
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim lays out new policing plan for Downtown Eastside
Vancouver's mayor and police Chief Adam Palmer jointly announced on Thursday a long-term operation to dismantle organized drug crime and target predatory criminals in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. As CBC's Chad Pawson reports, it's part of Ken Sim's vision for the future of the DTES.
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2 hours ago
Widow takes on CIBC after husband's $15K pension sent to stranger's account
When longtime Edmonton lawyer and retired family court judge James Koshman died last fall, his family never imagined a simple transfer of his survivor's pension benefit to his widow would go so wrong. But soon after the $15,000 survivor benefit was issued, the money was gone — deposited into a stranger's account. CIBC blamed the Koshmans, saying they used the wrong transit number — a five-digit code that directs deposits to specific bank branches. The family was floored. They say that number came directly from a CIBC employee — confirmed during a call to the local branch. The Koshmans later discovered CIBC had sent crucial instructions about when to use the transit number, but it went to James's email account — weeks after he died. Another serious blunder, the family says. WATCH | Bank blames family after deposit goes to a stranger: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Widow takes on CIBC after pension transfer sent to stranger | Go Public A grieving Edmonton woman got a nasty surprise when CIBC put her deceased husband's pension transfer into someone else's account — and then blamed the family. CBC's Go Public team looked into what went wrong and the limits of Canada's banking complaint system. There's something very wrong about what's going on, said the couple's son, Jason Koshman, who helped his mother apply for the benefit. The money should have been moved from Alberta Pensions Services Corporation to one of the Koshmans' CIBC accounts. CIBC told the Koshmans it could only recover $3,200 of the misdirected funds — and Yvette Koshman, James's widow, would have to swallow the nearly $12,000 loss. What followed was months of back and forth with the bank — until CIBC told the family there was nothing more it could do. Consumer advocate Duff Conacher, co-founder of the non-profit consumer advocacy organization Democracy Watch, says the case reveals troubling gaps in bank accountability — and cracks in Canada's system for handling complaints. The marketplace is completely out of balance, tilted totally in favour of the powerful banks who have all the money, he said, and totally against the customers who are on their own, frustrated, having lost money. In an email to Go Public, CIBC says its process for handling complaints is clear and meets all the requirements for financial institutions in Canada. Key email sent to deceased man This all started because the branch where James Koshman had banked for decades was in the process of closing. All accounts were being automatically transferred to another location with a different transit number. The Koshmans say weeks after they called CIBC and were given the transit number, the bank sent an email explaining that number shouldn't be used until after Nov. 21. But because the message was sent to James Koshman's email account — after he died — his family says they didn't see it until it was too late. The paperwork had already been filed. They know he's passed away. They still sent him emails, said Jason. Frustrated and out thousands of dollars, the Koshmans tried to resolve things through CIBC's official complaints process — first with CIBC's main customer service department, then escalating to the bank's Client Complaint Appeals Office. The family got the same response from both: The wrong transit number had been used, only a fraction of the funds could be recovered, and there was nothing more the bank could do. I just don't think it's right or it's fair that CIBC can just do what they want, said Yvette Koshman. Banking watchdog can't force banks to pay The family then escalated the issue to the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI), which opened an investigation. CIBC reversed its decision and reimbursed the Koshmans in full — but only after Go Public reached out to the bank. OBSI says that, generally, when a problem is resolved before an investigation is complete, it closes the file. Going to the media was the right move, says Conacher, because even if OBSI had ruled in the family's favour, the federal watchdog has no power to force banks to pay. OBSI can review complaints but can't force banks to follow its recommendations — something the Liberals promised to fix during the 2021 election. Years later, it still hasn't happened. It's completely negligent that no federal government, no federal finance minister, has done anything to correct this over the past decades, said Conacher. It seems unlikely the Finance Ministry will change that. In an email to Go Public, it said only that it had recently introduced guardrails to encourage banks to follow OBSI's recommendations. When asked why it twice denied the Koshmans compensation, only to reverse course and compensate the family after Go Public's inquiries, CIBC said, Given the unique circumstances, and after further review, we've decided to reimburse our client for the remaining amount. No answers on missing money The Koshmans are also frustrated that it appears a stranger was able to keep money that clearly didn't belong to them. It's a fraud, said Yvette. Jason says the fact that CIBC recovered some of the missing money suggests the bank knows who received it. But when he asked what steps were taken to hold that person accountable, he said CIBC refused to say, citing privacy laws. The bank should be compensating the people whose money was lost and then pursuing the people who… took the money out of the account, Jason said. Go Public asked CIBC what steps it took to recover the missing money. The bank didn't answer that question, but confirmed it has since apologized and fully reimbursed the Koshmans. Jason says they're grateful — but worries about others in similar situations who may not be so lucky. My family is fortunate, he said. But what if this was a widow relying on that money to pay rent? To eat? Banks need to be held accountable. And this shouldn't be allowed to happen to anyone else. Rosa Marchitelli (new window) , Marnie Luke (new window) · CBC News ·

3 days ago
Killer of London, Ont., Muslim family appeals convictions, challenging use of manifesto at trial
Headlines Latest News Podcasts (new window) Convicted killer Nathaniel Veltman addresses his sentencing hearing in Ontario Superior Court in London on Jan. 24, 2024. Photo: (Pam Davies/CBC) Posted: June 6, 2025 8:54 PM Word of Nathaniel Veltman's appeal comes on 4th anniversary of attack on Afzaal family. Warning: This story contains distressing details. A London, Ont., man convicted of killing four members of a Muslim family and severely injuring a fifth member in a hate-motivated attack on June 6, 2021, is appealing on three grounds, including that the judge should not have allowed the jury to consider his white nationalist manifesto. A Windsor jury found Nathaniel Veltman guilty in November 2023 of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Three months later, then Superior Court Justice Renee Pomerance ruled his actions amounted to a textbook case of terrorism as defined under Canadian law. He was sentenced on Jan. 24, 2024. Friday's news of the appeal comes on the fourth anniversary (new window) of the killing of Yumnah Afzaal, 15, her parents — Madiha Salman, 44, an engineer, and Salman Afzaal, 46, a physiotherapist — and family matriarch Talat Afzaal, 74, a teacher and artist. The youngest family member, a boy, survived. Veltman drove his pickup truck into the family as they were taking an evening stroll on June 6, 2021. Appeal sought on 3 grounds I appreciate that the community was horrified by this offence and the remaining members of the family were devastated by this offence. I respect that, and I feel very badly for both the family and for the community, Veltman's appeal lawyer, Stephen Whitzman, told CBC News. Mr. Veltman, of course, has a right to exercise his full legal rights, including his right to an appeal, and it's my job as his lawyer to assist him in doing that, and I hope that everyone will understand that those two things can both exist together. The appeal is being sought on three grounds, based on court records obtained by CBC News: The judge erred in admitting the ideological evidence, including Veltman's white supremacist manifesto, titled "A White Awakening," which set out his political and racist views; The judge erred in admitting Veltman's statements to a police officer which were obtained via a "Charter breach," meaning he was not properly warned of his rights; The judge erred in refusing the defence application for a mistrial because of what Veltman's lawyer at the time called "inflammatory language" during the Crown's closing statement, including references to the crime scene and the grievous injuries suffered by the victims. Veltman's trial lasted 12 weeks. The jury heard evidence he was motivated by right-wing extremist and Islamophobic views, and he described himself as a white nationalist. He grew up in a strict Christian home and fell into a web of online hate during the COVID-19 pandemic, the trial heard. WATCH | CBC's coverage of the judge's 2023 ruling in the Muslim attack case: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Afzaal family's murder 'textbook' terrorism, judge rules 1 year agoDuration2:21A judge in London, Ont., ruled the actions of the man who ran down a Muslim family with his truck in 2021, killing four people, were a 'textbook example of terrorist motive and intent.' Nathaniel Veltman was already sentenced to life in prison for murdering four members of the Afzaal family. Veltman testified in his own defence and said he took magic mushrooms a day before the killing in order to escape the hell of his mind. The killing galvanized London and Canadian society to create laws and groups that would combat Islamophobia. Community reflects on 4 years since Afzaal family killed (new window) As it has on every anniversary of the killing, the community gathered Friday to reflect on the family, who became known as Our London Family, and to recognize the impact of the tragedy. Kate Dubinski (new window) · CBC News Environment Canada says air quality in the city is 'very high risk' as of noon Friday. One Canadian Economy bill crafted to strengthen Canada's economy, sovereignty in face of Trump's tariffs. Bill C-2 gives power to pause, cancel and suspend immigration documents. Distribution sites have been plagued by deaths, reports of violence in last 2 weeks. Canada hosting high-level gathering in Alberta in just over a week. 10 hours ago International


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4 days ago
- CBC
David Jenkins speaks to P.E.I. MLAs as 3rd-party review into school safety begins
It's been a month since David Jenkins was appointed to head up a third-party review into the handling of sexual misconduct allegations in Island schools. His work began this week, and one of his first stops was to speak to MLAs. CBC's Nicola MacLeod was there.