Commissioner to release report on Paul Bernardo's prison transfer | Canada News Media
Connect with us

News

Commissioner to release report on Paul Bernardo’s prison transfer

Published

 on

Correctional Service of Canada Commissioner Anne Kelly is expected to report today on her office’s probe of serial killer Paul Bernardo’s controversial prison transfer.

Bernardo is a dangerous offender serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years for kidnapping, torturing and killing Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy in the early 1990s near St. Catherines, Ont. He was also found guilty of the manslaughter and sexual assault of his 15-year-old sister-in-law Tammy Homolka.

Bernardo was quietly transferred on May 29 from a high-security prison in Ontario to a medium-security prison in Quebec. Experts say the move means Bernardo might not send as much time in his cell and could associate with other inmates and attend group therapy sessions. They’ve also said the transfer does not elevate his escape risk.

In response to public outrage, Kelly’s department in June tasked a three-person review committee with determining if Bernardo’s transfer was appropriate, if victims were given enough consideration and if all policies and rules were followed.

The panel includes a policy specialist, a former police officer and a member of a citizen’s committee that advises the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). The CSC said that, “due to the sensitive nature of the file,” it wouldn’t share their names.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he looks forward to reading the review’s conclusions.

“Our thoughts have to turn first to the French and Mahaffy families, who continue to live the loss of their daughters so many years ago that still hurts deeply today,” he said. “I think the entire country is still reeling from the anguish of these terrible, terrible acts. That’s the lens with which we have to go through all these processes.”

 

Trudeau says there are ‘lessons’ to learn from Bernardo transfer debacle

 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will be following up on lessons learned from the controversial Paul Bernardo prison transfer.

Victims’ families said they were shocked that Kelly’s department only notified them of Bernardo’s transfer the morning of May 29 – the day he was transferred.

The families’ lawyer, Tim Danson, has said they should have been warned earlier and should have been part of the discussion before the decision was made.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino has come under fire over his handling of the file, which led the Conservatives to call for his resignation.

In June, Mendicino called Bernardo’s transfer “shocking and incomprehensible.”  CBC News later revealed that Mendicino’s office was first notified of the transfer three months in advance, and again days before it happened.

 

Marco Mendocino sidesteps questions about Bernardo transfer

 

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendocino avoided questions from reporters on why he was not told about the prison transfer of serial killer Paul Bernardo and whether anyone would be held accountable. He also rejected continued calls to resign from opposition MPs.

Mendicino has maintained his office failed to tell him of Bernardo’s transfer before it was completed on May 29. The minister said last month he’s taken “corrective actions internally” and has told his staff that he should have been briefed earlier.

When asked if he still has confidence in Mendicino and if he handled the file appropriately, Trudeau first sidestepped the question before saying he has confidence in his cabinet.

“I have an amazing team in Ottawa and an amazing group of MPs right across the country who are committed to serving their country every single day, and anyone in my cabinet by definition has my confidence,” said Trudeau.

 

Poilievre asks if Trudeau will fire ‘incompetent’ public safety minister over Bernardo transfer

 

Asked repeatedly by Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre whether he will keep Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino in his cabinet position after the minister’s handling of the prison transfer of Paul Bernardo, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says ‘being there and supporting victims is always top of mind for this government.’

Mendicino last month asked for a ministerial order making it mandatory to notify the minister of public safety and victims’ families before a high-profile prison transfer.

For more than a decade, the Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime has been calling on the Correctional Service of Canada to notify victims of prison transfers in advance and allow them to share their concerns before the decision is made.

 

Source link

Continue Reading

News

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov wins Belgrade Open for his second ATP Tour title

Published

 on

BELGRADE, Serbia – Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is back in the winner’s circle.

The 25-year-old Shapovalov beat Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in the Belgrade Open final on Saturday.

It’s Shapovalov’s second ATP Tour title after winning the Stockholm Open in 2019. He is the first Canadian to win an ATP Tour-level title this season.

His last appearance in a tournament final was in Vienna in 2022.

Shapovalov missed the second half of last season due to injury and spent most of this year regaining his best level of play.

He came through qualifying in Belgrade and dropped just one set on his way to winning the trophy.

Shapovalov’s best results this season were at ATP 500 events in Washington and Basel, where he reached the quarterfinals.

Medjedovic was playing in his first-ever ATP Tour final.

The 21-year-old, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title last year, ends 2024 holding a 9-8 tour-level record on the season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

News

Talks to resume in B.C. port dispute in bid to end multi-day lockout

Published

 on

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 Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

News

The Royal Canadian Legion turns to Amazon for annual poppy campaign boost

Published

 on

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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version