Latest news with #SaskTel
CBC
5 days ago
- CBC
Court battles continue over Sask. Instagram account that made anonymous sexual violence allegations in 2020
Social Sharing In 2020, someone started posting on an anonymous Instagram account alleging sexual assault, harassment and abuse by men in Regina. While it was operational, the victimsvoicesregina account named several high-profile people, including a Regina city councillor, a musician and leaders in the non-profit community. The page was shuttered after legal threats from men who alleged some of the posts were defamatory. Five years later, a series of related lawsuits are continuing to make their way through the Saskatchewan court system. A May 8 decision from Saskatchewan's Court of Appeal ordering SaskTel to hand over identifying documents shows that at least one of those lawsuits may be close to identifying the two women that operated victimsvoicesregina. Mandi Gray is an assistant professor at Trent University who has studied structural violence in Canada's legal system. She said her research indicates defamation suits are increasingly being used as a tool to silence alleged victims of sexual abuse who have come forward to speak out. That has only increased since the MeToo movement in 2020, which sought to hold people accountable for sexual violence, Gray said. "There were consequences for many people who were accused of sexual violence and, as a result of the reputational harm that they're alleging, they have taken action," Gray said. "It is a lot of men with access to resources and power, like celebrities and politicians, but we're also seeing it among regular people, as well, as a tactic to silence and punish people for speaking about what had happened to them." WATCH | Lawsuits used to silence victims, says researcher: Lawsuits used to silence victims, says researcher 3 days ago Duration 2:30 Legal battles continue over an Instagram account that shared anonymous stories of sexual violence and harassment in Regina. A researcher says defamation lawsuits are increasingly being used as a tool to silence those who speak out about their experiences. MeToo movement in Regina CBC has been able to confirm that at least three lawsuits have been filed against the operators of the victimsvoicesregina account. The plaintiffs include a Regina teacher, a man named Ryan Boldt, and someone identified only as A.H., whose lawsuit was referenced in the Court of Appeal decision. CBC has previously spoken with one of the two women who operated the victimsvoicesregina account. CBC agreed not to name the woman, who is a survivor of sexual assault. She launched the Instagram page, also known as Survivor's Stories Regina, in July 2020 in response to a CBC News investigation that uncovered numerous allegations of verbal sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour against mental health advocate and former Earls manager Jim Demeray, who said the allegations against him were "baseless and untrue." It was one of multiple similar accounts that emerged across Canada during the MeToo movement, which sought accountability for sexual violence perpetrated by the rich and powerful. The account was quickly shut down under threats of lawsuits against the operators. Gray said that demonstrates how defamation lawsuits are a powerful tool. "Even just the mere threat of a defamation lawsuit can often be enough to shut people down from coming forward and reporting, but also just talking about sexual violence more generally," she said. WATCH | Stories on social media are a sexual harassment wake-up call in Regina: Stories on social media are a sexual harassment wake-up call in Regina 5 years ago Duration 1:57 A flood of sexual harassment stories on social media, which also prompted the Street Culture Project to investigate several complaints, is serving as a wake-up call for Regina businesses. It all comes in the wake of a CBC news investigation into a well known mental health advocate who is accused of sexual harassment during his time in the restaurant industry. $1M defamation lawsuit The decision from the Court of Appeal is tied to a June 2021 civil lawsuit by Boldt, represented by Madlin Lucyk of Nychuk & Company, a Regina-based legal firm. Lucyk declined to comment for this story. Boldt filed the lawsuit against three women — referred to in the suit as Jane Doe, Betty Doe and Sally Doe — and Meta Platforms, the company that operates Facebook and Instagram. Boldt alleges that Betty created a false and defamatory story about Boldt sexually harassing her. He alleges that Betty Doe brought the story to Jane Doe and Sally Doe, who administered the victimsvoicesregina account. On July 25, 2020, the account published the story without "taking any steps to verify" the accuracy of the story or the comments made on the post, the lawsuit says. Boldt claims he suffered $1,000,000 in damages as a result of the the defamatory post. He is also seeking punitive and aggravated damages. Since Boldt does not know the identities of Betty Doe or the administrators of the account, and requires that information to properly file his lawsuit, Boldt's legal team filed an application with Telus, Access and SaskTel. The application directed each telecommunication company to produce documents tied to activity from certain internet protocol (IP) addresses at specific dates and times, including account holder name, account holder addresses, account holder billing information, account holder email addresses, physical addresses related to IP addresses and any other identifying information. Although Telus and Access took no position on the application, SaskTel opposed the motion. The Crown Corporation argued that the documents were subject to solicitor-client privilege as they were in the possession of the organization's legal department and that Boldt had not established that they were relevant to his claim. In April 2024, a Court of King's Bench judge ruled against Boldt, finding that the legal confidentiality trumped Boldt's interests. Boldt's appeal of that ruling was heard by a panel of judges including Justice Georgina Jackson, Justice Keith Kilback and Justice Meghan McCreary. The panel found that because the Court of King's Bench judge failed to perform an analysis, and instead simply accepted SaskTel's assertions, the judge made a legal error. The court found that since SaskTel admits it possesses or controls at least some of the identifying documents and they are relevant to the identity of at least one of Jane Doe, Betty Doe or Sally Doe, they should be produced as part of the lawsuit. It also ruled that the information should be held by Boldt and his legal team "in the strictest confidence" and should only be used in this specific litigation.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Court battles continue over Sask. Instagram account that made anonymous sexual violence allegations in 2020
In 2020, someone started posting on an anonymous Instagram account alleging sexual assault, harassment and abuse by men in Regina. While it was operational, the victimsvoicesregina account named several high-profile people, including a Regina city councillor, a musician and leaders in the non-profit community. The page was shuttered after legal threats from men who alleged some of the posts were defamatory. Five years later, a series of related lawsuits are continuing to make their way through the Saskatchewan court system. A May 8 decision from Saskatchewan's Court of Appeal ordering SaskTel to hand over identifying documents shows that at least one of those lawsuits may be close to identifying the two women that operated victimsvoicesregina. Mandi Gray is an assistant professor at Trent University who has studied structural violence in Canada's legal system. She said her research indicates defamation suits are increasingly being used as a tool to silence alleged victims of sexual abuse who have come forward to speak out. That has only increased since the MeToo movement in 2020, which sought to hold people accountable for sexual violence, Gray said. "There were consequences for many people who were accused of sexual violence and, as a result of the reputational harm that they're alleging, they have taken action," Gray said. "It is a lot of men with access to resources and power, like celebrities and politicians, but we're also seeing it among regular people, as well, as a tactic to silence and punish people for speaking about what had happened to them." WATCH | Lawsuits used to silence victims, says researcher: MeToo movement in Regina CBC has been able to confirm that at least three lawsuits have been filed against the operators of the victimsvoicesregina account. The plaintiffs include a Regina teacher, a man named Ryan Boldt, and someone identified only as A.H., whose lawsuit was referenced in the Court of Appeal decision. CBC has previously spoken with one of the two women who operated the victimsvoicesregina account. CBC agreed not to name the woman, who is a survivor of sexual assault. She launched the Instagram page, also known as Survivor's Stories Regina, in July 2020 in response to a CBC News investigation that uncovered numerous allegations of verbal sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour against mental health advocate and former Earls manager Jim Demeray, who said the allegations against him were "baseless and untrue." It was one of multiple similar accounts that emerged across Canada during the MeToo movement, which sought accountability for sexual violence perpetrated by the rich and powerful. The account was quickly shut down under threats of lawsuits against the operators. Gray said that demonstrates how defamation lawsuits are a powerful tool. "Even just the mere threat of a defamation lawsuit can often be enough to shut people down from coming forward and reporting, but also just talking about sexual violence more generally," she said. WATCH | $1M defamation lawsuit The decision from the Court of Appeal is tied to a June 2021 civil lawsuit by Boldt, represented by Madlin Lucyk of Nychuk & Company, a Regina-based legal firm. Lucyk declined to comment for this story. Boldt filed the lawsuit against three women — referred to in the suit as Jane Doe, Betty Doe and Sally Doe — and Meta Platforms, the company that operates Facebook and Instagram. Boldt alleges that Betty created a false and defamatory story about Boldt sexually harassing her. He alleges that Betty Doe brought the story to Jane Doe and Sally Doe, who administered the victimsvoicesregina account. On July 25, 2020, the account published the story without "taking any steps to verify" the accuracy of the story or the comments made on the post, the lawsuit says. Boldt claims he suffered $1,000,000 in damages as a result of the the defamatory post. He is also seeking punitive and aggravated damages. Since Boldt does not know the identities of Betty Doe or the administrators of the account, and requires that information to properly file his lawsuit, Boldt's legal team filed an application with Telus, Access and SaskTel. The application directed each telecommunication company to produce documents tied to activity from certain internet protocol (IP) addresses at specific dates and times, including account holder name, account holder addresses, account holder billing information, account holder email addresses, physical addresses related to IP addresses and any other identifying information. Although Telus and Access took no position on the application, SaskTel opposed the motion. The Crown Corporation argued that the documents were subject to solicitor-client privilege as they were in the possession of the organization's legal department and that Boldt had not established that they were relevant to his claim. In April 2024, a Court of King's Bench judge ruled against Boldt, finding that the legal confidentiality trumped Boldt's interests. Boldt's appeal of that ruling was heard by a panel of judges including Justice Georgina Jackson, Justice Keith Kilback and Justice Meghan McCreary. The panel found that because the Court of King's Bench judge failed to perform an analysis, and instead simply accepted SaskTel's assertions, the judge made a legal error. The court found that since SaskTel admits it possesses or controls at least some of the identifying documents and they are relevant to the identity of at least one of Jane Doe, Betty Doe or Sally Doe, they should be produced as part of the lawsuit. It also ruled that the information should be held by Boldt and his legal team "in the strictest confidence" and should only be used in this specific litigation. SaskTel did not answer whether it plans to appeal. In a statement, the Crown Corporation said SaskTel is committed to "acting in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, including full compliance with court orders."
CTV News
13-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Crews continue to gain ground in Saskatchewan wildfires battle with evacuees repatriating
Highway 106 is closed as wildfires burn near Smeaton, Sask. on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) and Premier Scott Moe said that the province is in a much stronger position Friday in its fight against wildfires than in recent days. Many evacuees have been repatriated back to their communities or are in the process, and fire growth has been minimal thanks to recent rainfall, allowing crews to aggressively fight back flames. 'Much of that is due to the effort and the work of our firefighters on the ground, whether they be wildland firefighters or whether they be local and municipal firefighters and volunteers from across the province,' Moe said, thanking crews for their hard work. Moe added that work has also been done by SaskTel and SaskPower to restore communication and power services to many communities threatened by the recent fires. He also acknowledged that despite a positive past couple of days, much more will need to be done, including supporting those that have lost homes and values. 'The work doesn't end with people returning to their homes. The work will go on for weeks and literally go on for months as we see far too many homes that have been lost,' Moe said. Families that have lost homes will see the province working with them closely to provide support, Moe added. That includes work to distribute $500 to all evacuees 18 years and older. 'We're working on all of those fronts so that we don't leave anyone out, but also that we don't slow down the effort to get this into family's hands as soon as possible,' Moe said. According to Moe, more than half of some 15,000 total evacuees have returned to their communities. The SPSA said that approximately 10,300 people have returned or will be shortly, with many who self-evacuated also doing the same. However, approximately 400 values have been damaged, according to the SPSA, with efforts continuing to determine exactly what was impacted The SPSA said on Friday afternoon that 19 wildfires remain burning in Saskatchewan. Five are still considered not contained. SPSA president Marlo Pritchard said that five communities are also still under a mandatory evacuation. 'Those are Creighton, Denare Beach, East Trout Lake, Whelan Bay, as well as the P1 and P2s in Cumberland House,' Pritchard said. Pritchard said they also recognize that some people returning to their communities will face both difficult and unique challenges and encouraged people to use the province's website to access mental health supports. A backlog of people calling the province for help has also been addressed, with Pritchard saying evacuees that call the province for assistance will now be taken care of immediately or within a day. Regarding 30 wildfires the province has determined were intentionally set, Pritchard said work continues to gather evidence that can be supplied to police. 'We ask for public assistance if they know anything of any of those intentional acts that were conducted. If you know anything, please call Crime Stoppers or your local police jurisdiction.' So far, RCMP have laid two arson charges in connection with the Ditch02 fire near Weyakwin that forced multiple evacuations. Pritchard and Government Relations Minister Eric Schmalz also said that the ATV and UTV ban will be lifted at 5 p.m. on Friday, but the current provincial fire ban will remain in effect. Looking ahead, Pritchard also said Friday's weather forecast is positive, with cloudy and cooler temperatures expected along with the possibility of more rainfall.
CTV News
07-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Sask. students receive awards of excellence
Regina Watch WATCH: Ten Saskatchewan students received awards at the 2025 SaskTel Indigenous Youth Awards of Excellence. Damian Smith has more.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Sask. wildfires bring new complications for northern residents, firefighters
WATCH: Residents in La Ronge and first responders are facing new challenges in the midst of the ongoing wildfires. Several days after the initial evacuation of the La Ronge area, problems continue to emerge that go beyond the fire itself. Families from the area face new challenges as the days go on. When the Johnson family arrived in Macdowell after evacuating from La Ronge, three of their horses spooked and went missing. 'We got down here, and we let them out,' said owner Tina Johnson. 'It's an unfamiliar place and they're scared. And the little ones, our ponies busted through the fence and took off.' Luckily, all three horses were found uninjured late Thursday afternoon. All SaskTel services are unavailable in La Ronge and the surrounding area — and in all communities and areas directly north and northeast of La Ronge. 'We're hoping that we'll be able to start restoring services as the fires subside,' said Greg Jacobs, representing SaskTel. 'But really, all of the major fires are still posing significant hazards to our crews and to infrastructure.' The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said that damages to infrastructure have impacted its communication with fire crews. 'So, another little complicating factor that's beyond the fire scope, but directly having an impact on our ability to do our work,' said Steve Roberts with the SPSA. For the time being, SaskTel says it will waive all wireless data overage fees for customers who had to leave northern Saskatchewan. The Métis Nation-Saskatchewan government is opening the Batoche festival grounds to anyone escaping the northern wildfires, and the Prince Albert Exhibition Association is opening its RV and trailer campground to those impacted.
