Author: Shelly W

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Ft Mac

The Council for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Hesitant to Write Off Almost $250,000 Owed

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, write off unpaid dent
Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, write off unpaid dent

A recent meeting of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo council showed that at least some members were hesitant to write off unpaid debt in an amount close to a quarter of a million dollars. The meeting on Monday was scheduled for an audit and budget committee meeting, and the councilors expressed a need for further information before they decided whether or not to write off unpaid debt from two different companies. One of the companies owes $216,000 and has filed for bankruptcy. The other debt included in the amount is a company still in the collection process which owes the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo $23,522. At the council meeting Councilor Bussieres said “I just can’t believe we’d write a quarter of a million dollars off. I think we need more information … I’m not prepared to write this off.”

One concern that the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo councilors expressed was the amount involved to write off unpaid debt by just two companies. Committee Chair, Councilor Sheldon Germain, “The questions were regarding those particular situations, but the bigger thing that came out of it, to Coun. Bussieres’ credit, is what policies and procedures do we as a governance board have to put in place so we’re not writing off large numbers (of money). It’s about trying to get policy in the future that doesn’t allow accounts receivable to get that high and … make sure that the municipality doesn’t get caught in that position again.”Councilor Tyran Ault asked “Who’s going to fault this company for setting up under a different name two months later?”

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Canada U.S.

Keystone Pipeline Bill Loses By a Single Vote in U.S. Senate

keystone pipeline bill, U.S. Senate
keystone pipeline bill, U.S. Senate

The U.S. Senate rejected the keystone pipeline bill, and this bill lost by a single vote. The attempt to pass the bill was a bipartisan effort, with both Democrats and Republicans on board. The keystone pipeline bill required 60 votes to pass the U.S. Senate and move on to the White House, and the final vote tally was 59 for the bill to 41 against. The bill was killed for now, but that could change quickly on January 1, 2015 when a new Congress takes office and the Republicans will have a majority in both houses. It may become much easier to pass this bill, which has been stalled for a considerable time due to Democratic opposition in Congress. In a surprise move, which many attribute to a very close run off race against a Republican later this year, Democrat Mary Landrieu was the one who finally brought the bill to the floor to be voted on.

The rejection of the keystone pipeline bill by the U.S. Senate is believed to be a minor setback, and most Americans and Canadians believe that this project will eventually be approved. The fact that the U.S. Senate still has a Democrat majority and the bill only failed to pass by one small vote shows that the tide has finally turned. In the past environmentalists were dead set against the pipeline due to fears about harm to the environment and that helped to stall the bill without being voted on. The keystone pipeline bill vote itself was a big step forward and it shows that progress is being made even if it is happening at a snail’s pace.

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Breaking News Canada

20 Year Old Man Receives No Jail Time in Child Pornography Case With a High Profile

child pornography, lack of jail time
child pornography, lack of jail time

Many are shocked at a criminal sentence which seems incredibly light for charges of child pornography, with no jail time at all given to the 20 year old defendant. The two defendants in the case and the victim are all unnamed in the media due to a publication ban which forbids the media from identifying the individuals. The man sentenced was under 18 years old when the crime occurred, and his case was handled by the juvenile court so his identity is protected. The case centered around the male taking pictures of a friend who was engaged in sex with a minor. In the photo the girl is seen vomiting out of a window, and the friend is engaged in a sex act with the female while giving the camera a thumbs up.

The child pornography case became high profile, especially after the female in the picture committed suicide due to being bullied when the photo was circulated among her friends and peers. The age of the victim when she killed herself was just 18 years old. Defense attorneys requested that the impact statements from family members of the victim be disregarded because the family blamed the defendant for the suicide of the girl, and pointed out that the defendant was not charged with this. The judge responded “Are you seriously trying to say that you don’t want this court to consider what happened to (the victim) after this photo was taken? The defendant received no jail time, just 12 months of probation and a sexual harassment class in order to keep the conviction from staying on his record.

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Breaking News Canada

Fake Soldier’s Wife Describes Threats and Harassment

fake soldier, threats and harassment
fake soldier, threats and harassment

A man from West Quebec has been accused of impersonating a soldier during a ceremony for Remembrance Day which was held at the National War Memorial, and since his actions as a fake soldier were discovered his wife complains that they have been receiving threats and harassment. According to a woman who confirmed her status as the wife of Franck Gervais but would not reveal her name “We’re not going to respond to questions at the moment.” The ceremony was broadcast last Tuesday on national television, and Diana Swain was reporting for CBC. When Swain interviewed a male in a Royal Canadian Regiment senior non commissioned officer uniform who gave his identity as Sgt. Franck Gervais one man noticed that something was funny about the individual. When Warrant Officer Michael Womanck saw the interview he was quick to notice several uniform discrepancies, and he used social media to spread the word about his suspicions.

Gervais was identified as the fake soldier, and his wife said that the anger, threats, and harassment are understandable. Mrs. Gervais also said that the negative attention is hard to handle, and that the entire situation is a shame. The fake soldier would not discuss the situation and stayed inside the home out of sight. The Department of National Defence sent a statement to the Sun which read “The Department of National Defence has no indication Gervais is a member of the military.” The statement continued with “Falsely impersonating a Canadian Armed Forces member is an issue to be taken seriously and is covered under section 419 of the Criminal Code of Canada. Such activities are a disservice to the proud men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, who earn the right to wear their uniforms through their hard work and the sacrifices they make for our country.”

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Canada

Guilty Plea Entered by Man Who Committed Acid Attack Against Ex

acid attack, aggravated assault, guilty plea
acid attack, aggravated assault, guilty plea

The man who committed aggravated assault and perpetrated an acid attack against his ex girlfriend has entered a guilty plea, and will be sentenced for the crime that he has plead guilty to. The acid attack happened in August of 2012, and the victim Tanya St. Arnauld was severely injured and came very close to dying. The defendant in the case is Nikolas Stefanatos, and he has been in detention since he was arrested for the aggravated assault in 2013. 30 year old Tanya St. Arnauld was standing on the steps in front of her Longueuil apartment when Nikolas Stefanatos dowsed her with acidic concrete cleaner, leaving her with more than 20% of her body burned and in a coma.

Since the acid attack Tanya St. Arnauld has had to endure a number of surgeries and skin grafts which cause excruciating pain, and she still bears physical and psychological scars from the aggravated assault on her that day. The guilty plea of Nikolas Stefanatos will not undue the trauma and pain of her experience, but St. Arnauld has started to move forward. The woman remembers the acid attack, and screaming hysterically as she ran into the apartment of a neighbor for help. Tanya St. Arnauld talked about when she thought she would die, saying “I thought about the little things, that I hadn’t seen my mother that day, my regrets, things I’d missed. The things you take for granted … it’s taken away in a split second. Every detail, every sound, even the acid smell … that’s what I see all day,”

Categories
Canada Politics

Tom Mulcair Wants Harassment Policy Changes

harassment policy changes, Tom Mulcair
harassment policy changes, Tom Mulcair

Tom Mulcair, the NDP Leader, thinks that Parliament needs some harassment policy changes. This may be due to the new sexual harassment allegations that are emerging from Parliament Hill which seem to happen on a frequent basis. Mulcair feels so strongly about harassment policy changes that he wrote the prime minister a letter and also addressed this to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau. The letter stated in part that “parliamentarians have an obligation to show Canadians that we can do better.” The planned changes that Tom Mulcair has in mind will start off with a clear definition of what harassment is, so that everyone understands what is acceptable and what is considered harassment. This can help to outline a code of conduct that is formal and effective at preventing sexual harassment.

Other harassment policy changes being proposed by Tom Mulcair include having a third party officer who is independent to perform investigations, review cases, and propose remedies if sexual harassment has occurred. In addition there is a need for sensitivity training and a complaint process that is rigorous. The letter from Tom Mulcair also stated “We propose that a meeting be convened at the earliest convenience, preferably within the next week with representatives of each party and the Speaker’s office to begin the process of developing a framework for dealing with these issues.” Whether harassment policy changes actually happen still remains to be seen, but it is obvious that the status quo is not working.