June 26, 2013
CTV News
Incidents of family violence declining: StatsCan
The Family Violence report this year focuses “on the prevalence and nature of family murder-suicides in Canada.” Stats Canada says that about one quarter of reported violence in 2011 was against family members. With almost 95,000 reports, almost half of the victims involved current or previous spouses, but 20% male victims. Almost one in five victims were children of the accused. http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/incidents-of-family-violence-declining-statscan-1.1340654 Stats Can report: Family violence in Canada: A statistical profile, 2011 http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130625/dq130625b-eng.htm
Toronto Star – Patty Winsa
Judge rules Toronto police violated Charter in carding interaction but doesn’t exclude evidence
The practice of carding – arbitrarily stopping people for ID or street check – has been ruled unconstitutional but in this latest ruling the evidence behind the charge resulting from a street check– a gun – was allowed in evidence. “I worry that decisions like this — where there is such an obvious breach of clearly defined constitutional rights and the evidence is still admitted against an accused — are read by police services as permission not to properly train their officers to behave lawfully,” said the defense lawyer Reid Rusonik. http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2013/06/24/judge_rules_toronto_police_violated_charter_in_carding_interaction_but_doesnt_exclude_evidence.html
Toronto Star – Melinda Maldonado
Ontario Youth Strategy tackles violence with a big-picture view
Ontario has a new plan to combat youth violence. The Ontario Premier’s Council on Youth Opportunities offers an inter-ministry approach that establishes 20 outcomes for the 18 different ministries that work with youth and tools to achieve the goals. Called “Stepping Up: A Strategic Framework to Help Ontario’s Youth Succeed,” http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/06/25/ontario_youth_strategy_tackles_violence_with_a_bigpicture_view.html Ontario government report: http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/youthandthelaw/youthactionplan/yap.aspx
The Media Co-op – Karina Fortier
Welcome to Prison Nation – Canada uses prisons to detain newly arrived asylum-seekers
What happens when the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) decides to detain a refuge, likely fleeing persecution in the country of origin? The answer it seems is – it depends. It seems that CBSA has a hold facility in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Provincial prison is the alternate elsewhere in Canada. And about 32% of detainees are acknowledged ‘low risk’ but wind up in prison anyway. http://www.mediacoop.ca/story/canada-uses-prisons-detain-newly-arrived-asylum-se/17708
Global TV News – Brittany Greenslade
Winnipeg police launch crackdown on crime
Winnipeg police are keeping computer track of where crime is occurring and criminals are gathering, based on police interviews and data kept on incidents. http://globalnews.ca/news/671450/winnipeg-police-are-cracking-down-on-crime
ABC News (US) Univision
It’s Still Legal to Shackle Women during Childbirth in America
Hands and feet shackled as two women gave birth in Arizona leads to a bi-partisan amendment to the immigration reform bill. A guard refused a request from one of the two, Alma Minerva Chacon, after childbirth to hold her new born. The American Medical Association has deemed the practice to be unsafe, “medically hazardous” and “barbaric”. http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/News/legal-shackle-women-childbirth-immigration-detention/story?id=19481909#.Ucn40pxcsto
Catholic Register – Deborah Gyapong
First annual National Aboriginal Prayer Breakfast recognized progress in relations
Over 500 people gathered in Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier for a prayer breakfast organized by Gathering Nations Internationally (GNI). Chief Kenny Blacksmith and former Aboriginal Affairs Federal Minister Chuck Stahl both spoke. “We heard that apology across this nation,” Blacksmith said. “We knew it was very sincere.” Stahl gave an appreciation for the uniqueness of the Aboriginal contribution by saying: “Aboriginal people have not allowed spiritual truth to be removed from the public domain,” Strahl said. “Meetings with aboriginal leaders often involve prayer. An elder will open the meeting in prayer; nobody protests. Nobody talks about the separation of Church and state.” http://www.catholicregister.org/news/canada/item/16513-first-annual-national-aboriginal-prayer-breakfast-recognized-progress-in-relations