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Death-row dog loses fight for life as Supreme Court of Canada rejects owner's bid to appeal – CBC.ca

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The owner of a Vancouver dog stuck on death row for half its life has lost a bid to appeal the canine’s case in Canada’s highest court, meaning the dog will soon be euthanized. 

The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed Susan Santics’s application for leave to appeal Punky the dog’s euthanization on Thursday. As usual, the top court did not provide a reason for its decision.

“I’m absolutely gutted. I had hoped we would be able to move forward with this case and bring animal law to the highest court in Canada,” animal rights lawyer Victoria Shroff said Thursday.

“This is very, very sad news indeed because it’s the end of the road for Punky … He will be executed.”

Punky was ordered destroyed after the dog bit a woman in an off-leash park in Vancouver in 2017. The four-year-old Australian cattle dog has been locked up since, while Santics battled through the courts in an effort to save her pet.

Susan Santics says she is devastated by the incarceration of her Australian cattle dog, Punky. (Yvette Brend/CBC News)

Three British Columbia courts had already ruled Punky was dangerous, agreeing with a decision from an animal control bylaw officer with the City of Vancouver.

“Given Punky’s past behaviour, temperament and lack of rehabilitation prospects … the dog poses an unacceptable risk to the public and ought to be destroyed,” appeal court Justice Patrice Abrioux wrote last year.

In the wake of the top court’s decision Thursday, Santics has no legal avenues left to fight the case.

Appeals to the Supreme Court of Canada are not automatic. The court only agrees to hear cases involving significant legal issues of national importance.

Punky was seven weeks old when Susan Santics became his owner. (Susan Santics/Facebook)

Shroff previously told B.C.’s appeal court that Punky’s case fit the criteria.

“We are in a transformed legal environment where animals matter,” Shroff argued.

“Even if you think an animal is not a family member, before you take somebody’s property away — especially sentient property — you’d better be 100 per cent sure that this animal has no prospects of rehabilitation,” she said.

On Thursday, Shroff asked the city prosecutor in Vancouver to grant Punky some extra time so Santics could have time to say goodbye. The prosecutor “was understanding,” Shroff said, and agreed to give Punky a reprieve until at least next Wednesday.

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RCMP arrest second suspect in deadly shooting east of Calgary

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EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.

Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.

Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.

Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.

Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.

RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.

Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.

“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.

But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.

“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.

While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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26-year-old son is accused of his father’s murder on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

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RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.

Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.

The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.

It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.

Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.

The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Metro Vancouver’s HandyDART strike continues after talks break with no deal

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VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.

Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”

However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.

McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.

He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.

The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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