CFWE Radio News - September 15 - 2015

RCMP update on disappearance and Amber Alert for Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette, age 2

During a live press conference held at 1 pm today the RCMP stated that an arrest has been made in the disappearance of Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette, age 2.
 
The RCMP have arrested a 22 year old male, whose name was not released, from Blairmore, AB.
 
A white van was also reported to have been found in the town of Blairmore. It is not yet known if the van is the one being sought after in the investigation.
 
It was reported that the mother of Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette did not know about her child’s disappearance until after the Amber Alert was issued. The RCMP assured that they and the mother were already in contact prior to the media being informed.
 
The investigation is on-going and being treated as a homicide.

The Amber alert remains in effect and because they expire after 24 hours, will be renewed at 2:14 p.m.

The three justices ruled from the bench, saying they wanted to proceed quickly so that Zunera Ishaq, the woman who initially challenged the ban, can obtain her citizenship in time to vote in the Oct. 19 federal election.

Ishaq, a 29-year-old woman who came to Ontario from Pakistan in 2008, refused to take part in a citizenship ceremony because she would have to show her face.

The Harper government's rule banning face coverings at such ceremonies was earlier found unlawful by the Federal Court.

Justice Department lawyer Peter Southey argued unsuccessfully that the lower court justice made errors in his original decision to overturn the ban.

Appeal Justice Mary Gleason said the court say no reason to interfere with earlier ruling

The city of Edmonton provided an update in council this morning that next month, 100 bus passes will be provided to various youth serving organizations in Edmonton. This program is an attempt to prevent at-risk youth from falling between the cracks.

When asked via email Geoff Clark, Facility Manager with iHuman Youth Services responded, “I think it is a great idea and can do a lot of good for high-risk youth.  Many youth that we work with at iHuman end up getting expensive fines for riding transit without paying the proper fare.  This is often their first introduction to the justice system and creates more barriers for these youth that are already dealing with so many obstacles in their lives.”

The fine for not paying the $3.20 bus fare is $250.00 or three days in jail. Many youth who are high-risk do not have the means to pay a $3.20 fee let alone a $250.00 fine. It leads to an unnecessary hang-up in the judicial system and youth receiving criminal records needlessly. Criminal records can be detrimental to employment no matter how insignificant the infraction may be.

“I think this could have a very positive impact as it could provide reliable access to education, job opportunities, and support services.  I think the interview is necessary in the initial stages to find out a bit about the situations the youth are in and to track what successes may have come out of the youth having access to these passes,” wrote Clarke.