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First Nation councillor calls for resignations after teen killed in police shooting

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WETASKIWIN, Alta. – A band councillor with an Alberta First Nation is calling on two RCMP officers to resign after the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy.

Izaiah Swampy Omeasoo of Samson Cree Nation says in an online statement that members of his community are mourning the death of Hoss Lightning.

Speaking on behalf of Hoss’s family, he says the presence of the officers poses a “serious danger” to people living near Maskwacis, south of Edmonton.

He also called for police reform, Indigenous-focused de-escalation training and greater access to mental health support funding.

“We must … come together to stand up against the injustice Indigenous Peoples face (and) the justice Hoss Lightning deserves,” Swampy Omeasoo said.

Wetaskiwin RCMP said they received a report Friday about a boy who had called 911 and told a dispatcher he was being followed by people trying to kill him. About an hour later, police said officers found the teen with several weapons, which they confiscated.

Police said a confrontation then led to two officers shooting the boy, who later died in hospital.

RCMP did not identify the teen but offered condolences to his family and loved ones.

On Tuesday, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Gina Slaney directed questions about the officers and the shooting to Alberta’s police watchdog, which is investigating.

An official with the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team did not provide further details but said an update was forthcoming.

Swampy Omeasoo said Hoss must have felt scared and alone when he was shot.

A candlelight vigil honouring the boy is to be held once family members have taken the time to mourn, he said.

Opposition NDP legislature members Brooks Arcand-Paul and Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, who are Indigenous, issued a joint statement calling for a thorough investigation and a commitment to structural police reform.

They said the teen “began his spirit walk far too young” and called his death a terrible loss to the community.

“We reiterate the need for a comprehensive approach to fixing the structural problems with policing in this province,” their statement said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2024.

— By Aaron Sousa in Edmonton

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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One person dead, three injured and power knocked out in Winnipeg bus shelter crash

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WINNIPEG – Police in Winnipeg say one person has died and three more were injured after a pickup truck smashed into a bus shelter on Portage Avenue during the morning commute.

Police say those injured are in stable condition in hospital.

It began after a Ford F150 truck hit a pedestrian and bus shelter on Portage Avenue near Bedson Street before 8 a.m.

Another vehicle, a power pole and a gas station were also damaged before the truck came to a stop.

The crash forced commuters to be rerouted and knocked out power in the area for more than a thousand Manitoba Hydro customers.

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

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Kamloops, B.C., man charged with murder in the death of his mother: RCMP

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KAMLOOPS, B.C. – A 35-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder after his mother’s body was found near her Kamloops, B.C., home a year ago.

Mounties say 57-year-old Jo-Anne Donovan was found dead about a week after she had been reported missing.

RCMP says its serious crime unit launched an investigation after the body was found.

Police say they arrested Brandon Donovan on Friday after the BC Prosecution Service approved the charge.

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S&P/TSX gains almost 100 points, U.S. markets also higher ahead of rate decision

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TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets climbed to their best week of the year.

“It’s been almost a complete opposite or retracement of what we saw last week,” said Philip Petursson, chief investment strategist at IG Wealth Management.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.

While last week saw a “healthy” pullback on weaker economic data, this week investors appeared to be buying the dip and hoping the central bank “comes to the rescue,” said Petursson.

Next week, the U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut its key interest rate for the first time in several years after it significantly hiked it to fight inflation.

But the magnitude of that first cut has been the subject of debate, and the market appears split on whether the cut will be a quarter of a percentage point or a larger half-point reduction.

Petursson thinks it’s clear the smaller cut is coming. Economic data recently hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been that bad either, he said — and inflation may have come down significantly, but it’s not defeated just yet.

“I think they’re going to be very steady,” he said, with one small cut at each of their three decisions scheduled for the rest of 2024, and more into 2025.

“I don’t think there’s a sense of urgency on the part of the Fed that they have to do something immediately.

A larger cut could also send the wrong message to the markets, added Petursson: that the Fed made a mistake in waiting this long to cut, or that it’s seeing concerning signs in the economy.

It would also be “counter to what they’ve signaled,” he said.

More important than the cut — other than the new tone it sets — will be what Fed chair Jerome Powell has to say, according to Petursson.

“That’s going to be more important than the size of the cut itself,” he said.

In Canada, where the central bank has already cut three times, Petursson expects two more before the year is through.

“Here, the labour situation is worse than what we see in the United States,” he said.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.

The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.

— With files from The Associated Press

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

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

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