Today's letters: Why can't the city clean up violent crime downtown?
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My uncle, 80 years old, in good shape, just sometimes confused about days of the week, went downtown to celebrate Canada Day on July 3. He ended up in the hospital with bruises, a broken hip and a smashed-up face because he was violently attacked, beaten and kicked. He was also robbed.
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I am wondering how in this day and age we can welcome visitors to the downtown core and trust that such violent acts won't happen to them. This government promised to look at crime but obviously it has seeped through the cracks again.
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The City of Ottawa encourages people to visit the ByWard Market area to help businesses. No way would I do such a thing. I knew it was unsafe but not to this extent. How about possibly cleaning up the downtown core like you used to prior to COVID? This area has obviously turned into a crime show, between the drug addicts, the homeless and whatever else.
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It seems that additional police services have been provided to the Market, but I wonder how much security is needed to make it safe for us and our visitors. It seems to be out of control.
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When will the Doug Ford government think beyond quick base appeasement and actually study the possible outcomes of its populist decisions? Its ideologically driven choices have: favoured privatization of our health care, resulting in a battle for limited resources to the detriment of public medicine; a rush to sell alcohol on every corner, resulting in the loss hundreds of millions of dollars, and the loss of facilities to return recyclable empties; and now, the closing of safe injection sites that had been housed in well-resourced community health centres.
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Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
'Despicable and criminal': Hotels join fight against human trafficking in Windsor 'hotspot'
Hotels joining fight against human trafficking, with Windsor, as a border city, identified as a 'hotspot.' 'Not in our hotel.' Dharmesh Patel, regional head of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association, is seen at the Quality Inn on Erie Street South in Leamington on Aug. 1, 2025. Photo by Julie Kotsis / Windsor Star Hotel and motel owners in Windsor-Essex — a key hunting ground for human traffickers —are joining forces to help clamp down on the illicit sex and slave trade. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'Windsor is a hotspot. It always has been,' said Dharmesh Patel, manager of Leamington's Quality Inn and regional chair of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association (ORHMA). 'And post-COVID, it is back in full force. During COVID it was harder. You had to report who's in the room with you, and there was more attention put on it. Now we're back to normal.' Patel's association is stepping up its campaign to get lodging owners on board with Not In Our Hotel. It's a free training initiative designed to equip staff with the knowledge to recognize and respond to signs of human trafficking. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has stated that human trafficking is one of the world's fastest-growing crimes, generating an estimated $150 billion in annual profits. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Public Safety Canada, which likens human trafficking to modern day slavery, said Canada is a source, destination and transit country for victims trafficked in sexual exploitation and forced labour. 'Human Trafficking is an ever-evolving crime that effects not only the victim, but those close to them as well,' a Windsor Police Service spokesperson told the Star in an email. Windsor police are not involved in the hotel campaign. 'Human trafficking is an issue in all jurisdictions and Windsor is no exception. We continually strive to combat human trafficking, by working with victims and community resources.' Between 2013 and 2023, more than 4,500 incidents were reported to police services in Canada, according to Public Safety Canada, a federal government department. About 93 per cent of victims were women and girls. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. More than 90 per cent of victims were trafficked by someone they know. And men made up 82 per cent of the people accused of human trafficking. The ORHMA launched its initiative earlier this year in partnership with provincial hotel associations across Canada. 'By working together, we can leverage our resources and provide necessary training, while sending a powerful message against these despicable and criminal acts occurring in our hotels,' said association president and CEO Tony Elenis. 'The project aims to support all Ontario hotels with the information and tools required to combat the illegal operations of human trafficking.' The training includes online modules for hotel staff with certificates of completion and reference materials including posters and on-the-job guides. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The free training is available to hotel owners, managers, and employees in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario. Patel said most large hotel brands have completed the training. The focus is now on smaller independent businesses. 'It's been an issue in our industry for quite some time, particularly motels and any hotels that have exterior corridors,' he told the Star. 'Small hotels where you enter from the parking lot and nobody can see you. Those are primary locations for human trafficking.' There have been several recent high-profile human trafficking cases involving the Windsor region. Ontario's Human Trafficking Intelligence-Led Joint Forces Strategy (IJFS) announced on July 30 that an elaborate sting led to 1,100 men responding to a single online ad offering sex with an underage girl. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The task force identified men from Windsor and Essex County among those who responded to the bait over an 11-day period. On July 16, several police agencies working under the IJFS arrested a 30-year-old Windsor man after receiving a tip in May about a victim being trafficked in London through online advertisements. Last September, Windsor police arrested a 28-year-old Toronto man on 30 criminal charges following a human trafficking probe. Police said the man forced a 26-year-old woman into the sex trade, controlling her money, food, and movements. He also assaulted the woman multiple times, including an incident where he threw an object at her and broke her front tooth, according to investigators. The woman escaped after the suspect allegedly brought her from Toronto to Windsor to sell her sexual services. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In August 2024, two suspects were arrested in Windsor for violating bail conditions. They were among five people accused of enticing 64 Mexican nationals to come to Canada with the promise of a better life, then exploiting them. 'It is still a prevalent issue here,' said Patel. 'We just want to make sure that people aren't ignoring the signs.' He said those signs include people paying with cash or booking through third-party websites. If they're not paying with cash, he said the criminals will often use pre-loaded credit cards. 'The other thing to look for is when the people actually come into the hotel,' said Patel. 'If it's a younger person — usually females — and they have that scared look or something and they're keeping an eye out. Those are really the signs to look for.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Windsor police said people can help protect themselves from predators by setting strict privacy settings on social media accounts and being cautious of strange friend requests. Avoid oversharing personal information and be wary of online advertisements that seem too good to be true. 'If you encounter something suspicious, flag it instead of sharing it, and familiarize yourself with the warning signs of trafficking to be able to recognize and report it.' Patel said the bulk of human traffickers coming to Windsor are from Montreal. 'That's where the main guys come from,' he said. 'They're picking up kids and females, and sometimes even males, from all over. So Toronto is a hotspot and then Windsor being closest to the border.' He said the international border does play a role in making Windsor a centre for human trafficking. 'People try to take them across,' said Patel. 'It depends on what they're being used for. Human trafficking is not just for sexual exploitation. Sometimes they ship these kids to other countries. And what happens from there, we have no idea.' twilhelm@ Columnists Relationships Sunshine Girls Opinion Canada
Winnipeg Free Press
14 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Tennessee readies for execution of man with working implanted defibrillator
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee is gearing up for an execution on Tuesday that experts say would likely mark the first time a man has been put to death with a working defibrillator in his chest. Gov. Bill Lee declined Monday to grant a reprieve, clearing the way for Byron Black's execution after a legal battle and ongoing uncertainty about whether the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator will shock his heart when the lethal drug takes effect. The nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center said it's unaware of any other cases in which a person on death row made similar claims to Black's about defibrillators or pacemakers. Black's attorneys said they haven't found a comparable case, either. Lee said the courts have 'universally determined that it is lawful to carry out the jury's sentence of execution given to Mr. Black for the heinous murders of Angela Clay and her daughters Lakeisha, age 6, and Latoya, age 9.' The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected Black's appeals. The execution would be Tennessee's second since May, after a pause for five years, first because of COVID-19 and then because of missteps by state corrections officials. Twenty-seven men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., and nine other people are scheduled to be put to death in seven states during the remainder of 2025. The number of executions this year exceeds the 25 carried out last year and in 2018. It is the highest total since 2015, when 28 people were put to death. Black's condition Black, 69, is in a wheelchair, and he has dementia, brain damage, kidney failure, congestive heart failure and other conditions, his attorneys have said. The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator he has is a small, battery-powered electronic device that is surgically implanted in the chest. It serves as a pacemaker and an emergency defibrillator. Black's attorneys say in order to be sure it's off, a doctor must place a programming device over the implant site, sending it a deactivation command, with no surgery required. In mid-July, a trial court judge agreed with Black's attorneys that officials must have his device deactivated to avert the risk that it could cause unnecessary pain and prolong the execution. But the state Supreme Court intervened July 31 to overturn that decision, saying the other judge lacked the authority to order the change. The state has disputed that the lethal injection would cause Black's defibrillator to shock him. Even if shocks were triggered, Black wouldn't feel them, the state said. Black's attorneys have countered that even if the lethal drug being used, pentobarbital, renders someone unresponsive, they aren't necessarily unaware or unable to feel pain. Kelley Henry, Black's attorney, said the execution could become a 'grotesque spectacle.' The legal case also spurred a reminder that most medical professionals consider participation in executions a violation of health care ethics. Black's case Black was convicted in the 1988 shooting deaths of his girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and her two daughters. Prosecutors said he was in a jealous rage when he shot the three at their home. At the time, Black was on work-release while serving time for shooting Clay's estranged husband. Linette Bell, whose sister and two nieces were killed, recently told WKRN-TV: 'He didn't have mercy on them, so why should we have mercy on him?' Intellectual disability claim Wednesdays What's next in arts, life and pop culture. In recent years, Black's legal team has unsuccessfully tried to get a new hearing over whether he is intellectually disabled and ineligible for the death penalty under U.S. Supreme Court precedent. His attorneys have said that if they had delayed a prior attempt to seek his intellectual disability claim, he would have been spared under a 2021 state law. Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk contended in 2022 that Black is intellectually disabled and deserved a hearing under that 2021 law, but the judge denied it. That is because the 2021 law denies a hearing to people on death row who have already filed a similar request and a court has ruled on it 'on the merits.' In Funk's attempt, he focused on input from an expert for the state in 2004 who determined back then that Black didn't meet the criteria for what was then called 'mental retardation.' But she concluded that Black met the new law's criteria for a diagnosis of intellectual disability. Black also sought a determination by the courts that he is incompetent to be executed.
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Toronto Sun
Tennessee set to execute inmate without turning off his implanted defibrillator
Published Aug 04, 2025 • 4 minute read This undated booking photo provided by the Tennessee Department of Corrections shows Byron Black. Photo by Tennessee Department of Corrections / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee is set to execute an inmate Tuesday without deactivating his implanted defibrillator, as uncertainty lingers about whether the device will shock his heart when a lethal drug takes effect. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Barring a late reprieve requested from the governor or the courts, Byron Black's execution will go forward after a legal back-and-forth over whether the state would need to turn off his implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD. The nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center said it's unaware of any other cases in which an inmate was making similar claims to Black about ICDs or pacemakers. Black's attorneys said they haven't found a comparable case, either. The execution would be Tennessee's second since May, after a pause for five years, first because of COVID-19 and then because of missteps by the Tennessee Department of Correction. Twenty-seven men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., and nine other people are scheduled to be put to death in seven states during the remainder of 2025. The number of executions this year exceeds the 25 carried out last year and in 2018. It is the highest total since 2015, when 28 people were put to death. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Black, 69, is in a wheelchair, suffering from dementia, brain damage, kidney failure, congestive heart failure and other conditions, his attorneys have said. In mid-July, a trial court judge agreed with Black's attorneys that officials must have the instrument deactivated to avert the risk that it could cause unnecessary pain and prolong the execution. But the state Supreme Court intervened July 31 to overturn that decision, saying the other judge lacked the authority to order the change. The state has disputed that the lethal injection would cause Black's defibrillator to shock him. Even if shocks were triggered, Black wouldn't feel them, the state has added. Black's attorneys have countered that even if the lethal drug being used, pentobarbital, renders someone unresponsive, they aren't necessarily unaware or unable to feel pain. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Black was convicted in the 1988 shooting deaths of his girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and her two daughters, Latoya Clay, 9, and Lakeisha Clay, 6. Prosecutors said he was in a jealous rage when he shot the three at their home. At the time, Black was on work-release while serving time for shooting Clay's estranged husband. Linette Bell, whose sister and two nieces were killed, recently told WKRN-TV: 'He didn't have mercy on them, so why should we have mercy on him?' 'It feels like it is never-ending,' Bell told the news outlet. 'They aren't even resting in their own grave.' Medical considerations An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator is a small, battery-powered electronic device that is surgically implanted in the chest, typically near the left collarbone. It serves as a pacemaker and an emergency defibrillator. Black's attorneys say the only way to be sure it's off is for a doctor to place a programming device over the implant site, sending it a deactivation command, with no surgery required. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The legal case also spurred a reminder that most medical professionals consider participation in executions a violation of health care ethics. While the judge's order to deactivate the device was in place, state officials said Nashville General Hospital practitioners would do the procedure the day before at the hospital, but wouldn't travel to the prison on execution day as the court required. The judge offered some leeway, allowing the procedure at the hospital on the morning of the execution. But Nashville General then released a statement saying the state's contractor didn't reach out to proper hospital leadership and that there had been no agreement to do the work. Intellectual disability claim In recent years, Black's legal team has also tried and failed to get a new hearing over whether he is intellectually disabled and ineligible for the death penalty under U.S. Supreme Court precedent. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. His attorneys have said that if they had delayed a prior attempt to seek his intellectual disability claim, he would have been spared under a 2021 state law. Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk contended in 2022 that Black is intellectually disabled and deserves a hearing under that 2021 law, but the judge denied it. That is because an inmate can't get an intellectual disability hearing under the 2021 law if they have already filed a similar request and a court has ruled on it 'on the merits.' In Funk's attempt, he focused on input from an expert for the state in 2004 who determined back then that Black didn't meet the criteria for what was then called 'mental retardation.' But she concluded that Black met the new law's criteria for a diagnosis of intellectual disability. Black has also been seeking a determination by the courts that he is incompetent to be executed. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Columnists Opinion Wrestling Toronto & GTA NHL
