Food company pleads guilty in Edmonton smokehouse death, Crowns asks for fine
EDMONTON - A commercial food processing company has pleaded guilty to a workplace safety charge after an Edmonton worker became trapped in a smokehouse and died.
The Crown has recommended Ontario-based Sofina Foods Inc. be ordered to pay a $330,000 penalty and for 25 other charges against it to be withdrawn.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Crown seeks 20 years for convicted sex offender
Prosecutors are seeking a 20-year prison sentence for a small business owner convicted of sexually exploiting two vulnerable 13-year-old girls, one of whom later died of a drug overdose. Michael Bruce, 44, was found guilty after trial last year of 11 sex-related offences, including luring, in connection to the two girls as well as a then-19-year-old woman. 'I learned first-hand the damage predators inflict on their prey,' the deceased girl's grandmother wrote in a victim impact statement that was read out in court Wednesday. 'We as a society, as adults, should be protecting our children against this degrading psychological terror,' the woman said. 'It's been a long time coming, but the day is finally here for all those children — justice.' Court heard evidence at trial that Bruce, who owns and operates an HVAC business, had contacted a woman who lived in the Charles Walk area, in the North End, in April 2022 to arrange to have sex with her in exchange for work he had completed. The woman instead provided him with contact details for a 13-year-old girl. Bruce contacted the girl over Facebook and arranged to have sex with her in his pickup truck in exchange for $20 and a case of Twisted Tea alcoholic drinks. The girl's grandmother learned about the sexual assault and contacted police. The girl provided two video statements but later died as the result of a drug overdose. Court heard testimony Bruce had sex with the second 13-year-old girl, who was in foster care, as payment for giving her a ride home. The adult victim testified Bruce sexually assaulted her in his truck when she was intoxicated and slipping in and out of consciousness. Bruce testified he believed the first girl was 17 years old and claimed the sex was consensual, as was the sex with the adult victim. He denied having sex with the second 13-year-old girl. Bruce admitted at trial when one of the girls threatened to report him to police, he told her: 'Who are they going to believe — a gang member or a homeowner?' Bruce was arrested in June 2022, but not charged until the following September after Winnipeg police completed a lengthy analysis of his electronic devices. 'It is impossible to quantify… the level of harm these offences will have on these (victims), their families, and the community at large,' Crown attorney Kellie Stashko told Court of King's Bench Justice Sadie Bond on Wednesday. Bruce 'recognized their vulnerability and intentionally exploited them for his own selfish desires,' Stashko said. A forensic psychiatric report and presentence report prepared for court said Bruce – who admits to a long history of 'transactional' sex with women both in and out of the sex trade — continues to minimize his actions and their effect on the victims. 'There is really nothing to suggest this offender understands his risk factors in any way,' Stashko said. Stashko said a 20-year prison sentence was 'just and appropriate' and the minimum period necessary to satisfy the sentencing principals of denunciation and deterrence. 'These were not crimes of opportunity… every step he took was a deliberate choice, not an error in judgment,' Stashko said. Defence lawyer Mike Cook urged the judge to sentence Bruce to just six years in prison, describing him as a loving father of two and community-oriented businessman who has bought and renovated several rental properties to open up housing for the needy. Cook said Bruce had an upbringing marked by poverty, housing instability and exposure to domestic violence. Bruce was raised by a single mother and had no male role model. Cook argued Bruce's sexual maturation was stunted by early and prolonged exposure to pornography and an uncle who glorified empty sexual conquests. 'Micheal Bruce was not taught about love, caring, how to be a good spouse or boyfriend,' Cook said. 'He lacked some of the foundational blocks that would take him into adulthood… It's no surprise that he found himself in trouble as years went by.' Since his arrest, Bruce has joined sex addicts anonymous, a decision 'truly indicative of an internal motivation to change,' Cook said. Bruce offered a tearful apology to his victims, saying he never set out to exploit children. 'My criminality stems from my involvement in the sex trade,' he said. 'I did not seek out teenagers for sexual gratification, but I didn't say no and avail myself of the opportunity to walk away and figure out the truth of their age and I should have.' Bruce said he will regret what he did 'for as long as God allows me to be on this Earth' and is learning how to be a better person. 'I will spend the rest of my days trying to right the wrongs of my past and whenever society permits it, I will try to find ways to help vulnerable women and girls from being exploited sexually,' he said. Bruce will be sentenced June 23. Dean PritchardCourts reporter Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean. Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Globe and Mail
7 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Missing three-year-old Montreal girl found alive in Ontario, Quebec police say
A three-year-old Montreal girl reported missing on Sunday by her mother was found alive in eastern Ontario on Wednesday afternoon, minutes after her mother appeared in court while facing charges of child abandonment. The Sûreté du Québec and Ontario Provincial Police confirmed in a Wednesday evening press conference that the girl was found around 3 p.m. along Highway 417, near St. Albert, Ont. She was alone but conscious and able to speak with officers, and is now doing 'well' after being examined by a medical team in hospital, OPP Staff Sergeant Shaun Cameron said. Ontario police used a drone to spot the little girl after receiving reports that she and her mother, 34-year-old Rachel-Ella Todd, were seen earlier in nearby Casselman, Ont. on Sunday. Officers following the drone reached the girl soon after. It was a moment of elation for the forces who had been searching tirelessly since Sunday. Around 150 Sûreté du Québec officers, as well as trained volunteers, were combing the Montérégie region, near where Ms. Todd walked into a souvenir store on Sunday afternoon and told employees she had lost her daughter. 'This is why we become police,' Staff Sgt. Cameron said. Many questions remain about the circumstances around the girl's alleged abandonment and whether she has been on her own since Sunday afternoon, but police declined to comment on an active investigation. Ms. Todd remained in custody Wednesday after appearing in a court in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que., wearing a purple T-shirt and handcuffs on her hands and feet. She was arrested on Monday and charged with unlawful abandonment of a child. Prosecutors have objected to her release on the grounds that she poses a danger to the public. Because evidence continues to come in, a possible bail hearing won't be discussed until her next court date on Friday. The accused does not have a criminal record. The alleged offence took place Sunday in Quebec or Ontario, according to the charging document. Shortly before, Ms. Todd posted a disturbing TikTok video while holding the girl: 'You try that again, and this is going to get ugly,' she said, visibly angry. A caption read, 'Have you ever faced a mother who has nothing left to lose?' It is not clear who she is addressing. Police have since found the remains of a dog believed to have been with the girl when she went missing, near the store where her mother reported the disappearance. Police had been on the lookout for a long-haired chihuahua with reddish-brown fur. Police have released video of Ms. Todd's 2007 grey Ford Escape, with a 'Baby on Board' sticker on the right passenger-side corner of the rear window. Anyone who might have seen the vehicle between 9:45 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday is asked to come forward. Before the sighting of the girl in Ontario, she had been last seen at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday in their apartment building in LaSalle. The girl's father, Matthew Bell, 35, had shared pleas on social media for the public to help find his daughter. The professional chef did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday but posted a message of gratitude online. 'She has been found!!!' Mr. Bell wrote on Instagram. 'Thank you to everyone… Please allow me and my family to take this time with our girl.' Crown prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel said some members of Ms. Todd's family were listening to Wednesday's hearing online. Ms. Prévost-Gravel, asked in a scrum after the hearing whether she still believed Ms. Todd posed a danger to the public, said, 'Yes, for sure,' adding that she could not explain why because the evidence was protected. 'It's hard for a mother to work on that kind of case, but we have to do our job and keep the public safe,' she said. The fact that the girl had been found alive was greeted with relief across Quebec. Premier François Legault called it 'beautiful news.' With reports from The Canadian Press
Global News
8 hours ago
- Global News
Hit-and-run killer should spend 4 years in prison for sex assault on teen, B.C. court hears
A man already behind bars for a deadly hit-and-run should spend an additional four years for an unrelated sex assault against a 16-year-old girl, a B.C. courtroom heard Wednesday. That recommended sentence was submitted jointly by Crown prosecutors and lawyers for Alexandre Romero-Arata. A jury convicted Romero-Arata of sexual assault in December 2023. 1:51 Vancouver hit-and-run trial delayed multiple times by laywer changes Crown prosecutor Joseph Marin told the sentencing hearing the assault, which took place at a Vancouver hotel in 2021, involved choking the victim, pulling her hair and slapping her on the face and breasts. Story continues below advertisement The assaults had a devastating impact on a vulnerable young person, who Romero-Arata — then 25 — plied with alcohol 'despite knowing she was underage and struggling with substance abuse,' Marin told the court. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He added that there was no evidence Romero-Arata had insight into his actions, adding that he had taken the stand during his trial and denied any wrongdoing. Marin also read a victim impact statement written by the girl, in which she said the assaults had ruined her self-worth. 'For a long time, I would contemplate ending my life because of it … I didn't want to live with those memories,' she wrote. The victim's mother also read a statement via video link, in which she said the assaults sent her daughter into a downward spiral and broke their family. 2:41 More on record of fatal hit and run driver Alexandre Romero-Arata 'What was done to her was inexcusable, and it shattered every part of our lives,' she said. 'Nothing could undo what the defendant did to her.' Story continues below advertisement Romero-Arata avoided looking at the mother as she spoke, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead. 'You fractured an entire family,' she added. 'The effects have been long, deep and devastating.' Last December, Romero-Arata was handed a five-year sentence for criminal negligence causing death over a June 2022 hit-and-run that killed 24-year-old Irish man Eoghan Byrne. The court heard he had been drinking, was driving at speeds of up to 152 km/h and ran multiple red lights. Video recorded by a passenger in his vehicle showed him, at one point, saying, 'I ain't stopping for no red light.' Both that case and his sexual assault case dragged on for longer than expected, after Romero-Arata changed his legal counsel five times. Crown and defence agreed the proposed sex assault sentence should be served after Romero-Arata completes the two years he still has on his hit-and-run sentence. With the totality principle applied, he would spend an additional three years behind bars when that sentence is up. The judge is slated to rule on the submissions on Thursday.
