Latest news with #Edmonton-area
Global News
21-05-2025
- Global News
Edmonton-area teacher faces child exploitation, pornography charges
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team's (ALERT) Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit says it has arrested and charged an Edmonton-area substitute teacher for child pornography related charges. The investigation began last month when ICE was tipped off by the RCMP's National Child Exploitation Crime Centre that Eric Matheson-Jones, 47, allegedly uploaded child sexual abuse material using Dropbox, a website used to host files in an online cloud. After a search warrant was issued on May 14, investigators charged Matheson-Jones with accessing, possessing, and transmitting child pornography. Police say that at the time of his arrest, he was a teacher at Norquest College, as well as working as a substitute teacher with Edmonton Public Schools and Elk Island Public Schools. He was also a tutor with Lights on Mediated Learning Centre in Sherwood Park. Story continues below advertisement According to investigators, charges against Matheson-Jones are related to offences made online, and police say there is no indication if any students attending any of the schools or the college have been affected. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Norquest College confirmed to Global News that he was a casual instructor. According to Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS), Matheson-Jones has worked as a substitute teacher since 2013 at both junior and senior high schools. 'There have been no reports from EIPS students, but it's essential our school families are aware of the charges laid,' a spokesperson with the school division told Global News. 6:04 Wave of sextortion cases sees law enforcement agencies send out joint warnings Detective Erik Bjarnason with ALERT said the law enforcement agency is sharing the information due to the accused's position of trust and authority. Story continues below advertisement 'It adds another heightened level of concern for us when we learn individuals have access to children or potential access to children,' he explained. 'That being said, I don't want to put everyone on high alert that something has happened. But we want to make sure that if it does and it hasn't been reported, so it can be reported and can be properly investigated,' he added. While ALERT says it has no evidence to show students at the schools were affected, Det. Bjarnason says it's important to have these conversations with students. 'I think it's extremely important to have open and honest communication with your kids with relationships with anybody that they have with anybody in a position of trust,' Det. Bjarnason said. Elk Island and Norquest both confirmed they've terminated his position. Edmonton Public Schools said Matheson-Jones previously served as a substitute teacher and is no longer with them. Lights on Mediated Learning Centre said they're shocked to hear this news but have no further comment. Matheson-Jones was released from custody with some court-imposed conditions, with his next court appearance scheduled for June 4.
Global News
17-05-2025
- Global News
‘I'm scared': Mistakenly-released suspect speaks out, explains TikTok posts
For the first time, 24-year-old Mackenzie Dawn Hardy is sharing her side the story after being mistakenly released from an Edmonton-area jail with what police say was a fraudulent letter. On Wednesday, Global News first reported an Alberta woman was released at the end of April from the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre (FSCC), which houses both inmates serving jail sentences of up to two years and those in remand awaiting judgment. A fraudulent 'stay letter' was allegedly submitted under the name of a fake Crown prosecutor and sent through a bogus 'defence counsel,' according to a whistleblower Global News has agreed not to identify due to the risk of them losing their job. On Saturday, Hardy spoke over Zoom with Global News to discuss the day she was released from prison. 'I was on the phone with my boyfriend, we were talking and all of a sudden I got told to pack my stuff (and that) I was being let out,' Hardy said. 'So I went (to) pack my stuff. And I was happy, and I didn't expect anything.' Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen The Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre near Edmonton, Alta. on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Global News After the jail received the letter saying her charges had been paused, Hardy was let out. Later, however, police said the letter was a fake. 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 After a week, Hardy said she heard from her lawyer saying she wasn't supposed to be out. 'I seriously think it's (a) government mess-up,' she explained. 'I was supposed to go for bail two weeks after being released. Like I had a bail plan all worked out with my lawyer.' Hardy said when she saw stories calling it a fraudulent release, she was shocked. 'It was their mistake, not mine,' Hardy said. 'I honestly believe it was a system error… It took them weeks to even acknowledge the situation publicly. It only happened after (a) whistleblower from inside the jail spoke out to the media. That's not transparency. That's damage control. I had nothing to do with it.' Story continues below advertisement Hardy said she was pursuing bail because her boyfriend had been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor and has about a year left to live. After Global News first reported the story on Wednesday, Hardy began posting videos to a TikTok account under the name She said the videos were made when she was emotionally charged, saying she knows it looks like she is taunting police. 'Yes, it does look like I'm taunting them, but I'm not. I'm just… stress(ed). Stress and overwhelmed with everything. This is a lot to take in and handle.' Hardy does not currently have a lawyer, and said she hasn't thought about the legal consequences her boyfriend could face by being involved. Lawyer Tom Engel, who does not represent Hardy, said it's a risky move. 'He'd have to be somehow assisting her to avoid arrest and if he does, then yes, he could be a party to it,' Engel said about the situation. Engel said he would advise against posting anything and said getting legal advice would be a great step. Hardy confirmed her boyfriend is with her, saying she is focused on spending time with him. For now, Hardy said she understands she could be in a lot of trouble. Story continues below advertisement 'I am nervous a little bit. I'm scared. Really scared, actually. What's gonna happen? When does it happen? But I'm not really focusing on that. At the current moment I'm more focused on my boyfriend. Because I don't know what I'm going to do when I lose him.' There is currently a warrant out for Hardy's arrest. On Friday, RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said he has never seen such a brazen and taunting escape. He said the warrant for Hardy's arrest is within Alberta but could be extended if she is found in another province. 'This type of behaviour isn't an effective way to stay one foot in front of police,' Cpl. Savinkoff said during the interview. 'Her arrest is an inevitability and when it happens, it will be interesting to see what she says when she is standing before the judge.' Global News reached out to RCMP for an update on the situation but did not hear back by the time of publishing.
Edmonton Journal
08-05-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Lake property an affordable Alberta possibility
Edmonton-area rec properties are listed for far below provincial average, but new listings for purchase can be hard to come by. Pigeon Lake is one of the many popular lake areas for recreational properties near Edmonton. Photo by Greg Southam / Postmedia Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Alberta's recreational market is the priciest in Canada, but that's not the case for cottages close to the Edmonton area where average prices are more reasonable — that is, if you can find a listing to buy. 'There is an abundance of these smaller communities where you can get into a property on a small lake in northern Alberta about three hours' drive away for about $250,000,' says Tom Shearer, broker/owner of Noralta Real Estate in Edmonton. 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. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. 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 'But as soon as you get closer to the city, it's more like $500,000 and up.' Those favoured Edmonton weekend haunts — Wabamun Lake, Lac Ste. Anne and Pigeon Lake — are among the more pricey lake communities in Alberta, in part because few listings come to the market. And when they do, competition among buyers is generally stiff, Shearer says. The recent Royal LePage 2025 Spring Recreational Property Report suggests recreational single-family detached homes — or cabins by another name — in Alberta will climb about two per cent to nearly $1.3 million this year, driven by Canmore, a mountain town far from any lake. There, the average price of a single-family home is among the highest in Canada, trailing only Vancouver — certainly not a vacation hotspot for rec properties — and Whistler — Canada's premier ski destination. Given the high price in Canmore, which has far more sales than other Alberta recreational markets, Alberta's overall average price growth this year will trail other less costly regions, like Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and Atlantic Canada where average prices of a cabin are about a third of the Alberta average price. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. 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. 'What was interesting this year is the trends across the board were quite reflective of the urban markets in those same areas,' says Anne-Elise Cugliari Allegritti, national spokesperson for Royal LePage. To that end, Ontario and British Columbia are forecast to see modest price growth like Alberta. The average single-family detached home price in recreational parts of B.C. is forecast to climb two per cent this year to about $952,000. In Ontario, prices are forecast to climb one per cent with an average cost for a single-family detached recreational home expected to exceed $647,000. Both B.C. and Ontario are also high-priced residential markets that are seeing less growth amid economic uncertainty and higher mortgage rates, she adds. Even in Edmonton, Canmore remains a key recreational market for people, Shearer says. 'The first thing that happens is someone visits the area and decides they love it.' Canmore condominiums are generally more affordable with an average price of about $648,000, up less than two per cent in 2024 from 2023, the report notes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Pigeon Lake condominium apartments — where more supply is being added, Shearer says — had an average price substantially lower at about $214,000, up about six per cent at the end of 2024 from 2023. Prices for single-family home properties, lakefront, are much higher, about $551,000 in Pigeon Lake at the end of 2024. In Lac Ste. Anne, the lakefront price climbed nearly 23 per cent at the end of 2024 year over year to nearly $670,000. Wabamun prices are even higher, the report shows, with the average lakefront price of $849,000 at the end of 2024 though down 11 per cent from the year before. And for a detached home that is not lakefront, the average price was $339,000, down more than 41 per cent. The year-over-year price shifts up or down in these regions are not necessarily an accurate snapshot of trends, Anne-Elise Cugliari Allegritti says. 'You have to take it with a bit of a grain of salt because the data could just be a matter of low transactions where a couple of really expensive or really low-end sales could skew the data.' Cult of Hockey Sports News News News
Hamilton Spectator
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Alberta legislature Speaker Nathan Cooper to resign seat, become rep to United States
EDMONTON - The Speaker of the Alberta legislature is resigning his seat in the assembly to become the province's representative to the United States. 'Serving this assembly has been one of the greatest honours of my lifetime,' Nathan Cooper said Wednesday in a speech to the house announcing his resignation. 'Working as the assembly's chief diplomat has equipped me in, and to be ready for, my next role serving Albertans in a new and meaningful way.' Cooper will replace former Edmonton-area member of Parliament James Rajotte as Alberta's U.S. representative. He held the role for nearly five years. A government news release says Rajotte will now serve as a senior adviser to Premier Danielle Smith. 'In this evolving landscape, Alberta must maintain and build on our ties with U.S. officials, and Nathan Cooper is the right choice to fill this important role,' Smith said in the release. 'I look forward to continuing to work closely with Nathan as we advocate for Albertans and for our province's interests in Washington and across the U.S.' The government says Cooper will be based in Washington and will look to attract investment, expand trade opportunities and maintain relationships to keep Alberta connected to decision-makers south of the border. Cooper told the house that he will officially resign as Speaker on Monday, and an election of legislature members for a new Speaker will take place Tuesday. The Speaker's role is to preside over debates and proceedings in the house in a non-partisan manner. The Speaker also doesn't vote on legislation. In his speech Wednesday, Cooper said his nearly six years in the role made him the eighth-longest-serving Speaker in Alberta's history. 'I've sat through 345 question periods, totalling 287 hours or 12 full days of question periods,' Cooper said. 'I presided over 2,195 hours of debate or 91 full 24-hour periods, and a whopping 17.9 million words have been spilled on the floor of the assembly.' He was first elected in Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills as a member of the Wildrose Party in 2015. When the party merged with the Progressive Conservatives two years later, Cooper became the United Conservative Party's first leader on an interim basis before it held a formal leadership race and former premier Jason Kenney was given the reins. Cooper was elected Speaker by fellow MLAs following the 2019 provincial election and was re-elected to the role in 2023. He found himself in hot water in 2021 after he was one of 16 United Conservative caucus members who signed a letter speaking against COVID-19 public health restrictions imposed by Kenney's government. The following week he apologized for not remaining neutral on government matters, as is expected from the Speaker. On Wednesday, Cooper received a standing ovation from both sides of the house as he rang in the last question period under his watch. 'Honourable members we will have order!' he yelled sarcastically while the clapping and cheering continued. House leaders from both parties also gave speeches thanking Cooper for his time as Speaker. 'Mr. Speaker we all know we will miss the chamber time with you, with a well-timed joke to break the tension, with your careful and steady hand in managing this chamber,' said government house leader Joseph Schow. Opposition house leader Christina Gray said the job of the Speaker 'is not for the faint of heart' but it's a job that Cooper handled admirably. 'Your fairness, humanity, knowledge and deep respect of parliamentary tradition has absolutely made this legislature more thoughtful and more respectful,' Gray said. Individual members from both parties shared the same sentiment with reporters earlier Wednesday, with Parks Minister Todd Loewen saying Cooper kept shenanigans to a minimum. 'He provides good balance in there and is able to keep rein on some of the people that are — and of course I may have been in that place myself a couple times — creating ruckus in the legislature,' he said. Opposition NDP education critic Amanda Chapman said Cooper was well regarded and fair. When asked if she'd want to fill the shoes he leaves behind, Chapman said she wasn't 'the right kind of nerd' to be Speaker. 'You have to be really into all of the parliamentary wonkiness, although it would be cool because I think that you get a portrait in one of the galleries,' she said. Cooper said he will officially resign his seat in the assembly next month, which will leave Alberta with three vacant ridings that the premier will need to call byelections for. With Cooper's seat empty, the United Conservative Party will hold 46 seats in the 87-seat house. The Opposition NDP currently has 36 seats and there are two Independent members. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
CBC
16-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Lawn signs, local forums — how candidates communicate with voters
The federal election campaign is past the halfway point, with election day less than two weeks away. But while many voters will watch the party leaders' debates tonight and tomorrow, they will ultimately cast a ballot for a local candidate. While campaign lawn signs featuring candidates' names are in full bloom, local debates are few and far between this election. Are these long-standing practices still relevant in the social media age? "I'm a firm believer that election signs are doing a public service," said Alex Marland, a political scientist and professor at Acadia University. "When it comes to debates, that's a totally other affair." Fewer debates a common trend Only a few Edmonton-area ridings have debates or multi-candidate forums scheduled. My Radio 580 held a Punjabi-language radio debate on April 11, featuring three candidates from Edmonton Southeast — Conservative Jagsharan Singh Mahal, NDP candidate Harpreet Grewal and Liberal candidate (and current Edmonton mayor) Amarjeet Sohi. In St. Albert-Sturgeon River, all five candidates in that riding participated in an election forum on April 2. In the riding of Edmonton Centre, a debate organized by the Wîhkwêntôwin Community League is taking place Wednesday. All 10 candidates running in the riding were invited, and nine have confirmed attendance, with the exception of Conservative candidate Sayid Ahmed. Colten Bishop, the events manager for the community league, said the campaign told organizers that it was committed to door knocking and unable to attend. "And we respect their decision," he said. Based on the RSVPs for the free event, Bishop said they're expecting close to a capacity crowd of 200. That enthusiasm was also apparent in the responses from the campaigns that confirmed. "They were very quick to respond," said Bishop. "We've even had candidates that have had to shift their schedules around quite significantly so they could be a part of this." The diminishing importance of local debates of forums is a trend playing out beyond Alberta, according to Marland. Debates are "adversarial by nature," and candidates might be wary of getting ganged up on — particularly incumbents. "And in an age of social media and people having smartphones, the risk is very high of them saying something or a controversy emerging that is going to damage their prospects," said Marland. By contrast, he said the leaders' debates are a "focusing event — they are the time when most people start really paying attention to the campaign." A 'low cost' form of communication Election signs, however, are still a useful tool. At a minimum, they make sure that even people who might not follow the news are aware an election is taking place. John Pracejus, a marketing professor at the University of Alberta, said campaign signs can help increase awareness of a local candidate's name. They can also have a "bandwagon" effect — making it seem like a candidate is so popular, they must be worth considering voting for. Partisan signs can be a target of theft or vandalism during election campaigns. Nevertheless, Pracejus said they offer considerable value for money in terms of messaging. Outdoor signs "are actually a relatively low cost way of communicating simple messages, and I don't think that's changed," he said. "I think the impact of digital outlets and the digital platforms like Meta and Google have really largely been on radio, television, newspapers, magazines, things like that that really don't have a very big chunk of consumer attention anymore." Not only do physical signs avoid any algorithmic manipulation by social media platforms, they also cut through individualized silos of media consumption — one of the few mediums that can still do so in the digital age, noted Pracejus. Those polarized echo chambers are also Marland believes voters are not well served by adversarial local debates. "What should be happening at the local level is people should be talking about town halls, they should be talking about meet-the-candidate events — things not involving aggression [or] polarization, but instead, encourage meeting people and having good conversations."
