Latest news with #Diotte
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Parents say bullying is a big issue across Peabody schools after 14-year-old took his own life
A North Shore community is calling for action following the sudden death of a middle school student in Peabody over the weekend. 14-year-old Jason Benard took his own life after struggling with bullying, according to his family. The community is heartbroken by the loss, and say that bullying has been a big issue at Higgins Middle School, where Benard was a student. Nonprofit launches independent review of Peabody schools bullying policies after teen's death Several parents came forward and spoke to Boston 25 News about their own children's struggles with bullying in the district. 'You know, your kid starts to question their worth at such a young age, it's awful,' said Nicole Diotte, a concerned parent. She said she just pulled her two children from Peabody Public Schools this year because of the bullying her son faced. At one point she says her son suffered a concussion after a physical attack from another student at the Captain Samuel Brown Elementary School. 'He got picked up and then thrown onto the back of his head in a reading room and he threw up, had some blood, and he cleaned that all up himself and then he finished his day off at school,' said the Peabody mother. Diotte claims no one from the school notified her about the incident. She ended up taking her son to the hospital. 'He was slurring, he had double vision, one of his pupils was bigger than the other — he had to have an MRI," she said. Another Peabody mother, who did not want to be identified because she currently has a child within the school system, says her child was constantly bullied by another child for years. 'My child has actually attempted suicide due to the bullying,' the mother said. 'Every time it was reported verbally, it wasn't documented by the school officials, and so when the child told my child to slice her wrists with a razor blade, we were told that that wasn't considered bullying because it was a first offense.' The mother reported the issue to not only school district leaders and police, but to the state as well. After reviewing her case, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education responded with a letter, finding that Peabody schools had 'areas of non-compliance' with the state and needed to take corrective action. The action included revising its bullying prevention plan to providing bullying training to 'all School staff members, including the School's administration and guidance counselors.' In March, the state closed the case after finding Peabody schools complied with the changes to its bullying plan. In August, the district provided anti-bullying training, which 32 staff members attended. 'I hope that this never happens again because I actually pulled my kids out of school fearing that this could happen to them,' Diotte said. Parents say more needs to be done to protect students in the wake of Bernard's death. 'Kids are just mean, and the parents, either the parents are just not aware or just nobody's doing anything about it,' said Diotte. The Peabody Public Schools Superintendent offered his sympathies to the grieving Bernard family. He also said grief counselors will be available to all students. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a network of local crisis centers that are available 24/7 to provide support for youth and adults who are in any kind of emotional crisis. Using the 988 Lifeline is free and confidential. To contact the Lifeline, call or text 988. More information can be found here. A GoFundMe has been set up for the Bernard family in lieu of the tragedy. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
CBC
30-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Edmonton voters wanted change, action on affordability, Conservative candidates say
Conservative candidates who won in Edmonton ridings on election night say voters were looking for change and were concerned about affordability and crime in Canada. The party's candidates won seven of Edmonton's nine ridings, re-electing four incumbents, flipping Edmonton Griesbach, which was previously held by the NDP, and electing two newcomers, Billy Morin and Jagsharan Singh Mahal, in Edmonton Northwest and Edmonton Southeast. The NDP's Heather McPherson decisively held her Edmonton Strathcona riding while Liberal candidate Eleanor Olszewski won Edmonton Centre in a tighter race against Conservative challenger Sayid Ahmed and the NDP's Trisha Estabrooks. "From what we saw here in Edmonton Riverbend, it was things like crime and affordability, where life hasn't got better on those two files for the last 10 years, so people wanted to see that change," said Matt Jeneroux, who was re-elected as a Conservative MP. WATCH | What's behind the Conservatives' success in Edmonton? Edmonton votes blue with two first-time Conservative MPs 4 hours ago Duration 2:33 Fellow Conservatives Ziad Aboultaif and Kerry Diotte, who won the Edmonton Manning and Edmonton Griesbach ridings, said their campaign teams worked hard to earn voters' support. Aboultaif said his campaigners logged 12-14-hour days and Diotte, who represented the riding from 2015–2021 and served as an Edmonton city councillor for three years from 2010–2013, said he had never had so many volunteers. Both candidates said affordability was important to the residents in their ridings. "Edmontonians are worried about the future of this country," Aboultaif said at his watch party Monday night. "They worry about the daily cost of living, the carbon tax, the high taxation." Diotte said Monday he believed concerns about "meat and potatoes issues," like affordability, energy and reducing crime, tipped the race in his favour. Chaldeans Mensah, a political science professor at MacEwan University, said local Conservative candidates consistently stuck to the party platform, emphasizing issues like affordability and crime. He said while Conservatives have historically dominated in Alberta, the first-past-the-post electoral system doesn't reflect the diversity of opinions in a city like Edmonton, where there are many Liberal and NDP supporters as well. "The opposition isn't organized around a single party," he said. Vote-splitting may have helped Diotte win in Edmonton Griesbach, where the NDP and Liberals received more than half of the vote share, but it does not appear to have been as much of a factor in other ridings. In Edmonton Southeast, had Liberal candidate Amarjeet Sohi also received all of the votes for the NDP's Harpreet Grewal, that still would not have been enough to beat Conservative Jagsharan Singh Mahal, who received more than half of all votes. Mensah said he thinks Mahal benefited from Edmontonians' disgruntlement about crime in the city and local housing affordability.
CTV News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Battleground Edmonton: Mayor defeated as 2 city core ridings avoid blue surge
CTV News Channel is Canada's 24-hour all-news network. Watch the latest headlines from Canada and around the world. We're sorry, this content is not available in your country. [5004/403.72] On a night when Mayor Amarjeet Sohi went down to defeat, two Edmonton ridings avoided a swell of support for the Conservatives to stay in the hands of their incumbent parties. Conservative Jagsharan Singh Mahal will represent Edmonton Southeast, CTV News declared Monday evening, after the lawyer took down Liberal hopeful Sohi, who had stepped down temporarily from the mayor's chair to run federally. 'This is not the result that we expected, but this is the result that we accept,' Sohi told supporters at his election night rally at The Royal Palace on the city's east end. 'People make decisions. They elect you, and sometimes, they do not elect you. That is what democracy is all about.' The 61-year-old Sohi, who was elected mayor in 2021, was an Edmonton Liberal MP for five years and served as a cabinet minister before being defeated in the 2019 federal election. Before that, the former transit driver was an Edmonton city councillor from 2007-15. In Edmonton Centre, Eleanor Olszewski has retained Liberal reign in the core riding, narrowly beating Conservative hopeful Sayid Ahmed, while incumbent NDP MP Heather McPherson holds onto Edmonton Strathcona after early results had Conservative Miles Berry in a close south-central race. 'We're going to be pushing the Liberal government to make sure that they actually adhere to the promises they've made to Canadians, that they protect everyday Canadians,' McPherson told her supporters at Cite Francophone. 'I'm not interested in a banker giving tax breaks to billionaires. I'm much more interested in how we're making life more affordable for Canadians in this city, in this province and this centre.' But Conservative candidates won seven of the nine city ridings, including Kerry Diotte, who handily beat NDP incumbent Blake Desjarlais in Edmonton Griesbach, a race that was expected to be close. Diotte had represented the northside riding for two terms before Desjarlais beat him in the 2021 vote. After his Monday night victory, Diotte told CTV News Edmonton that he and his hard-working team 'did a lot of door knocking' over the last two years to reach as many supporters as possible. 'I think that makes a difference,' the 69-year-old Diotte said. 'We had more volunteers this campaign than I've had in 2015 and 2019 and 2021.' Edmonton Centre Liberal Eleanor Olszewski won the core riding, which had been expected to be a close race. According to Elections Canada Tuesday morning, Olszewski won 44.2 per cent of the vote with 186 of 187 polls reporting, while Conservative Sayid Ahmed captured 38.1 per cent of it. The NDP's Trisha Estabrooks scored 15.5 per cent of ballots. 'Just based on what we heard at the doors, and especially after advanced polling, we never really thought it was a three-way split,' Olszewski told CTV News Edmonton later in the evening. 'I think we got votes from some conservatives who were not happy with the party, and from some NDP, as well.' She called the victory 'deeply personal,' having built her career and raised her family in Edmonton Centre, and promised to serve the district with integrity and responsibility. 'I really believe that (Mark Carney) has bold and a pragmatic vision for the future of this country, and I know that he wants to protect our sovereignty and grow our economy and make sure that our families and workers and seniors and students are taken care of, and I just I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work on his team.' Edmonton Gateway Conservative candidate Tim Uppal won the election in this new southeast riding with 138 of 157 polls reporting. Uppal, the incumbent in the former Edmonton Mill Woods riding, earned 50.9 per cent of the vote. Liberal hopeful Jeremy Hoefsloot collected 36.7 per cent of the vote while the NDP's Madeline Mayes collected 5.1 per cent. Edmonton Griesbach Kerry Diotte won the riding he lost four years ago. The Conservative will return to the House of Commons, CTV News declared, with Diotte capturing 46.7 per cent of the vote with 164 of 188 polls reporting. He defeats NDP incumbent Blake Desjarlais, who won 32.5 per cent of ballots cast, while Liberal hopeful Patrick Lennox took 18.5 per cent of them. Edmonton Manning CTV News declared Ziad Aboultaif of the Conservatives the winner in this northeast riding. Aboultaif won 53.1 per cent of ballots cast with 132 of 142 polls reporting. Blair-Marie Coles took 35.4 per cent of the votes while Lesley Thompson of the NDP received 10 per cent. Edmonton Northwest Former Enoch chief Billy Morin of the Conservatives won the riding, according to CTV News. Morin collected 53.5 per cent of the vote with 195 of 206 polls reporting. Liberal Lindsey Machona took 38.3 per cent of the ballots while the NDP's Omar Abubakar had 6.6 per cent of them. Edmonton Riverbend Conservative incumbent Matt Jeneroux was re-elected in the southwest riding with 170 of 182 polls reporting, CTV News decided. Jeneroux won 50.1 per cent of the vote while Liberal Mark Minenko garnered 44.6 per cent of it. Edmonton Southeast Conservative hopeful Jagsharan Singh Mahal defeated Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi of the Liberals with 144 of 159 polls reporting, CTV News declared. Mahal captured 53.6 per cent of the vote while Sohi collected 36.3 per cent of ballots cast. Edmonton Strathcona Two-time incumbent Heather McPherson of the NDP won re-election with 183 of 217 polls reporting, taking 46.3 per cent of the vote in the south-central riding. Conservative hopeful Miles Berry collected 33.3 per cent of them, while Liberal Ron Thiering earned 18.4 per cent of ballots cast. Edmonton West Conservative incumbent Kelly McCauley is the winner, CTV News declared, with 206 of 207 polls reporting. He won 53.6 per cent of the vote, while Liberal challenger Brad Fournier took 39.8 per cent of them and the NDP's Sean McQuillan 5.4 per cent. Around the city Leduc-Wetaskiwin: Conservative incumbent Mike Lake was declared the winner by CTV News. Conservative incumbent Mike Lake was declared the winner by CTV News. Parkland: Dane Lloyd won in a landslide for the Conservatives in this riding immediately west of Edmonton. Dane Lloyd won in a landslide for the Conservatives in this riding immediately west of Edmonton. Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan: Garnett Genuis, the Conservative incumbent, won re-election, CTV News said. Garnett Genuis, the Conservative incumbent, won re-election, CTV News said. St. Albert-Sturgeon River: Incumbent Michael Cooper of the Conservatives rolled convincingly to re-election. Live updates
Calgary Herald
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Election 2025: Edmonton Griesbach returns to Conservative fold as Kerry Diotte beats Blake Desjarlais
Article content Edmonton Griesbach is blue once more as former MP Kerry Diotte defeated the NDP candidate who unseated him four years ago — a body blow in a night of bad news for New Democrats. Article content Article content Diotte, the former news reporter, city councillor and mayoral candidate, claimed victory at a gathering at the 97 Street Canadian Brewhouse in the north Edmonton riding. Dozens of supporters cheered as CTV called the race for the Conservatives. Article content Article content Article content This time, Desjarlais campaigned on the NDP's dental and pharmacare deals with the Trudeau Liberals, and positioned himself as the only candidate who could stop a Conservative comeback. Article content With more than 80 per cent of polls reporting, however, Desjarlais sat at 32 per cent of the vote, with Diotte claiming 46.5. Patrick Lennox, the Liberal, was at 18.9 per cent. Article content Diotte thanked his volunteers and said he'd spent two years trying to win the Conservative nomination and convince Griesbach voters to give him another chance. Article content 'Man, it just feels good to be back,' he said. 'Basically, it was just hard work.' Article content Article content 2021 rematch Article content Article content Desjarlais defeated Diotte in 2021 with 40 per cent of the vote to 36 per cent — a difference of about 1,500 votes. The Liberals finished third with 15 per cent in that race. Article content Desjarlais, an Indigenous man then in his late 20s, was seen as a rising star in the party. This time, there were hopes he would be part of a potential part of a NDP power bloc in Edmonton. Article content As of 11:00 p.m. on election night, however, only Edmonton's Strathcona's Heather McPherson had retained her seat, with just seven NDPers across the country leading or elected. Twelve seats are required for official party status in Canada.
