Who was policing Ford's Hamilton campaign stop in May? New questions arise on airport, OPP role
CBC
Questions continue to swirl about who was making decisions and on what grounds when it came to removing protesters outside a Doug Ford campaign stop at Hamilton's airport in May, amid new details from the airport and provincial police.
Despite saying she was not protesting, Toronto lawyer Caryma Sa'd was arrested at the May 26 event, in the lead up to the June 2 provincial election. A separate group of demonstrators were also asked to leave, with police saying they were trespassing.
Until now, questions had been put to Hamilton police and the Ford team, with critics wondering if Hamilton officers were acting based on orders given by Ford security.
But new questions raised at a recent airport sub-committee meeting reveal the Hamilton International Airport and Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were both involved in decisions relating to how to respond to protests.
"I think it is an important issue," Ward 8 Coun. John-Paul Danko said during the June 28 committee meeting, pointing to the use of security by the Ontario Progressive Conservatives (PCs) in the past, including one case where a journalist was blocked from a PC event.
"The airport is under lease from the City of Hamilton and I think there is a bigger question here so I do hope there are some answers forthcoming from either the OPP or Hamilton Police Service," Danko said.
Questions put to the airport, OPP, Hamilton police and the PC party by CBC Hamilton reveal several of those involved point to another when it comes to who requested to remove protesters.
The airport says it was the OPP who approached them and asked that the airport request officers to enforce the Trespass to Property Act (TPA) "to remove protesters from its property."
OPP says officers were just doing their job and enforcing the TPA, which states police must act upon whatever the airport defined as prohibited activity. In this case, OPP says, it was the airport that said protesting was prohibited.
Meanwhile, Hamilton police, the service responsible for arresting lawyer Sa'd on behalf of the OPP, won't answer questions about the situation besides saying officers were enforcing the TPA.
Legal experts and Sa'd say more transparency and clarity is needed.
They still have questions about her arrest, if Sa'd's Charter rights were violated and what influence the PC party may have had.
The controversy started hours before the Ford rally began.
Sa'd said she had an RSVP to attend the event. She's known for creating cartoons and videos that criticize politicians and people protesting public health measures.
The City of Edmonton is developing a wildfire strategy to mitigate risks within the municipality and help neighbouring regions, the city's emergency advisory committee heard Wednesday.
About 20 workers, students and local MPP candidates gathered outside Hamilton's Mohawk College Wednesday — where a fifth of full-time jobs have been cut since December — to call on the province to better fund post-secondary education.
In a busy race to Queen's Park, nine candidates are vying for the Sarnia—Lambton seat — a riding that's been conservative for nearly 20 years.
There's just over a year left in the Canada-Alberta child-care agreement and it's shaping up to be a rocky one for some parents, who — for this first time in the history of the agreement — will see their fees increase as a new phase of the program rolls out.
B.C. MLA Adrian Dix says he gets texts, emails, and even stopped at his local Safeway. He says people urge him to cut off power or even water to the U.S.
B.C. cities, in general, would be among the least vulnerable in Canada if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on tariff threats, according to new data from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Here's where and when you can vote in advance polls in Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County
Voting day is Feb. 27 in the Ontario election, but people can cast their ballots this week in advance polls.
Staff with Summerside Electric say they're not getting many updates from Maritime Electric after a failure at the utility's Sherbrooke substation over a week ago caused strain on the city's electrical grid.
The N.W.T.'s public utilities board has ordered the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) to start paying Naka Power $48,500 per month to use a transmission line in the Hay River area, starting March 1.
Ideologically motivated violent extremist groups are using antisemitism in a bid to recruit followers and inspire violence, according to a report from Canada's spy agency.
It's a move that could reshape North American trade.
Ontario's main political parties are competing for the hearts of voters by appealing to their wallets, with a mix of tax cuts and money-back rebates pitched as helping with the cost of living.
With one full week to go before voting day, Elections Ontario is working to reverse a recent downward trend in voter turnout, which set a record low of 43 per cent the last time Ontarians went to the polls in 2022.