Latest news with #HockeyCanada
Globe and Mail
10 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Lately: Underground Meta brokers, AI startups and the Labubu craze
Welcome back to Lately, The Globe's weekly tech newsletter. I'm Jacob Dubé from the audience team, covering for Samantha Edwards this week as she hikes through Newfoundland (hopefully, with little screen time). If you have any newsletter feedback or just want to say hello to a real-life human, send us an e-mail. 📵 The Meta employees charging to get your account back from hackers 👩🏼⚖️ Why experts say 'consent videos' won't hold up in court 🌞 How to reduce your kids' screen time this summer 👹 Inside the Labubu blind box craze For some, a social-media account isn't just for doom-scrolling and keeping up with friends. If you have a business, maintaining your online accounts can be the difference between staying afloat and going under. Bobby Monks, a dog walker from Toronto, said she didn't know where to turn after her growing Instagram account was hacked, and she received no customer service support from Meta. Not knowing what else to do, she took a friend's recommendation to reach out to a broker who, for a couple thousand dollars, could instruct an internal Meta employee to get her account back — right under the company's nose. Kathryn Blaze Baum and Alexandra Posadzki dive into the underground world of brokers and Meta employees who are profiting off hacking victims. Consent videos are playing a key role in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, after two videos were submitted as evidence, while one of the accused was grilled in court as to why they felt the need to record one in the first place. Consent videos are recordings usually taken before, during or after a sexual interaction as a means of documenting consent to pre-empt accusations. Under Canadian law, these videos don't hold up as proof of consent, which needs to be continuing and voluntary, and can be revoked at any time. The language around consent has become more mainstream — especially in the wake of #MeToo — but young men are still struggling to grasp how to initiate these conversations. To find support or validation, these young men are increasingly turning to YouTube, podcasts and dating-coach influencers for advice. Experts said these consent videos don't hold up in court, but that hasn't stopped some male-dominated corners of the internet to advocate for their continued use to protect themselves against any accusations, sometimes referring to them as 'rape insurance.' Samantha Edwards writes about how the manosphere is giving young men the wrong idea about consent. In an effort to stop the infamous tech 'brain drain' — home-grown Canadian talent leaving the country for greener pastures elsewhere — a group of University of Toronto professors and entrepreneurs are aiming to launch 50 AI companies in the next five years. U of T prof Daniel Wigdor says the new venture, Axl, wants to encourage more Canadian talent to stay on this side of the border. Joe Castaldo writes about why they say they're not worried if their startups get gobbled up by big American tech down the line. Meanwhile, as Chris Wilson-Smith writes, major employers around the world are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to perform a share of work – eliminating some positions while raising the bar for new recruits. The spread of AI could mean fewer early-career jobs for new workers, while increasing work expectations for those who remain. The lucky ones who actually manage to land a job at some of these companies are immediately put in higher-responsibility positions. While that may seem like a good thing, experts say those workers lose out on the hands-on experience of starting lower on the corporate ladder. Summer vacation is almost upon us. And while kids are counting the days before school is out, parents are scrambling to keep them occupied for the next two months. But Katherine Martinko, author of the 2023 book Childhood Unplugged: Practical Advice to Get Kids Off Screens and Find Balance, says that parents have to work against the growing temptation of tech and a seemingly endless deluge of screentime. Read Martinko's tips for a screen-free summer here. ArriveCAN Was a Fiasco—and Just the Tip of Ottawa's Failing Tech Strategy (The Walrus) The AI Slop Fight Between Iran and Israel (404 Media) 3 Teens Almost Got Away With Murder. Then Police Found Their Google Searches (WIRED) Move over, Sonny Angels — or is it Smiskis, or Monchhichis, or Tamagotchis? I can't keep up — there's a new adorable little accessory in town. You can't go a few blocks in Toronto without seeing a Labubu, a plush creature with cute bunny ears and a Gremlin-esque toothy grin, dangling from the keychain of a fashionista. Created by Chinese company Pop Mart, these Labubus have been selling like hotcakes, especially its series of collectible blind boxes. Shoppers are rushing to stores with any stock, and the creatures are selling for hundreds of dollars each on the secondary market. A piece in the New York Times suggests that the toy's popularity is a big win for China, who has been seeking to grow its cultural influence in the West. But only time will tell if the Labubu craze is here to stay, or if it'll go the way of the Funko Pop. The full-length trailer for Ari Aster's highly-anticipated film Eddington — in theatres July 18 — is finally out, and I'm sure that everybody is absolutely thrilled to return to the chaotic and uncertain world of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Whether it felt like last week, five years, or a decade ago, the trailer will evoke flashbacks of the tense dynamics that emerged from that era. The film pits Joaquin Phoenix's small-town sheriff against Pedro Pascal's faux-progressive mayor in a fight that goes from unhinged TikTok videos to brawls in the streets of a small New Mexico town. Film editor Barry Hertz caught the film at Cannes last month: read his thoughts here.
Globe and Mail
11 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Hockey Canada sex-assault trial spotlights roadblocks and missed opportunities in first London police probe
Eight months after receiving a complaint that a group of former world junior hockey players sexually assaulted a woman in a downtown hotel, London police detective Stephen Newton had reached the end of his investigation. In a phone call with E.M., as the complainant is known because of a publication ban on her name, he told her he didn't have enough evidence to continue his probe. 'I informed her I would be closing the case with no charges,' Mr. Newton, who has since retired, wrote in his notes in February, 2019. His conclusions in the case, and the investigative steps he took to reach them, have since come under intense scrutiny. After it emerged that Hockey Canada, which oversees the world junior team, had quietly settled a lawsuit the woman filed without the players' knowledge, police reopened the case in 2022. This time, a new lead detective reached a different conclusion, and in January, 2024, police laid sexual-assault charges against Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton and Cal Foote. Police Chief Thai Truong apologized publicly to E.M. and her family for 'the time that it has taken to reach this point.' Each of the players has pleaded not guilty. Closing arguments in their eight-week-long criminal trial concluded in a London courtroom last week. The judge is scheduled to deliver her verdict on July 24. Documents from the 2018 investigation that ended without charges were submitted as evidence in the trial, along with records from the second investigation years later. The Globe and Mail interviewed five experts in sexual violence, policing and law who are not connected with the case about the initial police investigation. Their review of police notes and interviews Mr. Newton conducted with E.M. and the accused players reveals that while he hit roadblocks, he also missed opportunities to dig deeper and left investigative avenues unexplored, raising fundamental questions about how police treat sexual-assault allegations. 'It's emblematic of bigger system failures,' said Melanie Randall, a law professor at Western University and legal expert on sexual assault who reviewed the materials. 'It's a perfect case study of where things go wrong in the criminal justice system with police interviews and investigations.' The London Police Service declined to comment for this story, saying the case is before the courts. Mr. Newton also declined to comment. When Mr. Newton testified at the trial, Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham pressed him repeatedly about apparent gaps in his investigation, and in written submissions asserted he lacked 'a genuine interest in getting at the truth.' 'Detective Newton had made up his mind that there would never be grounds for charges (based on his erroneous or incomplete understanding of consent),' Ms. Cunningham wrote in submissions filed with her closing arguments. Defence lawyers, meanwhile, praised him as a veteran detective whose decision to close the case without charges was correct. David Humphrey, who represents Mr. McLeod, said in court: 'You were familiar with and tried to follow best practices for the investigation of sexual-assault cases?' Mr. Newton replied, 'Yes, I did the best I could.' In Canada, the law requires that consent is voluntary, continuous and given for each sex act. Physically fighting back is not necessary to determine whether a sexual assault has occurred. Rather, the law examines whether an individual has freely indicated 'yes,' without coercion. Prof. Randall said Mr. Newton's interviews with E.M. and the observations he recorded in his notes raise questions about whether he investigated her allegations through this lens. Mr. Newton first learned of the allegations on June 19, 2018, hours after E.M. left the hotel. His records indicate that police had received a call from a Hockey Canada official, after E.M.'s stepfather lodged a complaint with the sports organization. In E.M.'s interviews with Mr. Newton, she described how she met Mr. McLeod in a local bar called Jack's and went with him to his hotel room at the Delta Armouries. She said they had consensual sex, but that she was then forced to engage in sex acts with a group of teammates he had invited in without her knowledge as several others in the room watched. He wrote in his notes that there was no evidence E.M. 'was physically coerced into performing these sex acts' and that 'I explained to [E.M.] that her level of consent is at issue here and that I do not have the evidence needed to demonstrate at court that there was no consent.' At trial, defence lawyers asserted that it was E.M. who asked Mr. McLeod to invite his teammates to the room and that she had demanded sex from the players. Kat Owens, a former Crown attorney who is now interim legal director at the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund in Toronto, said the interview transcripts suggest Mr. Newton failed to home in on what should have been a primary interest. 'What I think is most concerning is the lack of a focus on just the simple question of 'Did you consent?' ' she said. 'Colloquially, only yes means yes. It's not 'no means no,' ' she added. 'It's that you have to be giving an active ongoing consent to each sex act.' E.M. alleged to Mr. Newton that this did not occur, telling him 'they were all like slapping my butt … that was actually starting to hurt so I told them to stop.' Later, she said, 'One just did the splits on my face, just to put it in my face. … It just got really uncomfortable.' These allegations would underpin the Crown's prosecution against Mr. Dubé and Mr. Foote. But Mr. Newton did not pursue them as grounds for potential charges and conceded at trial that when he interviewed Mr. Dubé, he didn't ask the player whether he had touched E.M.'s buttocks. 'Maybe I missed that,' Mr. Newton testified. Intoxication is a factor police consider when investigating sexual-assault allegations, because the law looks not only at whether a complainant consented but also whether they had the capacity to do so. High courts have held that extreme inebriation or periods of unconsciousness can void consent. Profound intoxication does not typically meet the threshold. In many cases, courts have held that there must be evidence that a complainant was unconscious to find that they were unable to consent. When Mr. Newton began his investigation, he wrote in his notebook that he contacted a Hockey Canada official who was independently investigating. The official told him that the events may have involved a woman who 'was extremely drunk and may have blacked out.' However, the transcripts of Mr. Newton's interviews with E.M. suggest incapacity was never a likely path to charges in the case. In an interview on June 22, 2018, Mr. Newton asked E.M., 'Were you conscious the whole time?' 'I don't think I passed out at all,' she replied. Prof. Randall said Mr. Newton should have pivoted toward other aspects of the consent analysis. Instead, the investigative records suggest, E.M.'s level of intoxication continued to be a focal point in Mr. Newton's probe and led, largely, to his decision to shutter it. When Mr. Newton closed his case, he wrote in his notes: 'I would have needed to see outward signs that she was intoxicated such as staggering, severely slurred speech, unconsciousness and evidence that others around her could see that she was too intoxicated to consent.' That assessment suggests the officer had a 'rigid, narrow idea' of how to evaluate consent and the role intoxication plays in that analysis, Prof. Randall said. 'He failed to appreciate some of the dynamics at play,' she said, adding that his focus on whether E.M. was too drunk to consent 'is one of the things he kind of gets stuck on and misunderstands.' When Mr. Newton interviewed E.M., he asked her whether she could have left the hotel room during the alleged sexual assault. 'I don't think I was capable in that state,' she replied, later adding: 'I don't know why I couldn't speak up.' Lori Haskell, a clinical psychologist who studies sexual violence, said E.M.'s response should have prompted the officer to dig deeper and inquire about her state of mind. That did not happen, according to the interview transcripts and officer's notes. 'The right questions were not asked,' Dr. Haskell said. 'A trauma-informed detective, aware of how the brain responds to extreme threat and stress, would consider that her reactions may have been dissociative or that her executive functioning was impaired.' At the criminal trial, E.M. testified that during the alleged assault, she felt as if her mind 'kind of floated to the top corner of the ceiling' and that she watched herself over the ensuing hours. She said she switched into 'autopilot' and performed sex acts she didn't consent to as a way to get through the night. Defence lawyers challenged this, arguing that E.M. was an enthusiastic participant and made up this narrative later because she regretted her actions. A few weeks into the police investigation, E.M. left a voicemail message for Mr. Newton. 'She indicated that she would prefer a female investigator to investigate this matter,' he wrote in his notes. 'I am not sure why that is and she did not make that request to me when I spoke to her on the phone.' Mr. Newton wrote that he brought some female officers into the investigation, but stayed on as lead detective. Dr. Haskell said that wasn't sufficient and E.M.'s request for a female lead detective 'should have been accommodated.' 'Providing a female officer is not simply about comfort,' she said. 'It's a trauma-informed response that recognizes the psychological and emotional safety needs of the complainant.' When London police reopened the case in 2022, it was assigned to a female detective, Lyndsey Ryan, whose probe resulted in the charges that are now before the court. Mr. Newton remarked on several occasions in his notes that E.M. appeared to be wavering on whether she wanted to pursue charges. In July, 2018, he wrote that E.M. 'has repeatedly changed her mind on how she would like to see this investigation proceed. It raises a significant concern on my part that she is being coerced into participating in an investigation that she never wanted to occur in the first place.' Dave Perry, a former investigator with the Toronto police sexual-assault squad, said reticence of a complainant may deter police who don't want to lay charges they can't support in court. But retired criminal defence lawyer John Hill questioned whether Mr. Newton placed too much emphasis on E.M.'s willingness to proceed, noting that it's common for sex-assault complainants to waver. 'I would put no stock in the fact that she vacillated,' Mr. Hill said. Mr. Newton faced considerable barriers in his investigation. Hockey Canada refused to hand over its internal investigative file. And Mr. Newton's position that he was unable to form grounds that a crime had occurred meant that he couldn't seek judicial authorization to compel the sports organization or any other third party to produce evidence. Prosecutors in the case later said he also did not ask the players to voluntarily give him their text-message exchanges. When Det. Ryan reopened the case in 2022, she gained access to the text messages, as well as Hockey Canada's investigative file, which included notes from player interviews. A judge would later block three of the players' interviews from being used in their criminal trial, finding the sports organization obtained them through coercion. Mr. Newton obtained some evidence without court orders, such as the video surveillance from Jack's bar, where E.M. met some of the players. But he conceded at trial that he never watched the footage. If he had, Prof. Randall said, Mr. Newton 'would have seen the amount E.M. was drinking and people buying her drinks at the bar,' as well as men 'encircling her,' which he could have factored into his assessment of her vulnerability. Mr. Newton wrote that his investigation identified 11 players who were in the hotel room with E.M. and that he hoped to speak to all of them. But he only ever sat down with two of them face to face. Some other players gave phone interviews, but most of the rest gave only written statements or would not talk to him at all. The two in-person conversations were with Mr. McLeod and Mr. Formenton and took place in a Toronto lawyer's office. This would have allowed these players to present themselves in a positive light, according to defence lawyer Monte MacGregor, who is not involved in the case. 'It's a defence strategy to get ahead of the curve,' he said, adding that this would allow the subjects to say they were as helpful as possible in meeting with police. Mr. Newton also missed possible opportunities to press the players for information that might have advanced his investigation. During the voluntary interviews, Mr. Newton asked Mr. McLeod about what drew multiple players to his hotel room on the night of the alleged assault: 'Do you get the sense that guys are coming because they know there's a naked girl in the room who's doing sexual favours?' 'I don't know how guys kept showing up,' Mr. McLeod replied. 'Well, I know everyone has phones and devices. … Were you sending any of those messages?' the detective asked. Mr. McLeod said, 'Oh no, I just told the guys I was getting food and there's a girl over there, that's all I said to a few guys.' This was an invitation to follow up further, said Mr. Perry, the retired Toronto police detective. Mr. Newton did not continue his line of questioning. He testified that he did not become aware of a text sent from Mr. McLeod's phone to teammates on the night of the alleged assault that said, 'Who wants to be in a 3 way quick. 209 – mikey' – a key piece of evidence in the Crown's prosecution. 'I think in hindsight, yeah, he could have probed a little deeper,' Mr. Perry said. Farrah Khan: To really change the culture around sexual violence, consent can't be taught as a technicality Andrea Werhun: Porn isn't to blame for sexual assault Shannon Kari: 'Whacking the complainant' continues to be the norm in sexual-assault cases
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Time of India
Hockey Canada trial judge faces complex decision as case hinges on unseen question of consent
Justice Maria Carroccia is set to deliver her verdict in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial (Getty Images) As the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial concludes, Justice Maria Carroccia is now faced with a complex and high-stakes task: determining whether the complainant in a 2018 hotel room encounter truly consented to the sexual acts that took place. The case, which involves five former members of Canada's 2018 World Junior hockey team, doesn't hinge on whether sex occurred—it clearly did—but whether it was consensual. Hockey Canada trial judge faces brutal test on consent and power What makes the trial especially complex is that consent is an invisible state of mind. The judge must interpret it through indirect evidence—words, actions, and most critically, the context in which they occurred. The defence has argued that the woman's account began with an 'understandable white lie' to her mother that spiraled into a false accusation. They claim she actively participated in the encounters, had the opportunity to leave, and later sought financial compensation. The Crown, however, tells a very different story: one where the woman appeared to go along with the situation out of fear and powerlessness, not willingness. One focal point is a video recorded during the encounter in which a player asks, 'You're okay with this, though, right?' and the woman replies, 'I'm okay with this.' While the defence sees this as proof of consent, the Crown challenges the video's meaning: What does 'this' refer to? Why use the word 'though'? Why make the video at all? 'Who makes consent videos when having sex?' the Crown questioned. 'You don't have to try to dig yourself out of a hole you're not in.' This trial isn't just about conflicting testimonies. It's about the deeper question: how do courts recognize power imbalances and the reality that silence or passive agreement doesn't always mean consent? 'Power imbalance is omnipresent in sexual violence,' the Crown argued, suggesting the complainant complied as a form of self-preservation. Also Read: Hockey Canada sexual assault trial: Judge to rule on drunken night that shattered national trust and player accountability With two conflicting narratives and a highly charged social context, the judge's decision won't simply decide guilt or innocence—it could shape how future courts interpret the subtle boundaries of consent in cases where power, fear, and silence collide. Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hockey Canada GM Explains Brad Marchand Snub on Initial Olympic Roster
Hockey Canada GM Explains Brad Marchand Snub on Initial Olympic Roster originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Florida Panthers veteran Brad Marchand's name wasn't among the first six players named to Team Canada's Olympic roster on Monday. Advertisement The first Canadian squad includes Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, Cale Makar, and Marchand's teammate Sam Reinhart. General manager Doug Armstrong addressed the decision directly, calling it one of the toughest choices in the early selection process, although leaving the door open for his eventual addition. The 37-year-old winger was part of the original First Six projected during last year's 4 Nations lead-up, but fellow Panthers forward Reinhart ultimately took the one 'open' slot over the older Marchand. Armstrong made it clear that Marchand wasn't cut due to a lack of performance, especially noting his strong playoff showing this spring, as he's scored 20 points in 22 postseason games through Monday's announcement. Advertisement 'I had a good chat with Brad,' Armstrong said. 'He's certainly a candidate to make this team. What he did for our team at the 4 Nations — the character and the ability to bring the team together — plus what he's done in the playoffs here, it's very inspiring.' Armstrong said age and physical shape factored into the choice. Team Canada forward Brad Marchand (63) during the 4 Nations Face-Off. Winslow Townson-Imagn Images Reinhart's combination of consistency, two-way play, and postseason pedigree pushed him over Marchand and other possible options. 'What we saw at the 4 Nations: Sam is just a well-balanced player who can touch every aspect of our team,' Armstrong said. 'There was no question he was going to be on our team. He was just a natural selection now based on his play and his history of great play in big events.' Advertisement Reinhart, who finished the regular season with 81 points in 79 games, has scored 11 points in 14 postseason outings. Related: Oilers Player Airs Frustration Over Brad Marchand's Game 5 Goals Related: NHL Makes Historic Sam Bennett Announcement Amid Stanley Cup Final This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Canadian men to face Czechs, women to see Finland to open 2026 Olympic hockey tourney
The Canadian men's hockey team will open the Olympic Games against Czechia and the women against Finland. The International Ice Hockey Federation released the hockey schedules for the Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy on Wednesday. Canada's women start defence of the gold medal Feb. 5 against the Finns. The Canadian men get going Feb. 12 versus the Czechs as NHL players return to the Olympic Games for the first time since 2014, when Canada beat Sweden for gold in Sochi, Russia. Canada faces Switzerland on Feb. 13 and concludes group play Feb. 15 against France in the 14,000-seat Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. The Canadian women meet the Swiss on Feb. 7 and the Czechs on Feb. 9 in the 5,700-seat Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena before capping Group A against archrival U.S. on Feb. 10 in Santagiulia Arena. Canada beat the United States 3-2 for the gold medal in Beijing in 2022. The women's quarterfinals Feb. 13-14 in Milan are followed by the semifinals Feb. 16 and medal games Feb. 19. The men's playoff qualification round is Feb. 17 followed by the Feb. 18 quarterfinals, the Feb. 20 semifinals, the bronze-medal game on Feb. 21 and the gold-medal game Feb. 22. Canadian games will be televised late morning or early afternoon Eastern Time in Canada because of a six-hour time difference. The IIHF unveiled the schedules a day after the dozen participating countries in the men's tournament revealed the first six players chosen to their respective 25-man rosters. Hockey Canada declared forwards Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, Sam Reinhart and defenceman Cale Makar its first half-dozen. The rest of the roster will be finalized early next year. Women's rosters will be 23 players. Hockey Canada will choose its lineup through training camps and performances by players in the Professional Women's Hockey League next season.
