Loan or gift? 93-year-old man says now-former RCMP officer won't repay the $100K he gave him
CBC
An elderly man in Deer Lake, N.L., says he wants the $100,000 he loaned his RCMP officer neighbour back. But now-former Const. Jason Lush says it was no loan — it was a gift, and the money has been spent.
Charles Samms, 93, filed a statement of claim at Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court against his neighbour on Nov. 4, 2022 — two years to the day after writing Lush the cheque.
Lush, meanwhile, is asking the court to dismiss the case and says he is innocent of any wrongdoing.
But the conflict between the two neighbours sparked two separate investigations into Lush's conduct — one criminal, one internal.
The criminal investigation found there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges, the RCMP said in an emailed statement to CBC News.
The force said its professional responsibility unit then did a full internal investigation into alleged contraventions of the RCMP's code of conduct.
The RCMP said Lush is no longer employed by the force, having resigned last month before that process concluded.
In an email to CBC News, Lush's lawyer said his client took a medical retirement unrelated to the matter involving Samms.
During an interview at his Deer Lake home on Monday, Samms said the incident has taken a toll.
"I'm so upset about it," he said. "I'm awake, night after night."
Samms said he and his wife Camille first met Lush and his family when the Sammses moved next door in 2018. The elderly couple wanted to spend their waning time together in Samms's hometown after years of living in Ontario, where he worked as a truck driver.
Samms said he was immediately impressed with his neighbour's kindness after a snowstorm struck the town on Newfoundland's west coast.
"[Lush] came over and [did] the driveway. I went out and met him. Thanked him. I said, 'How much do I owe you?' He said, 'You don't owe me anything. You're a neighbour, I just wanted to help you out,'" said Samms.
He said their friendship grew from there.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal officials left an hours-long meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saying they feel more positive about the Canada-U.S. trading relationship after weeks of bad blood and heated rhetoric.
The Alberta government wants to cut more than $400 million in the fees it pays to doctors, according to a confidential memo obtained by The Canadian Press.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says Canada's incoming prime minister needs to immediately and urgently negotiate a way to avoid China's planned tariffs on Canadian canola — even before an election call.
A judge has sentenced a 48-year-old man to life in prison for brutally stabbing his ex-wife and daughter to death in North York in 2022.
Ontario is seeing a massive surge in measles cases as an ongoing outbreak spreads in the province among mostly unvaccinated people.
Prince Edward Island's Affordable Housing Development Program fell short of its intended purpose, the province's Auditor General says.
Not even cracking open a cold one is safe from tariffs.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a farewell message to Canadians Thursday as he marks his last full day in office.
The Association of Yukon Fire Chiefs says about 80 per cent of volunteer firefighters in the territory are wearing expired protective equipment, putting them in danger and in violation of occupational health and safety regulations when they respond to emergencies.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will be given a new portfolio in Mark Carney's cabinet, a source with knowledge of the decision told Radio-Canada.
The Alberta government has suspended a loan program at Picture Butte Feeder Cooperative, the province's largest cattle financing cooperative, after an inspection alleged a number of financial mismanagement and regulatory issues.
If you look up at the sky late, late Thursday in the Toronto area, there's a chance you'll be able to see a total lunar eclipse and what's called a blood moon.
When wintertime calls, go where it's warm.