Convicted N.S. killer out after seven years in jail
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Infants and toddlers are newest victims of Canada's deadly fentanyl crisis
Article content A toddler fell asleep in a bed shared with two older siblings. During the night, a sister noted the toddler's 'stiffening and eyes rolling back.' A parent and two other adults in the house had used heroin the night before. Article content A caregiver woke from a nap with a baby and found the infant with 'cyanosis,' blue from lack of oxygen. There was vomit in the bed. Police found a bag of fentanyl outside the bedroom. Article content In Amelia's case, a scrap of tinfoil with drug residue was found in her car seat cupholder. Article content Her father had been arrested on drug charges days before her death. Her mother had stopped using and had stayed clean for several years after she became pregnant with Amelia, even contacting family services herself during her pregnancy for help to stay sober, but then relapsed into daily fentanyl use weeks before Amelia died. A family member had contacted local family and children's services, but both parents denied she was using again. 'Further attempts' to schedule visits became difficult when the mother failed to respond, court heard. Contact was eventually made, and a home visit scheduled for the day Amelia died, but her mother left a voice message at 5:50 a.m. that morning, cancelling the visit. Article content Both fentanyl and carfentanil were found in Amelia's blood. Article content The mother, who had been sexually abused by an uncle when she was a child, went into foster care at 12 and started using crack cocaine at 14, pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death. In December 2019, she was sentenced to four years less time served. Article content 'No sentence will bring Amelia back, but the sentence imposed must reflect that a young life has been lost in these tragic circumstances,' Justice Melanie Sopinka said in delivering her decision. Article content Fentanyl alone, or in combination with other drugs, was the primary drug of toxicity in the Western study. In most cases, fentanyl was found in the child's play or sleeping area. A common narrative was that the child was found unresponsive after being put down for a nap. Article content 'With opioid overdose, you don't die right away — I think they put the baby down, thinking it was going to be OK, they went to sleep and woke up, and everything wasn't OK.' Article content Historically, prescription meds caused most childhood opioid deaths, said the study's first author, Dr. Katrina Assen, a pediatrician at the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary. 'Now we're switching to fentanyl.' Article content Seven children in their study were white; three were Indigenous. The households were often small, cluttered, untidy and disorderly. There were often a lot of people living in them — five on average. The mean age of the children that died was just under two, an especially 'exploratory age,' the authors wrote. When kids transition from age two to four, they 'climb anywhere and eat everything,' Rieder said. Article content As a former foster parent, Rieder said he knows from his own experience that child protection services are under-resourced, over-stressed and facing a scarcity of foster families. 'I think because of resource constraints children are often in situations in which they might be potentially in harm's way,' he said. Article content Half the deaths his group found were classified as accidental; for the other half, the manner of death was deemed 'undetermined.'
Edmonton Journal
2 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Infants and toddlers are newest victims of Canada's deadly fentanyl crisis
Article content An infant was discovered 'fully unresponsive by mom' on a mattress on the floor where the two had been sleeping at a friend's house. White powder and syringes were scattered about. Article content A toddler fell asleep in a bed shared with two older siblings. During the night, a sister noted the toddler's 'stiffening and eyes rolling back.' A parent and two other adults in the house had used heroin the night before. Article content A caregiver woke from a nap with a baby and found the infant with 'cyanosis,' blue from lack of oxygen. There was vomit in the bed. Police found a bag of fentanyl outside the bedroom. Article content In Amelia's case, a scrap of tinfoil with drug residue was found in her car seat cupholder. Article content Her father had been arrested on drug charges days before her death. Her mother had stopped using and had stayed clean for several years after she became pregnant with Amelia, even contacting family services herself during her pregnancy for help to stay sober, but then relapsed into daily fentanyl use weeks before Amelia died. A family member had contacted local family and children's services, but both parents denied she was using again. 'Further attempts' to schedule visits became difficult when the mother failed to respond, court heard. Contact was eventually made, and a home visit scheduled for the day Amelia died, but her mother left a voice message at 5:50 a.m. that morning, cancelling the visit. Article content Article content Both fentanyl and carfentanil were found in Amelia's blood. Article content The mother, who had been sexually abused by an uncle when she was a child, went into foster care at 12 and started using crack cocaine at 14, pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death. In December 2019, she was sentenced to four years less time served. Article content 'No sentence will bring Amelia back, but the sentence imposed must reflect that a young life has been lost in these tragic circumstances,' Justice Melanie Sopinka said in delivering her decision. Article content Fentanyl alone, or in combination with other drugs, was the primary drug of toxicity in the Western study. In most cases, fentanyl was found in the child's play or sleeping area. A common narrative was that the child was found unresponsive after being put down for a nap. Article content Article content 'With opioid overdose, you don't die right away — I think they put the baby down, thinking it was going to be OK, they went to sleep and woke up, and everything wasn't OK.' Article content Historically, prescription meds caused most childhood opioid deaths, said the study's first author, Dr. Katrina Assen, a pediatrician at the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary. 'Now we're switching to fentanyl.' Article content Seven children in their study were white; three were Indigenous. The households were often small, cluttered, untidy and disorderly. There were often a lot of people living in them — five on average. The mean age of the children that died was just under two, an especially 'exploratory age,' the authors wrote. When kids transition from age two to four, they 'climb anywhere and eat everything,' Rieder said. Article content As a former foster parent, Rieder said he knows from his own experience that child protection services are under-resourced, over-stressed and facing a scarcity of foster families. 'I think because of resource constraints children are often in situations in which they might be potentially in harm's way,' he said. Article content Half the deaths his group found were classified as accidental; for the other half, the manner of death was deemed 'undetermined.' Article content 'When you have an unexplained drug toxicity in a child, you just can't always say whether it got into them accidentally because of something somebody did or was there intentional provision of that substance to the child,' Huyer, Ontario's chief coroner, said. Article content 'It's very difficult to answer those questions at times.' Article content Addiction is a horrible disease, Rieder said. 'It wires you badly. People in drug-using homes, in drug-using circumstances, make decisions that do not seem rational. They do it because the addiction drives them,' he said. Article content Article content 'In homes where there are drug users and kids, I think (child protection services) need to consider these facts when making decisions. … We have to make some decisions that are unpleasant.' Article content Should drug-associated material be found in a household, 'action by CWS (child welfare services) workers should be taken forthwith,' and at a minimum require education on safe drug storage 'and follow up visits to ensure that these steps are put into place,' Rieder and his co-authors wrote. Article content In a statement to National Post, the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies said if a report of neglect or abuse is received, the first step is assessment of safety concerns and to identify potential risks to children in the home. Article content 'If concerns are identified, CAS's will work with the caregivers to create safety/mitigation plans and monitor these until the risk is reduced to a level (where) child protection intervention is no longer required,' the statement said. Article content
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Ontario photographer receives box of staples instead of $2,577 camera lens they ordered
An Ontario photographer is frustrated after her $2,577 camera lens is replaced with box of staples. An Ontario woman who enjoys photography wanted to buy a special camera lens she found online. But, when the shipment arrived, she opened it to find a box of staples instead. 'I was completely shocked. I didn't know what to do,' Viktoryia Shkel of Maple, Ont. told CTV News Toronto. Shkel is a photography enthusiast and said she wanted to upgrade to a more advanced camera lens. She said she found one online on Canon Canada's website for $2,577 that was part of a 'damaged box' sale. However, when the shipment arrived in mid-June, Shkel said she opened the box to find it was full of staples. 'The box was supposed to contain a Canon EF 24-70mm lens, and instead there was a box of staples,' she said. Shkel told CTV News she contacted Canon Canada to explain what happened, and sent photos of what she received. 'They notified me that all protocols were followed... they said the lens was inspected in the facility and by the time the lens left, everything was intact.' She said that while the outside box was sealed, the box for the camera lens had been opened—something that is standard with open or damaged box sales. 'There was no safety seal,' she said. Shkel claimed the box of staples weighed the same as what the camera lens would. But, following an internal investigation by Canon Canada, she was told she would not be getting a refund. box of staples Viktoryia Shkel of Maple, Ont. shows the weight of the box of staples she received instead of a $2,577 camera lens. (Supplied) 'I'm completely heartbroken. I'm completely shocked this happened to me and I'm really, really upset.' In late 2023, CTV News reported on a similar story with the Mankad family of Brampton. The family had ordered a laptop, but received two books instead. 'Someone must have opened the box, took out the laptop and replaced it with two books of equal weight and size,' Hardik Mankad said at the time. With CTV News' help, the Mankad family got a refund. In Shkel's case, CTV News reached out to Canon Canada and a spokesperson said in a statement, 'Internally, we have launched an investigation with our customer care and warehouse teams to examine what may have occurred.' 'We can confirm that our current process for outbound shipments require a weight verification of the product(s) held within and must match our strict weight measurements before being sent. Both our warehouse and shipping partner have confirmed that the outbound package did match the measurements and weight that would be expected for the lens model purchased, however based on the information provided by Viktoryia, it appears that the package may have been tampered with after departing our facility.' 'This is an unusual situation that we have not previously encountered, but while we continue the investigation with our shipping partner, we understand that the customer is currently bearing the financial burden of this loss. Customer satisfaction is a top priority for our brand, and we are currently in the process of issuing a refund to this customer for the cost of the lens.' Shkel has now received a full refund and plans to buy a new lens in person at a camera store.
