of people inoculated as the approved vaccines require two doses per person. The vaccines are currently not being administered to children under 18 and those with certain health conditions. In some cases the number of doses administered may appear to exceed the number of doses distributed as some provinces have been drawing extra doses per vial. This report was automatically generated by The Canadian Press Digital Data Desk and was first published April 20, 2021. The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — A B.C. Supreme Court judge has granted Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's request to delay the final leg in her extradition hearings, days before they were set to begin. Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes says she will deliver reasons for her decision in writing in the next week or so and a date to resume proceedings will be determined later. The hearings were scheduled to begin Monday but Meng's lawyers said they needed more time to review documents related to the case obtained through a Hong Kong court. They asked Holmes on Monday to adjourn proceedings until Aug. 3, a delay they argued would also allow time for the third wave of COVID-19 to subside. Lawyers for Canada's attorney general had argued there's no justification to delay proceedings in the high-profile case, especially given the public interest. Meng was arrested at Vancouver's airport in 2018 at the request of the United States to face fraud charges related to America's sanctions against Iran, which both she and Huawei deny. A teleconference has been scheduled with both legal teams for April 28 to determine a new date, which Holmes said should be on or around Aug. 3. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2021. The Canadian Press
Nearly three-quarters of Health PEI's 6,000 staff members have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Prince Edward Island's premier said in the legislature Wednesday. A Summerside native who's managing a health-care team at a west Toronto hospital says fears of not being able to cope with COVID-19 patients were not realized last year, but the third wave of the pandemic is proving they were justified. COVID-19 logistics have led to too many moves for Queen Elizabeth Hospital patients living with dementia, says a Liberal MLA. The North Shore community of North Rustico is cancelling most of its major Canada Day events this year to comply with public health restrictions. This year's UPEI nursing graduates have a lot of options to choose from as they enter the workforce. Michael MacKinnon, who is about to graduate from the UPEI nursing program, has accepted a job at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital's Unit 1.(Submitted by Michael MacKinnon) Nurses in Atlantic Canada are being asked to help as the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hits Ontario hard — and some on P.E.I. are starting to step forward. The child who was hospitalized due to COVID-19 has been discharged, the Chief Public Health Office confirmed. It also reported one new case of COVID-19. The 2021 edition of the Cavendish Beach Music Festival has been cancelled, after organizers decided public health requirements would still not permit a large-scale event by the time the July 9-11 weekend rolled around. About 25,000 people attended the Cavendish Beach Music Festival in 2019.(Tracy Lightfoot/CBC) Nova Scotia is placing new restrictions on who can travel to the province, with exceptions for residents of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, where COVID-19 case counts are low. A P.E.I. tourism operator is concerned that the federal budget is decreasing support for the industry. Liberal MP Sean Casey says the support will be there if it is needed. The Island has seen 174 cases of COVID-19. Thirteen are considered active. There have been two hospitalizations and no deaths. Elsewhere in the Atlantic region Wednesday: Also in the news These Islanders are currently eligible for a vaccine People over 50. Frontline workers over the age of 40 who interact with the public and cannot work virtually. People providing health care services to the public — including optometrists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists — and their support staff. Non-frontline health care workers needed to maintain health care system capacity Firefighters, police officers, power-line workers. Residents and staff of long-term care homes. Adults living in Indigenous communities. Residents and staff of shared living facilities. Truck drivers and other rotational workers. You can find more information about how to get a vaccine here. Further resources Reminder about symptoms The symptoms of COVID-19 can include: Fever. Cough or worsening of a previous cough. Possible loss of taste and/or smell. Sore throat. New or worsening fatigue. Headache. Shortness of breath. Runny nose. More from CBC P.E.I.
Penticton city council voted unanimously Tuesday to sue the B.C. government after the province overruled the city's decision to close a temporary winter homeless shelter. The Okanagan city council approved court action after hearing a staff presentation on two city-commissioned surveys of about 4,000 local residents regarding the 42-bed downtown shelter at 352 Winnipeg Street. Council also voted in favour of an immediate closure of the shelter and transfer of all 42 residents from the shelter to other housing options. More than 60 per cent of respondents to the survey conducted from March 31 to April 10 said the shelter should be closed down and the province shouldn't overrule the council's decision. Slightly over 50 per cent of participants said the city should take legal action against the province — which could cost taxpayers between $200,000 and $300,000. Housing Minister David Eby, right, said in March the province may exercise the power of paramountcy to circumvent Penticton city council's decision of closing the temporary shelter. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC) Last month, Housing Minister David Eby said the province would exercise the power of paramountcy to prevent the shelter from closing down at the end of winter, as originally planned. The lease for B.C. Housing to operate the shelter expired on March 31, but the province stepped in to circumvent council's decision to shut the shelter at that time. The Crown corporation is currently running the shelter without a city permit. Eby said at that time he was "incredibly disappointed" with council and predicted homeless people would move into the city's parks if the shelter closed. He added the province was preparing to face a court challenge. Penticton's mayor and councillors are increasingly frustrated with issues they say are caused by the city's homeless population and B.C. Housing's three supportive housing projects. Early February, Mayor John Vassilaki attributed the Penticton RCMP's heavy caseload and an influx of homeless people to these supportive housing projects. On Tuesday, Coun. Judy Sentes said the council has no option but to take drastic action against the province, which she said had failed to recognize community concerns around the shelter's downtown location close to seniors housing. "If the province could have continued their previous actions of consulting with us [and] joining in conversations with us, perhaps we wouldn't have come to this," Sentes said. "The city has no choice but to stand up for the betterment of our entire community." Penticton Coun. Judy Sentes says the council wouldn't have taken a drastic action against the province if the province had been willing to engage the council over the temporary shelter issues. (City of Penticton) The council also approved city staff's recommendation to formally request Premier John Horgan's intervention in the dispute after about 80 per cent of survey participants said they supported that approach. They also agreed to continue negotiations with B.C. Housing and to increase bylaw enforcement in response to nuisance complaints around the shelter.
WASHINGTON — Canada can look forward to an unexpected shot in the arm from the United States, President Joe Biden suggested Wednesday as he hinted at plans to send surplus COVID-19 vaccines north of the border. The U.S. is sitting on a stockpile of vaccine doses that it's not currently using, Biden said — a likely reference to the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot, which Canada has approved but the U.S. has not. "We're looking at what is going to be done with some of the vaccines that we are not using … and we hope to be able to be of some help and value to countries around the world," he said. Then he mentioned a half-hour phone call Wednesday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, describing him as "a fella who is working really hard to take care of his country and deal with this." The U.S. has already provided Canada with 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while also providing 2.5 million doses to Mexico. The White House characterizes those doses as a "loan," reportedly in order to avoid running afoul of the language in the contracts that it signed with vaccine manufacturers. "We helped a little bit there," Biden said of Canada. "We're going to try to help some more." A summary of the conversation provided by the Prime Minister's Office said that in addition to vaccines, the two leaders also discussed Thursday's international climate summit, the pandemic and the continuing detention in China of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The White House version offered little added detail beyond an agreement to "collaborate on public health responses and global health security," as well as to support access to and delivery of vaccines around the world. "The president also condemned the arbitrary detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and reiterated the commitment of the United States to stand strong with Canada to secure their release," it said. Biden said there are other countries he's "confident" the U.S. will be able to help with vaccines as well, including in Central America, but he warned that Americans will continue to be the priority. "It's in process; we don't have enough to be confident to send it abroad now, but I expect we'll be able to do that." Biden made the comments at the tail end of a news conference announcing the U.S. had administered 200 million doses — a goal, originally 100 million, he had hoped to reach before next week's 100th day in office. None of those doses have been the AstraZeneca vaccine, however, which has yet to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Health Canada has said the vaccine is safe and effective for all adults despite a possible link to a very rare and treatable blood clot syndrome. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization, a panel that provides non-binding advice on the use of vaccines, has yet to update its recommendation that the shot only be used on those over 55. British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario have all approved the vaccine for people as young as 40 and in Quebec as young as 45. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2021. James McCarten, The Canadian Press
A Swedish administrative court on Wednesday will start hearing arguments in a case filed by Huawei Technologies Co Ltd against the country's telecom regulator for banning the Chinese company from its 5G networks. While several countries across Europe are still formulating telecom policies, only the United Kingdom and Sweden have so far banned Huawei and ZTE Corp from supplying critical 5G network equipment. Sweden's telecom regulator PTS in October banned the Chinese companies from rolling out 5G, citing security risks.
The former soldier from Nova Scotia who killed his family and himself received $126,561 in disability compensation from Veterans Affairs for his diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and other connected conditions, a fatality inquiry heard Tuesday. The inquiry examining the circumstances leading up to Jan. 3, 2017, when Lionel Desmond shot his wife, Shanna, his mother, Brenda, and his 10-year-old daughter, Aaliyah, heard from a Veterans Affairs witness about what support may be given to those who are leaving the military. A document presented Tuesday shows that Desmond received the lion's share of his compensation, $103,977, between January 2012 and February 2013. In August 2007, he returned from a seven-month tour of Afghanistan, a mission his platoon told the inquiry earlier this year was like "going to hell." A psychiatrist at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown diagnosed Desmond with PTSD and major depression in 2011. Although the rifleman seemed to briefly improve after undergoing almost a year of therapy combined with prescription medication, Dr. Vinod Joshi testified in February that Desmond repeatedly relapsed when triggered by the stressors in his life. Desmond was medically released in June 2015. Lionel Desmond is shown here in this family photo, with his mother, Brenda, left, and daughter, Aaliyah, right.(Submitted by Cassandra Desmond) Desmond assessed as 'moderate risk' to reintegrate At that point, Veterans Affairs assessed him as a moderate risk in terms of difficulty in reintegrating to civilian life, according to testimony from Lee Marshall, a senior manager within the department. Marshall testified that meant Desmond's assessment would have been sent for review to see if he needed additional support from a case manager. Shanna Desmond, Lionel Desmond's wife, had just become a registered nurse when she was killed.(C. L. Curry Funeral Services) Documents show Desmond filled in paperwork to get support from the department's rehabilitation program, including a case manager, but evidence Tuesday suggested it took more than six months for him to be paired with one. It's unclear why there was a delay. But Marshall agreed with an assessment by Tara Miller, the lawyer for Brenda Desmond, that six months is "outside the best practices for making sure he's moving through the system as he should have at that time." Desmond's Veterans Affairs case manager, Marie-Paule Doucette, had been scheduled to testify before the inquiry this week. Inquiry counsel learned last week that Doucette had been part of an internal review within Veterans Affairs into the deaths of the Desmond family. Veterans Affairs has refused to voluntarily disclose the contents of that review as evidence. Counsel for the federal department told the judge Tuesday she felt the review was protected by interjurisdictional immunity and did not need to be entered as evidence. But she said a copy has been provided to the judge and he can make a legal determination about whether it falls within the mandate of the inquiry. The inquiry is a fatality inquiry, not a public one, and it is only provincial in scope. Ottawa rejected the Desmond family's campaign for a joint provincial-federal public inquiry, which would have had legally binding recommendations that could encompass both levels of government. MORE TOP STORIES
Raymond Nickerson has been sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter. The 40-year-old former Chipman, Alta., resident shot and killed two neighbours in April 2017. He was originally charged with two counts of second-degree murder but in January a jury found him not guilty in the death of Terry Sutton and guilty of manslaughter in the death of Jason Williams. Nickerson admitted he shot both men but testified during his trial he did so in self-defence. Crown prosecutor Katrina Stewart Lund characterized the shot to Williams' head as a "careless intentional pulling of the trigger." "He did not intend to kill Mr. Williams," Steward Lund said in sentencing submissions Tuesday. "This falls closer to near murder than the near accident end of the spectrum." Defence lawyer Akram Attia asked for the mandatory minimum sentence of four years and suggested the discharge of the shotgun was accidental or was done to scare Williams. "This is as close as you can get to an accidental or unintentional causing of the death of Mr. Williams," Attia said. Both sides agreed that Nickerson was instantly remorseful and quickly left the scene to turn himself in so paramedics could do their work. Court of Queen's Bench Justice Eric Macklin called the situation "fluid, dangerous and extremely dynamic" and said he had no doubt that Nickerson and his wife were terrified when Sutton and his wife entered their home. Long-standing feud There was a history of animosity between the two households, which the judge described as a "rural Alberta version of the Hatfield's and McCoy's." Tensions boiled over on a Sunday night in April 2017, when Sutton and Williams lit fireworks that woke up Nickerson. They yelled at each other, then Misti Sutton crossed the street with her husband in tow. Misti Sutton and Nickerson's wife got into a fight inside Nickerson's house. By that time, Nickerson had retrieved and loaded his shotgun. He told the jury he was afraid and did not know if Sutton was armed. Nickerson testified he pulled the trigger when he thought Terry Sutton might wrestle away his gun. Blood on the floor just inside the front door of the Chipman house where Raymond Nickerson and his wife lived. (RCMP/Court exhibit) He said when Williams suddenly appeared on his doorstep, he shot the man in the head. On Tuesday, the killer apologized to both families. "I can't imagine the pain you must feel," Nickerson said. "I know I took two lives from you and I know there's nothing I can do or say that will bring them back." He began to cry. "I was instantly remorseful and took responsibility right away," he said. "I didn't want or mean or intend for any of this to happen." 'An absolute monster' In a victim impact statement, Jason Williams' mother Debbie said she has had nightmares for the past four years. . Terry Sutton and Jason Williams were best friends.(Facebook) "You are an absolute monster who terrorized the entire community of Chipman," she told Nickerson via virtual link from her home in Prince Edward Island. "I will never forgive you."
Developers looking to build along the Grand River need to go through the Haudenosaunee first. That was the message delivered outside the Onondaga longhouse on Six Nations Tuesday morning by Deyohowe:to, a Cayuga hereditary chief from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council. The Confederacy announced a moratorium on all development within the Haldimand Tract, an area of more than 950,000 acres that runs 10 kilometres along both sides of the Grand from its source north of Fergus to Lake Erie. “No development can proceed along the Haldimand Tract without the consent of the Haudenosaunee,” Deyohowe:to said. “So anybody developing or in the process of it, you need to stop what you’re doing.” The tract includes more than three dozen municipalities, among them Brantford, Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge. The Grand flows through Haldimand County, where for over nine months Six Nations land defenders have occupied the site of a planned subdivision in Caledonia, claiming the land — which they call 1492 Land Back Lane — as unceded Haudenosaunee territory. Deyohowe:to said prospective developers need to enter into talks with the Confederacy through its development arm, the Haudenosaunee Development Institute. But he did not offer many details about how those negotiations would ideally proceed, or how the moratorium would or could be enforced. “We have a body that’s going to be looking after that,” the chief said. The Confederacy did not shut the door on future development, but made it clear a change in approach is needed. “We are not interested in selling land. There’s portions of land that we have leased out that can still be negotiated,” Deyohowe:to said. “The developers need to stop digging in our lands and to come forward now and do the process.” Skyler Williams, spokesperson for 1492 Land Back Lane, suggested land defenders are prepared to occupy other sites should development proceed without consultation. “There’s 27,000 people at Six Nations, and there’s many more that are anxious and willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that our land rights are upheld,” he said. “I think what we’ve shown is how committed we are as a people to take every action necessary to protect our lands and waters.” The moratorium comes 15 years to the day after land defenders repelled a large-scale police effort to evict them from the former Douglas Creek Estates subdivision in Caledonia. The province eventually bought that land from the developers, and it remains under Six Nations control. The Confederacy is the traditional leadership on Six Nations, guided by hereditary chiefs and clan mothers. Historically, the Confederacy has been at odds with the elected band council, which was created by the federal government in 1924 to supplant the Confederacy as the reserve’s governing body. Deyohowe:to said the elected council was aware of Tuesday’s announcement, but its members are “limited” in their authority to assert land sovereignty. “To me, it’s more on the federal government to step up and take charge,” he said. Hamilton Centre NDP MP Matthew Green, a vocal supporter of Indigenous land rights and financial backer of the 1492 Land Back Lane legal fund, highlighted what he considers Ottawa’s “complete and abject failure” to establish a nation-to-nation relationship with the Haudenosaunee. “There has not been free, prior and informed consent” for development from the Haudenosaunee, Green said, adding that building along the Haldimand Tract is “inappropriate” while land claims remain unresolved. A spokesperson for federal Crown-Indigenous Relations minister Carolyn Bennett previously told The Spectator the government is ready to negotiate but is waiting for the Confederacy and the elected council to work through their political differences. The British granted the Haldimand Tract to the Haudenosaunee in 1784 in gratitude for their allyship during the American Revolutionary War. Over the centuries, the territory was whittled down until only the Six Nations reserve — less than five per cent of the original land grant — remains under Haudenosaunee control. Federal and provincial governments say Six Nations chiefs legally sold or surrendered the Tract lands, but the Confederacy rejects that notion, saying much of the land was taken fraudulently by colonial authorities. “We never agreed to any of these land deeds that they’re passing around,” Deyohowe:to said, adding that the Confederacy does not have faith in the Canadian court system to address land claims. “The courts are set up to take our land — to steal our land. That’s where the big problem lies.” J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator
