In The News for May 11 : RCMP to start field-testing body-worn cameras

The RCMP says up to 300 cameras will be rolled out in those locations.

The field tests will be used to help inform the broader use of body cameras in RCMP attachments across the country.

That national rollout is not expected for another 18 months, but the RCMP says that when it happens, the standard will be for Mounties to wear the cameras when they are working on the front lines.

Police say the cameras can help increase trust between law enforcement and communities, because the footage that is captured provides an authentic lens on interactions between officers and the public.

The RCMP announced an operational policy for the cameras last October, and estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 cameras will be deployed across the country.

RCMP interim Commissioner Mike Duheme said in a statement Canadians are rightfully demanding more accountability from the RCMP and the force is taking steps to enhance trust.

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Also this …

The federal Liberals have made it clear that Canada’s road to a greener economy will be paved with billions of dollars in corporate subsidies.

Proponents say these may be necessary for Canada to attract investment, especially in competition with the United States — but others are expressing doubts that the hefty handouts will be effective or efficient in the long run.

The 2023 federal budget put the green economy front and centre, investing more than $80 billion over the next decade in everything from clean electricity to critical minerals, delivering a much-expected response to the package of investments made in the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland argued that Canada must either meet the moment or be left behind as the world races toward building the clean economy of the 21st century.

For the Liberal government, meeting the moment recently meant making some big promises to German auto giant Volkswagen, which aims to build an electric-vehicle battery plant in southwestern Ontario. The exclusive contract with Canada will include an upfront capital investment of $700 million and production subsidies for every battery the company makes and sells, which could cost up to $13 billion over a decade.

University of Calgary researcher John Lester says the federal government needs to reassess its approach to business subsidies, calling them excessive. In a recent blog post on the University of Calgary website, Lester urged Ottawa to rethink its approach to business subsidies

He argued that the recent budget measures layer on top of two other programs — the net-zero accelerator initiative and the strategic innovation fund — to provide more subsidies as a share of GDP than the U.S. is offering.

According to his calculations, spending on subsidies in the current fiscal year will be $8.7 billion, up almost 140 per cent since 2019-20, and is projected to rise to $9.8 billion by 2025-26.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

BOISE, Idaho _ Idaho prosecutors have spent the last four weeks painstakingly detailing their case against a woman accused of killing her two youngest children and a romantic rival in a bizarre doomsday-focused plot.

On Thursday, they are expected to present their final arguments to the jury in the triple murder trial of Lori Vallow Daybell. Vallow Daybell’s defence team, meanwhile, will likely attempt to persuade jurors that there simply isn’t enough evidence to justify a conviction.

Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, are charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, murder and grand theft in connection with the deaths of Vallow Daybell’s two youngest children: seven-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and his big sister Tylee Ryan, who was last seen a few days before her 17th birthday in 2019. Prosecutors also charged the couple in connection with the October 2019 death of Chad Daybell’s late wife, Tammy Daybell.

Both defendants have pleaded not guilty, but are being tried separately. Vallow Daybell faces up to life in prison if she is convicted. Chad Daybell’s trial is still months away.

At times, the testimony in the case has been heartbreaking _ such as when Vallow Daybell’s only surviving child, Colby Ryan, accused her of murdering his siblings in a recorded jailhouse phone call.

Other testimony has been strange, like when Vallow Daybell’s former friend Melanie Gibb testified that Vallow Daybell believed people in her life had been taken over by evil spirits and turned into “zombies” _ including her two youngest kids. Four of the people the defendant described as “zombies” were later killed or shot at, according to the testimony.

It has also been gruesome, such as when law enforcement officers testified about finding JJ and Tylee’s remains buried in Chad Daybell’s yard. JJ’s body had been wrapped in duct tape and plastic, and Tylee’s remains had been destroyed and burned with her bones showing evidence of chopping or stabbing marks, the witnesses said. Hair belonging to Vallow Daybell was found on a piece of duct tape used to wrap JJ, a DNA analyst testified.

Vallow Daybell’s defence attorneys, meanwhile, did not call any witnesses, and Vallow Daybell declined to testify. Instead, defence attorney Jim Archibald asserted that they did not believe prosecutors had proven their case, suggesting that there was not enough evidence to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Vallow Daybell committed a crime.

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

KYIV, Ukraine _ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country’s military needs more time to prepare an anticipated counteroffensive aimed at pushing back Russian occupying forces.

Zelenskyy said in an interview broadcast Thursday by the BBC that it would be “unacceptable” to launch the assault now because too many lives would be lost.

“With (what we have) we can go forward and be successful,” Zelenskyy said in the interview, according to the BBC.

“But we’d lose a lot of people. I think that’s unacceptable,” he was quoted as saying. The interview was reportedly carried out in Kyiv with public service broadcasters who are members of Eurovision News, including the BBC.

“So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying.

A Ukrainian fightback against Russia’s invasion more than 14 months ago has been expected for weeks. Ukraine is receiving advanced Western weapons, including tanks and other armoured vehicles, and Western training for its troops as it gears up for an expected assault.

The Kremlin’s forces are deeply entrenched in eastern areas of Ukraine with layered defensive lines reportedly up to 20 kilometres deep. Kyiv’s counteroffensive would likely face minefields, anti-tank ditches and other obstacles.

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On this day in 1984 …

A federal law created the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, CSIS, to replace the RCMP when dealing with espionage and terrorism.

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In entertainment …

FRISCO, Texas _ It’ll be a new experience for Garth Brooks when he steps onto the stage Thursday at the Academy of Country Music Awards _ it’s his first time hosting an awards show.

Co-host Dolly Parton will be there to help him out if he needs it _ not that either showed any worry in a recent interview. “We’ve got a script that will go by just for guidance and time for the show, but I doubt very seriously that we’ll stick to it too close,” Parton said.

“It’s fun for me as a fan because I’ve always loved this woman from distance, but we’ve never got to work like this before. So trust me, … whether the show goes on the air or not, I’m having the best time on the planet,” Brooks said.

Singer-songwriter HARDY enters Thursday’s show as the leading nominee, up for seven trophies including two in the song of the year category. One of the songs he’s up for is “Wait in the Truck,” his duet with Lainey Wilson, who is second leading nominee.

He’s also a nominee as a songwriter for Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in my Boots.” The country superstar won’t perform as planned due to a vocal cord injury that’s halted his tour.

The night could end with reigning entertainer of the year Miranda Lambert extending her lead as the most decorated artist in ACMs history. She’s up for entertainer of the year along with Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Combs and Wallen.

Two nominees are already winners: Hailey Whitters and Zach Bryan have won best new artist honours.

Performers will include some of country’s biggest names, including Carly Pearce, Keith Urban, Brandy Clark, and Mickey Guyton along with a special performance from British pop star Ed Sheeran. The show streams on Amazon Prime beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern from the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas.

Parton will perform “World on Fire,” a song from her new rock album.

Performances are a hallmark of the ACMs, which often pair artists who might not normally perform together. “They’re so frickin’ cool and I love them,” Brooks said.

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Did you see this?

WASHINGTON _ Unchastened and unrepentant, Donald Trump picked up Wednesday where he left off two years ago, rejecting the 2020 election results and his role in the Jan. 6 riots, denouncing Democrats as “stupid fools” and vowing to make the U.S. a fossil-fuel superpower.

Twice impeached, recently indicted and now on the hook for a $5-million sexual abuse and defamation verdict, image rehabilitation was clearly the furthest thing from Trump’s mind as he barrelled into New Hampshire for a prime-time CNN town hall.

The former president denied knowing E. Jean Carroll, the “wackjob” whose civil suit ended Tuesday with a finding that Trump sexually assaulted the former magazine writer in 1996, then later defamed her in his public efforts to deny the allegations.

He rejected any suggestion that he helped to foment the deadly Capitol Hill riots in 2021, when supporters ran rampant through Congress, fuelled by his still-rigid insistence that he was the rightful winner of the presidential election.

And throughout, Trump _ the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination for president in 2024 _ played to a friendly crowd, basking in frequent applause breaks and raucous laughter from the crowd, particularly when he shouted down host Kaitlan Collins, describing her at one point as a “nasty woman.”

“They were there with love in their heart _ it was a beautiful day,” he said of the riots, blaming D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for a lack of security at the Capitol.

As president, he said, he would “most likely” pardon a “large portion” of the nearly 500 people _ “great people” _ convicted to date for their actions on that day, although he stopped short when asked if that would include members of the extremist Proud Boys.

And when asked if he’d respect the results of the next election, he said he would _ “If I think it’s an honest election.”

He added: “If I don’t win, this country’s going to be in big trouble.”

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2023.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In The News for May 11 : RCMP to start field-testing body-worn cameras

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