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Vancouver Sun
17 hours ago
- General
- Vancouver Sun
Four missing after Airmedic helicopter crash in northeastern Quebec: police
MONTREAL — Quebec provincial police launched a search operation Saturday after a helicopter crash in northeastern Quebec that left four people unaccounted for. They said the aircraft operated by Airmedic was involved in an accident around 10:30 p.m. on Friday near Natashquan, Que., a little more than 1,000 kilometres northeast of Montreal. Police planned to comb a wooded area in the region north of the community in the province's Cote-Nord region. Sgt. Elizabeth Marquis-Guy said five people were aboard the chopper, but one woman was rescued and reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries. She was taken to hospital. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The four others remained missing on Saturday morning. Raphaele Bourgault, a spokesperson from the Longueuil, Quebec-based air medical transport firm, confirmed the helicopter was part of the company fleet and said emergency services were quickly dispatched to the scene. 'Airmedic staff are working closely with authorities and first responders to manage the situation and provide the necessary assistance,' Bourgault said in an emailed statement. 'Airmedic will release further information as soon as it is confirmed.' Bourgault said the company's thoughts and concerns are with those affected by the crash. Airmedic specializes in air medical transport and operates both planes and helicopters as part of its fleet. It is a private company that offers its services across Canada. A command post was set up and search specialists are on site and are capable of searching on the water as well as by ground and in the air. The Canadian Armed Forces have also been called for assistance, police said. Provincial police say the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has been informed of the crash and will conduct an investigation to determine the circumstances behind it. Police investigators will collaborate in that probe, Marquis-Guy said. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Transportation Minister Chrystia Freeland 'dismayed' about BC Ferries' contract with Chinese shipyard
VICTORIA — Federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland says she is 'dismayed' that BC Ferries has contracted a Chinese state-owned shipyard to build four new vessels in the current geopolitical context that includes 'unjustified' tariffs on Canada. Freeland says in a letter sent to provincial Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth that she expects BC Ferries to inform her about all measures that it plans to take to 'mitigate any security risks,' including cybersecurity problems that might arise from the decision. BC Ferries announced earlier this month that it has contracted China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards to build four new major vessels following a five-year-long procurement process that did not include a Canadian bid. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Freeland adds she is 'surprised' that BC Ferries does not have a mandate for an 'appropriate level' of Canadian content in the procurement given the value of the contract, although the dollar figure hasn't been made public. Farnworth says in a statement that the ministry is reviewing the letter, adding that he has spoken with Freeland about the need to bolster B.C.'s shipbuilding industry. BC Ferries says in a statement that the Chinese bid was 'the strongest bid by a significant margin' and that security is a 'top priority,' adding that all sensitive systems will be sourced separately and independently certified before the vessels enter service. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
'Someone who needs help': Montreal mom charged with abandoning daughter to be detained until bail hearing
MONTREAL — The Montreal mother who allegedly abandoned her three-year-old daughter in rural Ontario, triggering a four-day hunt for the child across two provinces, will remain detained until her bail hearing early next month. On Friday, the mother's legal-aid lawyer said he will try to have his client released pending the outcome of the criminal case, adding that he is working on a plan to get her the help she needs. The 34-year-old woman faces one count of unlawful abandonment of a child, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. 'Right now, we are currently dealing with someone who is experiencing immense distress,' Olivier Beliveau told reporters about his client at the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield courthouse, west of Montreal. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'This is someone who needs help.' The accused, whose name is under a publication ban to protect the identity of the three-year-old, is alleged to have abandoned the girl in Casselman, Ont., on Sunday afternoon. Following an intense search by police and volunteers, she was spotted four days later by an Ontario Provincial Police drone along Highway 417 about 50 kilometres west of the Quebec boundary. Lawyers set hearing dates of July 3 and July 4 for the woman's bail hearing. In addition to ordering a publication ban on the accused's name, Quebec court Judge Bertrand St-Arnaud also signed off on Friday on an order preventing her from contacting the three-year-old or the girl's father. The accused will remain detained at the Leclerc detention centre in Laval, north of Montreal. The defence has so far not requested a psychological assessment for her. No additional charges were laid during the 15-minute hearing on Friday. The Crown has said it opposes bail for the woman, who doesn't have a criminal record. Prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel told the court that disclosure of the evidence has started but will take some time. The mother reported her daughter missing on Sunday at a business in Coteau-du-Lac, Que., west of Montreal, and told police she had no recollection of the previous six hours or the toddler's whereabouts. Provincial police and volunteer search teams spent days combing the roadside and forests in part of southwestern Quebec before figuring out the accused had travelled to Ontario. The girl was found alive and conscious by Ontario Provincial Police officers who had started their own search. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
Man sentenced after to-do list unravels plan to frame neighbours for attempted murder
A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to more than seven months in prison after an elaborate hoax in which he injured himself and then accused his neighbours of trying to kill him. Police were alerted to the false nature of the alleged attempted murder after they discovered the man's hand-written to-do list. It included items such as 'Make sure I wear gloves when planting evidence' and 'When ready to call 911 have evidence all planted.' Terry Sipe, 63, appeared before Judge Michelle H. Sibert for sentencing on Tuesday. He previously pled guilty to several charges including false alarms to agencies of public safety, stalking, and recklessly endangering another person. He was sentenced to serve over seven months in prison, to be followed by periods of consecutive probation. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. According to a release from the District Attorney's office in Cumberland County, Penn., state troopers from Carlisle had responded to a 911 call. Sipes accused his neighbours, the Mixell family, of attempted murder, telling police that they had bound his hands with duct tape, placed a bag over his head, bloodied him and left him in a ditch. However, investigators found that Sipe had self-inflicted minor injuries and had bound himself. Troopers also found matching tape in Sipe's home, and forensic evidence showed that only Sipe's DNA and fingerprints were present at the scene. They also discovered a hand-written 'to do' list written by Sipe. 'During the sentencing proceeding, multiple members of the Mixell family gave powerful victim impact statements where they described the traumatic events of the initial police response including being removed from their home, permitting their home to be searched by police, and going to the police station to be interviewed,' the D.A.'s office said in its release. The statement accused Sipe of having 'weaponized law enforcement.' The office also singled out state trooper Jacob Brown-Schields 'for his diligent and thorough investigation.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Climate
- Vancouver Sun
More evacuation orders to be lifted in parts of northwestern Manitoba after fires
Thousands more wildfire evacuees in Manitoba will start making the trek home in the coming days as officials in two northwestern communities lift their evacuation orders. The roughly 600 residents of the town of Lynn Lake will be allowed to return to the community 775 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg starting at 8 a.m. Friday. In a social media post, the town said buses would be arranged for those who need help with transportation. 'An evacuation alert will remain in place,' the town said on social media. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'While it is now safe to return, residents must remain prepared to evacuate again with little notice if fire conditions worsen.' Residents were forced out a little more than one month ago by an out-of-control blaze that currently stands at 71 square kilometres in size. Active fire and hot spots remain close, the town said. Suppression efforts are ongoing, but there is a continued risk of smoke and falling ash, officials said. Further south, residents of the city of Flin Flon could start coming home by the middle of next week as officials prepare to lift their mandatory evacuation order. Deputy Mayor Alison Dallas-Funk, in a social media post Thursday, said the order is expected to be lifted at 9 a.m. on June 25, about one month after the city's 5,100 residents were forced out by a massive wildfire that began days earlier in nearby Creighton, Sask. She said most critical services and businesses, including power and gas, would be ready to go by Sunday. Barring further fire activity, she said council would meet Monday to officially rescind the order. 'Please be careful, all of the highways are going to be extremely busy,' said Dallas-Funk. She said health services would be available in a limited capacity and added the grocery store won't have much in stock. Dallas-Funk said the town would work to secure buses to bring people home. Manitoba's wildfire service has said crews have made progress in combating the 3,700-square-kilometre fire near Flin Flon, but weather has hindered their efforts. The province has been experiencing what Premier Wab Kinew has described as its worst fire season in recent memory. At the peak of evacuations, about 21,000 people were out of their homes, putting pressure on the province's supply of hotel rooms and prompting Kinew's NDP government to encourage tourists to think twice about travelling to Manitoba. — By David Boles and Aaron Sousa in Edmonton Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
