Latest news with #HO
Toronto Sun
15-07-2025
- Toronto Sun
No talk of custody when B.C. man was convicted of choking. Then, his ex-partner was killed
James Plover has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of his ex-partner, Bailey McCourt Published Jul 15, 2025 • Last updated 19 minutes ago • 4 minute read Bailey Plover is shown in an undated handout photo. Kelowna RCMP say Plover and another woman were assaulted in an attack on July 4. She later died of her injuries, and her estranged husband James Plover has been charged with second-degree murder. Photo by HO / The Canadian Press When James Plover was convicted on July 4 of choking someone and uttering threats, in a rage that also saw him destroy a table with a machete, his defence lawyer and the prosecutor took no issue with delaying his sentencing for up to 10 weeks, pending a psychiatric report. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In the meantime, the former jail guard was to be released, and a recording of the hearing in a provincial court in Kelowna suggests there was no discussion in light of his conviction of potential risks he posed out of custody — he had already been out on $500 bail, with conditions, ahead of his hearing. Less than three hours after the court adjourned, police were called to a parking lot about four kilometres from the courthouse, where Plover's estranged wife, Bailey McCourt, was gravely injured in an attack. She later died and Plover has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing. The identities of the victims in Plover's previous case are the subject of a publication ban. The death of McCourt in the parking lot attack that also seriously injured another woman has galvanized advocates for bail reform and better protection for victims of intimate partner violence. Protesters including McCourt's mother rallied outside the Kelowna court complex last week on the day of Plover's appearance on the murder charge. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In the recording of the July 4 hearing reviewed by The Canadian Press, provincial court Judge David Ruse says Plover's relationship with the choking victim had been deteriorating in June 2024 and was 'described as terrible, tumultuous and stressful.' Ruse said Plover and the victim became embroiled in a heated argument, and he choked the complainant as evidenced by neck bruising shown in photographs presented to the court. Ruse said in his oral reasons for judgment that Plover denied making threats to kill anyone other than himself, and he attempted suicide after the violent altercation. The judge said Plover at one point grabbed a machete and destroyed a dining room table and other items of 'emotional value' to the complainant, and called his parents to whom he expressed 'suicidal ideations.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The judge said Plover's mother attended the scene, and acted as an 'intermediary' between him and police before he was arrested. Ruse said Plover had testified that the choking incident was in 'self-defence,' and he had been 'mortified' by his actions to the point of wanting to take his own life. The judge didn't accept Plover's evidence. 'This self-loathing for his own actions is inconsistent with his destruction of things that he knew were precious to the complainant,' Ruse said. 'These acts of destruction are consistent with anger directed at the complainant.' Ruse said the complainant did exaggerate at times, including testifying that 30 police cars had responded to the scene, when the judge said there were about a dozen. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But the judge accepted the complainant's evidence and found the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Plover had uttered threats that 'were consistent with an intention to manipulate or control the complainant.' The court hearing turned to a discussion of a pre-sentence report for Plover after Ruse's reasons concluded, and defence lawyer Cory Armour said he and Crown prosecutor Catherine Rezansoff agreed that there would be 'some benefit' to Plover undergoing a psychiatric assessment. Rezansoff told the court of a potential weeks-long wait for the report due to a 'backlog,' and Armour said there was no issue with delays of up to 10 weeks since his client had been convicted. The court set Plover's next court date for mid-September, and the hearing adjourned at around 9:56 a.m. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Just before 1 p.m., Kelowna RCMP say they received a report about an assault with a weapon, in the attack on McCourt and the other woman. Plover was arrested and charged with second-degree murder the next day. Lawyer Armour didn't respond to a request for comment. An online resume says Plover previously worked as a jail guard for the City of Kelowna and Penticton, and says he has an associate degree in criminal justice from Okanagan College. The City of Kelowna and the Kelowna RCMP confirmed in emailed statements that Plover was employed by the Commissionaires, which was contracted by the city jail guard services. 'He worked as a cell guard at the Kelowna RCMP detachment between June 2017 and November 2018,' the city's statement said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Commissionaires B.C. said in an emailed statement that Plover worked for them between 2016 and 2018 before resigning. 'During his time with us, Mr. Plover held an Enhanced Reliability Clearance, which is a federal-level clearance that requires extensive background investigations, including checks on character references, employment history, financial integrity and criminal records,' the Commissionaires B.C. said in a statement. 'This level of clearance is only granted to individuals who meet rigorous credibility and trustworthiness standards, and it is monitored throughout the duration of employment. 'We categorically condemn all forms of harassment, violence and spousal abuse,' its statement said. More recently Plover worked as a manager at a Kelowna Boston Pizza, including the night before the 2024 attack. The restaurant's owners, who were listed as references on the resume, declined to comment on Plover's time working there. Plover's resume lists one of his skills as 'conflict management.' Read More NFL Editorial Cartoons Canada Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
The Citizen
12-07-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Shoot birdies to support wildlife
The annual Hluhluwe Honorary Officers' golf fundraiser day is set for Saturday, 19 July and public support will be appreciated. The venue is Richards Bay Country Club and the format is 18 holes 4-ball better ball, with two prizes per place. Tee-off starts at 7.30am and Darren Roux can be contacted for bookings or sponsorships on 079 8772494 or email [email protected] Bookings can also be done through the pro shop at [email protected] The HO group consists of volunteers, who assist in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi and False Bay areas. Funds raised on the golf day will support the construction of a jetty and boat cover for False Bay. Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Toronto Sun
28-06-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Hudson's Bay landlords don't want Liu to move in, but retailer still has a shot
Published Jun 28, 2025 • 4 minute read Ruby Liu, chairwoman of Central Walk, poses in this undated handout photo. Photo by HO / THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO — A group of Hudson's Bay's landlords don't want to transfer more than two dozen leases to British Columbia billionaire Ruby Liu, but the department store still has a chance to get its way. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Bay, which filed for creditor protection in March, ran a process over the last several months to find buyers for leases belonging to it and Saks Canada. It agreed to sell up to 28 spaces to Liu. Three leases were transferred to her without any hiccups because they're in B.C. malls she owns, but another 25 are at properties held by a who's who of Canadian commercial real estate firms. Landlords for 23 of those sites oppose the transfer. Several have said in court they've been 'very troubled' with their interactions with Liu and have had 'no productive discussions, no meaningful disclosure.' Liu insists if the court hands her the leases, landlords will warm to her and her plan to open a new department store in their properties. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While the disagreement could serve as a roadblock to the Bay closing on its agreement with Liu, lawyers not involved in the case say the retailer has another route it can take to get a deal done. That route lies in changes to the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act — Canada's main insolvency law — made in 2009, said Jeff Lee, a Saskatoon-based partner at MLT Aikins LLP. The changes laid out three criteria courts must consider when asked to assign leases to a new tenant. The first is whether or not the sale has the support of the monitor, a court-appointed, independent third party which helps guide businesses through creditor protection. In the Bay's case, the monitor is Alvarez & Marsal. It has yet to reveal whether it supports the Liu deal and did not respond to requests for comment. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Before any court application is brought forward, typically the company will test that out with them,' Lee said. 'They're not going to just sort of fly in blind and hope for the best.' The second aspect for the court to mull is whether the proposed new tenant is suitable. Lee said that's determined by looking at whether they can perform the duties of the tenant and pay rent. Liu, who made her money in Chinese real estate, appears to have deep pockets but her experience comes from being a landlord rather than a tenant. The final aspect the court will consider is whether a transfer of a lease to Liu is 'appropriate.' Lee said people should think of it as asking this question: 'Is what's proposed for this post-assignment lease relationship what people signed up for, or are they seeking to rewrite the lease or change the playing field so radically that it's not appropriate?' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. That's where much of the tension could lie in the Bay case. 'You can't go into CCAA as a tenant and then force your landlords to renegotiate their leases as a result,' said Peter Tolensky, a Vancouver-based partner at Lawson Lundell LLP. RECOMMENDED VIDEO The Canadian Press obtained a document last week that Liu's lawyer sent landlords outlining her plans. It says she will take on the leases on an 'as is, where is' basis but doesn't mention the dining, entertainment, children's and fitness experiences she's told media she'd like to include in her department stores. It's unclear whether the leases allow for uses other than a Bay-like department store. A court faced with a request to reassign leases will weigh this context and think about whether 'the landlord's world is being turned upside down by having this new tenant,' said Geoffrey Dabbs, a B.C.-based founding partner at Gehlen Dabbs Cash. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The more it's a minor inconvenience for the landlord, the more likely the judge will order it,' he said. While the Bay hasn't said whether it will seek an assignment, it's likely because any company in creditor protection has a duty to show the court it's doing its best to pay back companies and people it owes money to, Dabbs said. The Bay has a 26-page list of creditors, with some lenders owed more than $100 million each. Liquidation sales and a deal to sell the Bay trademarks to Canadian Tire for $30 million have put a dent in what's owed but selling leases to Liu would also help. Anyone who made an offer for leases had to make a deposit of 10 per cent of their estimated purchase price. Court documents show Liu made a deposit of $9.4 million, in addition to $6 million for the three approved leases, which would equate to a purchase price of $100 million for 28 leases. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When a deal like this is reached, Dabbs said a company typically seeks landlord consent because commercial leases tend to have provisions stopping anyone from transferring a lease without a property owner agreeing. It's not uncommon for landlords to object because any leases that can't be sold and aren't assigned get turned back over to property owners who can choose how to fill them and under what terms. 'Remember, these are anchor leases, so they're probably very favourable to the Bay or to the tenant in a lot of respects,' said Tolensky, alluding to the fact that anchor tenants are often given attractive rents or terms. Thus, it's more advantageous for landlords to get their properties back, said Monica Beffa, founder of an Oakville, Ont., law firm. If they do, they can then charge higher rents, develop them for entirely new uses such as residential units or break them up into smaller parcels that can be rented by a wide array of tenants. If they don't and a court assigns the leases to Liu, landlords will likely be watching her closely to ensure she doesn't violate any terms of the agreement. 'The landlord may be cranky, if the tenant breaches, but put it this way, they don't want to rely on that,' Dabbs said. 'If they don't want this lease being assigned, they will fight it right up front.' NHL Columnists Sunshine Girls Toronto Raptors Toronto Raptors
Campaign ME
25-06-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Mastercard and OSN+ break the rules of traditional retail advertising with Amazon Ads
Neither brand, Mastercard nor OSN+, sells any physical products through Amazon, yet both orchestrated compelling campaigns that turned Amazon's touchpoints into their playground and helped them reach and engage new audiences in MENA. Their success stories reveal how Amazon's first-party signals and insights combined with their creative canvas solutions are redefining what's possible in advertising, whether you're selling travel experiences or streaming dragons. Mastercard, a global brand synonymous with delivering priceless experiences, set out to engage travellers during the summer holiday period. Their objectives were clear: drive top-of-mind awareness ahead of holiday planning, boost consideration for Mastercard's travel experiences, and deepen the brand's lifestyle appeal. Mastercard launched a two-phase campaign across key locales in the Middle East, that turned Amazon into a destination for travel inspiration. In Phase One, a summer-long custom landing page on showcased culinary and travel offers, supported by a full-funnel campaign that included Amazon DSP and a Homepage Hero Takeover that drove high visibility whenever shoppers landed on Phase Two kicked off with an interactive, gamified product selector on Mastercard's custom landing page, recommending Parisian culinary experiences. Though Mastercard doesn't sell physical products on Amazon, the team innovated by adapting Amazon's native product selector to link potential travellers directly to Mastercard's website. This seamless journey, from discovery on Amazon to purchase on Mastercard's website, allowed new and returning users to explore and book experiences. Click here to discover the full campaign results. When OSN+, a streaming service in the MENA region, set out to launch the second season of HBO's House of the Dragon (HOTD), it wanted something that went above and beyond a typical media plan. Before the series premiered, OSN+ and Amazon Ads orchestrated a series of teasers designed to stoke anticipation. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, over 350,000 specially designed Amazon delivery boxes were produced, with the aim of transforming routine deliveries into delightful doorstep moments. Each box bore striking imagery from HOTD and included a QR code that drove customers to the OSN+ Brand Store on Wondering what the custom Amazon boxes looked like? Click here to find out. Moreover, OSN+ transformed into an immersive House of the Dragon battlefield, where visitors chose between Team Black and Team Green through an interactive Brand Store experience allowing fans to explore exclusive trailers and character histories through a tailored experience that revealed the secrets and rivalries of their chosen house. This dual-path content journey helped visitors delve deeper into each house's story, further increasing engagement on the page while creating a natural journey to the OSN+ website, where viewers could subscribe to watch the new season of HOTD. During the launch day, the campaign utilised the homepage takeover, draping the website in black or green, piquing curiosity among Amazon shoppers who might not have been die-hard fans of the show, and tapped into Twitch, with a hero headline on the service's homepage and a First Impression Takeover, where viewers would see an OSN+ pop-up during their first Twitch broadcast of the day. Click here to learn more about the impact and results the campaign drove.
Business Wire
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
āshibio Doses First Patient in Phase 1b Trial of Andecaliximab in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) at Risk of Heterotopic Ossification (HO)
BRISBANE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- āshibio, a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of severe bone and connective tissue disorders, today announced that the first participant has been dosed in its Phase 1b clinical trial of andecaliximab in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). The study, called ANDECA-HO, is evaluating patients who are at risk of developing heterotopic ossification (HO), a condition that causes abnormal bone formation in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues. The ANDECA-HO trial signals a strategic expansion of the andecaliximab clinical development program into non-hereditary heterotopic ossification (NHHO). āshibio is conducting its first study in SCI patients and plans to expand to other NHHO conditions. The trial signals a strategic expansion of the andecaliximab clinical development program into non-hereditary heterotopic ossification (NHHO). NHHO is a severely debilitating condition that can occur in people who have experienced SCI, traumatic brain injury, hip arthroplasty, burns, blast injuries, and other forms of trauma. āshibio is conducting its first NHHO study in patients with SCI and plans to expand to other NHHO conditions in the future. Researchers estimate that clinically significant HO affects approximately 20% of SCI patients in the United States each year, an estimated 15,000 patients per year. The ANDECA-HO study is āshibio's second clinical trial for andecaliximab, the company's lead product candidate for the potential treatment of HO. On January 23, 2025, the company announced the dosing of the first patient in the ANDECAL trial, a Phase 2/3 study of andecaliximab in patients with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), a genetic disease characterized by severe HO starting in early childhood. āshibio is investigating andecaliximab in patients with FOP and NHHO, due to the common pathology of HO in both conditions. 'Heterotopic ossification can prevent individuals with spinal cord injury from being in a sitting position, fitting into a wheelchair, or transferring from a bed. HO increases the risk of complications such as bed sores and infections, and increases the SCI survivor's reliance on others for activities of daily living, negatively impacting their quality of life,' said āshibio Chief Medical Officer Deborah Wenkert, MD. 'Abnormal bone formation compresses nerves and blood vessels, leading to loss of function and poorer health outcomes. We hope the ANDECA-HO study brings us a step closer to delivering new options to patients living with or at risk of HO.' Andecaliximab is a humanized antibody that specifically inhibits the matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) enzyme. Researchers have demonstrated MMP9 expression in human and rodent NHHO lesions, and believe that MMP9 promotes HO in patients with SCI due to its greater expression in areas of inflammation and its role in degrading certain matrix proteins. Previous clinical trials of andecaliximab, involving more than 1,000 patients, have characterized its safety and tolerability profile. 'MMP9 was discovered as a novel target based on clinical observations in a unique patient with FOP and preclinical research demonstrating the critical role of MMP9 in heterotopic ossification,' 1 said Pankaj Bhargava, MD, Chief Executive Officer of āshibio. 'Preclinical studies conducted by our team have further demonstrated that MMP9 is essential for the development of NHHO, a condition with no approved therapies that is often cited as an area of high unmet need by physiatrists specializing in spinal cord injury medicine,' added Dr. Bhargava. 'Inhibiting MMP9 in individuals with spinal cord injury may help reduce heterotopic ossification that can severely limit mobility, hinder recovery, and reduce quality of life,' noted ANDECA-HO Principal Investigator Andrew Park, MD, Physician Scientist at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., who dosed the first patient in the SCI study. 'We are excited to initiate dosing in this trial, which gives us an important opportunity to assess the safety and activity of andecaliximab in a patient population that has long awaited a safe and effective treatment option.' The Phase 1b trial is an open-label study assessing the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of andecaliximab in up to 10 adults (aged 18-89 years) with a history of traumatic SCI. This study will support a future randomized trial in patients with HO related to SCI and other conditions. For additional trial details, visit the study page on About āshibio āshibio is a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of novel therapeutics for the treatment of bone and connective tissue disorders. Founded in 2022, āshibio exited stealth mode in June 2024 with $40 million in seed and Series A financing. The company has initiated a Phase 2/3 trial of its lead asset, andecaliximab, in patients with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), a rare genetic disorder characterized by progressive heterotopic ossification (HO), a pathological condition characterized by abnormal bone formation in muscle and soft tissues. āshibio has also initiated a development program in non-hereditary heterotopic ossification (NHHO), a severely disabling condition for which there are no approved therapies. The first study in the NHHO program is a Phase 1b trial of andecaliximab in patients with spinal cord injury at risk of HO. For more information, visit References: Lounev V, Groppe JC, Brewer N, Wentworth KL, Smith V, Xu M, Schomburg L, Bhargava P, Al Mukaddam M, Hsiao EC, Shore EM, Pignolo RJ, Kaplan FS. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 deficiency confers resilience in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva in a man and mice. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2024 May 2;39(4):382-398
