St. Theresa Point to honour Ashlee Shingoose, other area MMIWGs
St. Theresa Point First Nation in northeastern Manitoba is holding its first Red Dress Day event on Monday, as the community mourns one of its own. In March, Ashlee Shingoose of was identified as the previously unknown victim of a Winnipeg serial killer. She'd been given the name Buffalo Woman, or Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, by Indigenous community members.
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Toronto Star
19 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Judge upholds obstruction conviction for B.C. Mountie in Dale Culver case
A provincial court judge has ruled that the guilty verdict stands for an RCMP officer convicted of obstruction of justice in the case of an Indigenous man who died in police custody in 2017, clearing the way for sentencing. A statement from the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association says Judge Adrian Brooks dismissed the attempt by RCMP Const. Arthur Dalman to have the proceedings stayed, rejecting Dalman's claim that his Charter rights were breached.
Winnipeg Free Press
20 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Judge upholds obstruction conviction for B.C. Mountie in Dale Culver case
A provincial court judge has ruled that the guilty verdict stands for an RCMP officer convicted of obstruction of justice in the case of an Indigenous man who died in police custody in 2017, clearing the way for sentencing. A statement from the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association says Judge Adrian Brooks dismissed the attempt by RCMP Const. Arthur Dalman to have the proceedings stayed, rejecting Dalman's claim that his Charter rights were breached. The B.C. Prosecution Service has confirmed the ruling, which communications counsel Damienne Darby says was released on May 29. Dalman was found guilty last July of obstruction of justice for ordering witnesses to delete video footage taken at the time Dale Culver was arrested in Prince George. The civil liberties association says officers used pepper spray during the 'violent' arrest and Culver died about 30 minutes later after complaining of breathing difficulties. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. recommended charges in 2020 after finding reasonable grounds to believe two officers may have committed offences related to the use of force and three others may have obstructed justice. But the civil liberties association says manslaughter charges against two officers were stayed last year, one obstruction charge was stayed and another officer was acquitted of obstruction, leaving Dalman as the only officer convicted in the case. The reasons for Brooks' judgment have not been released, and Darby said in a statement on Monday that Dalman's next appearance is on June 19 to set a date for a sentencing hearing. Culver was from the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en Nations. He was 35 years old at the time of his death. An RCMP release from the time said police had received a report about a man casing vehicles and found a suspect who tried to flee on a bicycle. The civil liberties association, meanwhile, said after Culver's death that it was aware of reports from eyewitnesses that he 'was taken forcibly to the ground by RCMP members immediately after exiting a liquor store, apparently unprovoked.' The group shared a statement from Culver's daughter, Lily Speed-Namox, following the judge's decision to uphold Dalman's conviction this week. The family has waited 'eight long years' for accountability, Speed-Namox says. 'I have somehow managed to remain positive about my feelings that eventually someone would be held accountable. 'Even if it's because Dalman lied under oath to 'protect' his fellow officers. How many people have to die before people realize that the justice system is broken?' In the earlier decision finding Dalman guilty of obstruction of justice, the same provincial court judge, Adrian Brooks, found the officer deliberately lied and his evidence was 'so fraught with illogical missteps … and so contradictory when compared with reliable evidence, that it (was) not worthy of any belief.' Culver's cousin, Debbie Pierre, says in a statement that Brooks' latest decision upholding Dalman's conviction marks a step toward accountability. 'But true justice goes beyond one decision. My vision is for a system where Indigenous lives are protected — not silenced — and where police are trained to de-escalate, not destroy. 'This is not just about Dale; it's about transforming a justice system that continues to fail our people. We will not stop until that change is real.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Calgary Herald
Alberta judge rejects robber's Indigenous identity claims, proposes test for deciding who should and shouldn't get Gladue reports
An Alberta judge is proposing new guidelines for how courts handle people who say they are Indigenous during sentencing hearings, but don't have proof to back up their claims. Article content Last month, Justice Jordan Stuffco of the Alberta Court of Justice sentenced Jonathan Anthony Ninan to 33 months in prison for robbing a Leduc sports bar, after Ninan admitted to pointing a replica firearm at the bar's lone female employee and making off with $12,000 cash. Article content Article content Article content After pleading guilty to a pair of charges, Ninan requested a Gladue report, a pre-sentence document which examines the impacts of government policy towards Indigenous people on an Indigenous person's criminal conduct. Article content Article content While some offenders' claims of Indigenous identity are uncontroversial, Ninan had only the vague sense that his mother — with whom he has had almost no contact since age 10 — had 'some ancestral connection to an unspecified Indigenous community,' Stuffco wrote. Article content 'Although Mr. Ninan endured substantial childhood trauma and intergenerational harm due to abusive and neglectful biological parents, I do not find these factors are connected to Indigeneity,' wrote Stuffco, a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. Article content 'I find Mr. Ninan is not an Indigenous offender because there was no meaningful evidence, other than self-identification, establishing Mr. Ninan as an Indigenous person.' Article content Article content The decision comes amid ongoing debate over Indigenous identity fraud, including deeper examination of Indigenous identity claims from public figures in government, pop culture and academia. Article content Article content Stuffco did not accuse Ninan of trying to mislead the court, noting the 24-year-old simply knew little about his mother 'due to his chaotic and abusive family history.' Article content Gladue reports Article content Since the Supreme Court of Canada's 1999 decision in R. v. Gladue — the first case to interpret Criminal Code amendments aimed at addressing the over-representation of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in Canadian prisons — Indigenous offenders have been able to request pre-sentence reports examining their family histories and how government Indigenous policy may have contributed to their criminal behaviour. Article content Gladue and subsequent cases recognized Indigenous people 'endured many generations of unparalleled systemic abuse and discrimination at the hands of all levels of government,' Stuffco wrote, including residential schools, displacement from traditional lands and adoption into non-Indigenous families.
