Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in US drug trafficking case

REGINA – Two former Saskatchewan Party government members say they are voting for the NDP’s Carla Beck in the provincial election on Oct. 28.

Mark Docherty, who retired from Premier Scott Moe’s government last year and is a former Speaker, says Beck shows strong leadership.`

Docherty says the Saskatchewan Party became insular under Moe and that the premier wouldn’t meet with Docherty to discuss issues.

Glen Hart, a Saskatchewan Party member who retired in 2020, says the party is not what it used to be and has moved more right on the political spectrum.

He says Moe could have spent provincial dollars more wisely and helped fix problems in the health-care system.

Beck says she is thankful for the endorsements and that it’s time for change.

“They’re here to help elect a Saskatchewan NDP government to fix health care, to lower costs and to get Saskatchewan out of last place,” she said in Regina in front of the legislature.

“They know, as we know, this isn’t about Team Orange versus Team Green. This is about Team Saskatchewan.”

Ian Hanna, a speech writer and senior political adviser to former Saskatchewan Party premier Brad Wall, also endorsed Beck.

“I didn’t leave the Saskatchewan Party. The Saskatchewan Party left me,” Hanna said.

He said the party used to be comprised of liberals and conservatives who committed to balanced budgets, quality health care and a strong safety net.

Hanna said the party drifted from its principles when it decided to cut education spending in 2017 and not treat teachers with respect during labour negotiations earlier this year.

He said he also takes issue with Moe using the notwithstanding clause to override certain Charter rights in a law that prevents children under 16 from changing their names or pronouns at school.

“After a string of poor byelection performances, Scott Moe chose to sacrifice the safety of a small but extremely vulnerable group of students for his own short-term political advantage,” he said.

Docherty said the pronoun law was one of the last straws for him.

He said he worked in a youth home with Beck, and they helped young people who had been kicked out of their homes because of their identity.

“This young person identifies as a girl, and we’re going to take her because nobody else will, and we’re going to do our best. By God, we did our best,” Docherty said.

Hart said Saskatchewan’s health system suffered under Moe during the COVID-19 pandemic, when some patients were sent to Ontario.

Hospitals still haven’t recovered, he added.

He said it also didn’t sit well with him when the Saskatchewan Party government broke the law earlier this year by withholding carbon levy payments to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government.

Moe has said he stopped paying the levy out of fairness, as Trudeau exempted home-heating oil users from paying the levy in a move largely seen as helping those in Atlantic Canada.

“You can debate the carbon tax policy all you want. That’s all fair game,” Hart said.

“But when you start breaking the rule of law, you’re (setting) a poor example.”

Former Speaker Randy Weekes, who quit the Saskatchewan Party earlier this year after accusing caucus members of bullying, has also said he’s supporting the NDP.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

TORONTO – A Toronto court has ordered an assessment to determine if a woman accused of killing three people in three Ontario cities over three days is fit to stand trial at this time.

Prosecutors applied for the assessment Thursday as Sabrina Kauldhar, 30, appeared in a Toronto court on a second-degree murder charge related to a death in the city, one of the three murder charges she faces.

Defence lawyers had initially asked for the assessment, but withdrew their application saying Kauldhar had instructed them to oppose it.

In ordering the assessment, Ontario Court Justice Edward Kelly said the prosecution had satisfied the court that “there are reasonable grounds to doubt the fitness of the accused at this point in time.”

Kauldhar was arrested earlier this month and charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder.

The charges relate to three deaths police say took place over three consecutive days in Toronto, Niagara Falls and Hamilton.

Investigators say Trinh Thi Vu, 66, was found dead inside a home in west Toronto on Oct. 1. It’s alleged she and Kauldhar knew each other.

Police say 47-year-old Lance Cunningham died in a Niagara Falls park the following day, and 77-year-old Mario Bilich died in Hamilton the day after.

Police have said they believe Cunningham and Bilich were randomly attacked.

Kauldhar’s case is set to return before courts in St. Catharines, Ont., and Hamilton, Ont., on Friday in relation to the other two deaths.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Three men convicted of helping lead and co-ordinate the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 are to be sentenced next year.

In April, a jury found Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos and Gerhard (George) Janzen guilty of one count each of mischief over $5,000.

The sentencing was originally scheduled for late September, but it has been rescheduled for Jan. 9 and 10 in Lethbridge Court of King’s Bench to give Van Huigenbos time to find a new lawyer.

The three were charged for their roles in a blockade that tied up cross-border traffic between Canada and the United States at Coutts for two weeks in protest of COVID-19 rules and restrictions.

The Crown said the evidence showed the men were key players and became faces of the blockade.

The maximum sentence for public mischief over $5,000 is 10 years in prison.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.