A blustery shoreline on an overcast day in Newfoundland.
A 25-year-old man has been arrested and charged after $3.5 million in cocaine was seized at Blue Water Bridge. On March 31, a commercial truck driven by a man from Brampton, Ont. entered Canada at the bridge in Point Edward, Ont., Canada Border Services Agency said in a news release Wednesday. The truck was sent for a secondary examination, during which officers found 62 kilograms of cocaine. Canada Border Services Agency said officers arrested the driver and transferred him into the custody of Windsor detachment RCMP officers, who are performing an investigation. The suspect is charged with importation of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking. The man is expected to appear in Sarnia's Ontario Court of Justice on April 20. More from CBC Windsor
Sixteen new cases of COVID-19, affecting two health zones, were reported in New Brunswick on Wednesday. The majority of the new cases are in the Edmundston region, Zone 4, which has 107 of the province's 141 active cases. Eleven of the 14 cases reported in the Edmundston region are contacts of a previously confirmed case and three are under investigation. Three zones — the Campbellton, Bathurst and Miramichi regions — have no active cases. In a news release, Public Health said the 16 new cases break down in this way: Saint John region, Zone 2, two cases: an individual 50-59. This case is travel related. an individual 60-69. This case is a contact of a case. Edmundston region, Zone 4, 14 cases: three people 19 and under an individual 20 to 29 three people 40 to 49 two people 50 to 59 three people 60 to 69 two people 70 to 79 The number of confirmed cases in New Brunswick is 1,752. Since Tuesday, seven people have recovered for a total of 1,577 recoveries. There have been 33 deaths, and the number of active cases is 141. Nineteen patients are hospitalized, including 13 in an intensive care unit. A total of 270,515 tests have been conducted, including 1,259 since Tuesday's report. There are currently 141 active cases in the province.(CBC News) Public Health tweaks its COVID-19 dashboard Sharp-eyed New Brunswickers may have noticed that some information that was previously posted on the province's COVID-19 dashboard is no longer available. The dashboard, which provides data on COVID-19 cases, testing, vaccines and other related statistics, is a public site that is updated daily. Earlier this week, under its Vaccine Statistics tab, the "Doses administered this week" section was removed. On Wednesday, the "Number of doses received" section, referring to doses delivered to the province, was also removed. Asked about the changes on Wednesday, Public Health spokesperson Shawn Berry explained that the "doses administered this week" section was removed because the data "was sometimes lagging by several days." "Vaccines are being administered in hundreds of locations in the province and the 'administered this week' section is not an accurate reflection," Berry said in an email. "The total number of people vaccinated with at least one dose is still being reported." And while the "doses received" section was removed from the Vaccine Statistics tab, that data "continues to be provided on the Vaccine Timetable graphic," Berry said. The province tweaked its public COVID-19 dashboard this week, removing two sections under the Vaccine Statistics section. In one case, the data was "lagging" and in the other case, the data is provided in another section of the dashboard, Public Health said.(Government of New Brunswick) MLA calls for return of compassionate care exemptions Green MLA Megan Mitton is calling for the return of compassionate care exemptions between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia now that the reopening of the Atlantic bubble has been pushed back. Mitton, who represents the riding of Memramcook-Tantramar on the border with Nova Scotia, made the comments after the Atlantic premiers announced the return of the bubble would be delayed by two weeks. The bubble was supposed to open on April 19 but is now delayed until at least May 3. Mitton said that since January, the province hasn't allowed caregivers to cross the border without going into quarantine, and regardless of the bubble, the premiers should work together to allow crossing the border for compassionate care. "There are people [whose] caregiver may live 20 kilometres away in Amherst," said Mitton. "They live in Sackville and suddenly they lost that care. That was really important to them." Mitton said the province needs to figure out a way to reopen the Atlantic bubble, and keep it open, even with future outbreaks. "We know that that is likely to continue to happen in the future, so they need to have a plan, so that the bubble doesn't burst all the time," said Mitton. Green MLA Megan Mitton is calling for the return of compassionate care exemptions between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as the reopening of the Atlantic bubble has been pushed back.(CBC News file photo) Mitton said the loss of the bubble has been tough on her constituents, many of whom are accustomed to travelling across the border regularly. "People's families have been impacted ... It's hard on people's day to day lives. So many people, you know, live near the Nova Scotia, New Brunswick border and many cross it daily." Mitton said she's still calling for better communication with residents about the rules and why they're in place. "The rules have changed constantly and it's been really hard on the people who live here and deal with it daily to figure out 'What am I supposed to be doing,'" said Mitton. "There needs to be better communication from government. I've been saying that for a year or so." More possible exposures Saint John region: March 29 and April 1, Guardian Drugs-Herring Cove Pharmacy (924 Rte. 774, Unit 2, Welshpool, Campobello Island) March 31, Service New Brunswick (73 Milltown Blvd., St. Stephen) March 31, Giant Tiger (210 King St., St. Stephen) March 31, Kent Building Supplies (188 King St., St. Stephen) March 31, Carman's Diner (164 King St., St. Stephen) Edmundston region: April 7, 8 and 9, Canada Post (4 Grondin St., Edmundston) April 8 and 9 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Fenêtre Unique (130 Rivière à la Truite Rd., Edmundston) April 8 and 9, National Bank, (111 de l'Église St., Edmundston) April 9 between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. – Shoppers Drug Mart (160 Hébert Blvd., Edmundston) April 8 between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., April 7 between 6:30 a.m and 7:00 a.m., and April 6 between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. – Tim Hortons (262 Isidore-Boucher Blvd., St-Jacques) April 7 between after 6:00 p.m., April 6 after 6:00 p.m. – Epicerie Chez ti-Marc (256 Isidore-Boucher Blvd., St-Jacques) April 7 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., and April 6 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. – Dollarama (787 Victoria St., Edmundston) April 7 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., and April 6 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. – NB Liquor, (575 Victoria St., Edmundston) April 7 between 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. – Jean Coutu (177 Victoria St., Edmundston) April 7 between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. – Subway (180 Hébert Blvd., Edmundston) April 7 between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. – Atlantic Superstore (577 Victoria St., Edmundston) April 6 between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. – Scotiabank (75 Canada Rd., Edmundston) March 26 to April 8 – Napa Auto Parts - (260 Canada St., Edmundston) March 20 to April 9, Atlantic Superstore (577 Victoria St., Edmundston) April 5 at 11 a.m. – Shoppers Drug Mart (160 Hébert Blvd., Edmundston) April 1 – Royal Bank (48 Saint-François St., Edmundston) March 31 between 12 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. – Scotiabank (75 Canada Rd., Edmundston) March 30 between 12 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. – Scotiabank (75 Canada Rd., Edmundston) March 29 between 8:45 a.m. and 4 p.m. – Scotiabank (75 Canada Rd., Edmundston) Moncton region: April 8 between 4:45 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. – COSTCO Wholesale customer service (140 Granite Drive, Moncton) April 6 between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. – YMCA Vaughan Harvey, (30 War Veterans Ave., Moncton) April 4 between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. – Moncton Wesleyan Church (945 St. George Blvd., Moncton) April 3 between 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. – Kelseys Original Roadhouse (141 Trinity Dr., Moncton) April 1 between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., April 3 between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., April 6 between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., April 8 between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. – CF Champlain (477 Paul St., Dieppe) Fredericton region: March 31 – Murray's Irving Big Stop (198 Beardsley Rd., Beardsley) Saint John region: April 9 between 2:10 p.m. and 2:40 p.m., GAP Factory East Point, (15 Fashion Dr., Saint John) April 9 between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. – McAllister Place, 519 Westmorland Rd., Saint John April 8 between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., – McAllister Place, 519 Westmorland Rd., Saint John April 8 between 1:15 p.m. and 2 p.m. – Service New Brunswick, 15 King Square North, Saint John April 1 between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. – YMCA of Greater Saint John (191 Churchill Blvd., Saint John) What to do if you have a symptom People concerned they might have COVID-19 symptoms can take a self-assessment test online. Public Health says symptoms shown by people with COVID-19 have included: Fever above 38 C. New cough or worsening chronic cough. Sore throat. Runny nose. Headache. New onset of fatigue, muscle pain, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell. Difficulty breathing. In children, symptoms have also included purple markings on the fingers and toes. People with one of those symptoms should: Stay at home. Call Tele-Care 811 or their doctor. Describe symptoms and travel history. Follow instructions.
The parents of a Nova Scotia teen with autism who has complex care needs want to know why some families are being told by the Department of Community Services to give up custody of their children in order to get them into group homes. The option is used in only a handful of cases, but can present a devastating choice for those families. "That was the shock of our lives that we would have to potentially give up our parental rights to give our child the care that they needed," the teen's mother said. "We adamantly, adamantly want to participate in his care." The teen's mother says she doesn't believe the Nova Scotia system has the flexibility to support families who have children with high-care needs while retaining their parental rights. The family wants to keep custody of their son, not only because they love him but because they want to continue to be his advocate and be involved in any decision-making while he's in a group home. Because he is a child in the care of the province, neither the teen in this story nor his parents can have their identities published by CBC News. The teen's mother says she doesn't believe the Nova Scotia system has enough flexibility to accommodate families with children with high care needs while retaining their parental rights. (David Laughlin/CBC) The boy's parents say they were able to care for him at home until he was 14, but he became aggressive and would sometimes scratch or hit people. "There's other family members, pets, people in the household, and they weren't necessarily safe," the teen's mother said. There were times when she said her son would run out of the house and into the street unless he was watched constantly. "You're in the kitchen washing dishes, and there's no reasonable way that you can supervise a child that intensely [in order] to keep everybody safe," she said. In September 2020, the family made an agreement with the Department of Community Services to place their son in a group home where he could receive specialized care. However, the parents say they made it clear to department staff they were not prepared to sign away their custodial rights. 3 options According to regulations attached to the province's Child and Family Services Act, families with children who've been diagnosed as having physical or intellectual disabilities that prevent them from living at home may enter into a "special needs agreement" with the department. There are three options under the regulations, according to an emailed statement from the Department of Community Services. "We work with the family throughout this process to determine what type of special needs agreement would be most appropriate," the statement said. "This could mean agreeing to transfer care and custody of the child to the minister, [the family] retaining care and custody of the child while the child is placed in a child-caring program, or receiving supports and services while the child remains home with their family." The statement said the department's goal is always to ensure children and youth are protected and families are supported. "We know children do better if they can stay in a loving home with people they already know, but in some cases, when a child has high-care needs and requires specialized care, a placement may be necessary." The options presented to the family may depend on whether there's a spot open at a licensed facility and what sort of support the parents can continue to offer a child while they're in care, the statement said. Community Services Minister Kelly Regan and her department are responsible for children in group homes if custody is turned over to the province.(Craig Paisley/CBC) The parents of the teen say they feel that provincial staff pressured them to accept the option to give up custody. But the family pushed back until department staff eventually agreed to the option to retain custody, the parents told CBC. The mother says her understanding is that it would be easier for the department to fund the teen's placement if the family turned over custody. Under the regulations, the period of agreement for transferring the care and custody of a child to the Minister of Community Services cannot be longer than one year, although the agreement can be renewed. 'It was mortifying' For a few months after the teen was placed in a group home last September things went well. His parents say he was "thriving" and making friends. But in the last few months the home began to have some challenges getting enough staff to fill all the shifts required to supervise their son, his parents say. Just before the Easter weekend they were told that the boy would have to return home, but the family says they responded that they weren't able to safely take him home with the support they currently have in place. "There's just myself and my husband here. We have another child, and our house isn't a secured facility," his mother said. She said her husband instead volunteered to work at their son's facility to supplement his care. The mother says at that point they again felt pressured to give up custody of their son. "We were at that point again, where they were telling us that we would have to do that potentially to provide him with support," she said. "It was mortifying. Because it's not like we didn't want to [provide support]. We desperately wanted to. We made that abundantly clear." The mother says their son was moved twice in the days around the Easter weekend, and they were not told where he was going. They spent the weekend making repeated calls and sending emails to find out where their son was. They didn't learn of his whereabouts until the Tuesday following the long weekend, according to the family. CBC asked the Department of Community Services for a breakdown on how many special needs agreements have been made in each category and received the following breakdown of current cases: Transfer care and custody to the Minister while placed in a facility: 3. Placed in a facility but custody retained by parents: 2. Services provided in child's home: 654. CBC reached another family with a child with high-needs autism who was also presented with the choice of giving up rights to their child to gain a placement in a group home. In that case, they also did not give up custody of their daughter. Planning for the future The teen's mother acknowledges her son's care needs are complicated; he needs two employees to supervise him at all times. She and her husband worry if their son does not receive intensive care when he's young, he may not develop skills that could help him live more independently later in life. "If your child needed to be on a ventilator and have complex medical issues, physical medical care, they would be in a hospital without question, with specialists and support," she said. "But because it's autism, and it's behavioural, it's viewed very differently." MORE TOP STORIES
The public school board in Windsor-Essex says it needs more time to prepare for the switch to online learning, and as a result, the return from spring break is being delayed by a day. In a media release on Wednesday, the Greater Essex County District School Board said instruction will resume on Tuesday, April 20. On Monday, when students were originally slated to return from the break, elementary and secondary school teachers will connect with their students to determine technical needs and access to resources. "They will also provide students with some work for the day they can complete, independently," the board said. If a student needs technology to participate in online learning, parents should contact the school, the board said. Schools are switching to online learning for the second time in recent months. Ontario Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on Monday, saying that the province is at a "critical point." "The situation is changing quickly, and we need to respond," he said. "Right now, I'm extremely concerned about the new variants." There are three schools in the region currently in outbreak, Centennial Central Public School, St. Peter Catholic School and St. John Vianney Catholic School. As of Tuesday more than 400 students and staff were isolating following potential COVID-19 exposures, according to public health.
The Prime Minister says he's supportive of provinces and territories closing their borders in order to protect their residents from the spread of COVID-19. Justin Trudeau's comments to CBC Radio came a day after B.C. Premier John Horgan indicated he is considering restricting travel to and from the province to help stem the third wave of the pandemic. Trudeau, asked Wednesday on CBC's Daybreak South whether he would support such a move by Horgan, said he has already backed similar pandemic travel restrictions elsewhere in the country. "Every step of the way, I've been supporting premiers and territorial leaders on what they need to do to keep people safe," the Prime Minster said. "As we saw with the Atlantic bubble, as we saw with the the Arctic territories, they make decisions around closing off the regions. That is something that we are supportive of." He said the federal government's role is to help make those decisions easier for provinces by providing income assistance and financial supports for businesses. On Tuesday, Horgan told reporters the possibility of travel restrictions will be discussed Wednesday by the provincial cabinet. Those talks will also likely examine the status of bookings for hotels, bed and breakfasts and camping sites. "We've not taken anything off the table, but practicality is first and foremost in our mind," said Horgan. "We will use the tools that are available to us if we believe they are effective, but deployment of those tools is a challenge. We haven't taken travel restrictions off the board, quite frankly." Possible restrictions coming Thursday The premier said Henry will provide any update of possible new restrictions Thursday, during a briefing in which the province's latest COVID-19 modelling data will be presented. Tuesday's announcement was made less than a week after Horgan told CBC's On The Island he had no plans to further restrict travel, at least within B.C. — and that while it was "absolutely outrageous" for people to be travelling between the B.C. mainland and Vancouver Island, and while he did have the power to restrict ferry travel, he was not planning to. "What do we do? Arrest them?" said Horgan about people choosing to vacation while the coronavirus continues to spread. More than 1,500 people have died in B.C. due to COVID-19 and case numbers and hospitalizations have surged in recent weeks. Provincial Health Minister Adrian Dix has warned high occupancy rates are beginning to affect the surgical capacity of local hospitals in some parts of the province. A group of travellers arrive from Quebec en route to Whistler, B.C., on Feb. 28.(Cory Correia/CBC) B.C. health officials are particularly concerned about the P1 variant of the virus, first detected in Brazil. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has confirmed some of those cases can be traced to travelling Canadians. "It was likely that visitors from other parts of Canada initially introduced that strain," said Henry. She also said that some cases have been traced back to people who visited Whistler in February. Vaccines supply and safety As thousands of Canadians across the country wait for their chance to queue up for a vaccine shot, Trudeau said the federal government will have 44 million doses available by Canada Day — enough for everyone to have their first dose. "It depends on what the provinces actually lay out in terms of [a] vaccination schedule, but we're optimistic that we're going to get great numbers vaccinated in the coming weeks and months," he said. Health-care workers administer the COVID-19 vaccination to members of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation on March 25. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Two vaccines — AstraZeneca-Oxford and Johnson & Johnson — have caused concerns after reports of potentially dangerous blood clots in people who received them. The United States has currently hit pause on use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and Trudeau said on Tuesday that Canada is "closely monitoring" that decision. Trudeau told Daybreak South listeners Wednesday it is still much safer to take a vaccine and be protected from COVID-19 then to worry about "extraordinarily rare" side-effects. "We're still encouraging everyone to get whatever vaccine is offered to you," he said. According to the Prime Minister, Canada is currently third among the G20 countries in terms of how many first dose vaccinations have been administered thus far. LISTEN | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to CBC Daybreak South host Chris Walker:
One of three American bulldogs that were stolen during a break-and-enter in Surrey has been recovered, according to Surrey RCMP, but the dogs' owners are still trying to find the other two puppies. The theft happened Saturday afternoon at a house on 8 Avenue, near 176 Street, while the residents weren't home. According to police, a member of the public got in touch after realizing the puppy they bought at a car show in Mission over the weekend was one of the stolen dogs, Rosie. "We're glad that we got this one puppy back for the family," said Sgt. Elanore Sturko. "We're grateful that this person who had the puppy reached out to us." Sturko said the person also provided further information to investigators, and it's possible the two dogs that remain at large were also sold at the car show. Anyone with information is asked to contact Surrey RCMP or Crime Stoppers if they wish to remain anonymous.
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar's ruling junta has charged at least 19 medical doctors for participating in civil disobedience protests against the military's Feb. 1 coup, a state-run newspaper reported Wednesday. Doctors, nurses and medical students have marched and joined strikes to show their opposition to the military takeover that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government and put a halt to the progress Myanmar had made toward greater democratization after five decades of military rule. The doctors charged are accused of supporting and participating in the civil disobedience movement “with the aim of deteriorating the state administrative machinery,” the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper wrote. The military government has already issued arrest warrants for 100 people active in the fields of literature, film, theatre arts, music and journalism on charges of spreading information that undermines the stability of the country and the rule of law. This isn't the first time doctors have been targeted. Earlier this month in Mandalay, the country’s second-biggest city, security forces used stun grenades and fired guns to break up a march by medical workers protesting the army’s takeover. The online news site The Irrawaddy reported that four doctors were arrested. Protests continued Wednesday across Myanmar even as people boycotted the official celebration of Thingyan, the country's traditional New Year, usually a time for family reunions and merry-making. In leaflets and social media posts last week, people were asked not to hold any Thingyan celebrations, saying it would be disrespectful to “fallen martyrs” to enjoy the festival. The government's violent response to anti-coup demonstrations has seen 714 people killed by security officials, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Last week, at least 82 people were killed in one day in a crackdown by security forces on protesters, according to reports from independent local media and AAPP. Friday’s death toll in Bago was the biggest one-day total for a single city since March 14, when just over 100 people were killed in Yangon, the country’s biggest city. Bago is about 100 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of Yangon. The Associated Press was unable to independently verify the number of deaths. The Associated Press
Ten New Brunswickers have had "serious" reactions after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, as of April 3, says the Department of Health. Nearly 105,000 people had received at least one dose by that time, according to the New Brunswick COVID-19 dashboard. That puts the incidence at roughly 0.01 per cent. An event is considered serious if it: Results in death. Is life-threatening, such as anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction. Requires in-patient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization. Results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity. Results in a congenital anomaly/birth defect. No details Department of Health spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane said he could not disclose which vaccines were involved as the incidents are still under investigation. Three vaccines are currently in use in New Brunswick: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca-Oxford. Macfarlane would not provide any details about the nature of the reactions, or any other related information, such as the geographic location, details about the patients, or dates, citing the ongoing investigations. Department of Health spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane said all serious events undergo medical review to determine if there are any safety issues that require further action.(CBC News file photo) Sixty-three people, or 0.06 per cent, have had "non-serious" adverse events, he said. This type of event, examples of which include soreness at the site of injection and slight fever, represent the majority of reports across Canada, according the Public Health Agency of Canada. A total of 2,668 non-serious adverse events have been reported nationally, as of April 2. That's 0.05 per cent of the 5,897,445 doses administered. "The benefits of vaccines authorized in Canada continue to outweigh the risks," the government website states. Obligated to report reactions Under the Public Health Act, health-care providers who administer vaccines or provide clinical care for clients are required to report in writing any adverse events following immunization to their regional medical officer of health, said Macfarlane. An adverse event is defined by the Public Health Agency of Canada as "any untoward medical occurrence which follows immunization." It isn't necessarily causally related to the usage of the vaccine. The adverse event may be any: Unfavourable or unintended sign (for example: skin rash). Abnormal laboratory finding. Symptom. Disease. Serious events must be reported within one working day of their occurrence, and other events "with less severity," within five working days, said Macfarlane. Examples of these less severe events include seizures, associated events where medical attention is required, events where consideration must be given to postpone future immunizations, and "unexpected events with no alternative explanation," according to a Department of Health information poster. Minor or expected reactions, as outlined in the product monograph, such as injection site reactions that last less than four days and fever, do not need to be reported, unless they are more severe or more frequent than expected, according to the poster. The forms reporting the adverse events following immunization are entered into a Public Health database that is monitored daily with "special attention to serious or unusual events that could signal a concern regarding vaccine safety," Macfarlane said in an emailed statement. Regular meetings to review data "All adverse events are flagged and investigated. All serious events undergo medical review to see if there are any safety issues needing further action and determine the potential for a linkage with vaccination." This includes meeting regularly to review the data with provincial and territorial partners, the regulator, research networks and medical advisers "to ensure there are no safety issues that require action," said Macfarlane. "Any unexpected safety concerns are detected quickly and acted upon immediately." All provinces have an agreement to share their adverse events reports with the Public Health Agency of Canada. The agency enters the reports into the Canadian Adverse Event Following Immunization Surveillance System to "flag signals" of adverse events and to "inform vaccine safety decisions nationally," he added.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was justified in using his knees to pin down George Floyd, a use-of-force expert testified on Tuesday, contradicting testimony by former and current city police officers who said Chauvin's actions violated policy and were excessive. "I felt that Derek Chauvin was justified, was acting with objective reasonableness, following Minneapolis Police Department policy and current standards of law enforcement in his interactions with Mr. Floyd," Barry Brodd, a former officer in Santa Rosa, Calif., told the Hennepin County District Court in downtown Minneapolis. Brodd, one of a series of witnesses who testified for the defence on Tuesday in the murder trial of Chauvin, also claimed that putting Floyd in the prone position — handcuffed while placed on his stomach, and face first to the pavement — was not a use of force. "It's a control technique. it doesn't hurt," he said. "You've put the suspect in a position where it's safe for you, the officer, safe for them, the suspect, and you're using minimal effort to keep them on the ground." Defence lays out case Chauvin's lawyer, Eric Nelson, began to lay out the defence's case on Tuesday after 11 days of testimony from prosecution witnesses. Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pressed a knee on the back of his neck for about nine minutes as two other officers held him down face first to the pavement, while he was handcuffed. He had been detained outside a convenience store after being suspected of paying with a counterfeit bill. Chauvin is on trial on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of the 46-year-old Black man. The prosecution says Chauvin pressing his knee into Floyd's neck caused his death. But the defence argues it was a combination of Floyd's underlying medical conditions, drug use and adrenaline flowing through his system that ultimately killed him. Defence lawyer Eric Nelson begins to lay out Chauvin's case in his murder trial on Tuesday after 11 days of testimony from prosecution witnesses in a Minneapolis courtroom. (Court TV/The Associated Press) Several top Minneapolis police officials, including Chief Medaria Arradondo, have testified for the prosecution that Chauvin used excessive force and violated his training. And medical experts called by prosecutors have said that Floyd died from a lack of oxygen because of the way he was restrained. But the defence claims Chauvin did what his training taught him to do. Brodd said that once Floyd was pinned to the ground, he was still engaged in "active resistance" and struggling against the efforts of the officers. "Officers are trained that any time you get resistance from a suspect or you're dealing with a high-risk suspect, it's safer for you, the officer and for the suspect to put him on the ground in a prone position face down for a variety of reasons, some of which are it makes the suspect's mobility diminished." WATCH | Prosecutor cross-examines use-of-force witness The fact that Floyd was handcuffed at that point didn't matter, Brodd said, because any resistor, handcuffed or not, should go to the ground to a controlled position. He said there were a number of valid reasons to keep Floyd in that position, including space limitation, traffic on the street, crowd issues and the fact that Floyd was "still somewhat resisting." Crowd distraction Chauvin's defence has also raised the issue that the officer may have been distracted about Floyd's declining condition due to the growing anger of the crowd. Brodd concurred that, based on his review of the video evidence, Chauvin's focus started to move from Floyd to the crowd "I think Officer Chauvin felt threatened enough that he withdrew his pepper spray canister and gave verbal commands to the crowd to stay back. So now he's dealing with the bigger threat," he said. Tense cross-examination Cross-examination under prosecutor Steve Schleicher was tense at times, as he struck an incredulous tone with some of Brodd's assertions. He seized on Brodd's contention that the further restraint of Floyd was not a use of force. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher questions Brodd during cross-examination.(Court TV/The Associated Press) "I need to ask you if you believe that it is unlikely that orienting yourself on top of a person, on the pavement with both legs is unlikely to produce pain," Schleicher asked. "It could," Brodd responded. "What do you mean it could? Is it unlikely to produce pain or is it likely to produce pain," Schleicher asked. "I'm saying it could produce pain." But Brodd acknowledged that based on one of the photos showing Chauvin applying his knee into Floyd, "that could be a use of force." Schleicher asked Brodd whether a reasonable officer would know that placing someone in that prone position could cause positional asphyxia. "A reasonable police officer would at least acknowledge and consider the possibility that what they're doing is causing a problem, wouldn't they?" However, Brodd said that according to video, it appeared Floyd was still struggling. "Struggling or writhing," Schleicher asked. "I don't know the difference," Brodd said. WATCH | Scheicher grills Brodd over 'resting comfortably' comment Brodd argued that Floyd kept on struggling, and he suggested that if Floyd was being compliant, he would have had both hands in the small of his back "and just be resting comfortably." "Did you say 'resting comfortably'?" Schleicher asked. Brodd: "Or laying comfortably." Schleicher: "Resting comfortably on the pavement?" Brodd said yes and added that he was describing the signs of a perfectly compliant person. "So attempting to breathe, while restrained, is being slightly non-compliant now," Schleicher said. "No," Brodd said. Schleicher argued that the only struggling by Floyd was as a result of him trying to breathe. "I don't know, if he was struggling or if he was struggling to catch a breath ... I can't tell," Brodd said. Other witnesses Earlier in the day, court heard from Shawanda Hill, a friend of Floyd's who was in the SUV with him before his encounter and arrest by police. Hill testified that she had met Floyd in the convenience store and that he was alert and happy, but by the time they got back to the car, he suddenly fell asleep and that she repeatedly tried to wake him up. Shawanda Hill, who was in the car with Floyd at the time of his initial arrest, testifies at Chauvin's trial on Tuesday. (Court TV/The Associated Press) Her testimony was important for the defence as they try to prove Floyd was potentially reacting to fentanyl in his system. Nelson also put on the stand a former police officer and paramedic who testified about a 2019 arrest in which Floyd suffered from dangerously high blood pressure and confessed to heavy use of opioids. Also testifying was Minneapolis Park Police Officer Peter Chang, who helped at the scene that day. He said he saw a "crowd" growing across the street that "was becoming more loud and aggressive, a lot of yelling across the street." "Did that cause you any concern?" Nelson asked. "Concern for the officers' safety, yes," Chang replied.
Canada's Liberal government will deliver on its promise to spend big when it presents its first budget in two years next week amid a fast-rising third wave of COVID-19 infections and ahead of an election expected in coming months. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has pledged to do "whatever it takes" to support Canadians, and in November promised up to C$100 billion ($79.8 billion) in stimulus over three years to "jump-start" an economic recovery in what is likely to be a crucial year for her party. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals depend on the support of at least one opposition group to pass laws, and senior party members have said an election is likely within months as it seeks a clear majority and a free hand to legislate.
Roxane Smith never thought that, as a 24-year-old, she would even catch COVID-19, but after 11 days in hospital with a feeding tube in her nose, the young mother of three is begging Quebec residents to take the pandemic seriously. "They say COVID just affects super-sick people or super-old people," she told Radio-Canada through Skype. "I never thought it would go this far." It all started on the last day of March, she said. "I was really, really not feeling well. Small chest pains, palpitations, fatigue," Smith said. "I went to the hospital." Once hospitalized, her health quickly deteriorated. She had a fever and was no longer eating, but was vomiting and suffering from gastrointestinal distress. She was bedridden by April 1, and the feeding tube was inserted two days later. Smith no longer has the strength to walk. Even the short distance to the bathroom is too much and she expects to stay in Quebec City's l'Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus for another two weeks. "We just have to wait for the COVID to go away," she said. "And it can really take a long time." She says she's worried about her education. Missing so many days of school will set her back. She tries to study but says she struggles to breathe and is so tired that it is impossible to focus. Just getting out of bed, she says, feels like running a marathon. She will be off work for a few months, she suspects, but she will still have bills to pay. "So it's not just 10 days in the hospital and it's over," she said. Respected the rules Smith once believed that the government and public health officials erred on the side of caution. "I thought for a long time that maybe there was a bit of exaggeration, that it wasn't as bad as they said. People I know have had COVID without symptoms, so I was in doubt," Smith said. But despite those feelings, she respected the public health rules, she said. And now she can't even video chat with her children because she doesn't want them to see her with a tube in her nose. "It's been 11 days since I've seen my three children," she said. But Smith said she wants people to see the situation she is in — to realize the health measures are in place for a reason. "Right now there are plenty of people protesting, breaking the rules, saying COVID is a government ploy," Smith said. "Then there is me, who has been in the hospital for 11 days, who will not be out for a good two weeks, who is crying and wondering, why me? Why isn't it someone who did not follow the rules?" A ceremony for the victims of COVID-19 was held in Quebec City in March. The city is now one of several under a special lockdown because of the rapid rate of transmission.(Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press) 'Russian roulette' Since the start of the pandemic, nearly 19 per cent of COVID-19 cases in Canada are young people between the ages of 20 and 29. The group accounts for 3.3 per cent of hospitalizations due to the coronavirus. "According to doctors, I was just unlucky in the COVID lottery," said Smith. She says it should serve as a reminder to those who break health rules — there's little to gain and a lot to lose. Dr. François Marquis, head of intensive care at Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital in Montreal, agrees with Smith's conclusions about her medical "bad luck." According to Marquis, people arriving at the hospital are, on average, about 10 to 15 years younger than those who needed medical care for COVID-19 earlier in the pandemic. "We are starting to see what was very unlikely during the first wave — 30- or 40-year-olds without any previous medical history, people in good health,'' Marquis said. "They're not seeing a doctor, they're not taking any kind of medication, they don't have diabetes, they don't have high blood pressure. They just get sick.'' Marquis said there are health conditions that make certain people more vulnerable to COVID-19, but overall, it is "very similar to a Russian roulette."
Ten people are infected in a coronavirus variant outbreak at Saskatoon's Sports on Tap bar, the Saskatchewan Health Authority says. The SHA declared an outbreak at the bar — which coincidentally is located just southeast of a COVID-19 drive-in and appointment-only vaccination clinic — on Tuesday. The specific variant has not been identified yet. "Additional testing is required," a spokesperson said. The infections found during contact tracing so far are among both staff and patrons. The SHA issued a public exposure notice about the bar Tuesday at around 7 p.m., just hours after the province hosted its latest COVID-19 news conference. The bar was not mentioned at the news conference, though Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, warned that Saskatoon was "on the cusp" of having a larger number of variant cases. Customers and staff who were at Sports on Tap during the following hours are being told to immediately self-isolate for 14 days: April 5, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. April 9, 11:25 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. April 10, 11:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. One or more people were at the bar during those hours while infectious, according to the release. People are to call the 811 HealthLine or their doctor's office if they develop symptoms. Avoid unnecessary travel, SHA says In its release, the SHA cited an "increased risk of COVID-19 variants of concern in Saskatoon" and reminded residents to follow long-established precautions such as keeping two metres distance from other people. The health authority urged people to stick to their immediate household bubbles, as people province-wide are now required to do under a tightened rule added to Saskatchewan's public health orders earlier on Tuesday. The release also went one step further in urging Saskatoon residents to avoid unnecessary travel. Before, health officials had only called for restricted travel in and out of Regina, Weyburn and Moose Jaw. The SHA also recommended that people get vaccinated when they are eligible to do so. Saskatoon had a cumulative 302 variants of concern on Tuesday, up from 181 the day before.
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — The police chief in Lethbridge, Alta., has delivered a plan to the province's justice minister aimed at fixing problems that led to a threat the service could be disbanded.Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh delivered the plan to Justice Minister Kaycee Madu on Tuesday, three days ahead of deadline.In an open letter to Lethbridge residents, Mehdizadeh said the service is on the right path moving forward, but needs to look at mistakes made by some employees in the past."This report addresses a number of key areas for improvement for the Lethbridge Police Service and outlines how we will move forward in the coming weeks, months and years," he writes."We have all seen the negative publicity the Lethbridge Police Service has received as of late. As a result, some citizens may be questioning the ethics and integrity of the men and women who serve you every day."Madu said earlier this month that change needed to happen immediately and there were serious problems that needed to be addressed.He said any plan had to address everything from recruiting to oversight, have benchmarks and timelines, and be communicated to the public. If not, Madu advised the force could be disbanded. The most critical area falls under ethics and accountability and includes management of conduct files, annual ethics training and a review of the police service's social media policy.Last year, two officers were temporarily demoted after a review determined NDP legislature member Shannon Phillips, while environment minister in 2017, was surveilled and photographed at a diner. The officers involved were concerned about changes Phillips was making regarding off-highway vehicle use at a nearby wilderness areas. Separately, five officers and one civilian are now being investigated for allegations of conducting improper database searches on Phillips while she was in cabinet in 2018. Part of the plan involves developing better leadership in current and future police members and restrictions on access to database searches."We will strive every day to keep your trust. I want to make a commitment to every citizen that we are on the right path moving forward," Mehdizadeh said.Lethbridge is Alberta's third-largest city with a population of more than 100,000. Its police force has been the focus of numerous controversies.Last month, five police employees were suspended with pay as part of an investigation into the circulation of inappropriate images, reportedly including pictures of senior police staff pasted onto the bodies of characters from the animated "Toy Story'' movies. Last year, the force was criticized for the violent takedown of a citizen wearing a "Star Wars" storm trooper costume and brandishing a toy laser blaster. The year before that, images went viral of a Lethbridge officer euthanizing a deer by running over the wailing animal numerous times with a police truck.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2021.— By Bill Graveland in Calgary. Follow @BillGraveland on Twitter The Canadian Press
As COVID-19 cases continue to surge, experts say Brazil’s death toll from COVID-19 will likely exceed that of the U.S., but President Jair Bolsonaro refuses to implement a lockdown.
A judge has sentenced a Vancouver man to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 15 years for stabbing and killing a 34-year-old woman in 2018. Jan Poepl, 31, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Nicole Porciello. She was killed when Poepl, her ex-partner stabbed her and then crashed the vehicle they were riding in into a light pole on the Barnet Highway in November 2018. "The nicest word that I can say is probably disappointing," said Porciello's cousin Gina Iuliano outside the Vancouver courthouse after the sentence was handed down Tuesday afternoon. "I'm trying to understand what it takes to get a life sentence in Canada [without parole] based on the horrific circumstances of what happened to Nicole. Even the judge described it as something horrific." Porciello, who worked at Templeton Secondary School in Vancouver, left behind a 10-year-old son. The judge also ordered a lifetime firearm prohibition for Poepl. Over the course of the sentencing hearings that began in March, the judge heard victim impact statements from Porciello's family and friends — all of which had a similar theme, according to her cousin. "She was pure love. She was fierce. She was smart. She was intelligent. She believed in everybody," Iuliano said. Porciello's brother has previously said that she and Poepl had an on-and-off relationship but Nicole had broken things off in the months before her death. Family members also noted on Tuesday that they hope to see a societal change that puts an end to violence against women. Iuliano says there were signs before Porciello's murder that Poepl was dangerous. "If we had done something in advance of this Nicole would still be here because we would have seen the behaviours that Jan exuded and brought us to the situation today."
Lyle Skinner is a constitutional lawyer who specializes in parliamentary law.(CBC) Lyle Skinner, an Ottawa-based constitutional lawyer based who specializes in parliamentary law, has been following Newfoundland and Labrador's election from its start. He says how it ends may depend on whether anyone else wants to join NDP Leader Alison Coffin in taking the election process to court. "This is part of the accountability mechanism. If anybody has any questions on if the election was conducted in a fair manner, then they can go to the court and ask the court to judicate that," Skinner said. Coffin and St. John's resident Whymarrh Whitby jointly filed a court challenge on Monday against Elections NL, arguing that the most recent general election discriminated against voters based on ethnicity, age or disability, while also excluding people without internet access and those in Indigenous communities. The application is separate from a challenge that Coffin filed earlier this month requesting a recount in her former district of St. John's East-Quidi Vidi, where she lost by 53 votes. This challenge is more bold: it asks that the Supreme Court to void last month's election results entirely. The Elections Act holds that a candidate or voter of a particular district can bring forward an application over an irregularity, Skinner said. The application filed on behalf of Coffin and Whitby lists 28 specific "irregularities," including Chief Electoral Officer Bruce Chaulk's hand-delivery of ballots to former PC leader Ches Crosbie and Liberal cabinet minister Siobhan Coady. Voiding election through a single application But Skinner said it appears Coffin's application is attempting to use a Charter of Rights and Freedoms argument to attempt to void all 40 districts through a single application. "Whether or not that will be successful will be for a judge to determine before they would consider the merits of the particular case, as it may be," he said. NDP Leader Alison Coffin and a resident in St. John's jointly filed a court challenge on Monday against Elections NL.(CBC) If the challenge is successful, and all 40 of the province's districts are void, Skinner said a second election will be issued, but it will be different than a regular general election. "The premier at any time can advise the lieutenant governor to dissolve the assembly. So in this case the assembly would still exist, it just wouldn't have any MHAs which from my research would be somewhat unprecedented," he said. If results are void for one district, Skinner added, it could still have a significant impact. A new election would be issued for that district, and if the incumbent is not returned there could be a cabinet shuffle and impacts on voting in certain committees. The possibility that all 40 districts will become void, in turn causing another election, may depend on the number individuals who feel there was an irregularity with this year's election, said Skinner. He said Monday's application may only be the first, and there's a window of two months since the day after a polling day in which people can bring forward their own applications. Balance of power may be affected Elections NL announced the results March 27. Voting had been suspended on the eve of the scheduled Feb. 13 election because of an outbreak of the COVID-19 virus variant B117. Chaulk pushed the province to mail-in ballots, although he adjusted the deadline to participate several times. WATCH | Lawyer Lyle Skinner tells Carolyn Stokes about the implications of a new NDP court challenge: "So it really depends on how many districts are being challenged, and again — even if there's only one or two, that might affect the balance of power," Skinner said. Andrew Furey's Liberals won 22 of the 40 seats in the House of Assembly. The Tories won 13 seats, the NDP won two, and three Independents were elected. "If the government goes into a minority government situation, the premier is within his prerogative to make an appeal to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and advise dissolution and commence an election in that way," Skinner said. "It doesn't have to be through the legal process through all 40 districts. There's also a political constitutional avenue as well." In 1993, the results for the district of Placentia were marked invalid because 55 voters, who didn't have proper documentation with respect to making an oath, totalled more than the 21-vote difference between candidates. Tory Nick Careen defeated Liberal incumbent Bill Hogan in that election. "The court said that when a situation materially affects the results such as that, that no other factors are really considered. It's that the irregularity could potentially affect the outcome," said Skinner. "In that case, because there was no further evidence produced, the results were voided and a second election occurred subsequent." Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
Councillors with the Town of Tecumseh have decided to reconsider allowing cannabis retailers within the municipality. The town's council voted in favour of reconsidering its previous decision to opt out of allowing cannabis retail. The municipality's administration is now expected to bring a report to council by June that will include community feedback. "We never said never," said Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara. McNamara said the retail cannabis industry was fairly new back when his council decided to opt out on Dec. 11, 2018. At the time, he said he didn't know the impact the industry would have. He said he was concerned with loitering, whether increased policing would be needed and whether it would "create havoc" in the community. But based on the rollout across the province, he said none of these issues seem to have come to the forefront. The town is the only municipality in Windsor-Essex that has yet to approve cannabis retailers. On Tuesday evening, Tecumseh councillors heard from three delegates — Sam Katzman, Robert Katzman and Melissa Boow — about the need for cannabis retailers in the area. The Katzmans own and operate Greentown Cannabis and The We Store Cannabis in Windsor. The father-son duo said the stores would bring jobs to the area and noted that they have two locations in mind for Tecumseh retail spots. "It's a fantastic opportunity from all different sides," said Robert. Meanwhile, Boow, who owns House of Hemp Inc. in Tecumseh, said her shop is looking to include cannabis products. While she said she can appreciate the "level of concern and uncertainty surrounding the emerging cannabis industry," she noted that if distribution and regulation remain responsible, the industry can benefit the community. As of Wednedsay, there are 24 retail stores in Windsor-Essex approved and another 27 seeking approval from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, which regulates the industry. Most recently, LaSalle opted in to the budding industry in March.
EDITOR'S NOTE: CBC News and The Road Ahead commissioned this public opinion research in March, just as the third wave of COVID-19 cases was building in Alberta. As with all polls, this one is a snapshot in time. This analysis is one in a series of articles to come out of this research. More stories are to follow. (CBC) If an election in Alberta were held today, the NDP would likely win a majority, as support for the governing United Conservative Party plummets, according to a new poll commissioned by CBC News. The poll, conducted in March and April, suggests all parts of the province are souring on the current government, with declines in Calgary, smaller municipalities and rural areas. But it also shows a fractured electorate, with a sizable chunk of voters looking for a third option. It also shows Premier Jason Kenney's approval falling precipitously since he was first elected. The findings are more bad news for a party that has struggled to overcome persistent economic challenges and the pandemic, and which is now facing a caucus revolt over public health restrictions. They could indicate a turbulent near future as Alberta navigates a socio-economic and political crossroads. The numbers Across the province, compared to the 2019 election that brought the newly formed UCP to power, support for the governing party has cratered from 55 per cent of voters to 33 per cent of respondents in this month's poll. The poll, conducted by Janet Brown Opinion Research on behalf of CBC News, suggests declines in support across all regions, with the NDP surging ahead of the UCP in the key battleground of Calgary and the UCP plummeting in more rural parts of the province. (Janet Brown Opinion Research) In Calgary, 41 per cent of respondents now say they would vote for the NDP, compared to 34 per cent for the UCP. That's a considerable shift from the 2019 election, when 55 per cent voted for the UCP and 32 per cent for the NDP. Outside the cities of Calgary and Edmonton, support for the government has sunk 28 points — from 67 per cent voter support to 39 per cent of respondents saying they'd vote UCP now. (Janet Brown Opinion Research) Nestled among the numbers, however, is about 25 per cent of respondents who say they're not interested in voting for either of the leading parties. Fully 11 per cent of respondents said they don't know who to vote for, leaving the door open for a third party. Edmonton remains an NDP bastion with 50 per cent support, compared to 26 per cent support for the UCP, according to the poll. "What's interesting about this poll, because there's been other polls that have shown the NDP moving ahead on a provincial level, but that's really only been because they've had such a tremendous lead in Edmonton," said pollster Janet Brown. "But now that they're leading in both Edmonton and Calgary, that sets them up for winning government." But the findings aren't just grim news for the governing party. The poll also suggests a lack of faith in Kenney's leadership. The leaders Prior to being elected, Kenney was riding high, with a previous Janet Brown poll showing 36 per cent of respondents were highly impressed with the new UCP leader in March 2018. That honeymoon is truly over. (Janet Brown Opinion Research) In the latest poll, only 16 per cent of respondents say they're highly impressed with Kenney, while 53 per cent are not impressed. NDP Leader Rachel Notley's numbers have remained stable, with 34 per cent of respondents saying they're highly impressed with her and 36 per cent saying they're not. (Janet Brown Opinion Research) So how does that play out in the rough and tumble world of Alberta politics? What it means Melanee Thomas, a professor of political science at the University of Calgary, said she looks at the results and sees instability for the UCP and stability for the NDP. "What's interesting with the NDP is that they've never dropped below a certain level, like in the low- to mid-30s. That seems to be their floor and all they need to do is swing up to like 41, 43 [per cent]," she said. "I think the same thing with the UCP. I think that's a credible way to think about it, where now they're probably finding their floor. And so now the debate is about who gets that swing?" Brown says the strength of the NDP isn't necessarily as secure as the numbers suggest. "They've pulled ahead, mainly because the UCP has been falling behind," she said. Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount Royal University in Calgary, points out that much of the support that has bled from the UCP has not gone toward the NDP. Across the province, the 22-point plunge for the UCP resulted in a seven-point increase for the NDP. Outside Calgary and Edmonton, a 28-point drop saw a nine-point rise for the NDP. "That tells me that there's a ceiling, and that Rachel Notley and the NDP have hit their ceiling," he said. "You can't win in a two-party system with 40 per cent. You can win in a multi-party system, but you can't win in a two-party system." It remains to be seen if the current turmoil in the UCP, and that significant group of unsatisfied voters, will lead to a more scattered political landscape. 2 years to go It is still two years before the next Alberta election, with untold challenges and changes that could take place in the interim. The poll and its findings are a snapshot in time. Bratt says, despite all the controversies and challenges currently facing the UCP, there is still the chance for a win in 2023 — even with an embattled Kenney at the helm. "As bad as it may appear at first blush, when I start to think about it a bit more — what is life like in two years' time? What is life like post-vaccination? What is life like when the economy starts to come back?" he said. CBC News' random survey of 1,200 Albertans was conducted between March 15 to April 10, 2021 by Edmonton-based Trend Research under the direction of Janet Brown Opinion Research (http://planetjanet.ca/special-projects/). The sample is representative along regional, age, and gender factors. The margin of error is +/-2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. For subsets, the margin of error is larger. The survey used a hybrid methodology that involved contacting survey respondents by telephone and giving them the option of completing the survey at that time, at another more convenient time, or receiving an email link and completing the survey online.
On the front wall at Good Robot Brewing, one of its cheeky slogans is painted in big, upper case letters: I don't wanna grow up. But over the last few years, the north-end Halifax brewery and beer garden has done just that — it's grown up. However, doing that next to a mosque, a place of prayer and contemplation, has involved growing pains for a business that bills itself as Halifax's most questionable brewery. "It's kind of become part of our mantra here in that we make mistakes a lot, learn to own up to them, and learn to apologize," said Josh Counsil, one of the brewery's co-founders. Good Robot's rocky relations with its neighbour, the Centre for Islamic Development, which houses a private school, a community centre and a mosque, reached a boiling point in 2016. This sign at Good Robot reminds customers to keep the noise down.(Elizabeth Chiu/CBC) Amid Ramadan — Islam's season of reconciliation and forgiveness — the windows in the place of worship were boarded up and sealed to muffle the sounds from loud bar patrons. But noise from a large and lively Pride dance party was the final straw. "The music and glitter bombs and everything were just a bit too much with prayer going on next door, so that was the turning point," said Counsil. The rowdy event led to a bylaw complaint from the Islamic centre, which wanted the brewery's liquor licence revoked. Faced with that possibility, Good Robot management met with the centre's nine directors for five hours to clear the air. They learned the worst offences — noisy, vomiting, and urinating bar patrons — had been spilling over and disrupting their Muslim neighbours. When the centre's complaint became public, it ignited a media storm and drew a backlash of hurtful, Islamophobic, xenophobic, racist messages. Mohamed Yaffa is one of two imams at the Centre for Islamic Development.(Elizabeth Chiu/CBC) Even though Good Robot didn't contribute to the racist trolling, Counsil said the company resolved to be better. "Learn to swallow your pride, and put your ego at bay, and meditate on things where you have done some harm, and see what comes out of it," he said. The promises made during that long meeting with the centre's directors have been maintained to this day, he said. A sign was installed reminding bar patrons "not to scream at the top of your lungs. And be respectful of our neighbours." Staff write down daily prayer times as a reminder of when the music volume is to be turned down. And a few times a day, workers circle the block to clean up any debris and garbage in the area. "A pub is a public house, and if you aren't respectful of your neighbourhood and its surroundings, you aren't really living up to your namesake," he said. Bar staff jot down the daily prayer times at the mosque next door as a reminder to turn down the music volume.(Elizabeth Chiu/CBC) Over the last five years, Good Robot has learned to be a good neighbour. On Instagram this week, the brewery sent good wishes to its Muslim friends at the centre as they begin Ramadan. The post detailed the fateful events of five years ago. Counsil said that turning point helped to steer the company down a path toward equity, diversity and inclusion. The company has made efforts to hire more Blacks and women in the white, male-dominated industry. "This incident, among others, helped to really craft what it is we do and what we want to do in our neighbourhoods," said Counsil. When the faithful gathered on Monday evening to pray and recite scripture to mark the start of Ramadan, it was completely uneventful. "We didn't hear any noise," said Mohamed Yaffa, one of the mosque's imams. "I never actually thought about that. We have neighbours that we used to have clashes with before. So, yeah, it's all good now." MORE TOP STORIES
Toronto police didn't check Bruce McArthur's criminal record in 2013 before or after interviewing him — despite possessing evidence connecting the now-convicted serial killer to three missing men whose disappearances officers were then investigating. That's just one of many serious investigative flaws former judge Gloria Epstein identifies in her independent review of Toronto police's handling of missing-persons cases — including the victims of McArthur — released Tuesday. Epstein argues proper preparation for the McArthur interview, an understanding of his 2003 assault conviction, and his connection to the three missing men should have resulted in greater police scrutiny of his conduct as early as November 2013. He was eventually arrested and charged with murder in January 2018. "Someone with a connection with all three missing persons who had attacked another member of the LGBTQ2S+ communities and been banned from the Village for a period should have undoubtedly have qualified as a person of interest," Epstein wrote, referring to the gay community's downtown neighbourhood. The 1,100-page report marks the first time some of these details — of what police did and knew when — have come to light. The service has previously refused to "dissect the investigation" despite questions about how police handled the investigations into missing men who turned out to be McArthur's victims. Retired judge Gloria Epstein released her final report on Toronto police service's handling of missing-persons cases, including McArthur's victims, on Tuesday.(Submitted by Shelley Colenbrander) "I cannot say that McArthur would necessarily have been apprehended earlier if these investigative steps had been taken," Epstein wrote. "But the Toronto police did lose important opportunities to identify him as the killer." McArthur went on to kill five more men after police first interviewed him as part of Project Houston. In a news conference, acting Toronto police chief James Ramer told reporters Tuesday "the shortcomings [Esptein] identified are inexcusable" and that the service is going to implement her recommendations "as quickly as possible." The 16-minute interview The Project Houston task force was launched in November 2012 to probe the disappearances of Skandaraj Navaratnam, Abdulbasir Faizi and Majeed Kayhan — all of whom were connected to Toronto's Gay Village. Almost a year into that investigation, police discovered McArthur was connected to Navaratnam and Faizi through his online username "silverfoxx51." A detective on the project scheduled an interview in November 2013. But Det.-Const. Joshua McKenzie did not prepare questions, look into McArthur's background or do a Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database search on him before the interview, according to Epstein's report. If he had, McKenzie would have found McArthur's 2003 assault conviction, which Epstein argues could have then been used to obtain the synopsis of the serial killer's unprovoked pipe attack on a gay man in the Village in 2001. Project Houston, a police task force, was created to probe the disappearances of Skandaraj Navaratnam, Abdulbasir Faizi and Majeed Kayhan.() Instead, the interview with McArthur lasted only 16 minutes and McKenzie didn't ask McArthur about his known connection to Faizi after McArthur denied knowing the missing man. McArthur also admitted to having had a sexual relationship with Kayhan — who police had yet to connect to McArthur — but McKenzie didn't ask follow-up questions about the relationship. 'Important fact went unnoticed' After the interview, police had a connection between McArthur and all three missing men. "However, this important fact went unnoticed," wrote Epstein. "McKenzie's summary of the interview failed to include it." In the report, Epstein references and agrees with a summary of the implication of those connections from an unnamed police investigator provided to the review. "[McArthur] would have been the one and only person who was linked to all three disappearances at that point from all the information we had," the investigator said. WATCH | Report 'hard to read,' interim chief says: "He would be on the top of the list of finding out what more is he capable of and what he does. The prime suspect, if you will." Instead, it looks like no supervisor reviewed McKenzie's interview or instructed any follow-up action because of it, according to the report. Epstein said McKenzie was a relatively junior officer at the time and told the review that he did what he was told. Neither the video of the McArthur interview nor the summary McKenzie wrote were added to Toronto police's records system, Versadex, or the major case management system, PowerCase. In her report, Epstein outlines how those omissions had ramifications on how police investigated McArthur when he was arrested, but not charged, for an assault in June 2016. CBC News has previously reported on the attempted choking of a man, in the back of McArthur's van, who was able to escape and called 911. Afterward, McArthur went to the police and said the incident was consensual. He was let go, as police believed his story was credible. Bruce McArthur pleaded guilty to killing these eight men. Top row, from left to right: Skandaraj Navaratnam, Andrew Kinsman, Selim Esen and Abdulbasir Faizi. Bottom row, from left to right: Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, Dean Lisowick, Soroush Mahmudi and Majeed Kayhan.(John Fraser/CBC) The investigator, Sgt. Paul Gauthier, is facing police disciplinary charges in connection with the case. He told the independent review that had he known McArthur had been identified as someone in contact with three missing persons in Project Houston, Gauthier would have contacted officers from the task force before making his decision not to charge McArthur. "[Gauthier] saw this situation as a counterproductive siloing of relevant information. I agree with him," Epstein wrote. However, the report also notes that Gauthier's 2016 investigation failed to turn up McArthur's 2003 assault conviction. By that time, McArthur had received a record suspension from the Parole Board of Canada in connection with that conviction, but that didn't mean police couldn't find a record of the assault. 'Easily discoverable' "We do know this information, which turned out to be relevant, was easily discoverable during Project Prism," Epstein wrote in relation to the task force that looked into the disappearances of Andrew Kinsman and Selim Esen and eventually led to the arrest of McArthur. Without the information on McArthur's pipe assault, Epstein said that investigators in Project Houston and the 2016 choking investigation saw McArthur "as a 64-year-old man with no prior violent history." "What became obvious to me during this Review is that officers have varying (and sometimes inaccurate) understandings of what is available to them on their own databases." McArthur murdered five men — Soroush Mahmudi, Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, Dean Lisowick, Esen and Kinsman — after he was interviewed as part of Project Houston in 2013. Esen and Kinsman were killed after the 2016 attempted choking investigation. McArthur is currently serving a life sentence for the first-degree murder of all eight men. He will be 91 by the time he can apply for parole.
