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A close friend of a man who was fatally shot by Hamilton police over the weekend says he witnessed Erixon Kabera’s last moments in hospital, and is now joining calls for a thorough investigation into his death.

Andy Ganza said he received a call from Kabera’s girlfriend, telling him she was on her way to Hamilton General Hospital and that his friend was in the operating room.

“I rushed my way down to the hospital … we went to the room, both of us, his girlfriend and myself, and they told us he was not going to make it,” he said in an interview Thursday.

“I believe he was in his last moments, and then they came back 10 minutes later to tell us that he had passed.”

Kabera, 43, died in the early morning hours on Sunday, after police were called to a Hamilton apartment building late Saturday afternoon.

Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating the circumstances of his death, and has said that Hamilton police were responding to reports of a man “acting in a threatening manner.”

The Special Investigations Unit’s initial statement said there was an “exchange of gunfire” with police, but later issued an update that said it does not appear the man had discharged a firearm before he was shot.

Kabera’s family – who have said he had no history of any kind of violence – decried what it called “a reversal of crucial facts,” but the SIU said the initial news release was based on information available at the time. The watchdog has also said that a “replica firearm” was collected from the scene.

Ganza said the local Rwandan Canadian community and Kabera’s family members will demand answers about the police shooting at a march and vigil being held at Hamilton City Hall Thursday evening.

“The statements about the events and/or the investigation have not been consistent and it’s been frustrating for us, for the family,” he said. “We want the truth. We are demanding thorough investigation that is transparent.”

Ganza said he has known Kabera for 10 years and they became close over the last seven years, after his friend moved to Hamilton.

He said Kabera started a family business with his uncle a year and a half ago, distributing produce, and he had worked as a public servant at the Canada Revenue Agency.

Ganza said his friend’s death has been extremely difficult, especially for Kabera’s three children, who range in age between 10 and 17, and his four siblings.

Two of those siblings live in Canada and have travelled to Hamilton from Regina and Gatineau, Que., Ganza said.

“I had to announce to them over the phone while on their way that he has passed away,” he said.

“It’s been very, very hard, extremely hard.”

Ganza said he started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help the family cover the costs of the funeral and getting legal representation.

“The funeral service will be held on Saturday but he will not be buried here,” he said. “The body will be flown back home (to Rwanda). That is what the family decided.”

Hamilton’s police Chief Frank Bergen has expressed condolences to Kabera’s family and acknowledged that “there are many unanswered questions.”

“I trust the SIU will work to address these in a full, timely, transparent manner,” Bergen said in a statement.

Kabera’s family has called his death “senseless” and demanded “transparency and accountability” from authorities.

“We want to know details of the altercation so that we can understand the truth of what happened in Erixon’s final moments,” they said in a statement earlier this week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

JASPER, ALBERTA, CANADA – Business owners in the fire-ravaged Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper are getting some financial help getting back on their feet.

The federal government says it will provide close to $4 million in grants and aid to rebuild the local economy and bring back tourists.

Federal Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault says $3.5 million in grants will be made available for small business owners.

The money goes to businesses with 50 or fewer employees licensed in either the Jasper townsite or Jasper National Park, and does not have to be repaid.

There will be half a million dollars for Jasper Tourism for programs and exhibits to lure back visitors.

A wildfire in July forced all Jasper residents out and destroyed a third of all its structures.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Premier Doug Ford’s government has signed a $100-million deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to deliver high-speed internet to remote residents in rural and northern Ontario.

The new program called ONSAT — which stands for Ontario Satellite Internet — will bring SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet system to 15,000 premises, said Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma.

“These communities will gain access to high-speed satellite internet capable of supporting streaming video calls, online gaming and more activities that have become second nature to so many of us,” Surma said.

The service will be used to connect people in the hardest-to-reach areas of the province to the internet, she said.

The system will go live next June with eligibility and registration starting in the spring.

The province will cover equipment and installation costs, but not monthly fees.

“It is an investment of close to $100 million,” Surma said.

Ford highlighted the investment in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Cool,” replied Musk, who also owns X.

SpaceX won after a “robust and transparent and competitive and fair technical and financial evaluation of multiple qualified parties,” said Michael Lindsay, CEO of Infrastructure Ontario.

Indigenous “engagement and participation” is part of the contract Infrastructure Ontario signed with SpaceX, he said.

“SpaceX is going to engage directly with Indigenous communities to ensure equal access to the program and to create socio-economic opportunities through employment contracting and training opportunities,” Lindsay said.

Installation is relatively straightforward and fast, said Joel Cherkis, who runs the business operations for Starlink.

They saw early success in 2020 when they rolled out the Starlink system to the people of Pikangikum First Nation in northwestern Ontario. The remote community is only accessible by air or an ice road in the winter.

“The Starlink team that was working with them found that within 15 minutes of getting the Starlink kit off of the charter flight that arrived at the First Nation, they were able to be online and actually connecting users to high-speed broadband,” Cherkis said.

SpaceX launches about 40 satellites per week into the lower orbit, about 550 kilometres above Earth, he said.

The move is part of the province’s $4-billion plan to deliver high-speed projects to every corner of Ontario. It has so far invested $2.5 billion in 270 projects, Surma said. That has connected 100,000 Ontarians to high-speed internet, and there are plans to connect 450,000 more.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.