Elderly woman who may be disoriented missing in Grand Bay-Westfield, N.B.
RCMP in Grand Bay-Westfield, N.B., are asking for help from the public in finding a missing elderly woman last seen Sunday morning.
Police say 79-year-old Ruth Carol Sutton was last seen walking on Mallard Drive around 9:10 a.m. She was reported missing to police the same day.
According to police, they have followed up on multiple leads but have been unsuccessful in finding Sutton.
Police say Sutton suffers from a medical condition which may cause her to become disoriented.
Sutton is described by police as being approximately five-foot-two, weighing around 130 pounds, with blue eyes and white hair. She was last seen wearing a light blue jacket.
Police said Sunday that Ground Search and Rescue teams, as well as Police Dog Services, were in the area conducting a search. Anyone with information on Sutton's whereabouts is asked by police to contact them at 506-757-1020.
For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
20 minutes ago
- CBC
Sask. auditor's latest report urges action on opioid crisis, transitional housing
The latest report from Saskatchewan's provincial auditor outlines concerns around the growing opioid crisis, transitional housing for victims in interpersonal violence and oversight of school divisions. Tara Clemett spoke about her findings at a news conference Tuesday. Clemett pointed to the rise in drug toxicity deaths across the province due to the prevalent use of substances like fentanyl. She said people trying to get into outpatient treatment programs including Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) and Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine (RAAM) — directly operated by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) — are having to wait. According to a release from the Clemett's office, patients seeking treatment waited an average of four days in Kamsack, nearly five days in Saskatoon and just over a day in Regina. Good practice recommends clients wait no more than three days, the release added. "When we did our own testing, we did find Saskatoon and Kamsack are not necessarily hitting good practice in terms of someone coming to seek help from a prescriber and seeing them within three days," Clemett said. "The authority needs that information so it can make decisions and know where there might be gaps." Clemett also found Lloydminster and Estevan, which don't have OAT programs, saw local increases in drug toxicity deaths from 2022 to 2024 over previous periods. Clemett recommended that the SHA implement a centralized IT system and centralized standards to work toward more accessible treatment services. "Ultimately, you would hope that would have a positive impact when it does come to them being able to live," she said. School division safeguards Clemett also found financial discrepancies within the education system. She said 19 of 27 school divisions should have more financial safeguards in place, especially when it comes to journal entries and electronic fund transfers. Many schools across the province allow one person to oversee all financial records, increasing the chance for error or hidden information, Clemett said. "We would always want those to be independently reviewed and approved," she said. The report also pointed out that 14 independent religious schools in Saskatchewan do not require certified teachers. She questioned if students enrolled in these independent schools are getting an effective education. "From our perspective, in the event that the ministry is going to allow these schools to have teachers that aren't necessarily certified, they should be doing a better job of monitoring overall student achievement," Clemett said. Transitional housing Transitional housing for interpersonal violence victims was also top of mind for Clemett on Tuesday. Saskatchewan has one of the highest rates of intimate partner violence in the country, her report says. While there is transitional housing across the province, the funding varies from one house to the next. Clemett said the government has no substantial reasoning as to why one transition house may receive more funding than another. She referred to Regina and Swift Current, which each have funded transition houses with equal bed numbers, but funding differed by more than $200,000 in 2024–25. "There is a limited pot of money here in terms of what can go around, to some degree, to transition space," Clemett said. "So you just want to make sure that you're probably providing the money to the right facilities that really need the help, so that they can serve the people that are looking for safe shelter." The province's Opposition NDP also made its concerns about the auditor's findings known Tuesday. Meara Conway, NDP deputy House Leader and critic for rural and remote health, and ethics and democracy, reiterated the issues around interpersonal violence and lack of access to services in the midst of the province's opioid crisis. She said there is a lack of access to methadone, which increases the likelihood of opioid relapse and deters people from treatment. There is also a lack of information for the vulnerable when it comes to accessing treatment and shelters, Conway said. "We'll continue to see the drug crisis get worse because we have a government that has continuously politicized this crisis instead of roll up their sleeves, meet people where they're at and, you know, provide a range of services where and when people need them."
CTV News
23 minutes ago
- CTV News
RCMP says Saskatchewan commanding officer away, interim head in place
Assistant commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, speaks during a news conference in Regina on Thursday, June 6, 2024. A report into how Mounties responded to a mass killing and manhunt in Saskatchewan has found some communication problems but nothing that significantly impacted the outcome. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards REGINA — RCMP say Saskatchewan's commanding officer will be away for an undetermined period of time effective immediately. Mounties didn't provide details on Rhonda Blackmore's absence but say assistant commissioner Robin McNeil will serve as interim commanding officer. They say the decision won't affect front-line policing and that they have confidence in all officers in the province. Blackmore took command of the Saskatchewan RCMP in April 2021, after serving various posts across Canada for 30 years. She spent her first years as an officer in the Saskatchewan communities of Assiniboia, Regina and Buffalo Narrows. In 2022, she launched the RCMP's first unit aimed at recruiting Indigenous people to ensure Mounties represent the communities they serve. She was also the public face of the force after the mass killings on James Smith Cree Nation in 2022. -This report was first published by The Canadian Press on June 4, 2025.
Globe and Mail
24 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
CRTC delays to 911 system upgrades put victims of intimate partner violence at risk, advocates say
The two-year deadline extension for Canada's upgraded 911 emergency response system is sounding alarm bells among advocates who warn that it is increasing safety risks for individuals experiencing violence at home. They say the next generation of Canada's 911 system, known as NG9-1-1, which would allow users to text emergency services rather than call, would offer an additional layer of discretion they believe is crucial for those experiencing intimate partner violence. Police-reported data show that women are overrepresented among victims of this crime. Intimate partner violence is also known as spousal or domestic violence. In 2019, 80 per cent of people who had experienced intimate partner violence did not report it to the police, according to a 2019 statistical profile on family violence by the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, which is a division of Statistics Canada. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) had set the deadline for all service providers to implement the NG9-1-1 network for March of this year. But in February, the CRTC announced it would extend the deadline by two years - until March 31, 2027. Once the new network is implemented, existing 911 systems will be disconnected. CRTC delays implementation of next-generation 911 service for two years But advocates say the extension is putting women who are subject to intimate partner violence at greater risk. They say it would be safer for individuals in precarious situations to reach out for emergency services via text than having to make a phone call. This is not the first time the CRTC has bumped the deadline. The regulator had already extended the implementation deadline from June 30, 2023 to March 4, 2025. But the origin of NG9-1-1 dates even further back to 2001 when the National Emergency Number Association first laid out its expectations for the new emergency telecommunication system. Mike Wood, a long-time advocate for the 911 reform, said texting 911 instead of calling the service would remove some of the barriers for those reaching out for help when experiencing intimate partner violence. 'If somebody is in a violent situation and they can't speak — like they're in the room with someone — the ability to text 911 could save their life,' Mr. Wood said. In his most recent effort to get the ball rolling on 911 reform, Mr. Wood is meeting with Ontario government officials on Thursday to discuss the implementation of Canada's new 911 system. In addition to reaching 911 services via text, the NG9-1-1 network would allow users to send videos of an accident or provide necessary medical information. According to the CRTC's website, the upgrade would create a faster, safer and more informed emergency response. When asked why the deadline was extended, CRTC spokesperson Megan MacLean explained that first responders and telecommunications providers across the country warned of potential 911 service interruptions because some jurisdictions could not transition in time between the two networks. Ms. MacLean said the regulator heard concerns from several stakeholders regarding the deadline, including the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Paramedic Chiefs of Canada. 'These groups were concerned that Canadians in areas that have not transitioned to NG9-1-1 could lose access to 911 services,' Ms. MacLean said in a statement. 'Given that this would cause an unacceptable risk to public safety, the deadline for the transition to NG9-1-1 was extended to March 2027.' Despite the extension, some Ontario cities such as Mississauga, Brampton and Toronto are implementing the NG9-1-1 system ahead of the deadline. The Toronto Police Service (TPS) implemented the first phase of NG9-1-1 in July of last year to help assist dispatchers discern authentic 911 calls from misdials. The service is set to launch the second phase of NG9-1-1 this year. But there is no timeline for real-time texting and live emergency video call features to be added to the system, according to the TPS website. Ms. MacLean said 911 call centres and telecommunications services providers 'may transition to NG9-1-1 as soon as they are ready.' However, the lack of urgency has increased concerns among experts who argue the option to text is useful for those in precarious situations while reaching out for help. 'Texting would allow a person to be a lot more discreet,' said Suzy Dunn, professor in law and technology at Dalhousie's Schulich School of Law. 'When their partner knows that they've called the police or they're reaching out for help, sometimes that can escalate violence.' Ms. Dunn's research focuses on the way people communicate through technology when they're in situations like intimate partner violence. Despite the lack of research in effectiveness of being able to text 911, Ms. Dunn said just having the option to text would be beneficial to women. 'Someone could pop into the bathroom and make a 911 text. It's a lot more difficult to pop into the bathroom and make a 911 call when your partner could hear you talking on the phone,' Ms. Dunn said. The issue is even more acute in rural and remote communities where emergency services are scarce. Stephanie Melnyk, research and community outreach representative at Rise Women's Legal Centre, said its dangerous for women and gender-diverse people managing their safety 'on a moment-to-moment basis' to pick up the phone and call 911. Mr. Wood, the 911 reform advocate, says it all comes down to lived experiences. He says that's why the general population does not realize the delay is an issue for this group. 'Until they have that lived experience, a lot of people don't know that you just can't text 911.'
