"This is the most disturbing action that I think we've seen from [U.S. President Donald Trump] since his election," said Scott Moe.

A man convicted of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Winnipeg beer store employee John Lloyd Barrion in 2022 has been sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 15 years.

William Sampson, 54, was immediately handcuffed and led out of the Winnipeg courtroom after the judge read the sentence Wednesday morning.

Describing the murder and events surrounding it as senseless, tragic and fuelled by greed, the judge called the “callousness” of the murder and “lack of remorse” as key elements in her sentencing decision.

Sampson was found guilty, in a judge-alone trial, of second-degree murder in the Feb. 15, 2022, shooting of Barrion through a service window of the beer vendor on Notre Dame Avenue, where the teenager was working alone in the early hours.

Several members of Barrion’s family were in court Wednesday: his father Manuel, and his brothers John Christian and John Emmanuel. They looked morose as they listened to the retelling of the crime, each holding their hands together on their laps.

Sampson — described as a repeat offender with a lifetime of crime — is said to have stuck a sharpened .22 calibre rifle through the hole of the security kiosk while he and three men made demands for cash. Sampson, who was 51 and on parole at the time, shot Barrion “in cold blood,” Crown prosecutors said in a sentencing hearing last month, striking him in the lower back after the teen complied with demands from the suspects and handed over alcohol and money. Prosecutors called the crime “heinous.”

More coming.

The post Killer of teenage Winnipeg beer store worker sentenced to life in prison, no parole for 15 years appeared first on CityNews Winnipeg.

The following is a capsule review of the Montreal restaurant Le Mousso. To read the 2025 Montreal Restaurant Guide, please click here.

Le Mousso

Let’s be honest — Michelin has a type, and that type is le Mousso. Run by the iconoclastic, self-taught chef Antonin Mousseau-Rivard, Le Mousso is a product of the Golden Era of Nordic cooking, rendered with the very best local ingredients. From artful plating (and the hand-thrown ceramic plates themselves) to the overall refinement of the dishes, Le Mousso is an easy prediction for a Michelin Star. (1025 Ontario E.)

For more on Le Mousso and to make a reservation, please visit their website

For more on the food and drink scene in Montreal, please visit the Food & Drink section.

The post Montreal Restaurant Guide: Le Mousso appeared first on Cult MTL.

A man convicted of killing his 17-year-old daughter in 1994 has died in prison. Everton Biddersingh was found guilty in 2016 of first-degree murder in the death of his daughter Melonie.

A Winnipeg Police Service shoulder badge is seen at the Public Information Office in Winnipeg, on September 2, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski)

Winnipeg police have arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with a high-speed crash that caused extensive damage to a commercial business on St. Mary’s Road last fall.

The incident occurred on October 15, 2024, around 2 a.m. when a 2009 Dodge Charger SRT8 lost control and crashed into Midland Appliance World in the 400 block of St. Mary’s Road. The impact damaged a hydro pole, guardrail, street sign, and a business. The vehicle was left inoperable, and the driver and passenger fled the scene before officers arrived.

Investigators later determined the car was travelling at 213 km/h before the crash and was still moving at 158 km/h upon impact. After months of investigation, police identified the driver and arrested him at his residence on Monday.

The suspect, a Winnipeg resident, faces a charge of dangerous operation of a conveyance and was released pending a court appearance.

Authorities remind the public that excessive speed poses a serious risk to everyone on the road. “Collisions are not accidents. If it is predictable, it is preventable,” the Winnipeg Police Service said.

Thanks to response by residents who came forward with video and information, a man has been arrested for punching a defenseless woman on Hamilton Mountain earlier this month. On Tuesday March 11, at 1:35 p.m. a male suspect punched a woman in the face in a totally unprovoked assault. The incident occurred near the intersection of Upper Gage Avenue and Fennell Avenue East

An appeal for information led to a number of citizens coming forward with information and CCTV that helped identify the suspect.

Monday, Hamilton Police arrested a 35-year-old male from Hamilton and charged him with assault.  He was released with conditions and a future court date.

Hamilton Police thanked the public for their assistance in identifying the suspect in this assault.

Anyone with any information that could assist with this investigation are asked to contact the on-duty Division 3 Staff Sergeant at 905-546-3886. For those who wish to provide information anonymously, they can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit your anonymous tips online at Crime Stoppers Hamilton’s Website.

Please be advised that the driveway leading to the Ridgeview Park parking lot will be closed from mid-day Wednesday, March 26, 2025, to Monday, March 31, 2025, to support the ongoing construction of the Cottam Community Centre.

Visitors are encouraged to use active transportation or park on the street during this time.

We appreciate your patience.

The post Construction Notice — Ridgeview Park Laneway Closed appeared first on Kingsville Times.

A Canadian man living with a rare disease has embarked on a bicycle ride across the country to raise awareness, making a recent pit stop in Swift Current.

Tyler J Ashton stopped by the radio station on Tuesday morning to share his message and story of living with ankylosing spondylitis, or AS. 

The B.C. resident noted that he began the ride in B.C. at the iconic Mile 0 Marker of the Trans Canada Highway, near the Terry Fox statue.

"Three years ago, when I got my diagnosis, that saved my life; it gave me the instruction booklet to figure out what to do next with my life," he said. "I've had to switch careers and do all sorts of things, but one thing I found out is that I really enjoy helping others. 

"This started as an idea of something bigger than myself, and I decided to go across Canada."

Ashton highlighted that he endured vigorous training every day to prepare for this ride and hopes to motivate others with AS to get up and get moving too.

"AS is a disease of the spine, and it's primarily based in arthritis and inflammation," he shared. "Worst case, late-stage prognosis, is spinal fusion, where my spine would start to fuse itself, and I'd be immobile."

The cross-country cyclist will ride primarily along the highway and will next stop in Regina and again in Brandon for a treatment that he takes every seven days.

"I take a weekly injection and I work with a medication team," added Ashton. "Without them, I wouldn't be able to do this.

"I take a biologic that needs to be refrigerated, so they help facilitate the pharmacies where my med drops happen."

Anyone looking to follow along with Tyler J Ashton's journey can visit him on social media or help support the cause on GoFundMe.

Police are asking for help locating Zachary Nuyalia, a 17-year-old reported missing Tuesday in Iqaluit.

Nuyalia was last seen in the Tundra Valley area between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday, and his family reported him missing on Tuesday, RCMP said Tuesday evening in a news release.

They describe Nuyalia as 5-foot-8 and 115 pounds with long, below shoulder-length black hair, brown eyes, and a slim build. He may have a moustache.

He was last seen wearing a black hoodie, blue puffer jacket with a hood, dark-coloured pants, a black and yellow backpack with the number “66” on the front of it, blue hearing aids, and glasses.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Iqaluit RCMP at 867-979-1111.

A 23-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an October crash in Winnipeg in which a car going 158 km/h slammed into a hydro pole, guardrail, street sign and building before finally coming to a halt.

No serious injuries were reported after a collision near Elm Creek at the junction io Highways 13 and 2. According to RCMP the two-vehicle collision between a pick-up and an SUV was reported at 1:15 pm, and was responded to by Pembina Valley RCMP.

A 24 year old male, from Souris, was driving north on Highway 13 when he turned left onto Highway 2, but was struck by an eastbound vehicle. The male had entered the intersection when it was unsafe to do so.

The other driver, a 55-year-old female from Winnipeg, suffered minor injuries.

The 24 year old was charged under the Highway Traffic Act for Proceeding Before Safe to do so.

Correction - a previous story regarding this incident incorrectly reported a semi was involved in the collision, and that more serious injuries had been sustained. PembinaValleyOnline apologizes for those errors.

Private surgical facilities in Alberta are starving the public system of staff and funding to perform priority procedures, according to a new report that concludes the province has yet to increase surgical capacity or reduce wait times as pledged.

The 20-page analysis, published Wednesday by the Parkland Institute, showed provincial spending on private surgical facilities increased nearly three-fold to $55.8-million in 2023-24 from $20-million in 2019-20. By comparison, spending in public facilities increased marginally.

Young Albertans who grow up in the province’s child welfare system age out of that programming at 18. Now, a new bill proposed by the Alberta government would mean investigations into deaths of young people who have aged out of that care — would only be done on a discretionary basis for those between 18-20. And for those over 20, not at all. This week on the podcast we hear a conversation with three young Edmontonians who grew up in and aged out of care, sharing their experience and reaction to this proposed legislation.

The RNC is warning about the presence of a new, and dangerous, synthetic opioid in the community.

RNC Cst. James Cadigan says the Constabulary was notified this week of a sudden death in the metro region related to exposure to the drug.

“The toxicology report did indicate the presence of protonitazene, which is a synthetic opioid, said to be three times more potent than fentanyl which we know to have fatal effects in minute doses.”

Cadigan says the RNC has received multiple reports in the past 12 months alone of different synthetic opioids now present in illicit drugs in the community.

“We learned that this protonitazene substance was being sold as a dilaudid,” in the illicit market says Cadigan. “So, it appears to be a dilaudid pill. For anyone buying a pill on the street level, in the illicit market, it goes to show you cannot put any faith in what you’re truly receiving in return.”

The RNC is stressing the importance of having a Naloxone kit on hand if you consume illicit drugs because in many cases, it’s difficult to know what you’re really getting.

There was a serious crash this morning along Highway 12, just south of the Trans Canada Highway.
    
Ste. Anne Fire Chief Bob Saindon says they were called out at 6:15 am. He notes it was a single-vehicle rollover. According to Saindon, one of the occupants was flown to hospital by STARS air ambulance in critical condition.

RCMP say a truck rolled into the ditch. Police say it appears one of the occupants fled the scene on foot, leaving another person behind with serious injuries. 

According to Saindon, traffic analysts have been called to the scene and that section of the southbound highway is expected to be closed for the next couple of hours. 

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A panel of Brazil ’s Supreme Court reunited on Wednesday for a second day of proceedings to decide whether former Jair Bolsonaro and several close allies will stand trial on five counts, including attempting to stage a coup.

The five Supreme Court justices began the session at around 9:50 a.m. (1250 GMT) in the capital, Brasilia.

As well as charges of participating in a coup, Bolsonaro and his alleged accomplices stand accused of involvement in an armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, damage characterized by violence and a serious threat against the state’s assets, and deterioration of listed heritage.

Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet on Tuesday said that those facing the charges sought to maintain Bolsonaro in power “at all costs,” in a multi-step scheme that accelerated after the far-right politician lost to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 election.

Like in his February indictment of Bolsonaro and 33 others, Gonet said that part of the putsch plot included a plan to kill Lula and Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who were put under surveillance by the alleged conspirators. The plan did not go ahead only because at the last minute the accused failed to get the Army’s commander on board, Gonet said.

“Frustration overwhelmed the members of the criminal organization who, however, did not give up on the violent seizure of power, not even after the elected president of the Republic was sworn in,” Gonet said.

That was a reference to the Jan. 8, 2023 riot, when Bolsonaro’s die-hard supporters stormed and trashed the Supreme Court, presidential palace and Congress in Brasilia a week after Lula took office. Gonet said the rampage was a last-ditch attempt to hold onto power.

The former president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and says that he’s being politically persecuted.

Local newspaper O Globo reported that Bolsonaro would not be present at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, unlike the previous day.

Speaking on Tuesday morning to journalists at Brasilia’s airport, Bolsonaro again denied the accusations.

“I’m fine. I always hope for justice. Nothing is substantiated in the accusations, made in a biased way, by the Federal Police,” Bolsonaro said, referring to the 884-page report filed in late November.

Under Brazilian law, a coup conviction alone carries a sentence of up to 12 years, but when combined with the other charges, it could result in a sentence of decades behind bars.

Observers say that it’s likely that the charges will be accepted.

The Supreme Court is analyzing whether to accept the charges against eight of the 34 people accused by Gonet of participating in the coup plan.

As well as Bolsonaro, the court will vote on the accusations faced by his running mate during the 2022 election and former Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto, ex-Justice Minister Anderson Torres and his aide-de-camp Mauro Cid, among others. The court will decide on the fate of the others at a later date.

Eléonore Hughes, The Associated Press

What goes down your toilet can end up on farm fields across the United States.

Biosolids, or sewage sludge, are the solid byproducts of the wastewater treatment process. Rich in nutrients, they can be used as fertilizer on agricultural fields or compost on lawns.

But the process for producing these materials can vary greatly, and some unwanted things can end up in those biosolids. A recent study released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggested that human health risks associated with toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were elevated in some places where sludge was applied to farm fields.

The amount of these “forever chemicals” that could end up in biosolids depends on how much were in the water coming into the plant.

“They are very widespread,” said Carsten Prasse, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University who studies biosolids. But they’re not in all biosolids and sometimes it’s only in small amounts, he added.

Here’s how they’re made:

At most treatment plants, wastewater is pumped in through large pipes and large debris removal begins immediately. At a facility just outside Columbus, Ohio, a machine screens out large debris such as toilet paper and trash. That debris is collected, compacted and taken to a landfill for disposal.

After large debris is removed, the wastewater flows into a sedimentation tank, a large, open-air and cone-shaped tank where gravity pulls heavier solids to the bottom. A long mechanical arm corrals floating solids into a drain on the top of the tank. A similar arm at the bottom of the tank gathers up the solids there.

The liquid is moved from the sedimentation tanks to an aeration tank where air encourages the growth of microbes that further break down organic particles. The wastewater then gets moved back to another sedimentation tank where more solids are removed.

The solids that are removed at each step of the process are put through thickening centrifuges, then go into these tanks for anaerobic digestion, where microbes continue breaking down organic matter. The tanks are heated to a prescribed temperature for a certain number of days to kill off most pathogens.

After another thickening step, the solids are ready to apply to farm fields based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations for land-applied biosolids.

“There are values in using biosolids in agriculture because of their high nutrient concentrations,” including nitrogen and phosphorus, Prasse said. They can also help strengthen soil and help with irrigation, he added.

Some treatment facilities further dry out sludge, turning it into a dirt-like material that can emit steam as microbes do their work in decomposition.

The waste that make up biosolids can vary widely depending on what’s in the water. In addition to human waste, biosolids might contain all kinds of everyday household chemicals like beauty products and pharmaceuticals, some of which may contain forever chemicals, Prasse added. At the Columbus facility, the majority of their waste comes from households and businesses.

The Columbus facility tests the final product for metals and nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen every month even when they are being stored before land application.

In Columbus, the city takes half of these dirt-like biosolids to a composting facility nearby, where they are mixed with other organic material like trees and leaves and turned into compost after an additional round of heating and aeration to further kill off pathogens. These biosolids are less regulated and can be used on land such as parks or a residential yard.

The Columbus facility, like most such operations, doesn’t test the incoming material for PFAS, an expensive proposition. Dixon said any future testing or treatment of wastewater for PFAS at his facility would depend on future federal regulations.

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Follow Joshua A. Bickel on Instagram, Bluesky and X @joshuabickel.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Joshua A. Bickel, The Associated Press

PALU, Indonesia (AP) — One person is dead and two are missing after a nickel waste disposal site collapsed on Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island, officials said Wednesday. It was the latest deadly accident at Chinese-funded nickel smelting plants there.

The Indonesian victims were operating dump trucks on Saturday when they were engulfed by sludge-like material that is removed in ferronickel burning, said Deddy Kurniawan, spokesperson for PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, known as PT IMIP.

The collapse occurred after torrential rains.

The body of a 23-year-old was pulled out a day after the accident, and two others are feared dead under tons of waste material, police said.

Authorities are looking into whether negligence by the company led to the deaths, police said.

Nickel smelting plants in Indonesia are part of China’s global development program known as the Belt and Road Initiative. Nearly 50% of PT IMIP’s shares are owned by a Chinese holding company, and the rest are owned by two Indonesian companies.

Nickel is a key component of batteries for electric vehicles.

In December 2023, about 21 workers, including eight Chinese, died when the furnace at PT Indonesia Tsingshan Steel exploded while they were repairing it. The accident occurred inside a nickel processing-based industrial area under the management of PT IMIP.

In 2022, a truck ran over and killed a Chinese worker while he was repairing a road in PT IMIP’s mining area.

___

Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

Mohammad Taufan, The Associated Press

WELLSTON, Okla. (AP) — When Leslie Stewart moved to her home in a rural expanse of Lincoln County outside of Oklahoma City more than 20 years ago, she thought she’d found a slice of heaven. In a town of fewer than 700 people, her son could attend a good school and her acreage offered plenty of room to raise goats and let her dogs run.

But several years ago, her neighbor began applying sewage sludge, which consists largely of human waste left over from municipal wastewater treatment facilities, as a fertilizer on his farmland, causing a rancid smell so powerful it nearly took her breath away.

“The smell is so overwhelming that it goes through my oxygen machine and straight up my nose, which makes it very difficult for me to even walk out my door,” said Stewart, 53, who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

In the summer, the sewage sludge, referred to in the industry as biosolids, attracted so many flies there was no way to keep them out of the house.

“They come through the vents. They come through the vent on the stove,” she said. “It’s just absolutely miserable.”

Stories like Stewart’s are common in rural areas across the U.S. And while the application of sewage sludge as a fertilizer on farmland has been happening for decades, opposition is mounting amid growing environmental concerns about potential pollution of groundwater from toxic chemicals in wastewater. One county in Texas declared a state of disaster this year amid reported deaths of fish and cattle, as well as the contamination of groundwater, in areas where sewage sludge was being used as fertilizer.

Now the battle over how to place guardrails on the practice is playing out in legislatures even in red states like Oklahoma. Maine has temporarily banned the land application of sewage sludge and Oklahoma is considering a similar ban. Many other states are more closely regulating the practice.

One big concern is the human health risk from toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals because they don’t degrade in the environment. They’re linked to health issues such as low birth weight and liver disease along with certain types of cancers. These chemicals, which are found in some nonstick cookware, grease-resistant food packaging, carpet fibers and certain cosmetics, can end up in wastewater and ultimately in the sludge that is used to fertilize farmland.

Farmers typically get the sludge for free, saving them hundreds of dollars per acre over synthetic fertilizer, said Brian Arnall, a professor of plant and soil sciences at Oklahoma State University.

A study released this year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggests human health risks exceeding EPA’s thresholds, sometimes by “several orders of magnitude,” for scenarios where farmers applied the sludge to their land. Another study published last year by the American Chemical Society found that PFAs can leak from biosolids into groundwater after a single application.

In Oklahoma, the issue has become so contentious at the state Capitol that a longtime state House member was upset in a GOP primary last year after he acknowledged using sewage sludge during a town hall-style forum and defended the practice as a private property rights issue.

Rep. Jim Shaw, the winner of that race, called the issue a major reason for his victory. He’s now seeking to ban the practice statewide.

“I think we’re rapidly approaching an emergency issue in our state and across the nation,” Shaw said. “It is absolutely at the top of my list as needing traction on it immediately.”

The issue is particularly acute in Shaw’s part of the state, where nearby Oklahoma City has an estimated 5,000 acres that have been permitted for land application of its sewage sludge.

Among those who want to keep using sewage sludge as fertilizer are cities and towns across the state who have found it cheaper than other ways of getting rid of the material, like burning it or putting it in landfills. Oklahoma City wastewater officials declined to be interviewed but provided a fact sheet on their use of biosolids that estimated developing an alternative to land application would cost more than $100 million in capital improvements and take as long as 10 years to implement.

The state’s Department of Environmental Quality has rules that require any biosolids used as fertilizer to meet certain criteria on levels of heavy metals and pathogen reduction requirements, but the agency acknowledged they aren’t currently testing for PFAS.

Several Oklahoma farmers who apply sewage sludge to their property, including Stewart’s neighbor, declined to speak to The Associated Press.

Synagro, the nation’s largest processors of biosolids, said in a statement that all the sewage sludge used by the company and its customers meets federal and state requirements.

“Biosolids provide multiple benefits to overall soil quality and health, including improved moisture absorption ability, recycling of micro and macro nutrients, carbon sequestering, reduced nutrient leaching, and lower use of industrially produced chemical fertilizers,” the company said. “Another key benefit is keeping biosolids out of landfills where they can cause methane emissions that contribute to climate change.”

None of that satisfies Saundra Traywick, who raises donkeys with her family in the town of Luther outside of Oklahoma City and has become a fierce opponent of sewage sludge as fertilizer.

After getting Luther to ban the practice several years ago, she has taken her crusade to the state Capitol and found herself fighting against cities that want to maintain the status quo.

“They can not have to pay for a landfill or to upgrade their wastewater treatment plants, and instead spend money on art, parks and beautification projects and arenas, and continue to dump this on people outside their districts,” she said. “The injustice of that just blows my mind.”

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Murphy reported from Oklahoma City.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Joshua A. Bickel And Sean Murphy, The Associated Press

Canadian country music star Shania Twain will lead the 2025 Stampede Parade, the Calgary Stampede said Wednesday.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has admitted for the first time that his party is facing "massive challenges" as its polling numbers hover near single digits and voters look elsewhere for a champion to battle U.S. President Donald Trump.