A man marked number one on a list of “Canada’s most wanted” was arrested hours after the Bolo Program launched a new “top 25” campaign, officials say.
On Tuesday, the Bolo Program announced a top 25 list of “Canada’s most wanted” individuals, including several who are sought by the Toronto Police Service.
Of the 25 individuals on the list, 12 were listed as being wanted by the Toronto Police Service, including Abilaziz Mohamed, who was listed as the most wanted person.
Bolo, which stands for “be on the lookout,” is a program that amplifies wanted notices.
An “unprecedented” reward of up to $250,000 was being offered for information leading to Mohamed’s arrest.
In a news release issued Wednesday morning, Toronto police said anonymous information was received Tuesday evening about Mohamed’s location.
“Yesterday, Abilaziz Mohamed was Bolo’s number one wanted suspect. Today, he is in Toronto Police Service custody charged with the murder of 43-year-old Craig MacDonald thanks to information provided by a member of the public,” Toronto police Chief James Ramer said in the release.
“We hope this provides a small amount of closure for the victim’s family. We work proudly and effectively with our Bolo partners and this successful arrest sends a clear message to those who continue to evade justice: you will be found.”
According to the Bolo Program website, emergency crews were called just after 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2021 to a Boston Pizza near Morningside and Milner avenues in Scarborough.
MacDonald had been shot in the parking lot after an altercation inside the restaurant, according to Bolo.
“He was a hard-working man who had five children, two stepchildren, and a granddaughter,” the website said.
“MacDonald worked at Providence Health and was a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
Craig’s Sister, Drema MacDonald, told Global News Craig was “just a really good guy and everyone loved him.”
“He just had this way about him with connecting with people. He had friends from all different ages, all different backgrounds. He was just a very welcoming person,” she said.
Drema said Craig went to the Boston Pizza after watching a Leafs game.
Craig MacDonald was shot in the parking lot of a Boston Pizza on Oct. 13, 2021.
Bolo Program
“He wasnt there very long. Everything changed in 40 minutes that he was there,” she said.
“He crossed paths with this person and there was an altercation. They did, you know, go their separate ways. Unfortunately, the suspect came back from his car with a gun and shot Craig when Craig exited through the side door to have a cigarette.”
Drema said Tuesday that she worked continuously over the past six months to make the public aware of Craig’s case and the fact that Mohamed was wanted.
“I can’t go anywhere without searching for him,” she said, adding that she has always been on the lookout.
She said that most of all, they want Craig back, but also to see an arrest made.
“It’s like salt in the wounds, in open wounds to have him still out there,” she said Tuesday.
“It’s just such an unsettling feeling and I just want him to pay for what he did.”
Officials said it was believed Mohamed was still in the Greater Toronto Area.
He has since been charged with first-degree murder and was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning.
1:52 Family of Toronto gun violence victim: ‘It could happen to anyone’
Family of Toronto gun violence victim: ‘It could happen to anyone’ – Oct 27, 2021
Drema spoke to Global News again after news of the arrest.
“I’m so thankful for that program and how quickly this came about. I can’t believe how quickly this happened,” she said.
“Yesterday was intense because it finally felt like all the shouting that I’ve been doing for the last six months, finally people were listening….
“There is this immense relief that the hunt is over and that he’s behind bars and facing justice. But it’s not over. You know, it doesn’t bring Craig back and it’s not the end of our journey because this is going to make its way through the criminal justice system and there’s still a lot for us to face.”
The director of the Bolo Program, Maxime Langlois, also commented on the arrest in a statement sent to Global News.
“I want to thank citizens of the Greater Toronto Area for being on the lookout for Abilaziz Mohamed. This arrest not only makes communities of the GTA safer, it also allows the family of the victim to take their next step forward in this awful journey,” Langlois said.
“The message to all outstanding Bolo fugitives is the following: The entire country is on the lookout for you. Call a lawyer. Call the police. Make arrangements to turn yourself in.”
The allegations against Mohamed have not been proven in court.
Drema McDonald, the sister of Craig MacDonald tells me she’s been “screaming from the rooftops” trying to keep Mohamed’s name and photo in the news since her brother was murdered last October. She contacted me to tell me she’s so relieved. “I can believe it worked so quickly. pic.twitter.com/kSlQnfV1kd
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
