This week, for the 89th time in 16 years, I will head to India to seek justice for my murdered mother, Dr. Asha Goel. According to police and court documents that have been filed in Mumbai, she was killed by four assassins, allegedly hired by two of her brothers over a dispute about their father’s…
Welcome to the predatory online scamming world. Fraudulent emails, often containing links or attachments, are dangerous. If it seems too good to be true, it is
Beware the phishing hook. Phishing describes an attempt to get you to unknowingly disclose personal information such as credit card details, banking information, usernames and passwords. The party trying to gather your information will try to hook you by sending you an email and asking you to click on a link. The email will look…
We need to to treat the crisis of a growing prison population as a public health challenge rather than the narrower response being advocated
Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth has a typical challenge on his hands: crime is up, resources are stretched and more money is needed. Behind the scenes, he must also be seen as preserving the interests of his officers and the police association. The Winnipeg Police Board and municipal politicians have their perpetual challenges: be perceived…
Domestic violence, no matter the gender of the victim, is wrong
I remember being 12 years old when my stepfather scarred my face for the first time. He had graduated to his fists from his belt some time before, and while he usually confined himself to battering me between the waist and the shoulder blades, the non-visible portions of my anatomy, occasionally he lost control. This…
Wait times for court proceedings to help children escape physical or psychological harm are far too long. Society is failing to protect these vulnerable citizens
In her recent report, Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk took aim at the inefficiencies and backlogs in the province’s justice system. She also cited a lack of accountability and transparency in obtaining critical information from the judiciary and government, thus preventing her office from conducting a thorough audit. Five days later, Ontario Attorney General Doug…
The Elizabeth Wettlaufer case should serve as a warning to all of us about the issue of patient safety
By Fiona MacDonald University of the Fraser Valley and Karine Levasseur University of Manitoba We’ve all been there: it’s 3 a.m. and your partner, child, sibling or parent becomes ill suddenly and needs medical care. Will they be safe? The public inquiry into the safety and security of residents in the long-term care homes system…
The rash of liquor store robberies in Winnipeg says more about underlying social problems than it does about the effectiveness of police
Winnipeg has experienced a rash of liquor store swarmings involving masked individuals who have become increasingly accustomed to little or no resistance. The best deterrent to crime is not the severity of sentence or punishment, but the certainty of detection and apprehension. An even better and common-sense response would be to mitigate the underlying precursors…
Brave, dashing and manly, these social bandits have lofty status. But some, like Dick Turpin, fall far short of the glowing stereotype
If memory serves, my first encounter with the concept of a highwayman came circa 1952 thanks to the weekly Sun comic book. One of its regular characters was Dick Turpin, a highwayman who embarked on a series of adventures with his female sidekick Moll Moonlight. In addition to robbing the rich to help the poor,…
Canadian mystery drama, from Murdoch to Doyle to 19-2, can help you escape the roller-coaster of life
Many people are consumed with current events, including the U.S. impeachment inquiry, the saga involving Canadian Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and the U.K. general election. Yet there are moments when even this enthusiastic political pundit has had enough and needs to briefly escape the roller-coaster of life. So I delve into sports, movies, art, animation…
In 2018, for the 4th consecutive year in a row, police-reported crime in Canada has increased. Specifically, Fraud has risen by 13%, Sexual Assault is up 15%, and Shoplifting Under $5,000 is up 14%. In total, over 2 million Criminal Code incidents were reported in 2018. If you or your loved ones need a criminal…