Latest news with #RoyalCanadianMountedPolice
CBC
11 hours ago
- CBC
Border officers found 161 bricks of cocaine in a truck at the Ambassador Bridge: CBSA
A Richmond Hill truck driver has been charged after border agents found a 161 bricks of suspected cocaine in a commercial truck trying to enter Canada at the Ambassador Bridge, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says. The agency says officers at the Windsor-Detroit bridge found 187.5 kilograms, worth about $23.4 million, stuffed into two suitcases and five garbage bags. This happened on May 23, 2025. Officers arrested the 55-year-old driver and transferred him to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He's charged with importing cocaine and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. "The ongoing efforts of our border services officers to intercept narcotics and weapons is to be commended," said Michael Prosia, regional director general of the CBSA's southern Ontario region, in a media release. The agency issued that media release Tuesday along with a link to a federal plan to strengthen border security and the immigration system.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Commissionaires marks a century of service to Canada
MEDIA RELEASE OTTAWA, Ontario, July 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On Friday, July 25, Commissionaires Canada will celebrate its 100th anniversary. In 1925, the organization was founded to create meaningful employment for veterans returning home from the First World War. It has now grown into one of the country's most trusted security providers, and with approximately 3,500 veterans, it is Canada's largest employer of veterans. In 1859, Captain Sir Edward Walter established the original British Corps of Commissionaires in London, England to provide employment for wounded soldiers. The first eight members were veterans of the Crimean War, all amputees due to their battlefield service. In 1915, H.R.H. Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught, then-Governor General of Canada, approached the Military Hospitals Commission to propose a Canadian version of the UK Corps. A decade later, that vision came to fruition. On July 25, 1925, the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires was founded by Letters Patent in Montréal. Soon after, in 1927, the first three branches were established in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver. Commissionaires expanded its mandate in 1947 to include former members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, reinforcing its commitment to supporting those who had dedicated their lives to national security. In 1950, following Newfoundland's entry into Canadian Confederation, the Corps established a presence in the new province. With this last Division to join, it solidified Commissionaires' operations nationwide. In the decades that followed, the Corps' workforce evolved. Female veterans and first responders were welcomed as commissionaires. In the 1990s, the Corps also began employing non-veterans to meet the rising demand for security services. Today, amid rapid growth and change, Commissionaires remains a not-for-profit with a social mandate, 'to provide meaningful employment that meets the needs of veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, their families and others who wish to contribute to the security and well-being of Canadians.' 'The Centennial is a celebration of our history and recognition of a powerful founding purpose,' said Gord Winkel, Commissionaires National Board Chair. 'Commissionaires was founded to serve those who served, and that commitment remains at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to carry that legacy forward as we support the changing needs of veterans and Canadian communities .' As technology advances, Commissionaires continues to evolve, enhancing the skillsets of its employees and providing new services. People may know the company for its traditional services such as guarding, but it now offers integrated services such as cybersecurity, surveillance, alarm response, fingerprinting, and background screening. To mark this historic occasion, special events span the 2025 year bringing together employees, clients, partners, and community members. In March, a commemorative dinner was held at the Montréal Eaton Centre's restored 9th floor space in which the design is set to the 1930s, a perfect nod to the Corps' beginnings. The T. Eaton Company Ltd was Commissionaires' first major private client. In June, a special evening was hosted at Ottawa's Fairmont Château Laurier during the company's Annual Meeting of Divisions. Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, was in attendance and provided inspiring remarks. Other activities include flag-raising ceremonies at city halls, participation in various community parades (including recently at the Calgary Stampede), and on July 25 the CN Tower (Toronto) and the Provencher Bridge (Winnipeg) will be illuminated in Commissionaires orange and blue. All Canadians are invited to join the celebration by visiting a Commissionaires Centennial website ( for the latest updates. ABOUT COMMISSIONAIRES Commissionaires is Canada's premier security provider and largest employer of veterans. Founded on the core military values of dedication, responsibility, and a sense of mission, Commissionaires employs over 20,000 people from coast to coast to coast. It offers a wide range of integrated security services including professional guarding, monitoring and surveillance, threat risk assessment, non-core policing, cybersecurity, by-law enforcement, fingerprinting, background screening, investigations, and security training. Commissionaires is a completely self-funded, not-for-profit organization that serves a diverse range of public and private sector organizations. Quick Facts Media Inquiries Lisa Dionne Manager, Public Affairs & Communications Commissionaires National Office ldionne@ 613 219 7774 Commissionaires Social Media Links LinkedIn: Commissionaires Canada X (Twitter): @Commissionaires Facebook English Page: Commissionaires Canada Facebook French Page: Les Commissionnaires YouTube Channel: @Commissionaires1
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Man calling himself 'climate change messiah' charged after plane hijacking which saw fighter jets scrambled
A Canadian man who called himself the messiah of climate change allegedly hijacked a small plane at the Vancouver airport. Shaheer Cassim, 39, has been charged with hijacking, constituting terrorism, over the Tuesday incident, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He seized control of a Cessna at Victoria International Airport on Vancouver Island by threatening a flight instructor and then flew the aircraft about 40 miles. 'We have an incident right above our airspace here — a hijacked 172,' an official said in a recording of air traffic control reported by the Vancouver Sun. The hijacking caused the North American Aerospace Defense Command to scramble F-15 fighter jets before the plane safely landed. Footage showed several police vehicles and armed officers surrounding the small white plane on the runway in Vancouver. 'Investigators have determined the suspect acted with an ideological motive to disrupt airspace,' said Sgt. Tammy Lobb. A man with the same name and who resembles Cassim posted on social media that he was a 'messenger of Allah' and a 'Messiah' sent to save humanity from climate change. He seized control of a Cessna at Victoria International Airport on Vancouver Island by threatening a flight instructor then flew about 40 miles He said 'the Angel Gabriel appeared before me and gave me a message from Allah.' Cassim's last post warned about 'abrupt runaway global warming' that will cause humans to go extinct within a few years. Cassim also said in the post that he is 'Sam Carana,' who runs the 'Arctic News' blog that describes itself as a place where contributors 'all share a deep concern about the way climate change is unfolding in the Arctic and the threat that this poses for the world at large.' His Facebook profile said he was employed from 2008 to 2010 by now-defunct KD Air, a small airline based on Vancouver Island. The airline's former owners, Diana and Lars Banke, told the Associated Press that Cassim was one of the smartest and best pilots they ever worked with, calling him a fast learner who was highly intelligent. Lars said Cassim left the airline after getting 'bored' and then went to medical school. He also said Cassim believed the world was coming to an end. Diana said she was 'very surprised' to hear of Cassim's charges, saying he was quite young when he worked for them and was 'like a kid.' Lars said he recalled that Cassim was somewhat interested in environmentalism, but he was unaware of any kind of religious beliefs. 'He never spoke religion with us,' Diana said. 'I'm really surprised that he would´ve done something like this.' In 2012, Cassim held a news conference before going on a cross-country bicycle ride to raise awareness for global warming. British Columbia Premier David Eby said the hijacking was a 'bizarre moment,' and the fact that it ended without a more significant disruption at the airport is a 'testament' to the skill of responders who talked the suspect down.
CBS News
5 days ago
- CBS News
Man charged with hijacking small plane, causing fighter jets to scramble in Vancouver: "Ideological motive"
A Canadian man has been charged with hijacking a small plane after he caused a security scare at Vancouver's airport this week. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Thursday Shaheer Cassim, 39, has been charged with hijacking, constituting terrorism, over the incident Tuesday that saw the North American Aerospace Defense Command scramble F-15 fighter jets before the plane safely landed. The RCMP said he seized control of a Cessna 172 at Victoria International Airport on Vancouver Island by threatening a flight instructor, before flying about 40 miles to Vancouver. In a recording of air traffic control posted to an official can be heard stating: "We have an incident right above our airspace here — a hijacked 172," the Vancouver Sun reported. Images published by public broadcaster CBC and video shared online showed the small white Cessna surrounded by security vehicles on a runway after landing in Vancouver. "Investigators have determined the suspect acted with an ideological motive to disrupt airspace," Sgt. Tammy Lobb said in a statement. A man with the same name and who resembles Cassim posted on social media that he was a "messenger of Allah" and a "Messiah" sent to save humanity from climate change. He said "the Angel Gabriel appeared before me and gave me a message from Allah." Cassim's last post warns about "abrupt runaway global warming" that will cause humans to go extinct within a few years. Cassim also said in the post that he is "Sam Carana," who runs the "Arctic News" blog that describes itself as a place where contributors "all share a deep concern about the way climate change is unfolding in the Arctic and the threat that this poses for the world at large." His Facebook profile says he was employed from 2008 to 2010 by now-defunct KD Air, a small airline based on Vancouver Island. The airline's former owners, Diana and Lars Banke, said in an interview Wednesday that Cassim was one of the smartest and best pilots they ever worked with, calling him a fast learner who was highly intelligent. But Lars Banke said Cassim left the airline after getting "bored" and then went to medical school. He also said Cassim believed the world was coming to an end. Diana Banke said she was "very surprised" to hear of Cassim's charges, saying he was quite young when he worked for them and was "like a kid." Lars Banke said he recalled that Cassim was somewhat interested in environmentalism, but he was unaware of any kind of religious beliefs. "He never spoke religion with us," Diana Banke said. "I'm really surprised that he would've done something like this," she added. In 2012, Cassim held a news conference before going on a cross-country bicycle ride to raise awareness for global warming. British Columbia Premier David Eby said when asked about the incident Thursday that it was a "bizarre moment," and the fact that it ended without a more significant disruption at the airport is a "testament" to the skill of responders who talked the suspect down. Vancouver International Airport said in a statement that nine inbound flights were diverted during the incident with a temporary halt to operations ordered across the airport in the West Coast city. Flights were grounded for 39 minutes. Airport head of communications Stephen Smart told the CBC that it "could have lasted a lot longer."
5 days ago
Canadian man charged with hijacking that caused security scare at Vancouver airport
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- A Canadian man has been charged with hijacking a small plane after he caused a security scare at Vancouver's airport this week. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Thursday Shaheer Cassim, 39, has been charged with hijacking, constituting terrorism, over the incident Tuesday that saw the North American Aerospace Defense Command scramble F-15 fighter jets before the plane safely landed. The RCMP said he seized control of a Cessna at Victoria International Airport on Vancouver Island by threatening a flight instructor, before flying about 40 miles (64 kilometers) to Vancouver. 'Investigators have determined the suspect acted with an ideological motive to disrupt airspace,' said Sgt. Tammy Lobb in a statement late Wednesday. A man with the same name and who resembles Cassim posted on social media that he was a 'messenger of Allah' and a 'Messiah' sent to save humanity from climate change. He said 'the Angel Gabriel appeared before me and gave me a message from Allah.' Cassim's last post warns about 'abrupt runaway global warming' that will cause humans to go extinct within a few years. Cassim also said in the post that he is 'Sam Carana,' who runs the 'Arctic News' blog that describes itself as a place where contributors 'all share a deep concern about the way climate change is unfolding in the Arctic and the threat that this poses for the world at large.' His Facebook profile says he was employed from 2008 to 2010 by now-defunct KD Air, a small airline based on Vancouver Island. The airline's former owners, Diana and Lars Banke, said in an interview Wednesday that Cassim was one of the smartest and best pilots they ever worked with, calling him a fast learner who was highly intelligent. But Lars Banke said Cassim left the airline after getting 'bored' and then went to medical school. He also said Cassim believed the world was coming to an end. Diana Banke said she was 'very surprised' to hear of Cassim's charges, saying he was quite young when he worked for them and was 'like a kid.' Lars Banke said he recalled that Cassim was somewhat interested in environmentalism, but he was unaware of any kind of religious beliefs. 'He never spoke religion with us,' Diana Banke said. 'I'm really surprised that he would've done something like this,' she added. In 2012, Cassim held a news conference before going on a cross-country bicycle ride to raise awareness for global warming. British Columbia Premier David Eby said when asked about the incident Thursday that it was a 'bizarre moment,' and the fact that it ended without a more significant disruption at the airport is a 'testament' to the skill of responders who talked the suspect down.
