Latest news with #safety concerns
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Smith says policy to stop disclosing government expense receipts could be reversed
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith listens to speakers after announcing the "New North America Initiative," led by the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy in Calgary on Friday, May 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will consider reversing a new policy that ends the public disclosure of expense receipts over $100 for ministers and other officials. Smith says the change was made over safety concerns from some ministers. She says they were worried bad actors could easily figure out which hotels they stay at when travelling around the province. She says the goal was simply to redact names of the hotels. The change sparked wide criticism, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation saying the move was baffling and a bad look for Smith's government. The Opposition NDP called it 'shameful' and a clear attempt by the United Conservative Party government to hide spending. Smith says a decision on whether to reverse course will be made next week. Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
UK's first secure school for youngsters in custody is forced to close after weapon-making child inmates 'kicked down every internal door' and had 'free rein on building'
England's first secure school which promised children in custody 'relentless love' instead of punishment has temporarily closed amid safety concerns. Staff at Oasis Restore in Medway, Kent complained prisoners have kicked down every internal door and now practically have 'free rein around the building'. They added that the inmates also regularly make weapons out of metal objects and assault employees at the site. Oasis Restore, which opened less than a year ago, was designed to offer therapeutic care and education to 12 to 18 year olds convicted of serious crimes. It was launched as a 'revolution in youth justice', replacing cells with bedrooms and guards with restorative practitioners. However, Channel 4 News has now revealed that the school will temporarily halt placements following an Ofsted monitoring visit that raised concerns about safety. The decision means that children currently being held at the site will be sent to other youth custody facilities. One employee told the programme: 'It was meant to be groundbreaking and had the potential to be fantastic but what was sold as a dream has turned into a nightmare. 'It's a very unsafe environment for the children and the staff. 'Every internal door in the place has been kicked through so the children virtually have free rein round the building. 'They make weapons out of sharped brush handles or metal objects. You can see the fear in staffs' eyes.' Another added: 'Quite a lot of staff leave very quickly and are not replaced quickly enough. It is hard to live out the ethos. 'The kids come with a lot of trauma and issues that affect their behaviour, which can be extreme at times. 'Staff are just making sure that they don't hurt each other or themselves and trying to engage them in activity. 'Kids need clear boundaries and they need to be ready to engage to come here.' Staff at Oasis Restore have reported rising disorder, assaults, broken doors and weapon-making at the school built on the former Medway Secure Training Centre site. Revelations also include prisoners refusing to go behind their doors on lock up and refusing to go to education. It is understood this has led on some occasions to managers instructing staff to allow them to stay out of their rooms and to play football outside for the eight hour period. Mark Fairhurst from the Prison Officers' Association said: 'Assaults are rife, assaults on staff are not getting reported to the police including sexual assaults on staff, managers are trying to cover things up and the managers are encouraging staff not to report things to the authorities or indeed go sick when they're seriously assaulted.' 'It's completely chaotic, it's out of control, it's disordered and there are too many incidents of violence to the people who work there', he added. According to Channel 4 News, Oasis Restore will be temporarily closed while the internal doors are replaced at the site. The school said its closure was a 'preemptive decision' to avoid any 'serious incidents' taking place on site. A spokesperson for Oasis Restore said: 'Oasis Restore is a revolution in youth justice, delivering integrated, therapeutic education and care for children in the criminal justice system. 'We exist to deliver the highest standards of care and learning for young people with incredibly complex and challenging life experiences and needs. 'On a recent Ofsted visit, inspectors highlighted how children feel safe and supported, and this is thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff, who are building a new model of restorative justice from the ground up. 'However, Ofsted also rightly raised concerns about issues with the built environment and the effectiveness of internal doors. 'Whilst staff have done all that they can to mitigate against these issues, it has become clear that the installation of new doors will take well beyond the summer. 'Therefore, we have made the decision to stop all placements at Restore, and our current children will be relocated to other settings within the youth custody estate. 'This is pre-emptive action to avoid any serious incidents occurring on site whilst we wait for the new doors to be fitted. 'The decision was not taken lightly and reflects our commitment to safety, transparency, and ethical leadership. 'Our mission, regardless of our building infrastructure, is to deliver the highest standards of care and learning for children who require constant dedicated support from reliable adults, who they can build positive, trusted relationships with. 'This work will indeed continue after our internal doors are replaced.' The closure marks a significant moment in youth justice reform, with calls to learn from the setback rather than abandon the secure school model. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'We are taking the issues at the Secure School extremely seriously and we have been working with Oasis Restore to get them addressed. 'We are working at pace to fix doors and have already reduced the number of children held there because of these concerns and now all young offenders are being moved to other secure settings.'
ABC News
12-08-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
West Coast Eagles' AFLW season opener moved to new venue due to muddy ground
West Coast's AFLW season opener against Gold Coast on Thursday has been shifted due to safety concerns at their muddied home ground. The opening-day clash at the recently upgraded Leederville Oval has been moved to the Eagles' other home venue at Lathlain Park. The season kicks off earlier on Thursday at Princes Park when Carlton meet Collingwood. Work to repair the centre square at Leederville began on Monday after it had been badly damaged by a combination of high traffic and persistent rainfall. Saturday's WAFL game between East Perth and South Fremantle was played at the ground and left both teams caked in mud after splashing their way across the park. The call was made on Tuesday to move the game after tests determined the turf was unsafe for play. "The health and safety of our players is absolutely paramount and so we made the call to move the game," AFL operations boss Laura Kane said. "Even though works were undertaken to fix the turf around the centre square, we wanted to make the decision as early as possible to give fans, our clubs and our broadcasters time to adapt their plans accordingly." Lathlain Park has about 6,500 people, compared to the 10,000 capable of attending Leederville. The Eagles' next match at Leederville Oval falls in round 10 against Geelong followed by Carlton in Round 12, with home games at Lathlain — where the team is based — in rounds four, seven and eight. Much was made of the $5.2 million upgrades to Leederville, completed in April, including a new playing surface, irrigation and broadcast standard lighting. The upgrade allowed more games to be played at the ground in the WAFL and WAFLW seasons. It is not the first time safety concerns have prevented a match being played at the ground, with a 2016 WAFL match between Subiaco and Peel called off at the last minute because of the playing surface. AAP/ABC
Daily Mail
08-08-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Bad boy footy legend makes a disgraceful joke about fans throwing sex toys onto the court during women's basketball games
A former AFL star has posted a disgusting take on the sex toy epidemic gripping the WNBA that saw a nine-year-old struck and two people arrested in recent week. The WNBA is grappling with a disturbing trend where fans are throwing green sex toys onto the court during games, disrupting play and raising serious safety concerns. A group of cryptocurrency traders says they are behind recent sexual pranks at WNBA games. They claim the incidents, involving green sex toys thrown onto the court, are to promote their new meme coin. At least six attempts have been made, leading to two spectator arrests in recent weeks. Spokesman @Daldo_Rain told USA Today the group plans more stunts to market 'Green Dildo Coin' (DILDO). The first incident occurred on July 29 during a game between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries, with subsequent occurrences in Chicago, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Dane Swan played 258 games for Collingwood from 2003 to 2016, winning a premiership, Brownlow Medal, and three Copeland Trophies. Since retiring, he has built a media career through television, radio, podcasts, and public appearances. And he found the situation in the WNBA hilarious, posting about it on social media platform X. 'When I read that the WNBA had a dildo problem it's fair to say it wasn't exactly what I thought the problem was gonna be,' he posted. While Swan made light of the situation, WNBA players and coaches have taken a significantly dimmer view. In one incident, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham was struck by a thrown object, prompting her to publicly condemn the behaviour and warn of potential injuries. 'Everyone is trying to make sure the W is not a joke and it's taken seriously, and then that happens,' Cunningham said recently on her podcast. 'I'm like, 'How are we ever going to get taken seriously?' 'It's ridiculous, it's dumb, it's stupid,' Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said after a recent incident in LA. 'It's also dangerous. Player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it's really stupid.' The cryptocurrency traders told USA Today they don't intend to harm anyone and have urged members to avoid hitting people when throwing the sex toys onto the court. 'We didn't do this because like we dislike women's sports or, like, some of the narratives that are trending right now are ridiculous,' @Daldo_Rain told USA Today. 'Creating disruption at games is like, it happens in every single sport, right? We've seen it in the NFL, we've seen it in hockey, you know… fans doing random things to more or less create attention.' Two people have been arrested for throwing the sex toys on court, including 18-year-old Kaden Lopez and 23-year-old Delbert Carver. Lopez allegedly struck a man and his nine-year-old niece with the toy during a WNBA game between the Phoenix Mercury and Connecticut Sun. Carver was arrested in Georgia for allegedly throwing a sex toy during the July 29 game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream. In a statement provided to the Daily Mail, the Sparks said: 'Incidents of this nature are taken seriously, as they pose a risk to players, officials, and others on the court. 'We are working with arena personnel to identify the individual responsible and ensure appropriate action is taken. 'Fan conduct that disrupts the game or compromises the safety of anyone in the arena will not be tolerated.' The WNBA also released a statement following Carver's arrest. 'The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league,' it read.
The Sun
07-08-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Popular UK car dealership goes bust leaving customers THOUSANDS out of pocket with axed deliveries and ‘faulty' motors
A POPULAR UK car dealership has gone bust, leaving thousands of loyal customers out of pocket. The closure of the garage has even left some buyers with no car at all. 3 3 3 Resident Trisha Walker got letter from Citroen urging her to stop driving her car - bought from the dealership in Wales - over safety concerns. She took out a loan to buy a replacement, ITV has reported, which she got from SW Valley Motor Company in Hirwaun, Rhondda Cynon Taf. Walker told ITV Wales that someone there had told her if she paid the deposit, he would deliver the car. "If I didn't like the car he would refund me so I paid the deposit which was £750, the car in total was £1,495," she said. "The following day came and what happened? No car." She is among several customers still waiting for resolution. She told the broadcaster that she hasn't slept over the issue. "I've gone 26 hours without sleeping because I'm worried about how I'm going to pay the one back. I feel stupid, stupid for trusting people." But she is not the only one to report a horror story regarding the dealership. Holly Evans and her partner told ITV that they bought a £2,700 set of wheels from there after a test drive. Drivers are 'hit with $600 fees over invisible damage' to rental cars - Hertz is leading the pack as AI up claims But they soon noticed a strange noise and called the garage owner. She said they got their car on the 9th June, and that he came to pick it up on the 16th June. But since then, they haven't seen it again. They said the owner offered "excuse after excuse" - and never returned the vehicle. The couple further told ITV that their experience of this dealership was similar to others when they searched for online reviews. The Sun attempted to reach SW Valley Motor Company for comment. Matthew Peachey, the owner of SW Valley Motor Company Limited, also did not respond to ITV's questions directly, according to the broadcaster. He told them he "lost his business despite trying every which way to save it" and did not "set out to cause anybody any upset". Citroen was also contacted for comment by The Sun. Why are so many car dealerships closing down? By Summer Raemason According to Business Rescue Expert there are multiple reasons why car dealerships are folding across the UK. The first major factor is rising online car sales which are beating in-person sales at dealerships. With an extensive range of comparison and second-hand sites to chose from, may car buyers don't even step foot into a dealership anymore. Secondly, the actual cost to physically run the sites has soared. Rent, wages and energy bills have all been increasing for roughly the past five years, putting many out of pocket. Car manufacturing across the globe was also hit by a semiconductor chip shortage in 2022 which made it difficult to produce new motors. The high demand with limited supply created a backlog, which although has eased, is still having an impact on the industry. A third reason for recent closures is the shift to electric cars. They are becoming more popular, given the Government initiative to be Net Zero in 2050. The industry is also affected when companies merge or are bought by rivals. This may lead to some independent names falling victim to the ongoing spate of closures.
