Missing Brandon teen found dead, police say
A Brandon, Man., teenager who had been missing since Sunday has been found dead, police say.
The body of Owen Bedford, 18, was found in the Assiniboine River, the Brandon Police Service said on a Facebook post Friday afternoon.
He had last been seen at around 2 a.m. Sunday leaving a bar on Victoria Avenue with some friends, his family previously told CBC News.
More than 100 volunteers joined a search, the family said, and the Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team began searching the Assiniboine River for the teen on Tuesday.
Brandon police said Bedford's identity has been formally confirmed.
"At this time, our thoughts are with Owen's family and friends as they navigate this incredibly difficult and painful time," they said in the update. "We extend our deepest sympathies and stand with them in their grief."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Crowbars and getaway cars: Ottawa police investigating series of brazen smash-and-grabs
For the third time in a year and a half, thieves smashed the glass displays at Doucet Latendresse Jewelry and cleared valuables off the shelves. The latest incident happened shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday, said store supervisor Hamza Nfifi. Three masked individuals wielding hammers robbed the store while two employees took refuge in the back, he said. "Our employees are safe, and that's what matters to us the most," he said. What's becoming routine for workers at the Place D'Orleans jeweller is part of a series of similar crimes in Ottawa. Since January, 10 smash-and-grab robberies have targeted businesses in the city, according to police. The thefts have Canadian retailers raising the alarm, and the national retail advocacy group says the rising price of gold may be making the brazen daytime thefts more appealing. Officers responded to calls for a robbery in progress at the Place D'Orleans mall Wednesday afternoon, according to a Thursday news release from the Ottawa Police Service (OPS). Three males fled the scene in a stolen vehicle and remain at large, police said. Police believe the same suspects were involved in an earlier failed robbery attempt at a jewelry store in Alfred, Ont., located about 55 kilometres east of Ottawa. Less than an hour elapsed between the first unsuccessful robbery and the second successful one — about the time it takes to drive from Alfred to Place D'Orleans. Of the 10 smash-and-grab robberies committed in Ottawa since January, three cases have led to charges against five people, according to OPS. A police news release describes the crimes as "bold," often perpetrated by suspects wearing disguises and using getaway vehicles. "It's an organized event in the sense that they know where they're going," OPS Sgt. Sammie Brennan said in an interview. "They hit their targets usually with hammers, crowbars, smashing glass, grabbing jewellery — and they're in and out quite quickly." The police response is so far based on gathering intelligence and engaging with different sections of the service, he said. Brennan, who is with the OPS robbery unit, said the crimes appear to be increasing both across the province and in Ottawa-Gatineau. "It started in the GTA [Greater Toronto Area]," Brennan said. "The trend is hitting Ottawa a bit, and that's a concern." But exact figures are hard to come by. Public OPS data shows 276 robberies so far this year. Ten of those are classified as smash-and-grabs, according to police. Brennan said Ottawa-Gatineau is "seeing an increase right now," but to get a definite picture of trends over time, smash-and-grabs would have to be separated out from previous years of robbery data. Police said they weren't able to make that information available in time for publication. The Retail Council of Canada (RCC), an advocacy group representing retailers, said shoplifting costs Canadian businesses billions of dollars a year. "In this specific case of jewlery, we have seen, over the last few months, an increasing value of gold," said Michel Rochette, Quebec president of the RCC. "The problem that was already existing for shoplifting, well, just increased a lot for all gold products." Rochette said online marketplaces make it easier than ever to resell stolen goods, and retailers would like to see governments crack down more severely on organized crime. "The problem is not only for retailers, but also for the consumer, who will see the price increase," he said. "That's a problem for everybody."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Spy agency says it 'improperly' shared Canadians' data with international partners
One of Canada's intelligence agencies says it "improperly" shared information about Canadians that it had obtained "incidentally" with international partners. The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) shared some details about the incident after the intelligence commissioner — the quasi-judicial position that reviews the cyber spy agency's activities — flagged the case in his annual report tabled in Parliament earlier this week. CSE spokesperson Janny Bender Asselin told CBC News that last year the agency had to notify the defence minister "of an incident where CSE improperly shared information." "CSE identified an activity where, between 2020 and 2023, we shared some information with international partners without properly removing Canadian information that had been acquired incidentally when targeting valid foreign intelligence targets," she said. "CSE acted quickly to contain the issue." The CSE is considered one of Canada's intelligence crown jewels, responsible for intercepting and analyzing foreign electronic communications, launching cyber operations and defending the government's networks and critical infrastructure from attacks. Asselin said that included seeking assurances from CSE's trusted partners that the shared information was deleted. "We continue to update our policies and procedures to prevent reoccurrence," she said. CSE did not say how many Canadians were impacted or to which countries the information was shared, citing operational security. Details were shared with Intelligence Commissioner Simon Noël, who raised it in his recently published report. The commissioner is part of the chain of approval before CSE and its sister agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), can go ahead with certain intelligence-gathering and cybersecurity activities. CSE first needs to seek permission from the minister of defence — known as ministerial authorization — if the proposed action would otherwise break the law or potentially infringe on the privacy interests of Canadians. Under the law, ministerial authorizations must prove the activities are reasonable, necessary and that measures are in place to protect Canadians' privacy. The intelligence commissioner then provides a layer of oversight and either signs off on the mission, approves with conditions or denies the request outright. Noël also makes sure CSE remains compliant after receiving the green light and sticks to what was approved — which was not the case in this information-sharing matter. The commissioner's report doesn't include many details, citing national security. The case will be included in CSE's own annual report, which is expected later this month, said Asselin. Noël's report said he urged the intelligence agency to be as transparent about the incident as possible. It doesn't appear the individuals involved were alerted, although CSE said it reported the incident to its oversight and review bodies, including the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. "The disclosure of this incident involving CSE raises many serious concerns," said Matt Malone, director of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic. The University of Ottawa professor said the findings justify many of the fears raised by civil society groups about the potential for inappropriate information in the Liberal government's cybersecurity bill. The first iteration of the bill died when the House prorogued earlier this year, and it was reintroduced by Prime Minister Mark Carney's government as Bill C-8. If passed, federally regulated industries would have to report cybersecurity incidents to CSE, meaning it would be in possession of more information. "All of this bodes very poorly for the state of privacy protection in Canada," Malone said. "Three of the eight government bills introduced so far in this Parliament are extremely privacy-corrosive." In 2024, the information commissioner received 13 ministerial authorizations for review — seven relating to CSE activities and six relating to CSIS activities. He approved the activities in 11 authorizations, approved the activities with conditions in one authorization and partially approved the activities in the other authorization.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Parents call on N.W.T. education minister to remove Fort Simpson elementary school principal
Parents in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., are calling on the territorial government to permanently remove the principal of the local elementary school. The parents, some of whom are elected members of the community's District Education Authority (DEA), met with the N.W.T. education minister earlier this month to list their concerns with Łı̨́ı̨́dĺ̨ı̨́ı̨́ Kų́ę́ Elementary School principal Benjamin Adams. The concerns include a lack of communication, unreliability and an unhealthy school environment that they allege is failing their children. Adams declined an interview request due to "internal processes and confidentiality." On Wednesday, the day after the request, Adams sent an email to school staff informing them he would be on leave for the remainder of the year. Dehcho Divisional Education Council (DDEC) superintendent Donna Miller Fry wrote in an email to CBC News on June 19 that Adams is still the principal of the school, but there is an acting principal while he is away. Parents who spoke with CBC said the Fort Simpson DEA met with Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland on June 6 to discuss the issues, which is when they called for Adams' removal. Parents spoke with CBC in the days leading up to Friday's announcement from the government of sweeping investigations into the DDEC's and Dehcho DEAs' governance, finances and human resource issues. Shawna McLeod, a Fort Simpson parent and DEA member, delivered a speech to Cleveland and provided a written statement that detailed various incidents involving several parents and students. The letter says Adams' behaviour reveals "a disturbing pattern of neglect, exclusion, dishonesty and emotional harm." One example includes a neurodiverse child whose mother felt they weren't properly supported. There were also concerns about how a teacher was treating the child. The letter says Adams didn't properly address the concerns with the teacher. A former staff member and parent was also quoted in the letter as saying the education system in Fort Simpson is "crumbling." That person described a toxic work environment, with a lack of support for students and inconsistent leadership. McLeod said she decided to pull her daughter from the school and is not the only one to do so. McLeod and another parent who spoke to CBC said they think Adams has retaliated against children whose parents have spoken out about his shortcomings, by not allowing them to attend extracurricular activities. Adams' bio on the education council's website, which was removed June 18, said he is from Newfoundland and spent time working in that province, as well as in Nunavut and Manitoba. It said he worked as the Fort Simpson high school principal before moving over to the elementary school. He was listed as the elementary school principal on the school's website sometime in 2022. CBC News obtained a copy of the letter presented to the minister and reached out to McLeod to independently confirm that she had written it. CBC also reached out to some of the parents named in the letter. One parent, Mary Masuzumi, said Adams called her to the school last year after her son, who is non-verbal, demonstrated with his hands that he was hit by someone. Masuzumi said Adams told her a teacher had backhanded her son to the floor. Later, she said, he denied ever making that statement. Rylan Hardisty-Gillis and Jerri Brenton said they have a daughter who attended the school. They ended up homeschooling her due to issues with a teacher, but registered her in a couple classes. They said they were told by Adams that their daughter could still use the school facilities and receive support from the school, which is also required under territorial legislation. But over the course of the year, their daughter wasn't allowed to participate in multiple school events and extracurricular activities. The parents said when they asked Adams about why she couldn't participate, he said he didn't know anything about the rules around homeschooled students using school facilities. Another parent, Brendan Whelly, said he was emailing Adams to ask about the plan to get a permanent teacher for the school's kindergarten class. He said getting a response from Adams about the vacant position sometimes took weeks. Whelly said Adams suddenly ended their communications, writing that he sensed "a level of hostility, threat and aggression." CBC News reviewed the email thread in question and it did not appear to include any threats or aggression. CBC emailed Adams about each individual concern raised by the parents; he did not provide a response by deadline. The Dehcho Divisional Education Council superintendent, Donna Miller Fry, told CBC in an email that she couldn't speak due to privacy concerns and confidentiality regulations. CBC News was unable to reach the DDEC's trustees for comment. CBC reached out to Cleveland earlier in the week for an interview about the situation. Sameeksha Dandriyal, a spokesperson for Cleveland, responded by email that the minister "is aware of the concerns raised and, as with all concerns expressed by residents, takes them seriously." "The minister has been engaging with partners in the education system in the Dehcho region to listen and better understand the situation," Dandriyal wrote. Late Friday afternoon, Cleveland issued a media statement announcing a series of investigations into the DDEC and the Dehcho region's DEAs. An independent investigator will review those education bodies; the government has launched a financial review of them; and the Finance department will do a human resources investigation. In that statement, Cleveland referred to a range of concerns from community members about the situation. "I understand many residents want to see action, and I share that sense of urgency," Cleveland wrote. "I also recognize that for some families—particularly Indigenous families still living with the intergenerational impacts of residential schools— these situations can be especially difficult. That's why this work must be carried out with care, fairness, and respect." In Adams' email to staff on June 17, he wrote there would be an acting principal in his place. In a Facebook post to parents, he wrote he would be "working from afar and periodically at the school."
