Noah and his mother Mchale Busch. Photo Credit: Cody McConnell

By Shane Clausing

noah's law

Grande Prairie resident hoping to bring justice to Hinton family with Noah’s Law

Sep 28, 2021 | 2:14 PM

A Grande Prairie woman is hoping to raise awareness about the proposed “Noah’s Law” by encouraging people to sign a petition in support.

Just over a week ago, 24-year-old Mchale Busch and her son Noah were killed inside the apartment building they lived in.

Charges of second-degree murder have been laid against 53-year-old Robert Keith Major. The accused is a convicted sex offender who lived in the same apartment building as the mother and son.

Alberta RCMP Major Crimes confirmed the homicides took place on the afternoon of Sept. 16, at Major’s apartment.

The charges against Major have not been proven in court.

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Major was released from prison in 2017 and had not been subject to any recognizance conditions since July of 2020. At the time of his release in 2017, police told CBC News Edmonton that he was released into the Edmonton community.

Police say there was no known connection between the victims and Major other than that they lived in the same building.

Grande Prairie resident Mallory Hanson says she is hopeful that the proposed “Noah’s Law” will lead to stricter laws for convicted sex offenders.

“Those victims in Hinton could’ve been anyone. That could’ve been my mom, my sister, anyone’s mom, and anyone’s sister,” she explained.

“Having lived alone on a ground-floor apartment for many years by myself, that could’ve happened to me. Our justice system is horrendous and it’s absolutely time for change.”

The family of Noah and Busch are currently requesting there be stricter sentencing provisions for repeat sex offenders in the Criminal Code of Canada.

They hope this would require mandatory minimum sentences for offenders who have multiple sexual assault convictions and are designated to be at high risk to re-offend.

“The guy in Hinton who (allegedly) committed this horrendous crime was released in 2017 with conditions that ended in July 2020,” said Hanson. “That was it, nobody was keeping track of him after that. Nobody knew he moved to Hinton.”

In order to continue to raise awareness for “Noah’s Law”, Hanson says she will be set up outside of the old Canadian Tire after 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 29, where she will be encouraging people to come on down and sign the petition.

She says after a couple more weeks, the petition will then be given to the family of the victims and presented to the Alberta government.

“The family is trying to collect as many signatures as they can and present it to the government and hope that some changes happen. It’s time.”

Hanson says she’s also willing to make accommodations for people who are unable to sign the petition on Wednesday.

The best way to get extra information is by contacting her on Facebook. An online petition has also been created.

Major is due to appear in court next on October 20.