Woman accused of trying to kill husband suffering dementia and is not fit to stand trial
CBC
A 73-year-old woman charged with attempted murder has been found unfit to stand trial because she suffers from dementia.
Rhonda Campbell was arrested in January after Cochrane RCMP were called to the Springbank home she shares with her husband.
The husband was found with serious injuries to his neck and required surgery.
On Thursday, Justice Bruce Fraser heard that following a weeks-long assessment, forensic psychiatrist Dr. David Tano has found that Campbell doesn't fulfil the medical criteria to stand trial.
Such a finding means the accused does not understand what is going on in court and is unable to instruct their lawyer.
Campbell appeared in court Thursday in a sweatsuit with shackles on her ankles. She blew kisses to family members who were in court to offer their support.
While the parties, including defence lawyer Adriano Iovinelli and prosecutor Vince Pingitore, determine next steps, Fraser agreed to send Campbell back to the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre in order to avoid housing her in the Calgary Remand Centre.
"That is the most appropriate place for her — Corrections agrees, the doctor agrees, Mr. Pingitore agrees," said Iovinelli.
"We do not want Ms. Campbell to be in custody … this is a very unique set of circumstances."
On a previous court date, Iovinelli called the situation "tragic."
The case is back in court in April to determine how Campbell will be processed and ultimately released.
Campbell could be dealt with under Alberta's Mental Health Act or via the Criminal Code with a finding of not criminally responsible (NCR).
A 36-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly trying to set a fire outside Vancouver City Hall late Friday night, police say.
Calgary city council reversed its decision to close the Inglewood Aquatic Centre Friday.
The Vancouver Police Board says its vice-chair has resigned following statements she posted to social media that were inconsistent with its code of conduct.
Hundreds of people showed up outside Queens Park Saturday afternoon to push back against the Ford government's controversial bike lane bill that would remove certain Toronto bike lanes to help address congestion.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has joined federal cabinet ministers and other politicians in condemning Friday night's anti-NATO demonstration in Montreal, calling the protesters' actions "appalling."
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Gary Anandasangaree has formally apologized to Inuit in Nunavik for the federal government's role in the mass killing of sled dogs in the region in the 1950s and 1960s.
High winds and rain caused power outages to hundreds of homes and businesses in Prince County on Saturday.
Northerners will soon see RCMP officers with cameras on their person, as training for the body-worn cameras roll out for Mounties across the country.
Dozens of Indigenous women with a desire to learn how to hunt and to use traditional methods to prepare the animal will meet this weekend for the first-ever all-female deer hunt on Oneida Nation of the Thames territory.
A disgraced real-estate lawyer who this week admitted to pilfering millions in client money to support her and her family's lavish lifestyle was handcuffed in a Toronto courtroom Friday afternoon and marched out by a constable to serve a 20-day sentence for contempt of court, as her husband and mother watched.
A provincial child-care advocacy group says governments need to commit to pushing $10-a-day child care forward in Canada, but a conservative think tank says data shows it isn't working as intended in Newfoundland and Labrador.