B.C. woman loses $375K to scam
A woman who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in an apparent investment scam is sharing her story and warning would-be victims.
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National Post
16 minutes ago
- National Post
Ex-NFL running back found guilty in massive dog-fighting case involving almost 200 animals
LeShon Johnson, a former running back who played five seasons in the NFL, has been convicted of six felony counts in relation to his role in a record-setting dog-fighting bust. Article content A U.S. federal jury in Oklahoma found the former NFLer guilty last week of violating the federal Animal Welfare Act's prohibitions against possessing, selling, transporting and delivering animals to be used in fighting ventures, the Department of Justice announced on Monday. Article content Johnson, who played in the NFL from 1994-99, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to US$250,000 on each count. He will be sentenced at a later date. Article content In the bust, officials said that they had seized 190 dogs, which the Department of Justice believes is the largest-ever seizure of dogs in a federal case of this kind. Article content 'This criminal profited off of the misery of innocent animals and he will face severe consequences for his vile crimes,' U.S. attorney general Pamela Bondi said in a statement. 'This case underscores the Department of Justice's commitment to protecting animals from abuse — 190 dogs are now safe thanks to outstanding collaborative work by our attorneys and law enforcement components.' Article content During the multi-day trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Johnson had bred and trafficked dogs for his 'Mal Kant Kennels' operation in order to fight them. Article content Federal prosecutors said that the 54-year-old was selectively breeding 'champion' and 'grand champion' fighting dogs — canines that have won multiple fights — to create offspring that could fight. Article content Article content 'The FBI will not stand for those who perpetuate the despicable crime of dogfighting,' FBI director Kash Patel said in a statement. 'Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners, those who continue to engage in organized animal fighting and cruelty will face justice.' Article content
CTV News
16 minutes ago
- CTV News
Nova Scotia ends relationship with firefighter school following audit into 2019 death
A firefighter who was critically injured during a training session at the Nova Scotia Firefighters School has died from his injuries. Nova Scotia has announced Tuesday it will end its relationship with Nova Scotia Firefighters School following a value-for-money audit. 'The results are clear, and they are appalling. We are ending our relationship with the school and will set up an interim training plan for firefighters right away,' said Kim Masland, minister of Emergency Management. 'Our firefighters respond when other people's lives are on the line. They need and deserve, at minimum, a safe place to train. We're going to ensure they have one.' The audit was commissioned in June stemming from the preventable death of Skyler Blackie during a training exercise in 2019. The audit was done to help ensure the safety of students and staff at the school, a news release from the province said. Skyler Blackie Truro firefighter Skyler Blackie died from injuries sustained in a routine training session. (Facebook) 'When we lost Skyler in the line of duty, we made a promise to speak up; not just for him, but for every firefighter who deserves to come home safe. The findings of this audit are painful to read, but they reflect what we have known all along: the Nova Scotia Firefighters School is not safe,' a statement from the Blackie family said. 'We are heartbroken that it took such a loss to bring this truth to light, but we are incredibly grateful to the Government of Nova Scotia for listening, for taking our concerns seriously, and for taking action. We are also thankful to the journalists who helped us share Skyler's story and keep this crucial issue in the public eye. We remain committed to working alongside the Province to ensure strong legislation and safe, accountable training for every firefighter in Nova Scotia.' Key findings from the report include: systemic and governance issues a breakdown in safety accountability lack of stakeholder engagement inadequate governance and oversight of the executive director eroded public trust lost confidence of firefighters The province said the audit found the school failed to uphold a culture of safety. The audit also found serious, unaddressed safety-related deficiencies, a lack of strategic planning and a decline in infrastructure. 'I know what it's like to call 911 and wait for firefighters to respond. They're willing to put their lives on the line for our safety. Skyler Blackie's death was both tragic and preventable. We owe our firefighters better than that, and we have a duty to ensure this doesn't happen to another firefighter,' said John Lohr, minister of Municipal Affairs. The province said there has been no substantive change in the Nova Scotia Firefighters School board structure or governance in more than 20 years. 'We look forward to reviewing the report in detail. The fire service in Nova Scotia requires effective and consistent training to support the retention, recruitment and operational readiness of fire service members,' said Greg Jones, president of the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia. 'This report, along with the fire and associated services governance review, is critical to gaining a full understanding of the challenges and opportunities ahead.' The value-for-money audit was done by 21FSP Advisory Inc. and cost $300,000. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
16 minutes ago
- CTV News
Northern Ont. man denied Canadian residency because he worked for Ukrainian secret police
While denying him permanent residency, immigration officials said there 'is no evidence that Oleksandr Zahrebelnyi personally engaged in acts of subversion.' (File) A man who came from Ukraine to North Bay, Ont., in 2017 has been denied permanent residency in Canada because he was a former member of the Ukrainian Secret Service, known as the SBU. Oleksandr Zahrebelnyi was open about his role with the SBU when he applied for permanent residency, the Federal Court said in a decision dated July 29. Zahrebelnyi left the SBU and opened a meat processing plant in Ukraine in 2016. 'As conditions in Ukraine deteriorated, he opened a meat processing plant in North Bay … with two business partners and obtained a Canadian work permit in the entrepreneur/self-employed category,' said the court's decision. 'His spouse and three children eventually joined him in Canada.' 'The officer who refused his application acknowledged at several points in the decision that there is no evidence that (Zahrebelnyi) personally engaged in acts of subversion or had any knowledge of such acts perpetrated by the SBU.' — Federal Court decision The Federal Court ruling made it clear that Zahrebelnyi 'is not alleged to carry personal responsibility for committing acts of subversion or any other bases for inadmissibility to Canada.' 'His inadmissibility results from his admitted service and employment with the … SBU between 1998 and 2011,' the decision said. 'The officer who refused his application acknowledged at several points in the decision that there is no evidence that (Zahrebelnyi) personally engaged in acts of subversion or had any knowledge of such acts perpetrated by the SBU.' In a statement to CTV News, Zahrebelnyi said the decision to reject his application was 'unfair and unjustified.' 'It is very difficult to maintain and make any strategic decisions for the business, when the life of my family is in 'limbo,'' he said in an email. His business was thriving Zahrebelnyi employed 20 people at Canada Meat Group in North Bay, and had plans to hire as many as 150 people in an expanded operation, as reported by CTV News in 2022. But those plans were shelved in 2024. The decision to deny him permanent residency in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act was made on April 10, 2024. The immigration official denied his application on the basis that Zahrebelnyi had been a member of the SBU, which had been 'engaging in an act of subversion against a democratic government, institution or process as they are understood in Canada.' He appealed that decision and said that the denial had a major negative impact on his family and his business. The appeal said the official misinterpreted the meaning of 'subversion' and the more than four years it took to make a decision was an abuse of process. However, the immigration official handling the case ruled that membership in an organization 'that has engaged in subversion against a democratic government, institution or process' was sufficient grounds to deny the application. 'Subversive' actions 'After a detailed analysis, the officer concluded that the SBU was engaged in political repression, obstruction of the media, and election fraud throughout the period of (Zahrebelnyi's) involvement with the SBU,' the court decision said. A central issue of the appeal was the interpretation of the word 'subversive.' The immigration officer interpreted the word as including actions to maintain the status quo in Ukraine, as opposed to actions that accomplish change. The goal of the law is 'the protection of Canadian democracy through the denial of admission to those who have posed a threat anywhere to democratic governments, institutions or processes as they are understood in Canada,' the court said. 'This goal is served by including organizations which may not be internally democratic but are democratic in function, as understood in Canada.' Those organizations include the free media, the electoral process and opposition parties. The intent of the SBU was, in part, to actively repress these groups. The immigration officer provided internet links that showed the SBU 'illegally surveilled and interfered with Ukrainian parliamentarians in the early 2000s.' Other links showed that agents were hired to collect information on investigative journalists 'that threatened the interest of the political and economic elites.' The appeal also argued that the length it took to get a decision was unreasonable -- more than four years after Zahrebelnyi made the application in 2020 -- and amounted to an abuse of process. But the Federal Court ruled that there was 'insufficient evidence that it was characterized by the disruption to family life, loss of work, business opportunities or severe psychological harm that would amount to an abuse of process.' 'In the present case, while there is evidence of anxiety caused by the delay, the other consequences are the result of the unfavourable result of the investigation into the principal applicant's inadmissibility rather than the delay itself,' the decision said. Read the full decision here.
