Royal Family Photo: Duke And Duchess Reveal Their Adorably Candid Christmas Card

January 6, 2017, 8:59 am

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have finally revealed their 2016 family Christmas card, and it’s as adorable as we imagined.

According to Us Weekly, the Royal Family chose a candid photo to feature on the holiday cards they sent to their family. The sweet image shows Prince George and Princess Charlotte in the arms of their parents as a balloon artist entertains them.


Prince George and Princess Charlotte watch as a man inflates balloons at a children's party.

Visit Us Weekly to see the card.

If this photo looks familiar, it’s because it was taken last September at a children’s party in Victoria, B.C. The garden party was part of the family’s eight-day royal tour of Canada and was snapped by Getty photographer Chris Jackson.

The children’s party was a memorable one for the royals. As guests of honour, Prince George and Princess Charlotte were treated to a balloon artist, petting zoo and a puppet show – and they loved every minute of it!


Prince George plays with bubbles at a children's party on September 29, 2016 in Victoria, B.C.


The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte at a children's party in Victoria, B.C.

Princess Charlotte makes a beeline for the balloons - running off as soon as Kate puts her down! pic.twitter.com/7l2qpQbAHR

— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) September 29, 2016

Previously, a Kensington Palace spokesperson confirmed that the Duke and Duchess would not be releasing a Christmas photo in 2016, Woman’s Day reports. However, it looks like the royal couple opted to keep their Christmas cheer within the family.

This isn’t the first time the royals have chosen a candid photo for their holiday cards. In 2015, Kensington Palace released another casual family photo to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

A new family photo - Merry Christmas from The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte pic.twitter.com/8d472rlXFW

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 18, 2015

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Toronto Police End Car-Stomping Spree Without Firing A Shot

January 6, 2017, 10:20 am

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Toronto police drew no weapons during their arrest of a woman who stomped on two police cars on New Year’s Day.

The incident, which occurred near Finch Ave. and Islington Ave. in the city’s north end, saw police de-escalate the situation and convince her to walk towards an ambulance, according to CBC News.

In a news release, Constable Christofer Lemieux said he arrived on scene to find a woman in the middle of the street screaming at surrounding cars.

Video shows the woman, clearly in distress, walk up to a police car, climb onto the hood, and punch and kick the windshield.


A woman who kicked in the windows of two Toronto police cars was arrested without incident on New Year's Day. (Photo: Rumble Studio/Screenshot)

She then walks across the roof and stomps on the rear view window before sliding off the back of the cruiser.

Another squad car arrives and the woman runs up onto its hood and stomps on the front window before climbing onto the roof.

Officers from both cars open their doors and try to talk to her.

She then kicks in the rear window of that car before following officers to a waiting ambulance.


Police officers managed to convince the woman to walk towards an ambulance. (Photo: Rumble Studio/Screenshot)

The unidentified woman was arrested and was taken to Etobicoke General Hospital, according to police.

She won't be charged, CTV News reported.

“What you see are officers behaving with restraint and professionalism, de-escalating the situation, not crowding her and they resolved the situation safely and without injury,” Toronto Police spokesperson Mark Pugash told CP24 Tuesday.

As of late November, officers responded to nearly 23,500 calls for emotionally disturbed people and apprehended more than 9,000 under the Mental Health Act, according to a news release.

“What you see are officers behaving with restraint and professionalism." — Toronto Police spokesperson Mark Pugash

But one man who works on mental health issues thinks the situation would have been different if the woman had been holding a weapon or threatening harm.

"When we know people who have a small knife, stick, or hammer and we know that once a weapon is perceived, the protocol changes," Victor Willis, the executive director of the Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre, which provides housing and services for people with mental health issues, told CBC News.

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Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting Leaves Multiple People Dead

January 6, 2017, 10:50 am

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — An arriving airline passenger pulled a gun from his luggage and opened fire in the baggage claim area at the Fort Lauderdale airport Friday, killing five people and wounding eight before throwing his weapon down and lying spread-eagle on the ground, authorities and witnesses said.

Chip LaMarca, a Broward County commissioner who was briefed on the attack by the sheriff's office, told The Associated Press that the shooter had arrived aboard a Canadian flight with a gun in a checked bag.


Police direct traffic outside of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport after a shooting took place near the baggage claim on Friday. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

However, Air Canada said it has no record of any passenger with the name of the suspect nor of any checked guns on any of its flights to the city.

"We can confirm that we have no record of such a passenger by that name, or checked guns, on any of our flights to FLL," the tweet said.

LaMarca said of the suspect: "After he claimed his bag, he went into the bathroom and loaded the gun and started shooting. We don't know why."

Under Canadian air-safety rules, passengers can only pack firearms in their checked baggage provided the weapons are unloaded and in a locked, hard-sided container. Passengers must also declare the firearms at check-in.


People take cover behind vehicles at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday. (Photo: Wilfredo Lee/AP via CP)

The attack took place at Terminal 2, which serves Delta Air Lines and Air Canada.

A spokesman for Air Canada says all its passengers and employees at the airport are "accounted for and safe."

In an email, spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick wrote that passengers on the airline's departing flights were safely evacuated on the tarmac. Those on flights arriving from Montreal and Toronto were being held off gate while the terminal remained closed.

The gunman was immediately taken into custody.


An injured woman is taken into Broward Health Trauma Center in Fort Lauderdale after a shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday. (Photo: Taimy Alvarez/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP via CP)

Authorities gave no details on a possible motive for the shooting, which sent panicked passengers running out of the terminal and onto the tarmac, baggage in hand, and forced the shutdown of the entire airport.

"People started kind of screaming and trying to get out of any door they could or hide under the chairs," a witness, Mark Lea, told MSNBC. "He just kind of continued coming in, just randomly shooting at people, no rhyme or reason to it."

Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida said that the gunman was carrying a military ID that identified him as Esteban Santiago, but that it was unclear whether the ID was his. Nelson gave no further information on the suspect.


People stand on the tarmac at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a shooter opened fire inside the terminal on Friday. (Photo: Lynne Sladky/AP via CP)

"We don't know a motive at this point," he said. "This could well be someone who is mentally deranged, or in fact it could be someone who had a much more sinister motive that we have to worry about every day, and that is terrorism. We can't conclude that."

President Barack Obama was briefed by his Homeland Security adviser, the White House said.

Lea said the gunman said nothing as he "went up and down the carousels of the baggage claim, shooting through luggage to get at people that were hiding.'' The killer had a handgun and went through about three magazines of ammunition, Lea said.

Then the attacker threw down his weapon and lay spread-eagle on the ground until he was taken into custody, Lea said.


Law enforcement personnel arrive in an armored car outside Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport on Friday. (Photo: Wilfredo Lee/AP via CP)

Sheriff Scott Israel said five people were killed and eight were wounded. Their condition was not disclosed. He said the gunman was arrested unharmed, with no law enforcement officers firing any shots, and was being questioned by the FBI.

People spilled onto the tarmac, some carrying luggage, and some ran from both Terminals 1 and 2, hiding behind cars or anything else they could find to shield themselves.

The airport suspended operations as law enforcement authorities rushed to the scene and emergency medical workers treated at least one bleeding victim on the tarmac. Fort Lauderdale-bound flights already in the air were delayed or diverted, and those that had yet to take off from the airport were held on the ground.

Video posted on Instagram appeared to show several people wounded in the baggage claim area of the terminal. One person appeared to be lying in a pool of blood with a head wound.


People run on the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday. (Photo: Wilfredo Lee/AP via CP)

John Schilcher told Fox News said he came up to the baggage claim and heard the first gunshot as he picked up his bag off a carousel.

"The person next to me fell to the ground and then I started hearing other pops. And as this happened, other people started falling and you could hear it and smell it, and people on either side of me were going down and I just dropped to the ground,'' said Schilcher, who was there with his wife and mother-in-law.

"The firing just went on and on," he said.

He said the gunman emptied his weapon and reloaded, and "it was eerily quiet."

"I was down on the floor, when we finally looked up there was a policeman standing over me," Schilcher said. "That's when I assumed it was safe."

With files from The Canadian Press. Associated Press writers Freida Frisaro and Adriana Gomez-Licon in Miami contributed to this report.

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Canadian Dollar Could Drop Over NAFTA Uncertainty: Reuters Poll

January 6, 2017, 12:13 pm

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There's trouble ahead for the Canadian dollar despite its strong start to 2017, according to a Reuters poll released Friday.

The loonie closed at 75.63 cents USD Thursday, mostly thanks to recent strength of the price of oil.

But Reuters notes uncertainty over the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) could sink the Canadian dollar to 74.07 cents USD in the next six months. The poll, which surveyed more than 40 foreign exchange experts, also predicts that value could dip to as low as 73.53 cents by the end of the year.

U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has previously said he would revisit NAFTA to change parts of the agreement that are not in the country's best interest. Trump has even gone as far to say he'd scrap the deal altogether.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to rip up the North American Free Trade Agreement. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump's protectionist anti-trade threats have raised alarm bells for Canadian businesses who fear tariffs and border inspection delays will rise after his inauguration Jan. 20.

John Manley, a former Liberal cabinet minister and Business Council of Canada president, said Trump's trade views amount to an "existential threat" to Canada.

Not everyone agrees

Similar to Reuters' poll, Bloomberg's survey of forecasters also expects a falling loonie.

The Canadian dollar closed at 75.63 cents USD Thursday, mostly thanks to recent strength of the price of oil. (Photo: Getty Images)

But there's a stark difference between that call and a Canadian currency analysis from Bloomberg's top forecaster, predicting the loonie would beat all of its G10 peers this year.

Konrad Bialas, chief economist at foreign-exchange broker Dom Maklerski TMS Brokers SA, told Bloomberg the loonie would rise to 75.75 cents USD by the end of 2017.

Bialas said the first half of the year could see the loonie dip, but over the course of 2017, uncertainty over NAFTA and U.S. trade policies will fade and the dollar will rebound.

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Trudeau's Bahamas Vacation Airfare Will Be Reimbursed To Taxpayers: PMO

January 6, 2017, 12:48 pm

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OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau, his family and a few friends were guests of the Aga Khan over the holidays on the wealthy religious leader's private Bahamian island.

A spokesman for the prime minister, Cameron Ahmad, is confirming a National Post report that the Aga Khan invited the Trudeau family and a few friends to join him on Bell Island.

The Aga Khan is the hereditary spiritual leader of the world's approximately 15 million Ismaili Muslims and a renowned philanthropist.


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with the Aga Khan on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 17, 2016. (Photo: Chris Wattie/Reuters)

Ahmad notes that the Aga Khan and Trudeau "have been close family friends for many years.''

As required for security purposes, Trudeau and his family flew to Nassau on a government Challenger jet; Ahmad says no friends were aboard.

He says Trudeau will reimburse the cost of the airfare for himself and his family to and from Nassau.

The Aga Khan founded one of the world's largest development agencies, the Aga Khan Development Network, dedicated to enhancing progress in under-developed regions of the world.

In 2009, then-prime minister Stephen Harper bestowed honorary citizenship on the Aga Khan.

Also on HuffPost:

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Trudeau Ditches International Summit In Favour Of Canadian Tour

January 6, 2017, 2:36 pm

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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ringing in the new year with a determined effort to re-establish his connection with grassroots Canadians after closing out 2016 amid accusations of kowtowing to wealthy donors at elite Liberal fundraisers.

Trudeau is planning to embark on a campaign-style tour, talking to average folks at coffee shops and church basements across the country.

His communications director, Kate Purchase, says Trudeau will make three or four pit stops each day of the tour.

It was initially slated to take up six or seven days over the next three weeks, with breaks for a trip to the World Economic Forum annual summit in Davos, Switzerland, and a two-day cabinet retreat before Parliament resumes at the end of the month.


Justin Trudeau meets a child in Toronto. (Photo: Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

But the Prime Minister's Office announced Friday that Trudeau has cancelled plans to attend the Davos summit to allow for an expanded tour that would see him spend more time meeting more Canadians in more locations across the country.

The first leg of the tour is to start at the end of next week with Trudeau travelling Highway 401 from Ottawa to London, Ont., with an overnight at Canadian Forces Base Trenton.

That will be followed up by stops in British Columbia, Quebec and the Prairies, with events still being planned for the Atlantic provinces.

Purchase says the events will be a mix of traditional town hall-style, question-and-answer sessions and more informal mingling with people in coffee shops and church basements.

"The prime minister wants to hear from them how they are feeling at the start of 2017, what their concerns and anxieties are and what we can do to help alleviate that."

"We see this as part of a concerted effort to remain connected to Canadians, at home in their communities," she says.

"The prime minister wants to hear from them how they are feeling at the start of 2017, what their concerns and anxieties are and what we can do to help alleviate that."

The tour may also be intended to reverse the slippage in Trudeau's popularity over the final months of 2016 as he deflected allegations of unethical fundraising practices over his appearance at multiple events where donors contributed as much as $1,500 to the Liberal party in order to rub shoulders with the prime minister.


Justin Trudeau walks along the deck while touring the CCGS Wilfrid Laurier during a boat tour of Burrard Inlet near Vancouver in November 2016. (Photo: Ben Nelms/Reuters)

It will also feed into consultations leading up to his government's second budget, likely to be introduced in February or March.

The budget, the highlight of the winter parliamentary sitting, is expected to focus on the government's innovation strategy, which Purchase describes as anticipating economic opportunities of the future and helping middle-class Canadians take advantage of them.

Cabinet retreat in January

In addition to the tour, Trudeau is to convene a cabinet retreat in Calgary on Jan. 22-24.

He held a retreat in nearby Kananaskis in the spring, but Purchase says the Calgary gathering will give ministers a chance to tap into the mood in the oilpatch following decisions late last year to approve two pipelines and to impose a national price on carbon as part of a pan-Canadian climate change strategy.

As for the Davos summit, Jan. 17-20, the PMO says the Canadian government will be well-represented with a number of cabinet ministers in attendance.

"The forum is a prime opportunity to highlight Canada's strength as a place to invest, grow and establish new business opportunities and our ministers will be doing that work and building new relationships," said spokesman Cameron Ahmad.

This year's summit is focused on a theme close to Trudeau's heart: developing ways to ensure the benefits of economic growth and social progress are spread more equitably, to counter the frustration over unevenly shared prosperity that has led to an explosion of protectionism, populism and nativism around the globe.

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Prince Harry Has Reportedly Met Meghan Markle's Father

January 6, 2017, 8:35 am

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When Meghan Markle met Prince William back in November it was the talk of the tabloids. But when Prince Harry met his girlfriend's father it somehow managed to stay a secret.

According to the Mail Online, the 32-year-old prince met Markle's father Thomas during a visit to Toronto six months ago! For those keeping track, that's before news broke that the two were even an item.

Tomorrow's front page: First pictures of Prince Harry and girlfriend Meghan Markle pic.twitter.com/uPGUYHLk8T

— The Sun (@TheSun) December 14, 2016

Markle's half-brother Thomas Jr. told the site the couple were "very much in love" before adding “they’re extremely happy together, they look great together and she’s done good.”

Thomas Jr., who is 15 years older than Markle, had nothing but nice things to say about his half-sister and her boyfriend. “I think it is wonderful. As long as he takes care of and loves Meg, he doesn’t have to do anything else… he looks like a genuinely good man – and he was in the services as well. He looks happy, he looks like he’s stress-free and like he could be a good guy for Meg,” he said.

Thomas Jr. admits he himself has yet to meet the prince, but says “I would like to shake his hand and meet him.” His father on the other hand is said to be "pretty happy about Harry" and "extremely proud of her."

Happy Father's Day, daddy. I'm still your buckaroo, and to this day your hugs are still the very best in the whole wide world. Thanks for my work ethic, my love of Busby Berkeley films & club sandwiches, for teaching me the importance of handwritten thank you notes, and for giving me that signature Markle nose. I love you xo -Bean

A photo posted by Meghan Markle (@meghanmarkle) on Jun 19, 2016 at 10:45am PDT

When asked about Markle's childhood desire to be a princess, Thomas Jr. was quick to note: "I mean it's every girl's dream to become a princess but she never said anything about it. She did like 'Cinderella' and 'The Little Mermaid' but she never had a Prince Harry poster or anything like that. But still, I think she fits the bill more than anyone."

The bill of course being the role of princess. He went on to say: “She’s the right girl for the job. It’s not a job but she’s the right girl. You couldn’t get a more refined, well-rounded person than her. Look at them when they look at each other — they love each other. So it’ll be great, it’ll be royal. I just want her to be happy.”

The prince and the "Suits" actress were spotted together for the first time last month in London. Though the couple did not spend the holidays together they are reportedly planning a trip together later this month.

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Dad Fired For Attending Baby's Birth Gets Plenty Of Job Offers

January 6, 2017, 12:01 pm

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A New Hampshire father was fired after he missed work to see the birth of his son.

Lamar Austin was on a 90-day probation contract with private security group Salerno Protective Services. The 30-year-old father, who was supposed to be on call 24/7, missed his shift on Dec. 30 and 31 because his wife, Lindsay, went into labour on Friday evening.

.@conmonitornews follow to the story of Dad fired for attending baby's birth (h/t @SaraPersechino): https://t.co/CPOljI1F42

— Cathleen Decker (@cathleendecker) January 5, 2017

The couple welcomed their son, Cainan, early on Jan. 1, but an hour into the new year, Austin received a text from his employer informing him he had been terminated.

According to the Concord Monitor, Salerno Protective Services was within their legal right to do this since New Hampshire is an “at-will employment” state, which means an employer can fire an employee for any reason.

Speaking to the newspaper about losing his job, Austin said: “It was hard, but if I have to choose between work and family, I’m always going to pick my family.”

After the Concord Monitor first reported Austin’s story, it hit home for Sara Persechino, a Massachusetts mom-of-two and an advocate of paid family leave. As a result, Persechino started a Go Fund Me page to help raise funds for Austin and his family.

“No one should have to choose between their family and their job,” the mom wrote on the fundraising site. “Welcoming a new baby to a family should be a joyous time.”

Support is flowing from all over for Cainan Austin's family, including Scotland & Australia. Thank you all! https://t.co/CEy7e7CmmM

— Sara Persechino (@SaraPersechino) January 6, 2017

Since then, Austin’s story has spread even further and he has now received three job offers, as well as an apprenticeship from a business manager at Concord’s International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, The Telegraph reports.

Austin previously told the Concord Monitor, “Sometimes you lose something and you get something even better.” It looks like he was right!

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'Dad Bods' Are More Attractive To Women, Study Finds

January 6, 2017, 12:54 pm

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Listen up, fellas! If you’re not as chiseled as Ryan Reynolds or Chris Hemsworth, you have nothing to worry about. Turns out, ladies are more attracted to “dad bods” anyway.

According to Richard Bribiescas, an anthropology professor at Yale University, huskier men may actually be healthier than their slimmer counterparts and make better fathers.

In his study, Bribiescas explained that weight gain is due to decreasing levels of testosterone. As a result, this strengthens the immune system, allowing pudgier dads to live longer.

“This change in body composition not only causes men to shop for more comfortable trousers but also facilitates increased survivorship and, hypothetically, a hormonal milieu that would more effectively promote and support paternal investment,” Bribiescas explained in his book, How Men Age: What Evolution Reveals About Male Health and Mortality.

Watch the video above to hear more surprising benefits of having a “dad bod.”

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Vancouver Toddler Killed In House Fire Caused By Space Heaters

January 6, 2017, 3:06 pm

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VANCOUVER — Space heaters caused a fire that killed a sleeping toddler and injured her twin sister, older brother and mother, fire officials said Friday.

The home also did not have working smoke alarms, said Fire Chief John McKearney.

Investigators have traced the blaze to two older-model space heaters placed near a bed where the girl, who was 2 1/2, was sleeping on Thursday afternoon, he said.

The girl's mother, twin sister and older brother all escaped and were taken to hospital, where they were treated for burns and smoke inhalation.


A security guard stands outside a house where a two-year-old girl died in a house fire Thursday. (Photo: Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

"The mother attempted to rescue both of her daughters. She was able to rescue the one daughter. She went in to rescue the other daughter but (the fire) was too involved," McKearney said, adding the mother suffered serious burns to her face and hands.

All three family members are expected to survive.

Another family that shares the house was not home at the time of the fire, he said.

Forty-five firefighters, along with police and arson investigators, responded to the blaze.

"This is very much one of the toughest tragedies a community can have, a family can have."

The house was already "fairly well involved" by the time crews arrived, the chief said. Investigators have determined there was also an explosion, likely caused by aerosol cans.

McKearney said the east-end neighbourhood's roads were unusually icy because of a cold snap in Vancouver, but that did not delay the response.

Firefighters did ask for salt and sand to be put down on the street to help stop water they used to fight the fire from freezing and making the roads increasingly slick.

The case is a difficult one for first responders, McKearney said.


A sign and flowers are seen near a house where a two-year-old girl died and three others were injured in a house fire Thursday. (Photo: Darryl Dyck/THe Canadian Press)

"This is very much one of the toughest tragedies a community can have, a family can have. And certainly for our first responders to deal with."

The outcome may have been different if the home had a working smoke alarm, McKearney said.

"This is a very sad outcome," he said. "We cannot overstate that a working smoke alarm saves lives. It's been proven time and time again."

"This is a very sad outcome."

All homes in British Columbia are required to have working smoke alarms.

McKearney encouraged people to make sure their alarms are working and to take care when using space heaters.

People should use newer space heaters that have safety features like an automatic shut off, he said, and they should not be placed close to flammable materials, including fabric.

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Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds Buried Together In Hollywood Hills Cemetery

January 7, 2017, 6:42 am

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LOS ANGELES — Carrie Fisher, who has been laid to rest alongside her mother Debbie Reynolds, was adored by family, friends and fans for her gallows humour and frank talk about her struggles with mental illness.

What better home for her ashes then, her brother Todd Fisher and daughter Billie Lourd decided, than a porcelain urn in the shape of an outsized anti-depressant?

"Carrie's favourite possession was a giant Prozac pill that she bought many years ago," Todd Fisher said Friday as he left the private joint funeral at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills for his mother and sister. "She loved it, and it was in her house, and Billie and I felt it was where she'd want to be," he said.

@thecherness oh she totally did. pic.twitter.com/VPBFCJuqUV

— Cher (@thecherness) January 6, 2017

Other than Carrie Fisher's cremation and unique urn, nearly no details were revealed about the ceremony, or about what form the two women's graves took.

They'll have plenty of celebrity company at the sprawling, hillside cemetery just across the Los Angeles River from Warner Bros. and Disney studios, including Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, Dick Van Patten, Liberace and Florence Henderson.

The funeral came a day after the two actresses were eulogized by family and close friends at a private memorial service at their neighbouring homes in Coldwater Canyon, about 10 miles west.

Debbie Reynolds (L) and Carrie Fisher (R) at the 2011 Emmys. (Photo: REUTERS/Danny Moloshok)

Fisher, who played Princess Leia in four "Star Wars" films, died at age 60 on Dec. 27. Reynolds, star of "Singin' in the Rain" and many other classic musicals, died a day later at age 84.

Todd Fisher said Friday he'll remember his mother and sister most for their resilience, and said both reminded him of Reynold's role in 1964's "The Unsinkable Molly Brown.''

"They were both Molly Browns of sorts," Todd Fisher said. "It's about a very strong woman. They were very, very strong women.''

He added, "We have so much of them that was left behind, all my sister's words, and all the movies and all the things they created, and that's what we need to remember.''

Now, the family plans a public memorial.

"We'll have a bigger service down the road for the public and all the family friends, but this was a private family service," Todd Fisher said. "It was fitting and it was beautiful.''

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Esteban Santiago, Florida Airport Shooter, Was Mentally Ill After Service In Iraq: Family

January 7, 2017, 9:09 am

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PENUELAS, Puerto Rico — The brother of a man accused of killing five people at a Florida airport questioned Saturday why his brother was allowed to keep his gun after U.S. authorities knew he'd become increasingly paranoid and was hearing voices.

Esteban Santiago, 26, had trouble controlling his anger after serving in Iraq and told his brother that he felt he was being chased and controlled by the CIA through secret online messages. When he told agents at an FBI field office his paranoid thoughts in November, he was evaluated for four days, then released without any follow-up medication or therapy.


Esteban Santiago is shown in this booking photo provided by the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday.

"The FBI failed there,'' Bryan Santiago told The Associated Press. "We're not talking about someone who emerged from anonymity to do something like this.''

Speaking in Spanish outside his family's house in Penuelas, the brother said: "The federal government already knew about this for months, they had been evaluating him for a while, but they didn't do anything.''

In recent years, Esteban Santiago — a new dad — had been living in Anchorage, Alaska. But there were signs of trouble.

Esteban told FBI agents in Alaska that the government was forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, a law enforcement official said Friday. The official was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The federal government already knew about this for months ... but they didn't do anything.''

The FBI office in Alaska, which declined to comment ahead of a Saturday news conference, interviewed Esteban Santiago and then notified police, who took him in for a mental health evaluation.

Also, he was charged in a domestic violence case in January 2016, damaging a door when he forced his way into a bathroom at his girlfriend's Anchorage home. The woman told officers he yelled at her to leave, choked her and smacked her on the side of the head, according to charging documents.

A month later, municipal prosecutors said he violated the conditions of his release when officers found him at her home during a routine check. He told police he had lived there since he was released from custody the previous month. His Anchorage attorney, Max Holmquist, declined to discuss his client.


Police wait to escort employees and passengers outside terminal 2 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Bryan Santiago said his brother had requested psychological help but barely received any.

"I told him to go to church or to seek professional help,'' he said.

Family members have said Esteban Santiago changed after serving a year-long tour in Iraq. He was born in New Jersey but moved to Puerto Rico when he was 2, his brother said. He grew up in Penuelas before joining the Guard in 2007.

He deployed in 2010 as part of the Puerto Rico National Guard, spending a year with an engineering battalion, according to Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen.

Esteban Santiago's mother wiped tears from her eyes as she stood inside a screen door Saturday. She said her son had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode near two friends while serving in Iraq.

Alaska National Guard spokeswoman Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead told The New York Times that two soldiers in Santiago's company had died during his stint in Iraq.

Former neighbour Ursula Candelario in Penuelas recalled seeing Esteban Santiago grow up and said people used to salute him after he joined the Guard. "He was very peaceful, very educated, very serious,'' she said. "We're in shock. I couldn't believe it.''


A shooting victim is unloaded on Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Since returning from Iraq, Santiago served in the Army Reserves and the Alaska National Guard in Anchorage, Olmstead told AP. He was serving as a combat engineer in the Guard before his discharge for "unsatisfactory performance.'' His military rank upon discharge was E3, private 1st class, and he worked one weekend a month with an additional 15 days of training yearly, Olmstead said.

She would not elaborate on his discharge. The Pentagon said he went AWOL several times and was demoted and discharged.

"He was very peaceful, very educated, very serious.''

While it is unclear if Esteban Santiago had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, as many as one in five veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan develop the affliction each year, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. A 2014 Veterans Affairs study found that almost 30 per cent of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who sought treatment at VA hospitals were diagnosed with PTSD symptoms.

His uncle and aunt in New Jersey were trying to make sense of what they were hearing about Santiago. FBI agents arrived at their house to question them on Friday.


Passengers on the tarmac wait after a lone suspect opened fire at the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Maria Ruiz told The Record newspaper that her nephew had recently become a father to a son and was struggling.

"It was like he lost his mind,'' she said in Spanish of his return from Iraq. "He said he saw things.''

Santiago was flying from Anchorage on a Delta flight and had checked only one piece of luggage, which contained the gun.

Sen.-elect Nelson Cruz, who knew the family and represents the town where they live in Puerto Rico, said he had been talking regularly with Bryan Santiago since the shooting.

"They're very humble and very Christian people,'' Cruz said. "They want to tell the families of the victims that they're extremely saddened and extremely upset by what happened.''

___

Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Rachel D'Oro and Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska; Jason Dearen in Gainesville, Florida and Lolita C. Baldor and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

___

This story has been corrected to show Santiago served in the Alaska National Guard in Anchorage, not Fairbanks, per new information from the Guard.

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Feds Send Rape Kits To Ontario Reserves Amid Pressure

January 7, 2017, 11:30 am

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OTTAWA — Health Canada is sending rape kits to eight reserves in northern Ontario amid complaints from indigenous leaders that they lack the resources to properly investigate cases of sexual assault — a widespread problem in indigenous communities.

Only about 60 per cent of northern Ontario communities have the kits — a vital forensic tool for investigating assaults — despite Health Canada assurances to the contrary, said Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler.

Fiddler said Health Minister Jane Philpott, Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett and Status of Women Minister Patty Hajdu were first made aware of his concerns in a Dec. 5 meeting about rampant sexual abuse in indigenous communities.

After issuing a statement saying the reserves were properly equipped, Health Canada surveyed 19 nursing stations and then dispatched the rape kits Friday after The Canadian Press began asking about Fiddler's complaints.


Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler waits to appear at a House of Commons committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 14, 2016.

"It is disheartening and disappointing to find out that they finally did this inventory,'' he said.

Sexual assault examination kits are used by medical personnel when examining victims in order to properly collect and deliver DNA evidence to a forensic laboratory, where testing can establish proof of the assault and the assailant's identity.

The shortage of such kits has meant victims have had to be sent to hospitals in outlying areas such as Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay, Nishnawbe Aski police Chief Terry Armstrong said in an interview.

"It is disheartening and disappointing to find out that they finally did this inventory."

Timely investigation is critical in order to properly gather and preserve evidence of sexual assault, he added, warning that a shortage of kits could discourage victims from coming forward.

Abuse is 'multi-generational'

Armstrong, whose experience includes three decades spent policing in the North, said the prevalence of sexual abuse in Canadian indigenous communities is linked to residential schools, where children were emotionally, physically and sexually abused in church-run, government-funded institutions.

"(Now) you've got the abused becoming abusers,'' Armstrong said. "It is multi-generational.''

Fiddler, who has drawn a direct link between abuse and the indigenous suicide crisis in northern Ontario, said response protocols need to be developed because girls as young as 11 and 12 are coming forward as victims.

Communities across Canada lack the resources to properly investigate sexual abuse, said NDP Ontario MP Charlie Angus — a problem that he said helps to fuel a cycle of violence against indigenous women.

"It starts in the reserves and ends up on the streets and until we start to put the resources there to support women and children who are at risk of sexual violence, the story of murdered and missing is going to go on and on,'' Angus said.


NDP MP Charlie Angus speaks during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 27, 2016.

He took particular issue with the fact it appears to have taken a month for the federal government to take action.

"It was brought to the attention of three ministers of the Crown who have a directly responsibility for the health of indigenous women. They didn't do anything.''

In a statement earlier this week, Philpott's office acknowledged the concerns that were raised during a meeting in December.

The statement said Philpott instructed her team and department to explore the matter in order to better understand the concerns and the steps necessary to address them.

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Trump Campaign Manager Cancels Trip To Alberta

January 7, 2017, 1:08 pm

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CALGARY — A visit to Alberta by a senior advisor to President-elect Donald Trump has been cancelled.

Kellyanne Conway was to speak at a private dinner in Calgary hosted by the Alberta Prosperity Fund on Jan. 12, and also tour the oilsands near Fort McMurray.

The conservative political action committee had announced the dinner and tour in late November, just weeks after Trump won the U.S. election.

Visit 'just not possible at this time'

But the group's president, Barry McNamar, says in a news release that "a visit is just not possible at this time'' despite efforts by both sides.

Trump's inauguration will take place in Washington on Jan. 20.

The news release says Conway's visit has not been rescheduled and tickets for the sold-out dinner will be refunded.

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New Dads: Easy Ways To Fight Weight Gain

January 6, 2017, 1:57 pm

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It’s not just moms who put on baby weight. Dads do, too.

Research published in the American Journal of Men's Health in 2015 found that an average six-foot-tall man gained roughly 4.4 pounds after becoming a dad.

“Fatherhood can affect the health of young men,” said study author and pediatric professor, Dr. Craig Garfield. “You have new responsibilities when you have your kids and may not have time to take care of yourself the way you once did in terms of exercise. Your family becomes the priority.”

But just because priorities shift, doesn’t mean you should stop taking care of yourself.

Watch the video above for easy tips and lifestyle changes dads (and moms!) can incorporate into their lives to fight weight gain and stay healthy.

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Mark Hamill Reading Donald Trump Tweet In Joker Voice Is Creepy

January 8, 2017, 8:08 am

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Y'all remember Donald Trump's heart-warming New Year's Eve tweet to all, right?

Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do. Love!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2016

Many thought the U.S. President-elect might've done better to just tweet nothing. But then Matt Oswalt, younger brother of comedian Patton Oswalt, remarked that:

this sounds like something the Joker would say right before releasing a swarm of killer bees into Gotham https://t.co/SyKsCHvyuh

— Matt Oswalt (@MattOswaltVA) December 31, 2016

And then, brainchild:

BILLION DOLLAR IDEA: an App that you can feed every Trump tweet into that plays it back in @HamillHimself Joker voice. You're welcome.

— Matt Oswalt (@MattOswaltVA) January 7, 2017

For those who don't know, Mark Hamill — yes, Luke Skywalker of "Star Wars" himself — is also an accomplished voice actor who has brought a bunch of cartoon characters to life for various TV shows. The Joker is one of his trademarks, and he was all over this idea:

As soon as I figure out how to tweet soundbites, I'd LOVE to. Nobody writes better super-villain dialogue than #Trumputin! #KremlinCandidate https://t.co/jjVyRzWl7v

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) January 7, 2017

With a little help (@chelseahamill @MarilouHamill) Got the app to send out my 1st soundbite- Stay Tuned...for I am #TheTrumpster! #NoJoke pic.twitter.com/RGejAJRKjn

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) January 7, 2017

And, thus: BEHOLD:

The Trumpster quote #1#ANewJeersToast https://t.co/qZQEGU18r6

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) January 8, 2017

If that doesn't chill you to the bone, I don't know what will. No word from Trump yet on how he feels about the interpretation.

H/T to HuffPost UK

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New Brunswick Pet Owner Receives Ransom Call For Missing Dog

January 8, 2017, 9:35 am

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MIRAMICHI, N.B. — It was the call she was hoping for, but not the call she expected.

Denise Ramsay's German shepherd golden retriever mix dog had been missing for four days after vanishing from her yard in Miramichi, N.B. She received a call on New Year's Day and the man on the other end of the line said he had her dog Sadie.

"He could have been my hero,'' said Ramsay in a phone interview. "But it went bad so quickly.''

She said the man wanted money in exchange for the 12-year-old dog and said he would not give her back until the cash was transferred.

Ramsay had let Sadie and her other dog Samie the cocker spaniel outside to use the bathroom around 10 p.m. on Dec. 28. But when it came time for the dogs to go back inside, Sadie did not come.



She's never wandered away from home before because she has a collar that emits a sound when she reaches the perimeter of their property, said Ramsay.

Friends and family searched for Sadie until 4 a.m. the next day. Ramsay even enlisted the help of a snowmobiler to keep an eye out and a drone was used to scour the area. She has also widely publicized on Facebook that her dog was missing.

On Jan. 1, Ramsay received a call from a blocked number while sitting in her husband's truck on a lunch break.

Initially she was relieved because the man on the other end of the line said he had Sadie. But the conversation quickly turned sour.

"My husband told the man he would meet him anywhere, and he said, 'No, that's not how this is going to go down. You need to send me the money first','' said the 39-year-old woman.

Not knowing if the man actually had Sadie, Ramsay kept him on the line and called 911 on another phone, but when the man realized the 911 operator was listening in on the conversation via speakerphone, he hung up.

"My husband told the man he would meet him anywhere, and he said, 'No, that's not how this is going to go down. You need to send me the money first."

Ramsay said if she wasn't so distraught, she would have taken the man's email and made the transfer.

"All he had to do was say, 'I found your dog,' and he would have got a reward and he would have been my best friend for the rest of my life,'' said Ramsay, adding that police have said they will watch out for Sadie, but there's not much else they can do at this point.

Miramichi Police Sgt. Bob Bruce said in an email Saturday that there is nothing to indicate anything other than the dog is missing and that officers are keeping a lookout for Sadie.

"We are aware that Mrs. Ramsey posted a reward for assistance in locating ''Sadi"` through social media and that someone contacted her seeking the reward money but this cruel person appeared to be only trying to get her money,'' said Bruce, who added the matter was not officially reported to police as a complaint.

'Worst nightmare'

Ramsay's family is devastated without their beloved dog with long black and gold fur.

"It's our worst nightmare ever. I just need her home. It's not the same,'' she said. "My other dog is crying and whining all the time. They've been together since they were puppies. Sadie is the oldest and I have another dog (Samie) that is a year younger. They've never been separated.''


Sadie has been missing since Dec. 28, 2016. (Photo: Denise Ramsay)

Ramsay described Sadie as a smart dog who is often skittish around strangers, but never acts aggressive.

"She's like a diva. She's lovable and if you can gain her trust, you'll have the best friend in the world,'' she said, adding that Sadie has unique black markings under her eye comparable to the black marks commonly worn under the eyes of baseball and football players.

Ramsay said she's offering a no-questions-asked $1,000 reward for Sadie's return.

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N.L. Community Wants Answers Over Deadly Police Shooting

January 8, 2017, 10:34 am

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MITCHELL'S BROOK, N.L. — Don Dunphy lived in a rundown little beige house on a pretty stretch of St. Mary's Bay.

"Poor old Don is gone,'' said Tom Hearn, a close friend who lives two doors away in Mitchell's Brook, N.L.

Dunphy, a sometimes cranky, reclusive man who doted on stray cats, was killed Easter Sunday 2015 at his home by a lone police officer who was a member of the then-premier's security detail.

Dunphy was found dead in his recliner, and Hearn is at a loss as to why.


Tom Hearn at the gravesite of his good friend, Don Dunphy, in Mitchell's Brook, N.L., on Dec. 19, 2016.

"We've got no answers,'' he said softly.

Hearn is among many in the community of 300 and across the province who will be closely watching Monday as a public inquiry into the shooting begins.

Questions hang over people here, whether they were close neighbours or school mates who hadn't seen Dunphy in years.

They wonder why the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer who served on former premier Paul Davis's protective unit went to Dunphy's home alone, in RCMP jurisdiction, to check out a perceived threat on Twitter.

"We've got no answers."

They wonder why RNC Const. Joe Smyth took about 12 minutes, according to an RCMP timeline, to call for help after firing four shots, three of them lethal, and two at close range to Dunphy's head.

And they wonder why not a single fingerprint could be lifted from the loaded .22-calibre rifle that Smyth says Dunphy pointed at him — without firing — before Smyth started shooting. The bolt action weapon, which had belonged to Dunphy's late father but which Hearn said he never saw during countless visits to the house, was found on the floor to the left of his body.

An RCMP report on its investigation says forensic testing could not lift a fingerprint because the "old and worn'' rifle was rusted, pitted and had no glossy finishes. It also says the bolt action was open, suggesting it wasn't set to fire.

"Everybody was devastated and in shock that day,'' said Rochelle Nolan, who lives next door.

"Donny was a good man. He never hurt anybody.

"None of it makes sense.''


The home of Don Dunphy in Mitchell's Brook, N.L., is shown on Dec. 19, 2016.

The independent inquiry led by Commissioner Leo Barry, a judge on the provincial Court of Appeal, will probe over the next two months what happened. He will not make findings of criminal or civil responsibility but any new evidence could be investigated by police.

Barry is to deliver a report and recommendations by July 1 on how to avoid such confrontations.

Only witness was the officer

Smyth was the only witness to the shooting.

He was working that holiday weekend and headed to Mitchell's Brook, about 80 kilometres southwest of St. John's, to check out a Twitter post by Dunphy that the then-premier's staff had flagged.

Dunphy, 59, was a former truck driver who battled for years with workers' compensation after being crushed at 28 by a backhoe on a construction site. The frequent Twitter user called himself "a crucified injured worker from NL Canada where employers treat (the) injured like criminals.''

Friends say he was in chronic pain. They say he was angry, not violent, about financial struggles but looked forward to extra support when he turned 60. He loved cats, and was never known to hunt or use guns.

Dunphy was estranged from his three brothers, in part over a family land dispute. The wife of his brother Dick told police Dunphy once threatened to "beat the head off'' her after she suggested he get mental help.

Hearn said Dunphy's wife died from apparent complications of diabetes when their only child, Meghan, was just three. Dunphy was by all accounts very close to the daughter he raised alone; he had just returned from Easter brunch with her when Smyth arrived unannounced.

Tweet sent two days before shooting

Meghan Dunphy, 28, will be the first to testify Monday.

Two days before he was killed, her father had commented on the former premier's official Twitter account and that of Sandy Collins, a former minister.

He said God would get politicians who ignored and laughed at the poor — before they could collect pensions "they didn't deserve.''

"2 prick dead MHAs might have good family members I may hurt.''

"I won't mention names this time,'' Dunphy tweeted. "2 prick dead MHAs might have good family members I may hurt.''

The RCMP report says Smyth checked police databases and spoke with local Mounties and neighbours before assessing any risk as low.

Smyth told investigators he showed Dunphy his badge and was invited in. He said Dunphy sat in a recliner just inside the living room and was adamant that Smyth sit too. The officer declined noting, "the house was so dirty he didn't want to sit on the furniture.''

Smyth also noticed a kind of bat to the left of the recliner which Dunphy said was there for protection.

Interview got heated

The RCMP report says Smyth was standing by the mantel across from Dunphy in the small room as the interview quickly got heated. Dunphy was agitated, began to froth at the mouth, and repeatedly asked the officer what he was looking for before calling him "a puppet'' of the government, Smyth told the RCMP.

According to Smyth's statement, Dunphy suddenly raised the .22-calibre rifle from the right side of his chair some 15 minutes into their conversation.

The RCMP timeline says at about 2:13 p.m. Smyth yelled "No, no, no, no'' and fired his pistol twice toward the "centre mass of Dunphy.'' Smyth said Dunphy tracked him with the rifle as the officer fled past him from the living room, and that he shot Dunphy twice in the head as he went.

Smyth checked Dunphy at 2:15 p.m. but found no signs of breathing. Twelve minutes later, at 2:27 p.m., he called RCMP to report shots fired and request paramedics.


Tom Hearn at the gravesite of his friend, Don Dunphy, in Mitchell's Brook, N.L., on Dec. 19, 2016.

The RCMP found Smyth used appropriate force in the circumstances and no charges were warranted. The province has no civilian-led police oversight unit, but the independent Alberta Serious Incident Response Team reviewed the investigation.

It noted "some minor shortcomings'' — such as "inadequate'' notes taken by one of the first RCMP officers to see Smyth after the shooting — but none seriously undermined the probe or suggested bias.

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Chief Bill Janes has said Smyth is a respected officer who now works in traffic operations.

Lawyer Cletus Flaherty, representing a group of supporters at the inquiry called the Don Dunphy Community Coalition, wonders why investigators didn't interview Smyth until a day after the shooting.

"They've taken it for granted that Const. Smyth shot Mr. Dunphy in self-defence.''

"I found that rather shocking,'' he said in an interview. "In a situation where someone is shot and killed, you'd want to attempt to pin down the facts as soon as possible from the only witness.

"It doesn't appear that anyone immediately at the scene or anyone investigating the matter ever really had an inkling that this death may have been unlawful. They've taken it for granted that Const. Smyth shot Mr. Dunphy in self-defence.''


The gravesite of Don Dunphy in Mitchell's Brook, N.L., on Dec. 19, 2016.

The RCMP report also notes that blood from one of Dunphy's head wounds "was not flowing straight down with gravity as is expected'' with the seated position in which his body was found.

Instead, "it was flowing on an angle towards the back. This appeared inconsistent with the present position of the deceased.''

Hearn wonders if he'll ever know what happened to his friend.

In the little cemetery down the road from Dunphy's home, his headstone is engraved with a message from his daughter.

"No farewell words were spoken, no time to say goodbye; You were gone before I knew it, and only God knows why.''

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'Dumpster Fire' Is 2016's Word Of The Year

January 8, 2017, 11:47 am

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The American Dialect Society (ADS) has succinctly summed up 2016 with its pick for word of the year — "dumpster fire."

The organization voted on Friday at its annual convention in Austin, Texas, for the term, which beat out others including "woke," "normalize," "post-truth" and "#NoDAPL."

"As a metaphor for a situation that is out of control or poorly handled, dumpster fire came into prominence in 2016, very frequently in the context of the U.S. presidential campaign," the organization wrote in a release.

ADS — which is made up of linguists, etymologists, historians, academics and writers — started the tradition of choosing words of the year in 1990.

“As 2016 unfolded, many people latched on to dumpster fire as a colorful, evocative expression to verbalize their feelings that the year was shaping up to be a catastrophic one,” said Ben Zimmer, chair of the society's New Words Committee, said in a release.

The term became so popular in 2016, that the AP Style Guide changed its rules to accommodate writers and editors wishing to use it.

We now lowercase dumpster, so you could write dumpster fire. #APStyleChat https://t.co/wiWw6Us69K

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) July 19, 2016

Other picks for word of the year seemed to run in a similar vein.

Oxford Dictonaries chose "post-truth" after the term became a "mainstay in political commentary." Merriam-Webster went with "surreal," and Dictionary.com picked "xenophobia."

Here is the full list of winners from ADS:

Word Of The Year:
dumpster fire: an exceedingly disastrous or chaotic situation.

Political Word Of The Year:
post-truth: belonging to a time in which facts matter less than beliefs and emotions.

Digital Word Of The Year:
@: (verb) reply on Twitter using the @ symbol.

Slang Word Of The Year:
woke: socially aware or enlightened.

Most Useful/Most Likely To Succeed:
gaslight: psychologically manipulate a person into questioning their own sanity.

Most Creative:
laissez-fairydust: magical effect brought upon by laissez-faire economics.

Euphemism Of The Year:
locker-room banter: lewd, vulgar talk (used by Donald Trump to downplay a leaked Access Hollywood tape), euphemizing discourse about harassment of and aggression toward women.

WTF Word Of The Year:
bigly: in a significant manner (from widespread mishearing of Trump’s use of big-league).

Hashtag Of The Year:
#NoDAPL: protest against construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Emoji Of The Year:
fire (“lit,” exciting); also used in : dumpster fire

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Hedy Fry Says Gov't Would Do More On Opioid Crisis If It Hit Ontario

January 8, 2017, 11:50 am

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OTTAWA — A Liberal MP is speaking out about what she considers a frustratingly slow response by her own federal government to the crisis of fentanyl, a potent opioid linked to more than 500 overdose deaths last year in B.C. and Alberta alone.

"I feel it's something we need to be doing something about faster than we are doing it,'' Hedy Fry, the longtime Liberal MP for Vancouver Centre, said in an interview.

The number of Canadian deaths from fentanyl — often used to cut other drugs, such as heroin, cocaine or oxycodone — is highest in B.C. and Alberta, prompting Fry to suggest that a regional bias, albeit unintentional, might be at play.

"I think that it is that the whole country isn't suffering from the same problem — it's B.C. and Alberta,'' Fry said. "It's now starting in Ontario, and I would suggest to you that once it gets bad in Ontario, we will notice action being taken.''


Longtime Liberal MP Hedy Fry says the federal government would be responding faster to Canada's opioid crisis if it wasn't contained to Alberta and British Columbia.

It's not the first time the government has been accused of being out of touch with what's going on elsewhere in the country, although the criticism doesn't usually come from inside the federal Liberal caucus.

Terry Lake, the B.C. health minister, made a similar point at an opioid summit in Ottawa last November, when politicians met with doctors, public health experts and people with lived experience to explore solutions to the epidemic.

"It took a while for them to understand the magnitude of the situation, because the numbers here in B.C. are so much greater on a per capita basis than they are in Ontario,'' Lake said in an interview Friday.

It can be tough to get an entirely accurate picture of the problem, because different provinces use different ways to track deaths from overdoses.

"It took a while for them to understand the magnitude of the situation."

Still, it is clear that B.C. and Alberta have been the hardest hit, although preliminary data shows numbers are rising in Ontario too.

The Coroners Service of British Columbia reported 374 illicit drug overdose deaths linked to fentanyl between January and Oct. 31 last year. Alberta reported 193 fentanyl-related deaths between January and September of last year.

Ontario, which has a population about three times the size of either of those provinces, reported 166 deaths linked to fentanyl in 2015, according to preliminary data for 2015 from the chief coroner's office.


A man walks past a mural by street artist Smokey D. about the fentanyl and opioid overdose crisis in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver on Dec. 22, 2016.

Statistics from 2016 are not yet available.

Andrew MacKendrick, a spokesman for Health Minister Jane Philpott, said the federal government has been working hard to tackle the issue.

"We have been working throughout the year to pull as many levers as possible to address this public health crisis, but certainly recognize that more needs to be done,'' MacKendrick said.

"She certainly recognizes the impact this has on families and the communities regardless of where it happens in the country, so this is something the minister is deeply concerned about — disturbed about — and is committed and determined to work with the partners across the country to address it properly.''


Health Minister Jane Philpott arrives to a press conference in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Both Fry and Lake said they welcome the proposed legislative changes found in Bill C-37, which includes measures to simplify the criteria for setting up a safe-injection site and restrict the importation of pill presses and encapsulators.

"That has all been helpful, but I still maintain that this is a national crisis,'' said Lake.

"This isn't a British Columbia crisis. This is a national crisis and we have not seen any federal response from a financial perspective to help provinces with this real public health crisis,'' he said.

Fry said she would like to see public health officials in every province co-ordinating efforts to help keep it under control.

"I think it's time for the whole country to pull together.''

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