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Quebec man who killed his young twins displayed domestic violence signs: coroner

Quebec man who killed his young twins displayed domestic violence signs: coroner

Global News21 hours ago

A Quebec coroner is recommending improved domestic violence training for the province's police officers.
André Cantin's recommendation follows his investigation into a man who killed his three-year-old twin sons shortly after he was arrested for allegedly harassing his ex-partner.
Cantin says in his report that Ian Lamontagne displayed a pattern of coercive control toward the mother of the children before he killed the young boys and then died by suicide.
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Lamontagne had tracked her movements, showed up at her home, and repeatedly called and texted her before the murders.
He was arrested outside the woman's residence in August 2023 for criminal harassment, and released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.
About two days later he used helium to suffocate three-year-olds Antoine and Tristan Lamontagne at his home in Notre-Dame-des-Prairies, Que., north of Montreal.
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Cantin says the province should ensure that current and future police officers and family mediators are given more training on how to recognize potentially dangerous situations within families.

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Woman who spent 16 days in ‘dry cell' confinement settles civil lawsuit
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Woman who spent 16 days in ‘dry cell' confinement settles civil lawsuit

A woman who says she endured cruel and unusual punishment in a Nova Scotia prison has settled a civil lawsuit she filed against the federal attorney general almost five years ago. Lisa Adams filed the lawsuit after she was placed in solitary confinement in what is commonly referred to as a dry cell for 16 days. Dry cells have no toilet or running water. They are used to monitor inmates to determine if they have ingested contraband or hidden it inside a body cavity. Adams' lawyer issued a brief statement confirming the settlement, but Mike Dull said he could not disclose terms of the settlement or details about financial compensation. '(Adams') advocacy around the use of dry cells in Canadian correctional facilities — an invasive, degrading and ultimately unlawful practice — has resulted in a national shift,' Dull said Monday in a statement. 'Thanks to her bravery, this harmful practice has now been banned across Canada.' Story continues below advertisement In a statement of claim filed in November 2020 with Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Adams says she was locked in a dry cell after correctional officers at the Nova Institution for Women in Truro, N.S., wrongly accused her of hiding drugs in 'balloon-like packages' in her vagina. The statement says conditions in the cell were 'harsh, humiliating and harmful.' In a separate court case, a Nova Scotia Supreme Court justice ruled in November 2021 that Adams' constitutional rights had been violated, and he ordered Ottawa to reform provisions of corrections law that discriminate against women. Justice John Keith's decision determined the law did not take into account that a substance suspected to be hidden in a woman's vagina wouldn't necessarily be expelled during detention. He said that created a risk that women would be unjustly detained. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Though Adams won that case, it was a Charter challenge that answered a question of law. As a result, she was not awarded compensation. In the 2020 statement of claim for her civil lawsuit seeking damages, Adams says that she was sent to the prison in Truro after she was accused of using crystal meth at a community residential facility in Cape Breton on May 2, 2020. The statement says her well-documented history of mental health issues were exacerbated by her lengthy stay in the dry cell. 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'She stood up not just for herself, but for the rights and dignity of women across the country.'

Downtown Eastside restaurateur says he could make more dealing drugs on the street
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Downtown Eastside restaurateur says he could make more dealing drugs on the street

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Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We're always prepared, that you know, that squeeze on the core of the Downtown Eastside could lead to some disruption or some displacement, I should say,' Hiar responded. 1:54 New security cameras for Vancouver's Downtown Eastside In terms of shifting crime elsewhere, Hiar believes police are keeping a handle on it with additional resources on the outskirts of the area. Early Sunday morning, David said his cooks had a close call when dealers from the 'night shift,' who he said are often armed, drunk or high and much more dangerous than their counterparts on the day shift, attempted to stash something in Calabash's commissary after spotting police on patrol. Story continues below advertisement The tense confrontation that ensued between his staff and approximately 10 aggressive individuals was only defused, said David, when a dealer they know intervened. 'First and foremost, if those types of tensions exist, we need to be called, we need to know because we have the patrols in and around the area, and we're going to respond,' Hiar told Global News on Tuesday. Terry Yung, B.C.'s Minister of State for Community Safety and a former VPD officer who walked the beat in the Downtown Eastside for more than four years, said targeted enforcement of the area's criminal activity will continue, as well as addressing street conditions in the Carrall Street laneway between Hastings and Pender Streets. 'I understand the challenges and sometimes the fear of coming down here,' Yung told Global News in an interview. 'That's the reason I go to work in the morning and do this, because I do believe we can make a difference. 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FBI director again blames Vancouver for fentanyl crisis, but U.S. data says otherwise
FBI director again blames Vancouver for fentanyl crisis, but U.S. data says otherwise

Global News

time12 hours ago

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FBI director again blames Vancouver for fentanyl crisis, but U.S. data says otherwise

Canadian law enforcement continues to dispute claims from the U.S. administration about how much fentanyl is being smuggled across the border. It follows the latest allegation by the head of the FBI who specifically mentions Vancouver as the source of the problem. In a recent appearance with podcaster Joe Rogan, FBI Director Kash Patel once again blamed Vancouver for its role in the fentanyl crisis. 'They're flying it into Vancouver, they're taking the precursors to Canada, manufacturing up there, and doing their global distribution routes up there because we've been so effective down south,' Patel told Rogan. He also said that stricter enforcement at the Mexican border has resulted in cartels increasingly using Canada as a northern entry point for fentanyl. However, David Teboul, Assistant Commander of the RCMP, Pacific region, said the assertion that Canada is exporting fentanyl in 'significant quantities into the U.S. is not accurate.' Story continues below advertisement 'It is certainly not reflected by Canadian law enforcement agencies' data, nor is it corroborated either by U. S. agencies, from the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), to the CBP (Customs and Border Protection), to all the partner agencies that we have very good relationships with,' Teboul said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'They also don't corroborate that. It's been stated many times.' He did agree that most precursors are coming from China into Canada, but did not agree with the rest of Patel's statement. 2:10 Trump's FBI head criticizes Canadian drug enforcement Data from the U.S. provided to Global News also showed that in the 2024 fiscal year, more than 18,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the U.S.-Mexico border. At the Canada-U.S. border, just over 10 pounds of fentanyl was seized in 2024. Story continues below advertisement So far this year, more than seven pounds of fentanyl from Mexico was confiscated and just over one pound from Canada. However, one organized crime expert said it is critical not to be distracted by the data. 'The drugs themselves don't move by themselves, don't get produced by themselves,' Calvin Chrustie, a senior partner and critical risk consultant with the Critical Risk Team said. 'So let's have the serious conversation about who are the threat actors, i.e., the criminal organizations. What type of support and enabling do they get from foreign states?' Chrustie said that B.C. has long been a convergence zone for organized crime groups and Vancouver is a popular choice due to its marine access. 'I don't think we should be listening to, and I never have, you know, in my career, post my career, to what the political assessment was, because I found it, you know, whether it was south of the border, north of the border, not the most informed historically, this whole issue got politicized,' he added. 'I don't think you know in terms of calculating the threat and calculating the severity of the problem, how much goes across a border.' Teboul said B.C. has a coordinated approach to drug trafficking and has had many successes getting drugs off the streets. Story continues below advertisement 'British Columbia is also in a particular predicament, of course, with our very vast, beautiful ocean, but it's permeable, of course, into the coast of British Columbia, and we need to dedicate some resources and investments at all three levels of government to secure our ports as well,' he added.

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