logo
Sault Ste. Marie police honour 7 community champions at annual awards

Sault Ste. Marie police honour 7 community champions at annual awards

CTV News14-05-2025

Northern Ontario Watch
Sault Ste. Marie police honoured seven groups and individuals, including conservation officer Mike Hamilton and broadcaster Lou Turco, at their 37th annual Community Awards for making meaningful impacts in the city.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Police condemn ‘racist thuggery' as Northern Ireland hit by third night of violence
Police condemn ‘racist thuggery' as Northern Ireland hit by third night of violence

Globe and Mail

time11 minutes ago

  • Globe and Mail

Police condemn ‘racist thuggery' as Northern Ireland hit by third night of violence

Violence erupted in different parts of Northern Ireland for the third successive night on Wednesday, with masked youths starting a fire in a leisure centre but unrest in the primary flashpoint of Ballymena was notably smaller in scale. Hundreds of masked rioters attacked police and set homes and cars on fire in Ballymena, a town of 30,000 people located 45 kilometres (28 miles) from Belfast, on Tuesday night in what police condemned as 'racist thuggery.' The violence flared on Monday after two 14-year-old boys were arrested and appeared in court earlier that day, accused of a serious sexual assault on a teenage girl in the town. The charges were read via a Romanian interpreter to the boys, whose lawyer told the court that they denied the charge, the BBC reported. Police are investigating the damaging of properties on Monday and Tuesday in Ballymena, which has a relatively large migrant population, as racially-motivated hate crimes. Two Filipino families told Reuters they fled their home in Ballymena on Tuesday night after fearing for their safety when their car was set on fire outside the house. A few dozen masked youths threw some rocks, fireworks and petrol bombs at police after officers in riot gear and armoured vans blocked roads in the town on Wednesday evening. Police deployed water cannon against the crowd for the second successive night but the clashes were nothing like the previous night that left 17 officers injured and led to five arrests. Much of the crowd had left the streets before midnight. A small number of riot police were also in the town of Larne 30 kilometres west where masked youths smashed the windows of a leisure centre before starting fires in the lobby, BBC footage showed. Swimming classes were taking place when bricks were thrown through the windows and staff had to barricade themselves in before running out the back door, a local Alliance Party lawmaker, Danny Donnelly, told the BBC. Northern Ireland's Communities Minister Gordon Lyons had earlier posted on Facebook that a number of people had been temporarily moved to the leisure centre following the disturbances in Ballymena, before then being moved out of Larne. The comments drew sharp criticism from other political parties for identifying a location used to shelter families seeking refuge from anti-immigrant violence. Lyons condemned the attacks on the centre. Police said youths also set fires at a roundabout in the town of Newtownabbey, a flashpoint for sectarian violence that sporadically flares up in the British-run region 27 years after a peace deal largely ended three decades of bloodshed. Debris was also set alight at a barricade in Coleraine, the Belfast Telegraph reported. The British and Irish governments as well as local politicians have condemned the violence.

‘Free rein': Saskatoon downtown business owners, residents criticize city's response to ‘street people'
‘Free rein': Saskatoon downtown business owners, residents criticize city's response to ‘street people'

CTV News

time13 minutes ago

  • CTV News

‘Free rein': Saskatoon downtown business owners, residents criticize city's response to ‘street people'

Paul Hemsing says he lives in fear, frustration and disbelief over what he sees every day living in downtown Saskatoon. Hemsing was one of half a dozen speakers at a city committee meeting Wednesday, criticizing the city's homeless response and the variety of crime that goes unpunished. Hemsing said he has to walk over urine, feces and vomit daily, on his way to work. He sees drug use and public intoxication every day. He's been shouted at, and told councillors his spouse was robbed at knife point. 'We watch absolutely stunned as a small group of individuals who are deeply marginalized, yes, are given free rein to break the law, terrorize our streets, destroy public and private property, all while the law abiding, taxpaying citizens of this city are told that they are doing their best,' Hemsing said. Speaker after speaker said they didn't want to take issue with the homeless population at large. Instead, they pointed towards what they called 'street people,' a group who they say choose to live on the street, break the law and cause problems that are affecting their way of life. 'We recognize and support the need for safe spaces for people experiencing homelessness,' downtown Saskatoon business improvement district executive director Shawna Nelson said. 'But I must ask, what about the safe spaces for business owners, their staff and the public?' Nelson and others called for police officers to be more visible downtown and patrol more often. Others called for police to enforce people breaking the law, mentioning open drug use goes unpunished while parking tickets are handed out daily. Hemsing said he always reports the crimes he sees, which includes a man chasing him inside his building and banging on the glass repeatedly. He said police tell him there's a long list of calls ahead of him and they will try to attend if they're able. No officers followed up with him that particular day. 'More - but also doing the job of what they're supposed to be doing,' Nelson said. Saskatoon city councillors (Keenan Sorokan/CTV News) Nelson said some business owners are looking to not renew their lease or move altogether as customers choose to avoid downtown because of safety concerns. City councillors at the governance and priorities committee told people in council chambers they understand the concerns and they're working to increase safety downtown and in Riversdale. 'We hear you,' Mayor Cynthia Block said. 'It may not seem like this is a priority and an urgent matter, but I promise you that it is, each and every single day.' As part of the report before the committee, city administration said encampment cleanups cost the city $600,000 last year. Assistant fire chief Yvonne Raymer said the city has learned a lot from the recently opened temporary homeless shelter downtown, which has a coordinated response alongside Commissionaires and the Saskatoon Police Service. She told the committee that level of co-ordination — to ensure a visible presence of firefighters, bylaw inspectors or police — could be achieved in other parts of the city, but more resources would be needed. Ward 8 Coun. Scott Ford said the city is losing 'the battle,' and more money might be needed to ease concerns and get more people downtown. 'There are street people... they're treated like the victim too when really the victims are the customers and our businesses,' he said. 'And I think we need to change the focus in our mindset in that direction.' A separate report on Wednesday outlined a financial forecast from administration that said property taxes would increase by more than four per cent next year because of the police budget alone, and 9.9 per cent overall if city spending were to continue as is.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store