Latest news with #McLeod
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
As Hart questioned about intent and group message, he appears to shift responsibility onto Michael McLeod in the 2018 Hockey Canada assault trial
Carter Hart, testifying as a defense witness in the high-profile 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault trial. This was pressed by Crown prosecutors over his actions and decisions on the night of the alleged assault. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now During questioning, Hart admitted to replying to a group text from teammate Michael McLeod that invited players to his hotel room. Hart responded affirmatively, though he claimed he believed the invitation was meant specifically for him. The message was sent to the entire team and suggested a planned sexual encounter. Despite that, Hart stated he didn't interpret it as a group proposition, he also conceded he never asked about the woman's age. Also, her sobriety or interest before arriving at the room. Hart's memory gaps raise more questions than answers Hockey Canada trial: Carter Hart called to testify During the proceedings, Hart was unable to recall key details from that night. He admitted to drinking and being hopeful for sexual encounters, though he claimed not to have fully decided on participating when he responded to the message. When asked about McLeod's clothing at the scene, Hart gave conflicting answers. Hart implies McLeod was a moral decision-maker Michael McLeod #20 of the New Jersey Devils (Credit: Getty Image) One of the most revealing moments came when Hart acknowledged he relied heavily on McLeod to make the situation morally acceptable. When asked if he trusted McLeod to arrange something appropriate, Hart simply said yes. This remark seemed to shift responsibility. This suggests McLeod played a leading role in organizing the encounter. He could not explain why he tried to bring more players into the room, particularly Dante Fabbro, other than to give the woman a reason to stay. Read more: Hart's testimony, while defensive, opened new lines of inquiry and potentially placed greater scrutiny on McLeod. The trial continues as the court works to unravel what truly occurred that night in the London hotel room.
Hamilton Spectator
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
‘The whole night was weird, wasn't it?' Prosecution cross-examines ex-NHLer Carter Hart at Hockey Canada sexual assault trial
While Carter Hart has testified about being in a London, Ont., hotel room with a woman demanding to have sex with his teammates, the Crown suggested Friday that the players were determined 'to keep her there and do sexual things because it was fun for you guys.' It was Hart's second day in the witness box as the first accused player to testify in his own defence at the high-profile Hockey Canada sexual assault trial. He testified Thursday that after a night of drinking, he went to teammate Michael McLeod's room at the Delta Armouries hotel in response to a text about a three-way, only to find several of his teammates already there and a woman masturbating on a bedsheet on the floor, asking: 'Can somebody come f—- me?' The Crown completed its evidence at the Hockey Canada sex assault trial on Thursday morning. Here's what you need to know to catch up, starting The Crown completed its evidence at the Hockey Canada sex assault trial on Thursday morning. Here's what you need to know to catch up, starting Hart said in response to the woman's demand, he asked her 'for a blowie, meaning blowjob,' and she responded 'yeah' or 'sure,' crawled toward him, and helped pull down his pants. The oral sex lasted about 30 to 60 seconds. On Friday during cross-examination, Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham questioned whether he took any additional steps to confirm the woman's consent. 'I'm going to suggest that at no time in the room did you ever take her aside and say 'Are you sure you really want to be doing this?'' Cunningham said. 'Seconds later, your penis is in her mouth, and you don't follow up with any sort of 'Are you sure this is really OK? Are you down for this?'' He said he had no memory of doing that but also had no doubts that the woman was consenting. Hart, McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé, and Cal Foote, all former members of the 2018 Canadian world junior championship team, have pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the then-20-year-old woman in the early hours on June 19, 2018, in room 209. Her identity is covered by a standard publication ban. The woman had met McLeod at Jack's Bar and returned to his room where they had consensual sex, only for multiple men to come in afterward. While she didn't say no nor physically resist, she testified she only engaged in the sexual activity as a coping mechanism for being in a room full of men she didn't know. She testified she was crying at times and would try to leave, but the men would always coax her to stay. Hart completed his testimony on Friday. It remains to be seen whether Formenton, Dubé, and Foote will testify; they are not required to, as the burden of proving a criminal charge always remains with the Crown. Formenton's lawyers said they will confirm whether he's testifying Monday. McLeod's lawyers already indicated this week he will not be testifying. 'There were other guys in the room looking and I do remember making eye contact with somebody,' the former goalie said. 'There were other guys in the room looking and I do remember making eye contact with somebody,' the former goalie said. Cunningham put to Hart on Friday that the men took 'affirmative steps' to get the woman to stay and that Hart, in particular, went out of his way to make sure she would stay by texting teammate Dante Fabbro to come to the room, thinking he might want to have sex with her. (There's no indication that Fabbro ever came.) 'She kept asking for guys to have sex with her, and I knew that Dante was another single guy on the team,' Hart said. He said it felt to him that the woman was 'super excited to be there' and didn't want to leave, given how 'forward' she was being in her offers for sex. 'I'd never experienced or seen a girl act like that, I don't know the right word, I think maybe just forward and sexually demanding,' he testified. But why do you care whether this woman, a total stranger, gets what she's demanding, Cunningham asked Hart. A composite image of London police Det. Steve Newton's handwritten notes on the complainant's comments during a June 26, 2018, photo-identification interview. Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton are all on trial for sexual assault. (The officer's notes have been excerpted to fit in a single image.) 'I'm going to suggest you must have felt there was something in it for you to go and find another guy willing to have sex with her,' Cunningham said. 'I'm going to suggest it's because you wanted to keep the party going.' Hart repeated that the woman just kept demanding to have sex, even after leaving the hotel room's bathroom with Formenton, where they had intercourse. 'I'm going to suggest it's your understanding that if no one presents themselves, if no one steps up as tribute, say, she would leave, right?' Cunningham asked Hart. That was his understanding, but he said he wasn't sure how he felt at the time about the woman staying. Aside from the oral sex allegation against Hart, the Crown has also alleged that McLeod had intercourse with the woman a second time in the bathroom; Formenton separately had intercourse with her in the bathroom; McLeod and Dubé obtained oral sex; Dubé slapped her naked buttocks, and Foote did the splits over her body and his genitals 'grazed' her face. The complainant herself didn't identify Hart to the police, but other players testified they saw him receive oral sex. Cunningham put to Hart that until he arrived in the hotel room, there had been no prior discussion about what this 'mystery woman' might have wanted to do, and he really didn't know anything about her. All he knew was McLeod had sent a text to a players' group chat about coming to his room for a three-way, and he had also spoken briefly on the phone with McLeod, who said he had a woman in his room who wanted to have sex with some of his teammates. 'So you'd agree with me then that anything you knew about her willingness or interest in engaging in sexual activity, anything you knew about that before you arrived at the Delta hotel, came directly from Mr. McLeod?' Cunningham asked Hart. 'I'm going to suggest, Mr. Hart, you were putting a lot faith in your friend Mr. McLeod to set something up that was morally acceptable to you.' Hart agreed. He was open to the idea of going as he was a single 19-year-old man at the time hoping for a sexual encounter, who had also expressed an interest in the group chat to going to see 'rippers' — meaning strippers — prior to McLeod's 3-way text. But he maintained in his testimony he wasn't going to make up his mind until he was in the room and saw the woman. 'I hadn't met the woman yet, so I hadn't seen what she looked like or if she was OK with it,' he said Friday. A screenshot of a group chat involving members of Canada's 2018 world junior championship team. Hart had replied 'I'm in' in response to McLeod's text, but disagreed with Cunningham's suggestion that he knew the activity could actually involve more than three people. Cunningham also pointed to examples of Hart's 'faulty memory' of being in the room: he couldn't quite remember what McLeod was wearing when he first walked in or of McLeod getting food that players then ate, he couldn't remember if player Brett Howden was there — Howden has testified he was — and he couldn't remember McLeod recording videos of the complainant on his phone saying she was consenting while smiling . This despite the fact that Hart can be heard in the background of one of the videos saying 'I'll get Fabbs, I'll get Fabbs,' in relation Fabbro, whom he texted two minutes after the video was taken, writing: 'Get to 209.' Hart also couldn't recall if he received oral sex from the woman a second time, something McLeod told police in a 2018 statement , nor could he recall anyone slapping the complainant. Asked if it's possible that happened, Hart replied: 'It's hard to say because I don't think anybody would have done anything to hurt her.' He repeated what he testified Thursday, which is that if he saw anything done to the complainant that she didn't want or that was disrespectful or degrading, he would have put a stop to it or left. 'So you know for sure you never felt like things were getting out of hand in that room, even though you can only remember less than half of what took place?' Cunningham asked him. Hart said yes. Cal Foote does the splits at Jack's Bar in London on the night of June 18-19, 2018, while teammates Brett Howden (on the far side of Foote, in white with a lighter-coloured backwards ball cap) and Dillon Dubé (in white on the near side of Foote) clear space on the dance floor. Hart, who played as a goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers prior to his arrest last year, also testified Thursday about seeing Foote doing the splits over the complainant's body while she was lying on the ground between the beds; he said he was sure Foote was clothed and his body did not make contact with the complainant's, who he said was laughing. He explained that the splits were a 'pretty cool thing' that Foote was able to do upon request; surveillance footage shows he did the splits on the dancefloor at Jack's earlier that night. Men in the hotel room were egging him on to do it again, Hart said. 'Like hey Footer, do the splits,' Hart said. 'That was just kind of a thing he did. He's a big, tall dude, super flexible.' A photo of room 209 at the Delta Armouries hotel in London, Ont., marked up by Carter Hart during his testimony, depicting Cal Foote doing the splits over the complainant while she's on a bedsheet on the floor, as well as the positions of other players. Player Tyler Steenbergen also previously testified he partially saw Foote do the splits, but couldn't see what he was wearing, while the complainant herself testified that the genitals of the person who did the splits made contact with her face but she couldn't identify who it was. On Friday, Cunningham had Hart draw the splits on a photo of the hotel room. She suggested that Foote doing the splits, but without his pants, was just one more thing the players were trying to do to keep the woman in the room, seeing as most of them didn't actually want to have sex with her. Cunningham first confirmed with Hart if knew what 'teabagging' meant, which she defined as 'when a guy sort of squats or lowers himself over someone's face and dunks his testicles into her face or mouth.' 'You'd agree with me from your perspective there's nothing particularly exciting about seeing a fully clothed guy, who everyone already knows can do the splits, do the splits, right?' Cunningham said. Hart agreed. 'What would be more exciting,' the Crown attorney continued, 'would be to see a man with no pants on do the splits right over (the complainant's) face, essentially teabagging her. Don't you agree that'd be more exciting?' Hart responded: 'I mean, that'd be pretty weird.' Cunningham shot back: 'Well, the whole night was weird, wasn't it?' Hart agreed.
Global News
a day ago
- Politics
- Global News
First Nations chief says infrastructure drive could trigger another Idle No More protest movement
A First Nations chief is warning that Canada is 'staring down the barrel' of another wave of protests like the Idle No More movement if governments pursue 'national interest' projects without their input and consent. Anishinabek Nation Regional Chief Scott McLeod has joined Indigenous leaders from across the country who say they're alarmed by government efforts to accelerate infrastructure development. The federal government is developing a 'national interest' bill to fast-track nation-building projects with a streamlined regulatory approval process as a substitute for reviews under the Impact Assessment Act. A handful of First Nations leaders told The Canadian Press Friday they were sent a letter Monday outlining the federal government's plans. They say Ottawa has asked them to report any concerns they have about those plans by Friday — even as wildfires continue to blaze in the Prairies and as chiefs in Ontario mount opposition to the province's own infrastructure bill. Story continues below advertisement McLeod said Anishinabek Nation was only formally briefed on Ottawa's plans on Friday. 'With Prime Minister Mark Carney, we don't even have a relationship yet,' he said. 'And trying to pass a bill in this way, without even talking to First Nations leadership, is a very rocky start for the Liberal government.' In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford is pursuing legislation — Bill 5 — that would enable cabinet to designate 'special economic zones' where companies or projects wouldn't have to comply with selected laws or regulations. Story continues below advertisement The government of British Columbia recently passed the Infrastructure Projects Act — which allows it to fast-track things like critical minerals projects it deems to be in the province's interests — over fierce opposition from First Nations. 3:50 Mixed reaction as B.C. infrastructure bill narrowly passes in legislature The Alberta government announced earlier this year it would move to speed up permit approvals for developments it considers low-risk. 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 McLeod said chiefs have been sending provincial and federal officials 'warning shots' about the sorts of disruptions such projects could face if Indigenous communities are not properly consulted. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak of the Assembly of First Nations issued her own warning to the provinces and Ottawa, saying it 'may not end well' if they make decisions about major infrastructure projects at next week's first ministers meeting in Saskatoon without First Nations involvement. Story continues below advertisement The Assembly of First Nations has long called for its inclusion at first ministers meetings but has only been able to secure secondary meetings with prime ministers ahead of the official meetings. Given the stakes of the upcoming meeting, Nepinak said First Nations exclusion is 'very disrespectful.' Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Vice Chief David Pratt, meanwhile, is calling for governments to 'smarten up.' Woodhouse Nepinak said the Assembly of First Nations is only aware of 'bits and pieces' of the proposed federal legislation. 'We are concerned about what we are seeing from the government so far, and based on what I'm hearing about similar proposals in Ontario, in British Columbia and Alberta,' she said. 'I fear that this may not end well.' McLeod said the last time Indigenous leaders saw something like what the federal government is proposing now was 'in 2012 with Bill C-45, that had a lot of the same language and the same impacts on First Nations, which sparked Idle No More. 'We all know what happened then.' The Idle No More movement was triggered by that omnibus bill, introduced by then-prime minister Stephen Harper's government. Indigenous leaders said the bill, intended to ramp up resource development, would trample on their rights while giving governments and businesses more authority to develop resources without thorough environmental assessments. Story continues below advertisement Leaders allied with the Idle No More movement staged protests, rallies and blockades on railway lines and highways and earned widespread support from across the country. 'We're informing the grassroots people and they're going to take it upon themselves on what actions are required to deal with the government's inaction,' McLeod said. One of those grassroots people in Ontario is Anishinabek Nation youth councillor Terra Roy, who said young people will be 'watching very closely' what federal and provincial governments do next. 'We're not afraid to show up and to be loud about it,' Roy said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Chief says infrastructure drive could trigger another Idle No More protest movement
OTTAWA — A First Nations chief is warning that Canada is "staring down the barrel" of another wave of protests like the Idle No More movement if governments pursue "national interest" projects without their input and consent. Anishinabek Nation Regional Chief Scott McLeod has joined Indigenous leaders from across the country who say they're alarmed by government efforts to accelerate infrastructure development. The federal government is developing a "national interest" bill to fast-track nation-building projects with a streamlined regulatory approval process as a substitute for reviews under the Impact Assessment Act. A handful of First Nations leaders told The Canadian Press Friday they were sent a letter Monday outlining the federal government's plans. They say Ottawa has asked them to report any concerns they have about those plans by Friday — even as wildfires continue to blaze in the Prairies and as chiefs in Ontario mount opposition to the province's own infrastructure bill. McLeod said Anishinabek Nation was only formally briefed on Ottawa's plans on Friday. "With Prime Minister Mark Carney, we don't even have a relationship yet," he said. "And trying to pass a bill in this way, without even talking to First Nations leadership, is a very rocky start for the Liberal government." In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford is pursuing legislation — Bill 5 — that would enable cabinet to designate "special economic zones" where companies or projects wouldn't have to comply with selected laws or regulations. The government of British Columbia recently passed the Infrastructure Projects Act — which allows it to fast-track things like critical minerals projects it deems to be in the province's interests — over fierce opposition from First Nations. The Alberta government announced earlier this year it would move to speed up permit approvals for developments it considers low-risk. McLeod said chiefs have been sending provincial and federal officials "warning shots" about the sorts of disruptions such projects could face if Indigenous communities are not properly consulted. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak of the Assembly of First Nations issued her own warning to the provinces and Ottawa, saying it "may not end well" if they make decisions about major infrastructure projects at next week's first ministers meeting in Saskatoon without First Nations involvement. The Assembly of First Nations has long called for its inclusion at first ministers meetings but has only been able to secure secondary meetings with prime ministers ahead of the official meetings. Given the stakes of the upcoming meeting, Nepinak said First Nations exclusion is "very disrespectful." Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Vice Chief David Pratt, meanwhile, is calling for governments to "smarten up." Woodhouse Nepinak said the Assembly of First Nations is only aware of "bits and pieces" of the proposed federal legislation. "We are concerned about what we are seeing from the government so far, and based on what I'm hearing about similar proposals in Ontario, in British Columbia and Alberta," she said. "I fear that this may not end well." McLeod said the last time Indigenous leaders saw something like what the federal government is proposing now was "in 2012 with Bill C-45, that had a lot of the same language and the same impacts on First Nations, which sparked Idle No More. "We all know what happened then." The Idle No More movement was triggered by that omnibus bill, introduced by then-prime minister Stephen Harper's government. Indigenous leaders said the bill, intended to ramp up resource development, would trample on their rights while giving governments and businesses more authority to develop resources without thorough environmental assessments. Leaders allied with the Idle No More movement staged protests, rallies and blockades on railway lines and highways and earned widespread support from across the country. "We're informing the grassroots people and they're going to take it upon themselves on what actions are required to deal with the government's inaction," McLeod said. One of those grassroots people in Ontario is Anishinabek Nation youth councillor Terra Roy, who said young people will be "watching very closely" what federal and provincial governments do next. "We're not afraid to show up and to be loud about it," Roy said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025. Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Chief says infrastructure drive could trigger another Idle No More protest movement
OTTAWA - A First Nations chief is warning that Canada is 'staring down the barrel' of another wave of protests like the Idle No More movement if governments pursue 'national interest' projects without their input and consent. Anishinabek Nation Regional Chief Scott McLeod has joined a chorus of leaders from across the country who say they're alarmed by government efforts to fast-track infrastructure development. The federal government is developing a 'national interest' bill to fast-track nation-building projects with a streamlined regulatory approval process as a substitute for reviews under the Impact Assessment Act. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford is pursuing legislation — Bill 5 — that would enable cabinet to designate 'special economic zones' where companies or projects wouldn't have to comply with selected laws or regulations. McLeod said chiefs have been sending provincial and federal officials 'warning shots' about the sorts of disruptions such projects could face if Indigenous communities are not properly consulted. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak of the Assembly of First Nations issued a warning to the provinces and Ottawa, saying it 'may not end well' if they make decisions about major infrastructure projects at next week's first ministers meeting in Saskatoon without First Nations involvement. The Assembly of First Nations has long called for its inclusion at first ministers meetings but has only been able to secure secondary meetings with prime ministers ahead of the official meetings. Given the stakes of the upcoming meeting, Nepinak said First Nations exclusion is 'very disrespectful.' Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Vice Chief David Pratt, meanwhile, is calling for governments to 'smarten up.' McLeod said the last time Indigenous leaders saw something like what the federal government is proposing now was 'in 2012 with Bill C-45, that had a lot of the same language and the same impacts on First Nations which sparked Idle No More. 'We all know what happened then.' The Idle No More movement was sparked by that omnibus bill, introduced by then-prime minister Stephen Harper's government. Indigenous leaders warned the bill, intended to ramp up resource development, would trample on their rights while giving governments and businesses more authority to develop resources without thorough environmental assessments. Leaders allied with the Idle No More movement staged protests, rallies and blockades on railway lines and highways and earned widespread support from across the country. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
