Latest news with #Pelletier
Global News
5 days ago
- Global News
Known sex offender re-arrested in Vancouver, accused of indecent act
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook Vancouver police have arrested a high-risk sex offender who has been the subject of multiple warnings after he was accused of masturbating in a lane and looking into houses on Wednesday. Skylar Wayne Pelletier, 25, has been charged with committing an indecent act. Police arrested him near Woodland Drive and East Broadway after a woman reported Pelletier's alleged activities. Pelletier is a convicted sex offender currently serving a five-year long-term supervision order on convictions for sexual assault, assault and breaking and entering. 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 In 2019, a B.C. provincial court judge declined to declare Pelletier a dangerous offender, but agreed to the supervision order, accepting testimony from a forensic psychologist that he was 'treatable' but remained a risk. 'If the accused does not receive close community supervision and treatment specific to his needs, there is a substantial risk that the accused will re-offend,' provincial court Judge Gregory Rideout ruled. Story continues below advertisement Pelletier was previously arrested in March 2024, just days after Vancouver police issued a warning that he would be living in the community. At the time, police warned he posed 'a risk of significant harm to women.' He was also the subject of a similar warning in 2021.
Montreal Gazette
6 days ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Bugs piled up months before SAAQclic launch, auditor testifies
Quebec Politics A few months before the SAAQclic platform went live, bugs were piling up, according to a former internal auditor at the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), who predicted a launch similar to the 'Grands feux Loto-Québec' (Loto-Québec fireworks). Former auditor and IT specialist Vincent Poirier began his testimony Wednesday afternoon before the Gallant Commission, which is investigating the SAAQ's failures in its digital transformation. Poirier reported on the testing period that preceded the SAAQclic rollout in February 2023. During the summer and fall of 2022, more than 100 'critical' anomalies were detected daily. Development teams were resolving approximately 30 to 40 of these issues per day. Nevertheless, bugs were piling up, Poirier told Commissioner Denis Gallant. 'You have to understand that a lot of them were fixed and a lot of them were activated. The pool of unfixed anomalies, as I recall, was at least 1,200,' meaning 'unwanted behaviours that are detrimental to services,' Poirier explained. Despite persistent difficulties, the green light was given to launch 'production,' thus ending the testing period, said the man who is now a software architect at the Ministry of Public Security. When his boss in internal auditing asked him during this same period how the platform's deployment was shaping up, Poirier said he gave him this image: 'We're going to see the Great Loto-Québec Fireworks. It's going to explode everywhere.' 'All the elements led me to believe it wouldn't work. I couldn't say how bad it was,' said Poirier, who worked for a few months in the CASA project office, which includes SAAQclic, before joining the internal audit team from 2021 to 2024. The failed rollout of SAAQclic caused huge queues outside SAAQ branches. The government corporation's technological modernization project could cost at least $1.1 billion by 2027, $500 million more than expected, according to the auditor-general. In the field in the fall of 2022, Poirier recalled encountering IT workers who were 'exhausted' or even 'in tears' at the scale of the problems. Poirier's testimony is scheduled to continue Thursday morning. 'History proves us right' Earlier Wednesday, Poirier's former boss concluded his testimony before the commission. Daniel Pelletier, former director of internal audit at the SAAQ, proposed some possible solutions to improve the governance of the Crown corporation. One of his recommendations aims to reduce the many responsibilities under the Vice-President of Information Technology. At the time he held this position, Karl Malenfant was responsible for the CASA/SAAQclic IT project. He was also responsible for human resources, as well as material and real estate resources, following a reorganization in 2020. 'That's a lot of responsibilities in the hands of one person,' Pelletier said. Many of the tasks grouped under these roles are 'incompatible,' Pelletier emphasized. He said the responsibility of a major projects office, such as the one for the development of the SAAQclic platform, 'should be somewhat removed' from the VP of IT, and 'add a touch of independence.' The retired accountant also submitted a proposal about appointing members to the board of directors. Pelletier how some directors wouldn't listen to and were hostile toward internal auditors during the CASA project. 'The auditors, we were their eyes and ears on the field,' he said. 'As we speak, history is proving us right. To put it in baseball terms, we have a batting average of 1,000, which is no small feat. Why didn't the directors listen more? Why did we always have to fight to make our voices heard?' In previous testimony this week, Pelletier testified that, among other things, his audit team had raised several red flags with the board of directors regarding potential shortcomings and cost overruns before the launch of SAAQclic. Pelletier would like a 'much stricter' director appointment process, not one based solely on references. He also called for greater independence of the internal audit department from the SAAQ CEO. Pelletier suggested that the head of internal auditors report to the legal department rather than to senior management at the administrative level.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Project 325 aims to ‘fill the gap' in Abilene community
ABILENE, Texas () — On Sunday, hosted a community outreach initiative called 'Feeding 325″ at the People's Plaza, located off of South 14th Street. Dyess We Care Team seeks help after military family finds home in ruins The organization offered residents resources, community, and a free meal. Volunteer Ry Pelletier said the organization wants to provide a welcoming 'come and go' environment as a non-religious group. 'What happens a lot of times with stringent grant requirements and things like that is people fall through the cracks. We're just trying to create a baseline. Everyone across the board is able to be served and is able to get what they need without having to check any boxes off first,' Pelletier said. 'It's basically just a mutual aid hub. We are just providing a free meal. There are a lot of toiletries, hygiene items, and a lot of other agencies have donated things to give away.' Abilene ISD free summer meals kicks off June 2 The organization started discussing the community's needs in November 2024. Keely Mitchell, a Volunteer, grew up in Tulsa, where she saw a community program thrive. She said she wanted to bring a similar program to Key City. 'I thought it was a great program there. How can you help our neighbors here? I've put down my roots here. I'm going to help my neighbors as well now because it's no fun to make it and not help your neighbors make it,' Mitchell said. 'Come hang out, come vibe, come fellowship, and hang out and eat. Fill your belly. Get what you need. Take what you can.' On Sunday, they helped 80 people, and they hope to expand throughout the year and include more elements like wellness checks and cosmetology services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
21-year-old's heart was 'the size of a football' when she was diagnosed with end-stage heart failure. Warning signs and symptoms she wants you to know about
Chantal Pelletier has done something that influencers around the world have tried their best to understand: She's gone viral. In January 2025, Pelletier unknowingly cracked the code to the platform in January 2025 with a 27 second video documenting her life with end-stage heart failure. In a video that has earned more than 5 million views on TikTok and Instagram combined, the Grand Falls, N.B native demonstrated how she changes power sources for her left ventricular assist device (LVAD), which is implanted in her chest and helps pump blood from her left ventricle to the rest of her body. The upbeat music and the hint of a smile on her face put the viewer at ease, but the portable machine is all that's keeping the now 21-year-old alive while she waits for a new heart. This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle. May 4-10 is Heart Failure Awareness Week. To understand what it's like to live with end-stage heart failure, you just have to look at Pelletier's social media accounts. A quick scroll through her Instagram paints a picture of what her day-to-day was like before her life-changing diagnosis. In the summer of 2024, she was working 65 hours a week as a personal support worker in a nursing home and in a grocery store bakery ahead of her third year at St. Thomas University in Fredericton. Her life was busy, but full of friends, family and her boyfriend of two years. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 (@chantal__pelletier) 'I felt tired a lot…but I was working two jobs,' Pelletier said in an interview with Yahoo Canada. 'I noticed throughout the summer that it was becoming harder to climb the stairs to my apartment.' Pelletier thought her thyroid issues or anemia was the reason she was feeling so tired. In September 2024, she began feeling sick and visited a hospital in her hometown. She was diagnosed with a lung infection and received antibiotics, but after two weeks of taking the medication her symptoms weren't improving. She was having trouble keeping food down. Read more: Pelletier's mother, Roseann, couldn't shake the feeling that whatever was plaguing her daughter wasn't a lung infection. Doctors in Grand Falls referred Pelletier to a larger hospital in Edmundston, where physicians speculated her gallbladder was the cause of her symptoms — so ordered a gall bladder removal. 'Usually the turnaround time after having your gallbladder removed is pretty quick,' Pelletier said. 'However, for me, I still couldn't keep food down. I was sick…I was getting headaches four days after surgery.' It wasn't until she was transferred into intensive care where an echocardiogram revealed that Pelletier was in heart failure. 'My heart was the size of a football,' she said. Pelletier was air lifted to Quebec City, where tests confirmed that she had dilated cardiomyopathy; a form of heart disease in which the muscles in the heart become so enlarged they were no longer pumping blood to the rest of the body. My heart was the size of a footballChantal Pelletier Dilated cardiomyopathy impacts one out of 250 people in Canada. Although common in people under 50, it can also impact infants and children. Dilated cardiomyopathy can be caused by a number of conditions, including coronary heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, infection and lifestyle factors like alcohol and drug use and genetics. For Pelletier and her family, the diagnosis was frightening — but not unfamiliar. Thirteen years prior to her diagnosis, Pelletier's older sister, Nadine, was diagnosed with the same condition and required a heart transplant. Testing revealed that Pelletier, Nadine and their paternal uncle were all carriers of a genetic variation that caused all three to develop dilated cardiomyopathy following infection. Doctors drained seven litres of fluid from Pelletier, who was placed on the transplant list for three weeks, but she began experiencing chest pain — and her heart function declined from 10 per cent to 5 per cent. On Dec. 4, she underwent surgery to have a LVAD surgically implanted as a form of life support until a good match for a heart becomes available. However, during surgery, her doctor was unsure if the right side of her heart was strong enough to support the device and debated installing a right ventricular assist device (RVAD) as well. 'It was pretty much a guessing game, and they had to keep her in a coma because her heart was so enlarged they couldn't completely close her,' Roseann said. 'They had only taped her chest shut until the swelling went down." "That was the longest week of my life." Doctors told Pelletier she needed three months to recover before she could be put back on the transplant list. After her surgery, she lived in Quebec City in a specialized residence 15 minutes away from the Institut Universitaire De Cardiologie Et De Pneumologie De Québec. Roseann was able to take leave from work to stay with Pelletier, but the medical costs began to pile up. Although subsidized by the hospital, her residence cost approximately $2,000 per month, in addition to prescription medications, groceries and travel expenses back and forth to the hospital three times a week. A GoFundMe was created to help offset costs while she recovers. Pelletier was discharged from hospital in March. On April 23, she was officially put back on the transplant list, but due to her rare blood type, she's anticipating a five year wait to receive a compatible heart. Pelletier is optimistic, hopeful and working on building her strength for when a heart becomes available. While she waits for a new heart, she won't be able to return to work or school with the LVAD. It will be another year after the transplant before she can work or finish her Bachelor of Arts with a major in gerontology and minor in psychology — the risk for complications or rejection is too high. I've been very positive through it all. I don't even know how I've done it myselfChantal Pelletier Since returning home, Pelletier has been able to spend time with her boyfriend and reconnect with friends. Although many of her friends have gone out of their way to visit her, Pelletier has also been on her own homecoming tour. "I've visited different people in my small town to thank them for their support and the love I have received from the public has really illuminated how much I am loved," she said in an update via email. "It's really heartwarming knowing I'm still here." Another activity that's lifted her spirits? Driving. "Driving has always been a relaxing escape for me, so the first time I stepped foot into the drivers seat I felt instantly at home again," she said. However being back in Grand Falls hasn't been without its challenges. Pelletier's portable LVAD, which requires her to wear a backpack and carry spare parts and extra batteries, has drawn suspicious looks and comments from employees at local stores. "I might be the only LVAD patient in my small town, but who knows, I certainly might not be the last," she said. "I'm glad I'm here everyday, despite the arrogant and distrusting people. All I can do is keep going, keep my head up, and help others understand that living with a HeartMate3 isn't always easy, but I make the best of it everyday. I wake up everyday happy I'm still alive." Heart failure may have slowed the ambitious and active Pelletier down, but it hasn't broken her emotionally. 'I've been very positive through it all. I don't even know how I've done it myself,' she said. 'Just knowing that [the LVAD] saves me… without something right now I would be gone. I think that's what keeps me going.' She's been able to shift her focus from school to being as healthy and strong as possible while she waits for a new heart. Aside from her sister being her sounding board for her worries and fears about heart failure, social media has been an invaluable outlet that's helped Pelletier connect with other people. 'I've had a lot of nurses and a lot of people with LVADs reach out and express how happy they are that I'm sharing everything and what it looks like,' she said. 'I always said I want to create awareness. I want to spread positive information about what heart failure can look like. Even if it's a tough topic to talk about, you can still make it positive. You can still have a good quality of life and be in heart failure.'
News18
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
When Calls the Heart Cast Pay Tribute To Nathaniel Pelletier
Last Updated: When Calls the Heart actor Nathaniel Pelletier passed away suddenly on April 11, at the age of 53. Nathaniel 'Nate" Pelletier, known for his incredible performance as a taxi driver for Hallmark Channel series When Calls The Heart, passed away last month. According to a notice by his family, the actor died on April 11 at his home in Langley, British Columbia. He was 53 years old. His obituary, published in Ever Loved, read, "He was charismatic and loved to meet new people, greeting them with his big smile and a warm, hearty handshake." Pelletier's sudden passing prompted an outpouring of tributes from cast and crew. The official Instagram account for the series When Calls the Heart shared a heartfelt tribute to Pelletier on May 3. The post read, 'The When Calls the Heart family is mourning the loss of a beloved family member." The team added, 'We know many #Hearties also had the privilege of meeting Nate at the Hearties Family Reunion. He loved interacting with the fans, and he brought so much joy to the day." Martin Cummins, who plays Henry Gowen in the series, shared heartfelt memories on Instagram, reflecting on their time together on set and describing Pelletier as a 'gentle soul" and a dear friend. He wrote, 'I just came back from a ride on the bike Gord and Nate put together for the girls and [I'm] taking shade in Mexico under the awning Nate helped me figure out in the woods near the old cabin." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Martin Cummins (@martincummins_) Production manager Mike Magnusson noted that Pelletier 'leaves a void of spirit we will not be able to replace." Born on October 15, 1971, in Toronto, Ontario, Pelletier became a cherished member of the When Calls the Heart family. He appeared in several episodes from seasons 9 through 11, portraying an uncredited taxi driver, and also served in the show's transportation department from 2022 to 2024. Beyond his professional life, Pelletier was deeply devoted to his daughter, Myhrsades (Murray) Jones, whom he often surprised with concert tickets and travel experiences. He was also passionate about cooking, poetry, and hosting gatherings for friends and family. Pelletier is survived by his daughter, parents, siblings, nephew, and godmother. Instead of flowers, the family has asked fans and loved ones to consider making donations to Joshua House, a Christian supportive home in British Columbia that aids men in recovering from substance abuse and addiction. First Published:
