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Monday, July 14, 2025

Viral video shows Calgary police arresting 21-year-old for violating COVID-19 rules

By
True North Wire
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A video making its rounds on social media shows two members of the Calgary Police Services (CPS) using force to make an arrest at an outdoor skating rink on Thursday.

Bylaw officers asked police to respond to the situation when they observed a large gathering of people skating at an outdoor rink, a violation of the province’s new public health restrictions. The arrest happened after a 21-year-old man refused to comply with orders to exit the rink and identify himself.

Outdoor skating rinks are allowed to be open under the province’s health restrictions at a maximum of forty people.

While appearing not to understand which health restriction he was in violation of, the man continued to question the police until an officer drew their taser and threatened to discharge the weapon if he did not comply.

In the video, one of the officers is seen kneeing the man in the leg, as both officers attempt to bring him to the ground.

“Get on the ground before I … Taser you,” one of the officer says.

In the video, bystanders can be seen attempting to de escalate the situation.

The taser was not fired, but the two officers used physical force in the form of neck holds and strikes to the legs to eventually bring the man to the ground. They completed the arrest while onlookers called out “police brutality.”

The man was charged with obstructing an officer, resisting arrest and violating the public health act.

#CalgaryPolice started trending on Twitter, with many people seeing the use of force as a drastic response to a non-violent offender.

On Friday, Police Superintendent Ryan Alyiffe addressed the issue at a press conference.

“We are seeing our officers continually put in these almost untenable situations, where they have to defuse these situations or support bylaw in defusing these situations,” said Alyiffe. 

“What’s happening is, good people are trying to find pieces of what they want to do in a changing environment, and that’s stressing people out.”

The CPS released a statement this weekend.

“People have every right to contest tickets, charges and laws they think are unjust, but that right needs to be exercised in court and not by refusing to obey lawful instructions from an officer,” CPS said in the statement.

Indian pastor kidnapped, starved for sharing Bible

By
True North Wire
-

A pastor in India is lucky to be alive after he was beaten, kidnapped and threatened with human sacrifice for sharing the Bible in a rural village.

According to Morning Star News, Pastor Shelton Vishwanathan was attacked in rural Bihar state by Hindu radicals. At least six men beat him unconscious.

“They punched my back and told me that they would offer me as a sacrifice to their deity as a punishment for distributing gospel tracts,” he said.

“They struck severe blows on my head, so that I soon fainted.”

While exceedingly rare, human sacrifice does occur within extremist Hindu cults.

According to Vishwanathan, he woke up in a windowless room which was bolted shut. For nearly a week, his captors deprived him of food or water, bringing him close to death.

“I shouted for help, cried loud hoping someone would hear my cries and come to help me, but nobody could hear me,” Pastor Vishwanathan said. 

“I was lying down on the floor without food or water for the next few days. They did not give me anything to eat or drink.”

Vishwanathan was freed by a neighbour who heard his cries for help. She would only release him if he promised to never reveal her identity out of fear she would be targeted by extremists.

Open Doors USA ranks India as the tenth most dangerous country for Christians. There have been multiple instances of Christians and churches attacked, primarily in the overwhelming Hindu countryside.

Several Indian states have also created laws that make it effectively illegal to change one’s religion or try to convert others.

KNIGHT: The OPP investigation into the RCMP has ramped up

By
Leo Knight
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Earlier this year, the Ontario Provincial Police conducted a criminal investigation into senior members of the RCMP on allegations of obstruction of justice – relating to the treatment of the RCMP officers involved in the arrest and death of Robert Dziekanski.

Earlier this week, BC’s Director of Police Services Brenda Butterworth-Carr resigned from her post. Butterworth-Carr said she opted “to focus on personal matters and spend time with my family.” But is this actually the case?

True North’s Leo Knight believes there’s much more than meets the eye.

Oil sands emissions up to 35% lower than previous estimate: report

By
True North Wire
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The amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by Canada’s oil sands is significantly lower than previously claimed.

The study from the University of Calgary, the University of Toronto and Stanford University found that emissions from the oil sands are 14-35% lower than estimates from a 2018 report, which claimed that Canadian oil was more carbon-intensive than most.

The study was funded by Alberta Innovates and Emissions Reduction Alberta, two provincial government agencies.

The authors of the study also found that new technologies being implemented will soon lower the oil sands’ carbon-intensity by 14-19%.

“Given current climate targets and ambition to reduce GHG emissions globally, there is an increasing need to transparently demonstrate baseline GHG emissions and reductions achieved over time,” said author Joule Bergerson.

“The emerging technologies assessed in this study show reductions on the order of 14 to 19 per cent in upstream emissions and one to two per cent on a full cycle basis.”

The revelation comes just as the Trudeau government is initiating two massive tax hikes on the energy sector.

In early December, Trudeau announced that the carbon tax will increase by $15 a year to $170 by 2030, or an increase of 240%. The government claims Canada was no where close to meeting its emission-reduction goals.

The Trudeau government is also planning on launching a second carbon tax in the form of the Clean Fuel Standard, a regulatory regime aimed at energy producers. The energy industry estimates the tax will cost them an additional $150 and $180 per tonne.

Evidence from British Columbia, which has had carbon tax for 12 years, shows that carbon taxes do not have a noticeable impact on total emissions.

Emissions Reduction Alberta CEO Steve McDonald said the report shows the need for accurate date when determining policy.

“Putting forward the best available evidence from credible research is essential to both understanding and improving the performance of Alberta’s oil sands,” he said.

“This study will help accelerate the identification and development of the most promising solutions for the industry’s continued success in a lower emissions future.”

2020 to be deadliest year for opioid deaths in Alberta

By
True North Wire
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2020 will be the worst year on record for opioid overdoses in Alberta as the province struggles to deal with its own toxic drug epidemic. 

Between January and October of this year, 90 people died from opioid overdoses every month. 

In total, the province recorded a tragic 904 overdose deaths, 455 of which were a result of accidental opioid overdoses. 

In comparison, the last record of 806 deaths was set in 2018.

 In Alberta, more people have died from opioid overdoses than they have from the coronavirus.  As of Friday, 790 people have died from the coronavirus in Alberta. 

According to the Alberta government, new reporting measures were introduced this week to better track opioid use.

On Friday, the government revealed the Alberta Substance Use Surveillance System which officials hope will help them better track the drug epidemic. 

“For people who suffer addictions and mental health illness, [the pandemic] just made their life even more difficult,” said Alberta’s associate minister of mental health and addictions, Jason Luan. 

“Every life lost is too many. Those are the people who are family members, colleagues, members of our community. It’s awful.”

Liberals miss deadline for Huawei 5G decision

By
True North Wire
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The Liberal government has missed a parliamentary deadline to make a decision on Huawei’s inclusion in Canada’s 5G network. 

In November, with support from the opposition parties, a motion titled “Foreign policy toward China” was passed in the House of Commons requiring the federal government to take a tougher stance on China and arrive at a decision on Huawei within 30 days. 

Friday was the last opportunity for the Liberals to provide a response. 

“Today is the day. We’ve reached the deadline for the Trudeau Liberals to ban Huawei and present a plan to protect Canadians from Communist China’s intimidation. So where is it? All I see are broken promises and inaction,” wrote Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole on Twitter. 

The motion also calls for the government to develop a strategic approach with regard to China like Australia has done. 

Critics have accused the government of kowtowing to China’s interests by delaying a decision on Huawei.

National and cyber security experts have warned Canada that allowing the company onto the network could provide a back door for Beijing to spy on Canadians and threaten to upend Canada’s intelligence sharing relationships with its Five Eyes partners. 

“Huawei claims that it is a private company—similar to Apple or Google—and is being unfairly treated by the United States and its allies. But the reality remains that Huawei is a company beholden to higher laws that could—and most likely would—make it a tool for state-sponsored espionage,” warned former National Security Adviser Richard Fadden. 

To date, Canada has been the only Five Eyes member to not outright ban Huawei from having a role in its 5G network. 

Several Canadian telecommunications providers have already announced that they will not be implementing Huawei hardware into their 5G networks including Bell and Telus.

FUREY: Using the pandemic to push a green agenda

By
True North Wire
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Climate alarmists are using the coronavirus pandemic to push their green agenda – and this includes the United Nations.

The United Nations recently released a report saying, “governments have an opportunity to catalyse low-carbon lifestyle changes by disrupting entrenched practices.”

Entrenched practices?

Anthony Furey asks if the Government of Canada supports this radical call.

New study suggests Ontario schools are not spreading the coronavirus

By
True North Wire
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New findings suggest that schools are not causing the coronavirus to spread as previously assumed. 

According to asymptomatic testing done in Ontario schools, students don’t seem to be spreading the virus while attending class. 

Out of 3,600 tests conducted in Ottawa, Toronto, York and Peel, only 57 positive cases were found among students. 

That means that the test positivity rate is lower than 2%. 

Earlier this week, Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce acknowledged that even though transmission in schools was low, students and teachers could still have to resort to online learning in 2021. 

“We have consulted with the Chief Medical Officer of Health as well as the Public Health Measures Table and have determined that an extended winter holiday is not necessary at this time, given Ontario’s strong safety protocols, low levels of transmission and safety within our schools,” said Lecce in November.

A large portion of the cases were found to have been from Thorncliffe Park Public School, where 26 people tested positive for the virus. 

Critics of Premier Doug Ford have accused the Ontario government of imposing too stringent lockdown measures that harm ordinary Canadians. 

A recent ruling by an Ontario Superior Court judge found that Ford’s lockdown measures showed “apparent unfairness” towards small businesses while letting large retailers continue to operate. 

Court hears arguments in legal challenge to Toronto church lockdowns

By
True North Wire
-

The Ontario Superior Court heard arguments in an injunction hearing on a legal challenge to Ontario’s lockdown on religious worship Friday.

The case was brought by the Toronto International Celebration Church, which is seeking an injunction against Ontario’s limit on church attendance in coronavirus “grey zones,” or regions under lockdown.

In grey zones, religious services are limited to just ten attendees regardless of the size of the venue. Toronto International Celebration Church has capacity to hold one thousand worshippers.

A lawyer for the church noted the arbitrary nature of the limits on religious services in Toronto. While religious services are limited to ten people, liquor stores and retail establishments are allowed to hold many more.

The lawyer added that under the current restrictions, a movie studio could rent out a church and film a fake service with paid actors, but an actual church service with real attendees could not take place.

The Canadian Constitution Foundation, which was granted intervenor status, argued that the restrictions on religious worship violate Charter rights and unfairly target religious institutions.

“Christmas is an extremely significant time for Christians to celebrate, and the government cannot arbitrarily come in and cancel Christmas for thousands of people,” said litigation director Christine Van Geyn in a statement. 

“The right to freedom of religion is one of our oldest and most fundamental rights, and the limits the government has imposed are not rational or justified.”

Prison transfers spread COVID-19 to three federal institutions

By
True North Wire
-

A coronavirus outbreak in a federal detention centre near Kingston, Ont. has spread to multiple institutions after prisoners were transferred to different locations away from the source of the outbreak.

According to a Thursday afternoon news release by Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), five COVID-19 cases have been confirmed at Collins Bay Institution, plus another three cases at Warkworth Institution, in addition to the 84 positive cases – including four staff – first reported by True North at the Joyceville Institution. 

“The inmates at Collins Bay and Warkworth who just tested positive were recently at Joyceville and based on the initial epidemiological investigation, it appears that the inmates were exposed to the virus at Joyceville institution,” wrote CSC spokesperson Mike Shrider. 

“In addition, all inmates who were recently transferred out of Joyceville Institution are being medically isolated in their respective institution and monitored by staff.” 

Prison authorities have reported that over 300 inmates have been tested for the virus at the affected institutions.

“These impacted sites have also modified their institutions’ routines for health purposes in order to mitigate any risk while contact tracing and the initial epidemiological investigation is being conducted. Testing is being offered to all staff and inmates at these institutions,” said the CSC.

Prior to the outbreak, the CSC had prohibited inmate visits in the Ontario region due to spiking cases in the province. 

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