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REGINA – Two women told a jury trial Tuesday that a Regina chiropractor pulled their breasts during appointments.

Ruben Manz is accused of sexually assaulting seven women between 2010 and 2020 while they were under his care. The complainants cannot be identified due to a publication ban.

A 47-year-old woman, who described herself as a professional athlete, testified she went to see Manz in 2011 to treat pain in her neck, shoulders, lower back and hips.

She said she was sitting on an exam table when Manz placed a hand on her shoulder, pulled her head to one side and put a hand in her shirt.

He asked if she was OK, she said, and she replied yes but was hesitant.

Manz then moved his hand into her bra and pulled her breast, she told the jury.

“He said, ‘Just relax. It’s part of the treatment,’ And I said, ‘The hell it is,’” the woman testified. “I got up, grabbed my stuff and left the room.”

The woman said what happened to her was wrong and no other chiropractor had touched her that way.

She stopped seeing Manz immediately, she said.

“I didn’t trust him. He violated me.”

The woman said she reported Manz to a chiropractors association the next day. In 2021, after reading a news report about criminal charges against Manz, she went to police.

“He did this to somebody else, so I was mad,” she testified.

She said she regularly seeks treatment for muscle strain and adjustments to her shoulders, hips and spine.

“I have to work very hard to find the strength to trust people to put their hands on me,” she added.

Defence lawyer Kathy Hodgson-Smith questioned the woman about what she remembered, including how many appointments she had with Manz, the clothes she was wearing and how many people she told about her allegation.

The woman said she couldn’t remember exactly how many times she saw Manz. She recalled wearing a supportive bra meant to prevent pressure to her chest.

She said she’s been open about sharing what happened with others if the topic of bad experiences comes up.

“I remember that one incident with him like it was yesterday,” the woman testified. “I remembered it this whole time — not because it came up in a news report or because I talked about it.

“Because it wasn’t OK. And I haven’t had a chiropractor before then or since then do that to me.”

Hodgson-Smith said it’s possible the woman didn’t stop the doctor from touching her and didn’t storm out of his office.

“You left that office normal,” the lawyer said.

“I absolutely did not, and I take high, high offence in that,” the woman responded, wiping away tears.

“You’re asking me to defend myself, when I didn’t do anything wrong.”

A 50-year-old woman testified she started seeing Manz in about 2005 to address neck and back pain after getting into a car crash.

At her last appointment with the doctor, she said, one of his hands was inside her shirt while his other hand was pulling her head to one side.

His pinky finger went underneath her bra, she said, and she felt her breast lift.

“I said, ‘My boob, you’re pulling my boob out of my bra.’ And he let go,” said the woman.

“We just kind of, I don’t know, tried to act normal. He said, ‘OK, we’ll see you next time,’ and that was pretty much it.”

The woman said she never booked another appointment with Manz.

“I just felt very uncomfortable.”

The trial is scheduled to continue this week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

EDMONTON – Alberta’s surging population has the provincial government planning to add more seats to the legislature.

Justice Minister Mickey Amery introduced a bill Tuesday that calls for the creation of two additional electoral districts to bring the province’s seat total to 89 ahead of the 2027 general election.

There could also be widespread boundary changes, as the bill, if passed, would remove a provision that requires riding boundaries respect municipal boundaries as a guiding principle.

When asked by reporters if removing the provision is an attempt to dilute urban ridings with rural voters, who historically favour conservative representatives, Amery said the United Conservative Party government is aiming for manoeuvrability.

“A number of rural or semi-rural communities are very much closely connected to their urban cities that they’re nearby,” Amery said.

“The idea here is to build the flexibility for the commission to identify, for example, communities of interest, communities that share common transportation routes or common themes.”

Amery said the decision to increase seats is driven by Alberta’s recent surge in population, which is now at almost five million.

Government figures show that nine of Alberta’s current 87 constituencies are overpopulated, and Amery said having two additional representatives in the legislative assembly would improve voter representation.

Five of those overpopulated districts are in Calgary, three are in Edmonton, and the last is Airdrie-Cochrane, which covers all of Cochrane — a town that has seen its population grow by over 40 per cent since 2016.

Provincial rules dictate that the population of each constituency must be within 25 per cent of the average population of all electoral districts, though some exceptions are made for a couple rural districts where meeting that target isn’t feasible.

Should the bill pass, the government would establish a five-member commission to study and recommend where the boundaries of existing constituencies should be changed to create the two new districts.

Even if the bill is defeated, Premier Danielle Smith’s government would still need to establish a commission to review the electoral districts before the next election.

The commission would be made up of two members appointed by the Opposition NDP and three, including a committee chair, appointed by the United Conservatives.

NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir said he expects the UCP to go through the boundary redesign in good faith.

“We expect that it’s a fair process and these new ridings are given in the areas where we see the most population and growth pressures, and these are not just used for any political gains,” Sabir said.

The last election in 2023 saw results unfold along geographic lines, with the NDP taking Edmonton, the UCP dominating in rural areas and the two sides effectively splitting the key battleground of Calgary.

Political science professor Lisa Young said she isn’t surprised the government is looking to expand the legislature, as not doing so ahead of the necessary district review might have meant the loss of rural districts in favour of new urban ones where the population growth is being seen.

“It gets the government out of an immediate political problem,” said Young with the University of Calgary.

“If they didn’t, they were going to have to deal with a really messy situation that would have reduced the number of rural ridings, and that would have created problems inside UCP caucus.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

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WASHINGTON – Americans are anxiously watching the results of Tuesday’s election roll in as a chaotic presidential campaign reaches its peak in a deeply divided United States, where voters in only a handful of battleground states will choose the country’s path forward.

Many Americans remain caught between concern and excitement. Bars throughout the U.S. capital were packed with people watching the results come in.

Some windows on nearby businesses were boarded up and security fences were erected outside the White House, putting some visitors to the famous building on edge about violence on election day.

At Union Pub near Capitol Hill, election specials included the The Dirty Walz — with Mountain Dew, vodka and grenadine — and They’re Drinking The Cats — with whiskey and sour mix served with cat straws.

“Whatever happens in the election, I am confident in America,” said Randy Biard, who is from Tennessee, in Washington Tuesday afternoon.

Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump have presented starkly different visions for America’s future, but as millions of Americans cast their ballots, polling suggested the two remained in a dead heat.

Trump was holding a watch party at Mar-a-Lago in Florida while Harris was gathering with party faithful at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington.

Howard students gathered in campus gymnasium for a watch party filled with music and dancing. As early results started to come in, spirits remained high despite the uncertain outcome.

“I’m very excited, nervous, but I think what’s meant to be will be,” said 20-year-old party attendee Tyette Manna.

A shared history and 8,891-kilometre border will not shield Canada from the election’s outcome. Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, said “any election in the U.S. is important and impactful for us.”

“They are central to our economic prosperity. They are a vital security partner.”

Hillman has been travelling across America meeting with key members of the Republican and Democrat teams to prepare for any outcome. On election night, after her embassy duties are finished, she planned to watch the results with her husband and friends.

Hillman is keenly aware of the immense stakes at play for Canada.

“Whoever is sitting in the Oval Office and populating Congress is making decisions that may affect Canada, either decisions that provide us with opportunities or decisions that pose challenges for us,” Hillman said. “The job is to be ready for both.”

Both candidates have proposed protectionist policies, but experts warn if the Republican leader prevails the relationship between the neighbours could be much more difficult.

“Trump and some of the key people around him, including (former trade representative) Robert Lighthizer, really want to stick it to Canada,” said Fen Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Trump’s first administration demonstrated how vulnerable Canada is to America’s whims when the former president scrapped the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Negotiating its successor, the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, was a key test for Ottawa after Trump’s victory. Whoever takes over the White House this time will be in charge during the agreement’s review in 2026.

A cause for concern in Canada and around the world is Trump’s proposed 10 per cent across-the-board tariff. A Canadian Chamber of Commerce report suggests those tariffs would shrink the Canadian economy, resulting in around $30 billion per year in economic costs.

American economists warned Trump’s plan could cause inflation, and possibly a recession, which would almost certainly have ripple effects in Canada. More than 77 per cent of Canadian exports go to the U.S and trade comprises 60 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product.

“When the American economy is growing, it’s generally good for us,” Hampson said. “If they take a deep dive under Trump … that will have a knock-on effect on us, on top of tariffs.”

The election outcome could also redefine America’s role in the world. Trump is critical of giving aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia, has attacked the United Nations and repeatedly claimed he would not defend NATO members that don’t meet defence spending targets — something Canada is not doing, and won’t do for years.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to meet the target of spending the equivalent of two per cent of GDP on defence by 2032.

Trump’s first tenure also saw the Republican leader withdraw from the Paris Agreement, an international treaty to cut greenhouse gases.

Hampson said the Republicans’ push against international institutions and treaties will have “a profound impact” on Canada, but also key allies and the world order itself.

If Harris wins, it’s widely expected that there will be more normal relations based on established patterns and rules, but it does not necessarily mean smooth sailing for Canada.

It’s expected the vice-president would follow the path laid by President Joe Biden on foreign policy and trade with Canada.

Biden signed an executive order to revoke the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have transferred oil from Alberta to Nebraska. The administration’s Buy America procurement rules also caused concern in Canada.

Laura Dawson, an expert on Canada-U.S. relations and the executive director of the Future Borders Coalition, said she expects a Harris administration would continue nationalist and protectionist policies.

Harris has spoken on the campaign trail about the fact that she voted against the trilateral trade agreement and said she will return manufacturing jobs to the U.S.

It’s a great slogan and bumper sticker, Dawson said, “but it’s terrible if you are Canada.”

Dawson warned Trudeau’s team during a cabinet retreat in August that no matter who is the next president, Canada will have to work harder to maintain existing benefits of integrated trade and travel.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.