Animal Rebellion protester 'may have caused £100k in damage' after 'pouring milk on Fortnum & Mason carpet'

Callum Cuddeford -

Animal Rebellion protesters might have cost Fortnum & Mason £100,000 after pouring milk onto the carpet of the luxury department store, a court has heard. Steve Bone, 40, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, is accused of targeting Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges on Friday along with Sofia Fernandes Pontes, 26.


Jobless Steve Bone, 40, is accused of dumping £38 worth of milk on the carpet of Fortnum & Mason© PA

He pleaded not guilty to a charge of criminal damage in relation to the alleged Fortnum & Mason incident at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Monday afternoon (October 10). Prosecutors told the court the alleged incident took place at 11.30am.

The court heard they each allegedly took a basket with 20 bottles of milk to a value of £38 and emptied their contents on to goods and the carpet at the store. The cost of the damage to the carpet, which was laid a year ago, was said to be unknown at this stage but would exceed £5,000, while the estimated total cost should the entire carpet need replacing was £100,000, the court heard.

Bone also indicated a not guilty plea for a charge of theft at the store as well as one count of theft and one count of criminal damage in relation to the alleged incident a Selfridges. He is accused of causing £273 of damage in that incident.

Bone, who is unemployed, was granted conditional bail with conditions including not to visit the two stores and will appear at Southwark Crown Court on November 7. Fernandes Pontes, 26, of Copenhagen Street, Islington, North London, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on November 7.

‘My Last Skirt,’ About Irish Woman Who Enlisted in Civil War as Male Soldier, Headed to Screen (EXCLUSIVE)

Matt Donnelly - 

The remarkable true story of Irish immigrant Jennie Hodgers — who posed as a man to fight for the Union Army during the American Civil War — will be adapted for screen.

Arny Granat, a veteran concert promoter turned Tony-winning musical producer, has hired Stephanie Sanditz to pen a feature film script from Lynda Durrant’s book “My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier.” Granat — whose stage credits include “In The Heights,” “The Color Purple,” “Spamalot,” “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “History Boys” — has been chasing an adaptation of the story for nearly a decade.

Set in the 1800s, “My Last Skirt” tells the story of Hodgers, who went by the name Albert Cashier to enlist and serve her country. Following the war, Hodgers would live as Cashier for much of her life after observing the disparity in opportunity for women of the age. She is also believed to be the first person assigned female at birth to cast a vote for president before Women’s Suffrage.

“A decade ago, I saw this unheralded story and knew it was incredibly important to be told. Ten years later, I think everyone can agree, it’s more important than ever. I’m incredibly excited about bringing the story of Jennie Hodgers and Albert Cashier to life,” said Granat.

Sanditz has made a name for herself in crating stories about women called to battle, most recently with the project “Perfect Addiction.” The story of a female MMA fighter is set up at Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content) and Constantin Films, and just wrapped production. She also scripted the queer woman Viking epic “Heathen,” adapted from the Value Comics title, which Catherine Hardwicke is attached to direct. Sanditz previously won the Tribeca Film Festival New Voices in Screenwriting award for her film “Get Your Heart On.” She is repped by Mark Ross at Paradigm, Richard Arlook at The Arlook Group, and Jenn Grega at Myman/Greenspan Legal.

Valerie Gobos will produce “My Last Skirt.” Her slate includes the buzzy upcoming Esther Williams biopic “The Million Dollar Mermaid,” and a film about adult film star Marilyn Chambers titled “Pure.”

OBSTRUCTIONIST PARTY OF NO

Freedom Caucus wants defense bill delayed if vaccine mandate not repealed

Emily Brooks - 

Members of the hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus are calling on Republican leaders to delay passage of the annual defense authorization bill until after the new year if its demands, like repealing the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, are not met.


Freedom Caucus wants defense bill delayed if vaccine mandate not repealed© Provided by The Hill

In January, a new Congress may include GOP majorities in either the House or Senate that can “rework” the legislation, the group said.

“Congressional Republicans still have the opportunity to stand in defense of our Nation’s military – if we stand united,” the group wrote in a letter to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday.

“Just as they did in July, Democrats will need Republican votes to pass the NDAA, and the House Freedom Caucus urges all Republicans to hold the line to force Democrats to reverse the policies of President Biden undermining our Nation’s military and its combat readiness, starting with the vaccine mandate,” the letter said.

The Senate started debate on its National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Tuesday, and a final vote is expected after the midterm elections. It would then be reconciled in conference with the House version of the NDAA, which passed in June in a 329-101 vote, with 39 Democrats and 62 Republicans voting against the legislation.

The Freedom Caucus opposed that bill over similar concerns over the vaccine mandate and “prioritization of ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusion’ over combat readiness.”

Now, the group is also calling for the establishment of a special inspector general to scrutinize U.S. involvement in Ukraine as part of a list of four core demands for the NDAA.

“Republicans must demand that the NDAA: (1) fully repeals the vaccine mandate and allows service members involuntarily discharged to be reinstated without penalty; (2) ends the contamination of our military by radical Leftist ‘woke’ ideologies and the prioritization of politics over combat readiness; (3) halts wasteful spending on ‘Green New Deal’ pet climate projects; and (4) establishes a Special Inspector General on U.S. involvement in Ukraine,” the letter said.

If those are not met, the Freedom Caucus said, Republicans should delay passage until after the start of the next Congress and have “a new Republican Majority to comprehensively rework the NDAA to serve America’s service members instead of Leftist political agendas.”

A student-loan company involved in a major lawsuit against Biden's debt relief just got hit with a cease and desist over accusations of 'interfering with student loan borrowers' right to loan cancellation'

asheffey@businessinsider.com (Ayelet Sheffey) - Yesterday.


College graduates. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images© Provided by Business Insider

Advocacy groups AFT and SBPC sent a cease and desist letter to student-loan company MOHELA.
They said the company's involvement in a lawsuit against relief violates consumer protections.
Specifically in California, the groups claim the company is violating the state's bill of rights for borrowers.

Advocates aren't letting a student-loan company involved in a lawsuit against debt relief off easy.

On Tuesday, advocacy groups the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) sent a cease and desist to student-loan company MOHELA that accused it of "interfering with student loan borrowers' right to loan cancellation" that President Joe Biden announced at the end of August, according to the letter.

At the end of September, six Republican-led states filed a lawsuit against Biden's up to $20,000 in debt relief under the argument it would hurt their states' tax revenue, along with the business operations of MOHELA, which is housed in Missouri where the lawsuit was filed. A federal judge is set to hear oral arguments on Wednesday on whether the relief should be paused. Biden's administration already issued its defense as to why the conservative lawsuit does not have standing, and advocates want to ensure MOHELA does not further harm borrowers during this process.

"Student loan giant MOHELA has grown fat on federal contracts and back-room deals with big banks. Now its executives think they are above the law and are using the courts to put their profits above the interests of student loan borrowers," SBPC executive director Mike Pierce said in a statement.

The groups also noted that MOHELA's actions could be a "potential liability" under the California Student Borrower Bill of Rights and the Consumer Financial Protection Act. Specifically, California has a bill of rights for student-loan borrowers in the state that prohibits student-loan companies from engaging in certain practices that could harm borrowers, and companies that violate that prohibition could face a lawsuit on behalf of all affected borrowers that could leave it liable for over $175 billion in damages.

The cease and desist letter noted that seeking to block debt relief and understaffing call centers could constitute such behavior.

"Our investigation revealed that MOHELA has understaffed its call centers: borrowers report wait times of many hours with no reply and receiving busy signals from the phone line or a message that the number does not exist," the letter said. "Borrowers with critical questions about student debt relief, such as how to apply, whether to consolidate their loans, or otherwise, cannot receive the information they are legally entitled to receive from their servicer."

Should the lawsuit progress, AFT and SBPC estimate the cost of injury to borrowers in California would amount to over $55 billion.

MOHELA could not immediately be reached for comment, but the Republican lawsuit on behalf of the company — which also manages the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program — noted that when borrowers' balances go to zero, it will suffer revenue loss from servicing those loans.

The Biden administration said in its legal defense that the case does not have any standing, but the advocates want to ensure that whether or not it prevails, borrowers are left unscathed.

"MOHELA's scheme isn't just a betrayal of the trust it owes millions of student loan borrowers, it is part of a larger pattern of illegal behavior and must end now," Randi Weingarten, President of the AFT, said in a statement. "People with student debt in California and across the country have a right to life-changing debt relief and we will not let a rogue student loan company stand in the way."

Annual south Edmonton Thanksgiving feast pays tribute to late laundromat owners

Caley Gibson - Global News

It's a tradition nearly 30 years in the making. The 29th annual Thanksgiving luncheon was held at Leefield Community Hall in south Edmonton on Monday, and this year the meal was held in honour of the people who started the tradition decades ago.


The 29th annual Thanksgiving luncheon, originally started by the late owners of Millbourne Laundromat, was held at Leefield Community Hall in south Edmonton on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022.

The Thanksgiving feast is the passion project of former Millbourne Laundromat owners Don and Shirley Tripp, both of whom passed away in the last year and a half.

"I know they're here. I can feel it," daughter Nicole Tripp said. "They're here in spirit and they're so pleased and honoured. I think this is the biggest honour — their legacy is continuing with these wonderful, wonderful people.

"I don't think they ever expected it to get this big and for this tradition to carry on. I know it's everything and that's all they wanted."

The community tradition started 29 years ago, when two men from Newfoundland were at the cleaner and Shirley asked what they were doing for Thanksgiving. The men told Shirley they had no plans, as their families were back east. That's when Shirley insisted the men stay at the laundromat and she would bring them some Thanksgiving food.

Since then, the dinner has grown to serve hundreds of meals to those in need, those with nowhere else to go and those without families around during the holiday.

"Mom made a Thanksgiving dinner for these guys and realized just how many people didn't have anything to do for Thanksgiving dinner — no family, were down on their luck. And it spread and spread," Nicole said.

"My siblings and myself, we were all there. We were helping make these dinners. My mom would plop 100 pounds of potatoes in front of my dad and say, 'start peeling.'"

Read more
Annual Thanksgiving dinner provides hot meal to Edmontonians: ‘It’s absolutely mandatory’

Nicole said her mother came from humble beginnings. Growing up in a small village in Nova Scotia, their family was poor. But one thing Shirley learned at a young age was that if you have something to give, you should. It's a moral she passed down to her children.

"When she was growing up, anytime they had something, they gave whatever they had. They would give. So for my mom, Thanksgiving has and always will be the most special thing to her to give back," Nicole said. "For dad as well. It was always a matter of giving. They didn't care what they received, it was always a matter of giving."

Read more:
Food inflation sending more individuals to community centres this Thanksgiving


The pair sold the laundromat years ago, but the Thanksgiving tradition has continued with the help of the new owners and several community partners who donate food and the hall to serve the meal. This year, organizers say they will serve 800 meals at the hall, as well as another 200 meals that were delivered to university students.

"There's so many people who need food," said Jane Wang, the current owner of Millbourne Laundromat.

"I like to share the passions, help the people and especially at Thanksgiving, people stay home alone. So better together, share the good."

Read more:
Cooking for Thanksgiving? These items will cost more as inflation bites

She too said it's important to continue with the Tripp's traditions.

"They are just so nice. Every time she came to the laundromat and hugged me," Wang said. "She's just so, so warm and she loved other people."

"This is a nice community project. To see the smiles and camaraderie among people no matter what their religion, race or colour," said Victoria Ewert with the Rotary Club of Edmonton Southeast, which helps organize the meal.

"Some of them, they come every year and this is where they meet their friends. They become buddies and they know that every year they're going to meet each other."

Ewert started volunteering at the luncheon long before the club took over organizing the event. She got to know Don and Shirley and said she wants to make sure people know about their legacy.

"It's become my goal also to continue with this."

Video: Annual Millbourne Laundromat Thanksgiving sees over 1,000 attendees

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi was also at the luncheon Monday.

"This tradition of giving back and community coming together and sharing food together on Thanksgiving Day is just phenomenal. It's a sense of community that I have been blessed to be part of," he said.

Sohi has taken in part in the event for years and got to know Don and Shirley, calling them good friends.

"They were just phenomenal individuals; always thinking about the community, always finding a way to give back. Their business thrived as well as struggled because of the changing nature of the laundromat business, but they never gave up on the community," he said.

"We can absolutely take a lesson from their life on how we can give back individually to make our city and our communities better."

After losing her parents, that's exactly what Nicole hopes to achieve as the meal continues for years to come.

"I know how proud my parents were and are. As kids and grandkids and great-grandkids, we're thrilled that this has continued for them. It's such an honour," she said.

"This one really has hit home for me the most out of every year since the day they started it. This one, I think, has the most meaning because this one is showing their legacy. Their entire legacy is continuing on and it will continue for however many years."

Cap on international students' working hours should be lifted permanently: advocates


OTTAWA — A new pilot project to lift the cap on the number of hours international students can work should be made permanent, say advocates who have spent years asking for the change.



Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced last Friday the federal government would temporarily remove the 20-hour cap on the number of hours international students can work off-campus to address labour shortages.

The cap will be lifted from Nov. 15 until the end of next year.

The International Sikh Students Association has long been calling for this change, and launched a petition early this year to move that cap from 20 to 30 hours to up the quality of life for students.

Jaspreet Singh, who founded the association, said the government's decision to temporarily lift the cap came as a surprise.

"We were expecting something permanent," he said in an interview. "Not for something in response to a labour shortage, instead of genuine effort to help to improve lives of international students."

The 20-hour cap has never made much sense given most employers in Canada offer eight-hour shifts, said Singh, who graduated as an international student two years ago from Sheridan College in the Greater Toronto Area and has since become a permanent resident.

The cap has put stress on students facing ever increasing costs while living in Canada.

"The rent within the last five years is almost double," he said. "So everything has gone up."

The government plans to treat the temporary policy as a pilot project, Fraser said at a press conference Friday.

"We’re going to be able to learn some lessons over the course of the next year, and we’re going to be able to determine whether this is the kind of thing we can look at doing over a longer period of time."

This is not the first time the cap has been lifted.

In April 2020, the cap was temporarily removed for international students who served essential roles during the COVID-19 pandemic, including those with jobs in energy, health, finance, food services, transportation and manufacturing.

The exemption for students serving as front-line workers was later ended, and Singh said students are worried the same could happen again if the latest labour shortages are resolved.

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan is also pushing for a more permanent change.

"This change is absolutely necessary, and is necessary for the students' survival," Kwan said in an interview.

International students face tuition fees that are as much as three times those of domestic students and must still support themselves while they're studying.

Kwan said she welcomed the news about the pilot, but worried about the motivations behind it.

When the government changes immigration measures, Kwan said, "it's never really to support the people who need the changes, but rather, it's always driven by the economy, or by industry."

Fraser called the temporary policy a "win-win" for employers and students looking to get more work experience in Canada.

Work experience can also give students a leg up when they apply to stay in Canada permanently, said Tony Fang, Stephen Jarislowsky chair in Economic and Cultural Transformation at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

One of the major hurdles to becoming a permanent resident is lack of Canadian experience, Fang said. "This really gives them a unique opportunity to (gain) the valuable Canadian experience, which is very important for the current immigration process."

The trade-off, Fang said, is the potential for students to undermine their studies because they spend too much time working, which could in turn jeopardize their immigration status in Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2022.

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press

ALBERTA TORY JUSTICE

Court of Appeal quashes contempt conviction for Edmonton lawyer who refused judge's mask order

Hamdi Issawi - Edmonton Journal

Retired defence lawyer Peter Royal, seen in a 2012 file photo. Alberta's Court of Appeal quashed a 2021 conviction that found Royal in contempt of court for refusing a judge's order to wear a face covering.© Provided by Edmonton Journal

Alberta’s Court of Appeal quashed a contempt conviction for an Edmonton lawyer who refused to wear a mask in court last year.

Peter Royal, a prominent defence lawyer who has since retired, was cited with contempt of court during a July 2021 hearing after refusing provincial court Judge Marilena Carminati’s order to wear a face covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Another provincial court judge held a hearing the following November, found Royal in contempt and ordered him to pay a $2,000 fine.

In a decision issued Tuesday, the Court of Appeal ruled that the second provincial court judge “had no jurisdiction to entertain a proceeding for contempt before another judge,” and set aside the conviction.

Steven Penney, a professor with the University of Alberta’s faculty of law, told Postmedia the decision relies on a fairly obscure and brief Supreme Court of Canada judgment.

“The Alberta Court of Appeal found there was binding Supreme Court of Canada authority holding that — while in some circumstances a provincial court judge hearing a matter can find someone in contempt at that very proceeding — it is beyond the jurisdiction of a provincial court judge to refer a contempt proceeding to another judge of the same court.”

Superior courts, including the Court of King’s Bench in Alberta, have what lawyers call “inherent jurisdiction,” but provincial courts have limited powers governed exclusively by legislation, Penney said.

Related video: Alberta criminal defence lawyers stop taking new legal aid files in response to provincial dispute

View on Watch Duration 1:44

“According to the Alberta Court of Appeal, the law is clear that — at least as far as the Supreme Court of Canada is concerned — the proper route for dealing with contempt sanctions, where the judge who feels that there may be contempt does not want to rule on it himself or herself, is to refer it to a judge of the superior court.”

While much of the province had lifted masking measures at the time of the citation, Alberta courts continued to require face coverings in common areas and individual judges were left to decide whether or not lawyers were required to wear masks in courtrooms.

Judge Bruce Fraser, who presided over the contempt hearing in November, said at the time that Royal’s refusal to wear a mask was “willfully stubborn and disobedient” given that the lawyer also challenged Carminati by asking her “what are you going to do about that?”

However, Fraser was satisfied that Royal purged his contempt after the latter apologized for the trouble he caused and assured the court that sort of behaviour wouldn’t happen again.

Penney said the Court of Appeal’s decision was based purely on provincial court jurisdiction.

“The appeal does not say a single word about the merits of the decision, whether it was appropriate or inappropriate to find Mr. Royal in contempt,” he said.

Royal is married to Mary Moreau, the chief justice of the Alberta Court of King’s Bench who has been a proponent of masking, virtual court appearances and COVID-related courtroom remodels.

— With files from Jonny Wakefield

Law Society of Alberta conduct hearing for Tyler Shandro adjourned

Anna Junker - 

A Law Society of Alberta hearing into the conduct of Tyler Shandro while he was health minister has been adjourned to an unknown date.


Justice Minister Tyler Shandro.© Provided by Edmonton Journal

Shandro’s hearing into whether he broke the society’s code of conduct was scheduled for Oct. 17-19, stemming from incidents in 2020 when reports emerged he confronted a Calgary doctor in his driveway over a social media post , obtained personal phone numbers through Alberta Health Services to call at least one doctor , and emailed an individual who tried to contact a company operated by Shandro’s wife .

Now adjourned to an unspecified date, the hearing was called to investigate complaints about the three incidents during Shandro’s tenure as health minister, including one alleging he “behaved inappropriately by engaging in conduct that brings the reputation of the profession into disrepute.”

The change was posted on the Law Society’s website . Shandro, a lawyer, served as health minister from April 30, 2019, to Sept. 21, 2021, and immigration minister from that date until Feb. 25 of this year, when he was sworn into his current role as justice minister.

A statement emailed to Postmedia on behalf of Nancy Bains, tribunal counsel at the law society, indicates that either party involved in a hearing may request for an adjournment to the chair of the hearing committee and that the other party can consent to or contest the proposed change of date.

In deciding whether to grant an adjournment, the hearing committee may consider a number of factors, including but not limited to prejudice to any person affected by the delay; the timing of the request, prior requests, and adjournments previously granted; the public interest; the costs to the law society and the other participants of an adjournment; and the requirement for a fair hearing, the statement reads.

“Hearings may be adjourned to any other time or place, on any conditions the hearing committee may impose,” it reads. “In the interest of procedural fairness, it is not appropriate for us to comment any further. The reasons for the adjournment may be addressed in the hearing committee report issued after the hearing is held.”

The hearing will be rescheduled “as soon as practicable for all involved.”

ajunker@postmedia.com

BIDEN A SPRING CHICKEN AT 80

Aged 97, Malaysia's former leader Mahathir Mohamad is running for parliament again

Kathleen Magramo - Yesterday 

Malaysia’s 97-year-old former leader Mahathir Mohamad is to run for parliament in the country’s looming general election, but is remaining tight-lipped on whether he could be prime minister for a third time.

Mahathir, who was hospitalized earlier this year with a heart condition, said Tuesday he will defend his seat representing Langkawi, a popular tourist destination.

But he said the alliance he represents – the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) or Homeland Movement – has not decided who would be prime minister should it win the election, expected in November.

“We (the alliance) have made a decision. In Langkawi, the candidate will be Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but not as a candidate for future prime minister, just as a candidate for lawmaker,” he told a news conference.

“We have not decided who will be prime minister because the prime minister candidate is only relevant if we win,” he added.

Mahathir, who was discharged from hospital last month after falling ill with Covid-19, has been prime minister of Malaysia twice before, his first stint running for 22 years until 2003. He came out of retirement in 2018 to lead his then coalition – the Pakatan Harapan or Hope Alliance – to a shock election win and returned to power aged 92.

That victory saw Mahathir’s former protege Najib Razak pushed out of office and ended six decades of rule by the United Malays National Organization party or UMNO. Mahathir said he had been moved to act after Najib became embroiled in the multibillion-dollar financial scandal surrounding the state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Najib has since been jailed for 12 years on money laundering, abuse of power and other charges relating to the scandal but remains a political force amid speculation he could receive a royal pardon.

Mahathir warned Tuesday that Najib could be freed if UMNO wins the election.

Malaysia’s current Prime Minister is Ismail Sabri Yaakob of the ruling UMNO party. He dissolved parliament on Monday, paving the way for the election but a date has yet to be set.

In a televised address, Ismail said that on Sunday he had presented a letter of request to Malaysia’s head of state, King Abdullah of Pahang, to dissolve the parliament.

During his address, Ismail highlighted the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent reopening of the Malaysian economy. But he warned that the political landscape in the country had become “gloomy” due to its recent high turnover of prime ministers and governments.

“The incessant bickering between political players can be stopped by bringing them to the negotiating table, to defuse the situation. We seek commonality, not difference. We seek agreement, not division,” he said.

CNN’s Angela Dewan and Niamh Kennedy and Reuters contributed to this report.

Hamilton police investigate 'white lives matter' sticker on campaign ad as hate crime

Bobby Hristova - CBC- HAMILTON

With roughly two weeks before election day, Ward 14 councillor candidate Kojo Damptey had to pause his door-knocking and campaign efforts for a moment to clean off a racist sticker covering one of his ads on a Mountain bus shelter.

"This is a reminder of the things that are wrong with Hamilton and Canada," said Damptey, who is Black, in a video posted to social media Monday.

"Someone or some group of people take the time to put up an anti-Black and white supremacist message on the face of a bus ad. This speaks to some of the things we've been trying to bring attention to in this city. It's unfortunate and we'll see if we can find out who did it."

His partner was seen in the video behind him, cleaning off the remnants of the sticker that read "white lives matter, time to take a stand, white people first."

The sticker, on a bus shelter near Upper Paradise Road and Mohawk Road West, also displayed a URL to a group on Telegram, an encrypted messaging platform.

The sticker was placed on top of part of Damptey's face.

Damptey is the former executive director of the Hamilton Centre For Civic Inclusion (HCCI) and a leader among all of those in the city who speak out against racism.

Police investigating incident as hate crime

Hamilton police spokesperson Jackie Penman told CBC Hamilton officers are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

"The incident was reported this morning. We believe it occurred sometime between Oct. 9-10," she wrote in an email.

"Hate crime in Hamilton is not acceptable. Left unchecked, hate crime can have a far reaching impact on communities. This is an ongoing, active investigation. Hate speech and all forms of racism have no place in our community."

After Damptey and the Equity Network, a local anti-racism advocacy group, posted about the sticker online, numerous responses condemning the vandalism poured in.

"There is a reactionary White backlash occurring in Hamilton where those who have perceived their power and privilege see any emerging non-white leadership as a direct threat to their white supremacy. The dog whistles from some candidates to this effect are clearly being heard," tweeted Hamilton Centre NDP MP Matthew Green.

"This is unacceptable. White supremacists in this city continue to multiply and get away with racism and hate while we see little to no action to address this by city leaders and officials. Enough is enough," tweeted HCCI.

It appears the sticker on Damptey's ad was part of a larger propaganda campaign.

An Ontario group chat on Telegram includes a post from Oct. 9 with five pictures that says "white lives matter activists have been placing pro-white material throughout Hamilton."

The city of Hamilton tweeted Tuesday afternoon it was aware of hateful and racist vandalism on city property including transit shelters and would be removed by city workers "as quickly as possible."

"We condemn racism in any/all forms and are committed to nurturing a city that is welcoming and inclusive, and where the community feels safe."

A post from the Ontario Telegram group Sept. 26 also shows posters that say "white unity at every opportunity" seemingly posted in Brantford. It's unclear if any of the material is still up.

'It's not a quest for social justice'

Peter Smith, a journalist and researcher with the Canadian Anti Hate Network, said there's no clear data on if hate crimes and incidents are more common during election season, but said the far right is more active during this time as they try to get people elected into power.

He said the group connected to the sticker has no real hierarchy but has a broad goal of spreading propaganda and growing the group.

Smith said the people in these groups are generally overt racists and neo-Nazis.

"When you look at their online spaces ... it's not a quest for social justice," he said in a phone interview. "It's an explicitly, openly racist group."

This comes as the city saw a record number of hate crimes in 2021.

Hamilton Police Services recorded 21 hate crimes last year — more than 2019, 2018 and 2017 combined.

Police also said there were 108 reported hate incidents (87 of which weren't considered crimes), a 35 per cent increase from 2020. But the figure is around average when compared to past years.

Almost all reported local hate crimes and incidents last year in Hamilton targeted Black, Jewish, Muslim and LGBTQ communities.

Police have also acknowledged the true number of hate incidents and crimes is likely higher as many instances don't get reported to police.

The rise in hate incidents is part of a national trend, with Statistics Canada data showing 3,360 of them across the country compared to 2,073 in 2017.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

Small Yukon First Nation bans sex offender using its COVID emergency law


WHITEHORSE — A First Nation of fewer than 300 people in Yukon's north has used a law it created during the COVID-19 pandemic to bar a convicted sex offender from being sent to its community.



The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation in Old Crow issued a declaration under its Community Emergency Act banning Christopher Schafer from the fly-in community nearly 800 kilometres north of Whitehorse for at least the next 90 days.

Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm said Yukon's territorial court decision to allow Schafer to live in Old Crow came via fax to the local RCMP detachment 24 hours before he was scheduled to arrive and was made without consulting the First Nation, which has limited supports available with only two RCMP officers and no clinical health staff.

“This action shows that although we may speak about reconciliation in this country, and we may feel it's important, the work is left to our communities, (which are) understaffed and under-supported,” he said at a news conference Tuesday.

Tizya-Tramm said when news hit the small community that Schafer, whom the First Nation called a "repeat violent sex offender," may return, “the emotions and the pain were visceral."

He said the emergency declaration was the only tool available to “slow this process down.”

“I'm not here to pass judgment on Mr. Schafer. I'm here to deal with the systematic problems in our justice (system) that does not allow our people … a modicum of influence in the larger cogs of the justice system, which is continuing to fail Yukoners and our Indigenous women across the country."

He said the community has previously attempted to reintegrate Schafer into Old Crow and provided the court with details of what supports would be required.

The chief said he is in contact with Schafer’s family and there is a willingness to work on another plan, but the community needs more time and support.

For now, Schafer remains in the Whitehorse jail and will appear in front of a judge Wednesday to continue discussions about his future.

Doris Bill, chief of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation in Whitehorse, said similar situations have happened in other small communities where people are released from jail without proper supports or reintegration plans.

“It has to stop. We have to give the communities the proper resources, in order to deal with these cases,” she said.

“They cannot be left out there to fend for themselves and to take care of these individuals without the proper expertise and the resources in place."

Tizya-Tramm said he wants an apology and a public inquiry into what happened. He has sent a letter to federal Justice Minister David Lametti, territorial Justice Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee and Michael Cozens, chief judge of the territorial court of Yukon.

“We do not and will never tolerate such institutionalized indifference which denies the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, our citizens and community of Old Crow — particularly Indigenous women and girls — of our inherent rights and freedoms to survive and live with dignity, well-being, peace and security on our land,” the letter says.

In a statement, a cabinet spokeswoman said McPhee would be responding to Tizya-Tramm’s letter.

A "hub," including counsellors and a mental health nurse based 400 kilometres away in Dawson City, supports Old Crow with staff travelling regularly to the community, the statement said.

“The department is working directly with Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation to co-ordinate mental wellness education and supports, in addition to the visiting counsellors, that aim to meet the specific needs of the community as well as Vuntut Gwitchin citizens in Whitehorse,” the statement said.

- By Ashley Joannou in Vancouver

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2022.

The Canadian Press