Latest news with #Metroland
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Why did I get an emergency alert for a homicide in Pickering? Teen boy charged with 1st-degree murder following ‘sadistic and cowardly' attack
Thousands of Ontario residents received a shelter-in-place alert during the Thursday afternoon commute. The alert indicated police were investigating a homicide suspect at 2125 Lynn Heights Dr., but it failed to mention the community name of Pickering. The alert appeared to create confusion on social media and included the r/askTO subreddit on . People receive this alert on Toronto-area cellphones as police hunt for a suspect in Thursday's stabbing death. Commenters reported receiving the alert in downtown Toronto and Newmarket. Others who said they received it, live more than 100-kilometres away from the impacted area, in places like Haliburton and Barrie. Alert Ready is the public-facing brand name for the National Public Alerting System administered by Public Safety Canada. Canada's emergency alerting system is intended to deliver critical alerts to Canadians through television, radio and LTE-connected and compatible wireless devices. The May 29 Pickering alert was sent by the Ontario Provincial Police on behalf of Durham Regional Police. In an email to Metroland, Durham police spokesperson Joanne McCabe said the local police service provided a suggested area to shelter in place in its alert request to the OPP. 'The area the alert extends to and what information is released, is at the discretion of the OPP,' McCabe added. 'My understanding is the reach for the alert went further than the requested area as the armed suspect was mobile and there was an imminent threat to public safety.' Metroland has also reached out to the OPP and will update this piece when we receive a reply. A shelter in place can be issued for major police events. The Government of Canada website advises people to follow the directions and advice of law enforcement and first responders. Here's what you should do if you receive a notice: In a May 30 update, Durham police said a 14-year-old boy was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after an older adult woman was stabbed to death in the Lynn Heights Drive and Fairport Road area of Pickering Thursday afternoon. The suspect was initially thought to be 13, according to a previous news release. On May 29 at 3:05 p.m., police responded to the area for an unknown trouble call. After a brief encounter, the suspect 'assaulted the victim in an unprovoked attack (by) stabbing her multiple times,' police said. The woman was outside her home on Lynn Heights Drive near Fairport Road around 3 p.m., when police say the suspect approached her. A passerby found a woman on the ground outside a residence suffering from traumatic injuries. She was transported to a Toronto-area trauma centre and pronounced dead. In a media briefing Thursday evening, Durham police Chief Peter Moreira called the suspect 'sadistic and cowardly' in the unprovoked attack, which was captured on video. 'I worked in homicide for a long time and I can tell you that an unprovoked attack like this is just unimaginable,' Moreira added. The woman was doing what 'everyone else would do at the front of their home,' according to Moreira and added she does not hold any responsibility for the attack. Following the stabbing, police said the suspect fled eastbound on Lynn Heights Drive, which prompted a massive search that included a rare shelter-in-place alert issued across the Greater Toronto Area in a bid to minimize any risk to public safety. Police said the suspect was arrested without incident Thursday evening at 8:30 p.m. The stabbing death is Durham Region's second homicide of 2025, said police. The woman's name is being withheld at the request of the family. — With files from Kristen Calis, Toronto Star 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 .
Hamilton Spectator
27-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Jordan Morin back behind bars a month after his release shocks Cileana Taylor's family
Less than a month after the family of Cileana Taylor expressed anguish at the release of Jordan Morin — the man involved in the death of the 22-year-old — he is back behind bars. The 28-year-old from Peterborough was arrested as part of a fentanyl investigation near Bancroft. On May 22, the OPP executed search warrants at a home on Highway 28 South following an investigation that started in the spring. Officers seized a cache of drugs believed to include almost 20 grams of fentanyl, 160 grams of cocaine, 20 grams of heroin, crystal meth, MDMA, morphine, lorazepam and other drugs, along with weighing scales and $900 cash. Morin has been charged with nine counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000. On April 28, Metroland published a story from Taylor's family expressing regret about Morin's alleged move to Georgina to reside with his new girlfriend. In September 2020, Taylor, from Curve Lake First Nation, went to a party with Morin, with whom she'd been dating. Morin assaulted Taylor, which caused seizures that led to her eventually needing life support. Due to several factors, including the six months in between the assault and her being taken off life support, Morin was not charged with manslaughter as the family wished. Morin pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault endangering life and was sentenced to four years, but would only serve a fraction of that. Taylor's brutal death shone a spotlight on her Indigenous heritage and Canada's ongoing struggle with intimate partner violence. Morin, who suffers from fetal-alcohol syndrome, also has a long history of drug use, assaults and breaching the terms of his release. The Taylor family were further outraged when he claimed in court to be of Indigenous heritage himself, something he'd never divulged to Taylor or her family previously. In this latest arrest, Morin and two others have been held in custody until their upcoming court dates.
Hamilton Spectator
22-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
TRAVEL ONTARIO: Tell us the best road trips, day trips, hidden gems, and foodie spots we can't miss
Summer is almost here. As part of our summer-long Travel Ontario series, we're putting together stories to help travellers explore the beautiful province of Ontario — and discover the hidden gems along the way. Do you have a favourite Ontario road trip route, camping spot, restaurant or foodie spot everyone should check out? What about the stops along the way for a great day-trip adventure? Let us know. Whether it's a patio with the best views, a unique or unusual experience, or a quirky shop in cottage country with the cutest finds, tell us where you go to escape the daily grind. Take our reader survey to help us, help you make the best summer travel memories possible. Metroland news teams will consider your suggestions as part of our Travel Ontario coverage throughout the summer. Visit our Travel Ontario page. Read more Travel Ontario articles. Want more Ontario news? Sign up for our newsletter to get news delivered straight to your inbox.
Hamilton Spectator
12-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Vermin and mould': Judge calls for investigation into Lindsay jail during drugs, gun sentencing
A judge has called for an investigation into the Lindsay jail after hearing about what he called the 'horrific' conditions there during the sentencing of a cocaine dealer. It was following disclosures by Kevin Nguyen's attorney involving the 'vermin and mould' at Central East compared to the much better stay at Toronto East, that Justice Robert Goldstein said that while he understands jail is not meant to be a cakewalk, that didn't excuse the conditions at the Central East Correctional Centre. 'It is not preordained that a jail has to (be) something familiar to Ivan Denisovich — and I am aware from many other cases that Toronto East is still unpleasant, as any jail would be,' he said referring to the 1950 novel about a Soviet labour camp prisoner. 'The place is ripe for a Ministry investigation into the conditions there.' Some of the issues raised in court involve Nguyen spending 543 days in the jail, during which he was triple bunked on 112 occasions and on lockdown on 296 occasions, meaning inmates are in their cells most of the day. During this time, he was forced to sleep on the floor with his head near the toilet, often without blankets, and spent as many as 10 days without a shower. Overcrowding, he said, resulted in competition for space, phone calls and even seats. Nguyen's lawyer called the jail highly unsanitary, saying his client's cell was infested with vermin and had mould growing on the showers, cells and toilets. He also said there was often urine and feces stains on the walls. The court further heard how inmates have access to drugs and alcohol with frequent overdoses, sometimes resulting in death. 'Mr. Nguyen generally found the atmosphere at Central East to be hostile and stressful,' Goldstein told the court. 'He found the guards were frequently rude and disrespectful to the inmates and the difficult conditions often led to fights.' As opposed to this, he said his time at Toronto East Detention Centre was much more positive, where he participated in workshops and programs. It remains unclear what, if anything, will be done about Goldstein's statement. The Ministry of the Solicitor General told Metroland it would not comment on the matter. 'The ministry does not comment on any specific individual or case before the courts,' Brian Gray, a ministry spokesperson, wrote in an email. Nguyen, 28, was found guilty of gun and drug offences after a 2023 bust of his home on Toronto's Spadina Avenue, where Durham police discovered a one-kilogram brick of cocaine, a loaded gun, two extended Glock magazines, a money counter, cellphones and more. Police became aware of his existence after he met with another man they were investigating, Dane Goodwin, the court heard. This is the fifth firearm offence faced by Nguyen. 'It seems to me that Mr. Nguyen has been leading the lifestyle of a professional criminal,' Goldstein said. Prior to sentencing Nguyen, Goldstein also paid tribute to the jail employees and the difficult jobs they have running an institution like Central East. 'This court cannot condemn too strongly the conditions at Central East,' he told the court. 'I understand that staff shortages are a chronic problem at the Ministry. I understand that it may be difficult to attract staff to do an incredibly difficult and often thankless job.' Goldstein, who said the sentence, 'before taking totality and the harsh conditions of custody' into account should have been between 10 and 12 years, but, instead, Nguyen was sentenced to eight and a half years. He will serve five years and three months after enhanced rate custody credit for the 40 months he's already spent in custody. Watch: Disturbing video shows jail guards carrying out violent, hours-long retribution at Maplehurst Brantford man charged in several murders dies in jail An inquest into my brother's death made 57 recommendations. Doug Ford still has not addressed them a year later
CBC
20-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Local news coverage in Canada in steep decline, inviting misinformation: report
The number of local news outlets has been in significant decline in Canada, leaving suburban residents in particular "starving" for local coverage, a new report found — and creating gaps for misinformation to take hold. The report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found that almost 2.5 million Canadians live in a postal code with either one or zero local news outlets, double the proportion from 2008. Put bluntly, "local news is dying," said David Macdonald, report co-author and CCPA senior economist. "Without local news, disinformation, often from social media, will happily fill the void of high-quality, trusted local news." He and co-author Sonja Macdonald (no relation), a principal at Civicplan, found that since 2008, Canada has lost 11 per cent of its newspaper and online media outlets. That's about 25 a year over the past decade. There are currently 2,900 local news outlets in the country between radio, TV, newspapers and online media. Macdonald said 2023 was a particularly bad year for the sector with the closure of 83 outlets due to the bankruptcy of Metroland and the closure of Metro Media in Quebec. Meanwhile, the number of private broadcasting outlets in radio and TV has shrunk by nine per cent since 2008. Last year was the worst year on record, with a net loss of 14.5 outlets driven by closures at CTV and Corus. The report found every province and territory except Ontario has seen a decline in local news outlets in communities with less than 100,000 people. The only reason Ontario is faring marginally better is because it has seen some growth in online-only outlets like INsauga, said Macdonald. Even so, local news coverage is lagging on a per-person basis as the populations of regions surrounding major cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal grow, he said. "We just have not seen the kind of growth that's necessary in local news outlets to actually cover the goings-on in those suburban spots," he said. The cities with the least news deprivation are regional hubs like Yellowknife, Whitehorse and Saint John, N.B., which produce broadcast content for the entire province or territory, the report said. As local news coverage has declined over the years, the industry has also become more consolidated as companies have bought up local outlets, whether newspapers or broadcast stations. These moves often resulted in significant reductions in local news programming and staff, the report said. Because of this consolidation, when one of those companies runs into challenges, more news coverage is at risk, said Macdonald. The Metroland case is a grim example, he said. In September 2023, Ontario-based Metroland Media Group announced mass layoffs, a move to a digital-only model and an end to its flyer business as it planned to restructure under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. Creditors approved the company's restructuring proposal later that year. The major issue driving the decline in local news across the country is the business model Canadian news outlets have long relied on, which is being threatened by social media and search giants like Meta and Google, the report said. "The ad-fuelled business of news is having a very difficult time in the internet age," said Macdonald. "All those ad dollars are being scooped by social media, being scooped by search, and so you just don't have the budget to support local news. That model is dying." The "worst-case scenario" can be found in Newfoundland and Labrador, he said, where small towns in that province have lost three-quarters of their news outlets in the past 16 years. Macdonald said the industry needs to "fundamentally shift" away from the traditional model for news outlets. The report argues that despite efforts by the federal government and regulatory supports for this business model, "its demise is accelerating." It argues for a more balanced approach, including having existing parts of the current media system taking on new or augmented roles while also making room for innovation. Opportunities include expanding upon the model being tested by new entrants in areas that are losing community newspapers, an online-only news website supported by micro-targeted advertising. The report also identifies the CBC as a key part of the solution, noting the public broadcaster needs to expand more into local and regional areas, and should have a formal implementation strategy for local news service. "This needs to go beyond the recent announcements of single reporters serving large geographic areas," the report said. The federal government recently passed the Online News Act, legislation meant to extract money from tech giants to compensate news organizations. Google secured a five-year exemption from the Act by agreeing to pay $100 million a year to media organizations, while Meta decided to block access to Canadian news on its platforms. "There's certainly recognition this is a big problem," said Macdonald. However, "I think there's been a fundamental change here," he said.
