Free Press journalists nationally recognized for child-care investigation
Their investigative series on Manitoba's child-care system has earned two Free Press journalists top honours.
Reporters Jeff Hamilton and Katrina Clarke received national recognition at the Canadian Association of Journalists awards this weekend, taking home this year's McGillivray Award for investigative journalism as well as gold in the written news category.
They were chosen as winners by a panel of current and former journalists out of a record number of entries — 540 — from news publications and broadcast stations across the country for work produced in 2024.
'The McGillivray jury concluded that Hamilton and Clarke's exposé of the many cracks in Manitoba's child-care system bore all the hallmarks of excellent investigative work — it brought clarity to complex subjects and used vivid personal examples to convey systemic flaws,' the Canadian Association of Journalists stated in a news release Sunday.
Clarke and Hamilton worked on the six-part series for months. It highlighted opportunities for change at the provincial level to make Manitoba's child-care system more accessible, transparent and safe.
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'The Free Press greatly appreciates the national recognition for Jeff and Katrina's journalism and our commitment to investigative reporting,' Free Press Editor Paul Samyn said.
See the full list of Canadian Association of Journalists award winners here.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
No pet policy leaves some wildfire evacuees in tears
In a crowded Winnipeg hotel parking lot Tuesday afternoon, one sound cut through the noise: the cries of seven-year-old Belinda McKay. While adults stood around sharing cigarettes and stories of their escape from the fire zone aboard C-130 Hercules aircraft, Belinda, who was evacuated with her family from Norway House days earlier, was emotional. Tears poured down her cheeks as she called out for her beloved Buzy. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Bernice Moore's extended family from Cross Lake is living in hotel rooms at the Victoria Inn and they're upset their dog Buzy is not able to stay with them at the hotel but is being fostered by Manitoba Animal Alliance. Displaced from her home in Cross Lake, Belinda was struggling with her new surroundings at an airport-area hotel. Her world crumbled further as a volunteer from Manitoba Animal Alliance gently placed Buzy — her mixed-breed companion — into a crate in the back of an SUV. Buzy, also 7, isn't just a pet, he's her constant companion. 'She's going to be OK,' said Beth Olayvar, the volunteer who will foster Buzy until the family can return home. Belinda's grandmother, Bernice Moore, knelt beside her, holding the girl tightly while brushing away her own behind dark sunglasses. Belinda had arrived with her mother, Darrylee, from Norway House, making the more than eight-hour trek by pickup truck with half a dozen children. Her grandfather, Darell Moore, flew in on a C-130 Monday evening and was still waiting for a room at the hotel where the rest of his family was staying. 'They said it takes about two days from the time you register with Red Cross to the time they find you a room,' he said. He spent the night in the truck his daughter had driven down, parked alongside Buzy. 'Tough to sleep,' he said. 'But I can't leave the dog alone, and we had the windows open and it was nice to breathe in the fresh air.' Olayvar, meanwhile, was heading home to give Buzy a bath. The back of her vehicle had treats, food and toys. 'I have no pets but I love dogs,' she said. 'I've always wanted to help. I've got the time now, too. I was just laid off at work, so it was perfect time.' Similar scenes played out in other locations around the city, as many evacuees who were able to flee the Manitoba wildfires with their pets have learned the animals are not allowed where they are being lodged. A 'no animals' policy at some Winnipeg hotels means plenty of furry friends are isolated from their families, even if it's only temporary. Some evacuees have been forced to leave their pets with animal shelters around Winnipeg, including the Winnipeg Humane Society. The humane society opened a popup shelter Tuesday at St. Norbert Community Centre within 24 hours. 'The fact that it came together in pretty much a day is quite incredible,' said Carly Peters, director of communications and marketing at the humane society. 'We are super grateful to have this space to offer families care and comfort for their animals while they stay somewhere else.' The space includes a vet clinic, vaccines for sick animals, a hockey rink for exercise and volunteers that will help feed the pets. It has room for about 60 pets, with one room for cats and another for dogs. Peters expects the facility to fill up quickly. The non-profit will consider expanding to other recreational centres, if needed. Families have been encouraged to reunite with their pets during the shelter's visiting hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 'Pets are family,' Peters said. 'It's important that all family members are cared for, especially in difficult times like this.' The humane society is accepting donations of dog and cat food, kennels, collars, pet bowls, and cleaning supplies (including towels, sheets, buckets and mops). Peters said those wishing to help can visit the Winnipeg Humane Society website. The Manitoba Animal Alliance has also been busy. Volunteers with the rescue organization take care of the animals until they are able to be fostered. 'We've been totally swamped,' said co-ordinator Josee Belanger-Galay. 'Our director has been posting a dog every five minutes.' Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. The organization has taken in about 15 dogs since Saturday and has received hundreds of emails from evacuees whose pets have been refused entry at hotels. Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter executive director Carla Martinelli-Irvine said people have offered their homes. 'It's absolutely incredible how the community has come together,' Martinelli-Irvine said, noting her shelter is full. 'I just hope we can continue to show how much we all care about animals.' Scott BilleckReporter Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade's worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott. Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
North Vancouver teacher's 9 convictions for sex crimes against young boys survive Charter challenge
Dennis Cooper is seen in a 1977 class photo with his Grade 6 teacher Brian Moore. Cooper is one of two victims of Moore who successfully had the publication ban on their identities lifted. (Dennis Cooper) An 85-year-old former teacher has lost his bid to have nine convictions for historical sex crimes against young boys thrown out. In a decision issued last week, Judge Robert Hamilton dismissed various legal arguments from Brian Melicke Moore about why delays in the case should result in a stay of proceedings. Moore was convicted in North Vancouver provincial court earlier this year of eight counts of indecent assault and one count of touching for a sexual purpose. He was acquitted of three other counts of indecent assault. All of the indecent assault convictions stem from conduct that occurred between 1976 and 1982, while Moore was a Grade 6 teacher in North Vancouver. The other conviction relates to an incident involving the child of a good friend at Moore's home between 2005 and 2007. Moore's sentencing hearing in the case is scheduled for July, according to Hamilton's decision. While allegations against Moore first came to the attention of police in 1988, the decision indicates he was told by investigators and Crown prosecutors at the time that 'they would not pursue charges against him unless more information came forward.' In applications to the court, Moore argued that there had been a 34-year delay in bringing the charges against him, breaching his rights under Sections 7 and 11 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He also argued that proceeding with the prosecution after such a delay was an abuse of process by the Crown, and that an additional delay between his arrest in August 2022 and the laying of charges in February 2023 was also a Charter violation. The 34-year delay Hamilton rejected the premise of Moore's first argument, writing in his decision that 'there was no 34-year delay' in bringing charges against the teacher. Rather, the judge determined that the case was essentially 'dormant' until new information was brought to police in 2022. 'The Crown told Mr. Moore in 1988 that no charges would be laid, absent more information,' the decision reads. 'It took 34 years for that additional information to come to the attention of the police and Crown and over the course of one year, June 2022 to June 2023, the police interviewed the complainants in this case, forwarded that information to the Crown, and the Crown approved the charges that came before me at trial.' Moore argued that the threat of charges had loomed over him since 1988, though Hamilton noted that the teacher had provided no evidence of the physical or psychological toll that this knowledge had taken on him. Indeed, the judge added, if such a toll existed because Moore knew that there was other information about his crimes that could come to light and cause charges to be laid, that would not be the Crown's fault. 'I would characterize the stress and psychological/physical toll that Mr. Moore has been under since 1988 as being self-inflicted, but nothing to be laid at the feet of the police or Crown,' the decision reads. Abuse of process On the question of abuse of process, Hamilton noted that he had dismissed a previous application from Moore that sought to stay the proceedings for the same reason. 'In my view, nothing has changed from the facts advanced in support of the earlier abuse of process allegation and now at the end of the trial,' the judge's decision reads. It notes that the legal concept of abuse of process involves a two-stage test. First, the court must consider whether the conduct of the prosecution has affected the accused's right to a fair trial, something Moore conceded had not happened in his case. Second, the court must consider whether the prosecution's conduct undermines the integrity of the justice system. Hamilton found no such issue, noting that the Crown did had honoured its 1988 statement to Moore that he would not be charged unless new information came forward, and finding that the Crown did 'exactly what the public would expect' once such information was revealed. Pursuing the case based on new information after 34 years did not undermine the integrity of the justice system, the judge concluded. 'In my view, the opposite proposition is accurate, that being that if the Crown did not prosecute these allegations against Mr. Moore, that failure to prosecute would undermine the integrity of the judicial system,' the decision reads. 'The evidence in this case against Mr. Moore was overwhelming. Failing to bring justice to Mr. Moore's victims would shake the confidence of the public in our justice system. This prosecution needed to happen.' The undertaking deadline Finally, Moore argued that his Charter rights were violated when the Crown failed to charge him in a timely manner after his arrest. According to the decision, the teacher was arrested on Aug. 4, 2022, and released on a police undertaking that imposed various conditions on him and set a first court appearance for Dec. 7 of that year. However, the charges against Moore were not laid until Feb. 15, 2023, which was well after the court date set in the undertaking. 'Mr. Moore says that because of the failure by the Crown to approve charges by Dec. 7, 2022, there should be a stay of proceedings in this case,' the decision reads. Hamilton disagreed with this proposition, noting that police set the Dec. 7 first appearance date without input from prosecutors. 'To enter a stay of proceedings because the Crown had not yet reached a conclusion about whether to approve charges in a case dating back to between 1976 and 2005, involving 12 complainants, on or before a date the police selected without any Crown input, in my view, would not only bring the administration of justice into disrepute, such a decision would serve (as) an injustice to the complainants that no informed member of society would endorse,' the decision reads.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Eight-hundred more fire evacuees expected to find refuge in Niagara Falls
Hundreds more wildfire evacuees were expected to fly to Ontario Tuesday, where a third-party organization has arranged for them to stay in hotel rooms. Xpera, a security and evacuation support service firm, had organized flights for 793 evacuees who are already staying in Niagara Falls, said Robert Garland, Xpera vice-president of emergency security management for Eastern Canada. As many as 800 additional evacuees could make the journey on Tuesday, Garland said. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS Darell Moore was evacuated from Norway House Saturday night. There was no hotel room for him when he arrived in Winnipeg. 'That all depends on whether, in Winnipeg, they can get the planes full or not. It's a situation of getting families to a marquee point and then on to planes,' he said. Niagara has become a destination for some of the 17,000 people, many of whom are from remote and northern communities, who have been displaced by wildfires. Hotels in southern Manitoba quickly filled up, and the Canadian Red Cross established emergency shelters in arenas and other large spaces. 'People with nowhere to stay outside of a congregate setting are definitely getting on planes and coming here to Niagara, and that frees up some of the beds in Winnipeg for some of the most vulnerable,' Garland said. The evacuees headed for Ontario are associated with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, a northern Indigenous political entity that represents 26 First Nations, including five under mandatory evacuation orders: Pimicikamak (Cross Lake), Norway House Cree Nation, Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan), Marcel Colomb First Nation (Black Sturgeon Falls) and Tataskweyak Cree Nation (Split Lake). York Factory First Nation (York Landing), another MKO community, evacuated vulnerable residents Monday, but is not subject to a mandatory order. Eight Niagara hotels have so far opened their doors to evacuees. Xpera is prepared to find accommodations for up to 3,000 people, but that number could change depending on the rapidly evolving situation, Garland said. After the Manitoba government reached out to Ontario for support, Xpera was tapped to arrange accommodations because it has a contract with Emergency Management Ontario, he said. Garland could not provide a price tag, but said it will be paid by the federal government through Indigenous Services Canada. Xpera is arranging recreation activities and security for evacuees. It is co-ordinating with health authorities from Ontario and Manitoba to provide health care, Garland said. 'So far, everything is running really smoothly.' Niagara, Ont., Mayor Jim Diodati said his city has opened its arms to Manitobans. 'Some of them, I'm sure, are nervous or stressed because they are getting uprooted from their homes and they're being taken thousands of miles away, but I'm hoping that the silver lining in the grey cloud is… they are going to get to take in one of the great natural attractions of the world,' he said. The city attracts as many as 14 million visitors each year who want to see the Niagara Falls. It has an inventory of more than 14,000 hotel rooms, which makes it a 'logical place for any situation where you need a lot of spots for people quickly.' RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS Robert Burroughs of Flin Flon fled the northern city May 28 with only bare essentials. 'We are happy to do our part, especially initially,' he said. The tourism season kicks into high gear in Niagara around July 1. Diodati said he hopes the federal government can find alternative places to house evacuees before then because hotels will likely reach capacity. If the crisis extends into the summer, Diodati suggested post-secondary institutions throughout the country could be considered for temporary accommodation. Back in Manitoba, some evacuees were settling into hotels after spending time in emergency shelters. Talking about home brought Robert Burroughs to tears outside the Victoria Inn on Wellington Avenue. The Flin Flon resident was moved to the hotel after spending one night at the Century Arena in Fort Garry. 'I'm a very emotional guy,' he said softly. 'It's been very difficult.' Burroughs, an employee of the Victoria Inn in Flin Flon, fled the northern city May 28 with only bare essentials. He was part of a massive convoy that drove south as flames crept dangerously close to the city of about 5,100 people. He considers himself lucky because his general manager arranged rooms for him and roughly 30 other Victoria Inn employees from Flin Flon, who are staying at the chain's hotel in Winnipeg. 'Red Cross has been so busy we don't have any meal tickets,' he said. 'We are having to support ourselves. They say to keep our receipts. At first, they accepted our Red Cross cards, but now they need the meal tickets for the hotel to get paid by Red Cross.' Darell Moore was aboard one of the last planes out of Norway House on Monday night. No hotel room was waiting for him when he touched down in Winnipeg. 'I slept in my truck,' he said, describing a long night spent beside his seven-year-old dog, Buzy. Over the weekend, Moore's daughter, Darrylee McKay, loaded six children into her father's pickup and made the eight-hour drive south to Winnipeg. Among them were her three children, and kids who belong to her sister and niece. A second car that travelled with them carried four more children. 'We had to keep stopping, all the kids had to keep using the washroom,' McKay said. 'It was a hard drive.' RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS A Cross Lake family first sought refuge in Norway House and then drove eight hours to Winnipeg to escape the fires. The children are very upset about their little dog Buzy not being able to stay with them in the hotel room. Buzy is being fostered. From left: Okay McKay, 10, Belinda McKay, 7, their grandmother Bernice Moore Suzie McKay, Darrylee McKay holding Jenson McKay, Demi Moore, holding Davair Ross-Moore, age 1. The family, from Cross Lake, had sought safety in Norway House after an evacuation order was issued. Once in Winnipeg, they spent their first night at a soccer complex on Leila Avenue that has been converted into a temporary shelter to house hundreds of evacuees. 'It was crazy,' she said. 'We had to stay next to a lot of people and sleep in cots. No sleep at all.' Still, she said, it was better than Norway House. 'I had to sleep in the truck with all of my babies,' she said. On Tuesday, Moore was trying to get a room at the same hotel where the rest of his family was staying. He said after he registered with the Red Cross Monday night, he was told it could take up to two days before he'd be placed in a hotel. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The Red Cross has refused to do an interview regarding the evacuation process and putting up people in hotels. The provincial government said evacuees who require enhanced accessibility or have medical needs are the first to get a room. It confirmed some rooms have been booked outside of the centralized process. Hundreds more hotel rooms are expected to become available in Manitoba over the coming days, the province said. — With files from Scott Billeck Tyler SearleReporter Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler. Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
