P.E.I. homeless man jailed because no room in hospital

A provincial court judge sent a homeless man to jail New Year's Eve because there was no bed for him at the Hillsborough Hospital and Special Care Centre. (CBC)

A Prince Edward Island provincial court judge is questioning why the legal and healthcare systems were unable to find shelter for a homeless man on a bitterly cold New Year's Eve.

Barry Joseph Flynn is charged with two counts of arson related to a pair of fires set just before Halloween. After his arrest he was sent for a psychiatric assessment to the East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth, N.S.

The 58-year-old man was returned to the Island on New Year's Eve, but was refused a spot at the Hillsborough Hospital and Special Care Centre, a psychiatric facility in Charlottetown, because there was no bed for him.

So Judge Nancy Orr took the unusual step of ordering Flynn be sent to jail, locked up for his own protection.

In court on Friday she apologized to Flynn for having to do so.

"I am sorry, sir, for the time you spent in jail, but I didn't want you out on the street in severe cold," the judge told the man.

The judge said the situation resulted from major miscommunication between government agencies.

Crown prosecutor Cindy Wedge told court there is a capacity issue at Hillsborough hospital and at least two other patients had been waiting for beds at the same time as Flynn.

A bed is now available for Flynn at the hospital, and Wedge told the court correctional services has filed an incident report.  

She said the departments of health and community services are looking into the problem.

Flynn thanked the judge for sending him to jail New Year's Eve. He has not yet entered a plea to the charges and is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 21.

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Toronto's top politicians at odds over calling in army for storm cleanup

As Toronto recovers from the pre-Christmas ice storm, the political storm over how to manage the cleanup continues.

Mayor Rob Ford and Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly have been at odds over whether to call the military for help following the crippling ice storm.

Kelly said Friday he is exploring the idea of asking the military for assistance.

"Right now, these are just phone calls, there is no call for the army, nothing as dramatic as that," Kelly said. "All I'm doing is exploring that option to see if it might be there to help us right now, and if for any reason that's not possible, to see what resources they have that might be made available to future councils fighting future crises."

The suggestion comes around 15 years after Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman's call for the army's help following a snowstorm in 1999.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford told reporters at a press conference that it was not necessary to declare a state of emergency in Toronto as a result of the ice storm. (David Donnelly/CBC)

Kelly said the city is looking at an eight-week task to clear debris caused by storm damage and he wants to "clear the table as quickly as possible."

[PHOTO]

Ford has dismissed his deputy's idea.

"I see no need to call in the army when we have over 600 staff dedicated to cleanup efforts.The City of Toronto is on top of the situation," Ford said on Twitter.

"Calling in the army now would undermine the efforts of city staff. A strategic plan is in place, divisions have the situation under control."

Leaked email

Staff estimates are that the city lost approximately 20 per cent of its tree canopy because of the ice storm.

"We have parks that have a lot of trees that were seriously damaged," Kelly said. "I want to make sure we clean those parks up and eliminate the danger of the limbs as quickly as possible."

At the start of the storm, Ford turned down appeals from city officials to declare a state of emergency, even though hundreds of thousands of residents were without power after the ice storm. 

In an email leaked to the press on Friday, deputy city manager John Livey had written that he was going to ask the mayor to call a state of emergency. 

"We are getting ready to ask the mayor to declare this an emergency largely because it will assist the staff at the province to make resources available to us, crews, generators, facilities for warming centres," he wrote in a letter dated Dec. 22, at 5:02 p.m. That was less than 24 hours after the storm caused a loss of electricity to a substantial number of Toronto Hydro customers.

Ford dismissed the recommendation, saying there was "no reason" to call the ice storm an emergency. Livey later seemed to change his mind, stating at a news conference that he was "concerned that the province would not give us the help we need unless we declare a state of emergency. But that turned out to not be the case."

City council voted in November to remove many of Ford's key powers, including his authority to lead the city if an emergency were to be called.

'Symbolic message'

Kelly said his feeling at the time was that it would have been the right decision to declare a state of emergency.

"I think in doing that there's a very powerful symbolic message that you're getting across to people, that you take this situation very, very seriously," Kelly said. "You're not only communicating that to your residents but you're communicating that to your potential allies."

The mayor had some support from council on the decision not to declare an emergency.

"I don't think declaring a state of emergency is going to make the electricity go on any quicker, or our furnaces turn on any faster," Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong, chair of the public works committee, said on Dec. 23.

Other councillors debated the decision.

Joe Mihevc, councillor for St. Paul's West, an area hit by power outages, called the decision not to declare an emergency "regrettable."

"We could have acted more quickly calling an emergency right off the bat," he said.

According to the City of Toronto emergency plan, there are three levels of emergency. The third and most severe level is declared in a situation that: 

• Poses a danger of major proportions to life and property. 
• Threatens social order and ability to govern.
• When a declaration of an emergency is made by another level of government. 

The plan defines an emergency as "a situation that constitutes a danger of major proportions that could result in serious harm to persons or substantial damage to property and that is caused by the forces of nature, a disease or other health risk, an accident or an act whether intentional or otherwise." 

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Trust fund set up to to help family of slain hockey mom Julie Paskall

A trust fund has been set up to assist the family of Julie Paskall, the Surrey woman who was slain outside a hockey rink in Newton on Dec. 29.

The funds will be used to support Paskall's family and cover additional expenses.

Haskall is survived by a son, 16, two adult daughters and her husband, Al Paskall.

Bill Hoadley, a family friend, says the family is deeply affected by the tragedy but wanted to express their thanks to the community for its support.

Paskall, 53, was found severely injured in the Newton Recreation Centre parking lot, the victim of a vicious assault while she was waiting to pick up her son after hockey. She died in hospital on Tuesday.

Surrey RCMP and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team continue their investigation, and anyone with information is asked to call the IHIT Tipline at 1-877-551-4448, by email at ihittipline@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

Tips can also be left anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or can be left on their website at www.Solvecrime.ca.

For more information on donations, contact Bill Hoadley (778) 987-0137 or Bill Tieleman, West Star Communications, cell 778-896-0964 or 604-844-7827. All Vancity Credit Union branches will accept donations marked for "Paskall Family Trust."

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Maritimers digging out after blizzard rocks region

Maritimers are digging out today from a blizzard that slammed much of the region Friday.

The hardest hit areas appear to be the southwestern edges of Nova Scotia and all along the Atlantic coastline.

Weather in the region is expected to get warmer, according to Environment Canada. A warming trend is set to begin Sunday, followed by rain, windy and mild conditions on Monday. However, the long-range forecast shows temperatures are expected to fall back below freezing on Tuesday — that could be trouble for road crews and drivers.

Wind chill warnings remain in effect for northern New Brunswick.

Friday's weather forced Halifax Metro Transit buses and non-emergency police vehicles off the roads. Bus service in the Halifax area resumed Saturday, with a few routes remaining in transit snow plans. 

There were reports of a few cars off the roads. The most notable was the shutdown of Highway 104 between Havre Boucher and Tracadie Friday night after two tractor trailers collided. One of the drivers received minor injuries.

The road remained closed Saturday morning, with traffic being rerouted onto the snow-covered Route 4. 

Many sidewalks were snow covered and difficult to navigate Saturday morning. (Cassie Williams/CBC)

The Nova Scotia communities of Shelburne and Yarmouth received more than 19 centimetres of snow, with much of the rest of the province receiving about 20 centimetres. The North Shore and northern Cape Breton received the least amount of snow — between five and 10 centimetres.

Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick also received between five and 10 centimetres of snow. 

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Aboriginal communities in cyberspace

Tehoniehtathe Delisle's thumbs flew furiously as he took on his rivals.

The 21-year-old Kanien'kehá:ka youth was deeply immersed in a computer game called Skahiòn:hati: Rise of the Kanien'kehá:ka Legends — a digital adventure that tells the story of a man who must fight a Stone Giant, Tree People and the Flying Head on his path to becoming a warrior.

Delisle isn't just good at the game. He helped invent it. He gained the skills to bring legends to life as a producer, writer, and junior research assistant of a video-game design workshop at Concordia University called Skins, which he first attended five years ago.

[MEDIA]The Skins program is an initiative of Montreal-based Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC)—a research network that aims to expand an indigenous presence online.

"Skins came to Survival, the high school I went to, and asked if we wanted to make video games," Delisle explained. "The goal was to make a video game that showcased our culture and got it out there."

The workshop series is aimed at giving youth gaming design skills — but it's also busting stereotypes.

The curriculum begins with the basics of traditional storytelling, then teaches participants how to tell a story through virtual environments and video games.  Students learn skills for video-game production such as game design, art direction, 3D modelling and animation, sound and computer programming.

Tehoniehtathe Delisle said creating the games gave him the opportunity to see his people represented in an accurate way. (Clark Ferguson )

To date, Skins has produced four different games over four workshops from 2008 to 2013, first hosted by Kahnawake Survival School (KSS) and then later by Concordia University. During the three-week intensive workshop, participants worked as a team, taking on game-industry roles to turn one of their stories into a playable video game.

Delisle said creating the games gave him the opportunity to see his people represented in an accurate way.

"The latest game is called Lenién:te and the Peacemaker's Wampum," he said. "It's about a female archeologist, who comes back to her town. She has to relearn her culture to get back to her community, and save them from people who are trying to steal the peacemaker's wampum."

'This kind of project is really to help the rest of the world understand us, so these games are extremely important'- Owisokon Lahache, Skins cultural adviser and teacher

That story came from a student's imagination and research. But Owisokon Lahache, a teacher, talented artist and highly regarded knowledge keeper, also provides stories to the youth. She has been a cultural adviser and teacher in the Skins workshops from Day 1.

"This kind of project is really to help the rest of the world understand us," Lahache explained, "so these games are extremely important."

Culture and identity through gaming

The idea of carving paths to culture, home and identity through gaming came from Kanien'keha:ka artist Skawennati Fragnito.

"For the first time, with this new medium— with the internet, with computation — we are able to get in on the ground floor of a new technology and represent ourselves," said Fragnito in a telephone interview.

"We wanted to see more native people being not just the consumers of, but the producers of the [cyber] space," Fragnito said. "We wanted to have youth doing what they like to do — playing video games, for one."

Owisokon Lahache, a teacher, talented artist and highly regarded knowledge keeper has been a cultural advisor in the Skins workshops from day one. (Clark Ferguson )

Owisokon Lahache incorporated the Skins workshop into her classroom as part of a once-a-week extracurricular program at the Kahnawake Survival School. In her class, she would talk about traditional stories. Then AbTeC staff would launch into the tech component. About 10 to 15 students took part, working to create their own game. For some, this also included participating in AbTeC's intensive weekend courses, also held at KSS.

Fragnito said the workshop encourages youth to not just be consumers of cyberspace, but producers of it. She said it's empowering to draw links between old stories and new mediums.

"It gives rise to valuable skills in technology, all centred around the gaming industry," she said.

Skins has the potential to reach hundreds of youth — some who play and some who make the game.

The challenges

Through the youth participants and workshops, AbTeC has also realized what works, and what doesn't. Accessibility was one challenge they experienced. For example, some kids had the internet at home and others did not. Some didn't even have computers. This made getting in contact with the participants and assigning them homework difficult. Thankfully, this changed over time as technology became more readily available.

The idea of carving paths to culture, home and identity through gaming came from Kanien'keha:ka artist Skawennati Fragnito. (Clark Ferguson)

Fragnito also said they found participants were only mildly interested in programming, and as the most time-consuming aspect of working in a game engine, they had to find more user-friendly technology.

But Fragnito said the biggest challenge of Skins has been teaching youth all they need to know in just a few weeks. They've tried many different formats: a weekly class with intensive weekends; A 14-day-straight intensive; two separated one-week intensives with a couple of months of biweekly afternoons of instruction; and the last one, a three-week intensive with weekends off.

Delisle said he couldn't really play the first game on his home computer because it wasn't powerful enough. He said it would download, but play very slowly, and hence the character's movement was very choppy.

He feels now, although the game doesn't look as realistic in the 2D version, scaling it down makes it more accessible for their target participants — indigenous youth.

The future for Delisle

Delisle has contributed to four games. 

As a screenwriter, creative director and producer, he's considered a leader among his peers. He is working to bust stereotypes and paint or program a real picture of what Mohawks look, sound and act like. And he's doing so through one of the most popular and widely accessible mediums on the planet.

According to Delisle, creating and being a part of this game has led him one step closer to his dream. He's now returning to college in hopes of becoming a filmmaker.

This story was produced in partnership with Journalists for Human Rights. It is part of a JHR series, called Leading Together, that profiles innovative experiments in Aboriginal youth empowerment.

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Worst of blizzard yet to come for Atlantic Canadians

It was a slow morning for commuters and travellers in Nova Scotia facing slick roads and bone-chilling temperatures, but Environment Canada warns the worst is yet to come.  

Most of Nova Scotia is under blizzard warnings, including the Annapolis Valley, up through the Atlantic coastline, past the South Shore, Halifax, Eastern Shore and southern Cape Breton. Another 10 to 20 centimetres of snow are expected across Nova Scotia on Friday, mixed with strong winds and causing whiteout conditions.

The rest of Nova Scotia, all of P.E.I. and portions of New Brunswick and Newfoundland are under warnings for blowing snow, which is expected to cause reduced visibility, including whiteout conditions, and slippery roads. Visibility is expected to be less than 400 metres.

Nasty weather continues to slam Atlantic Canada.

Windchill warnings have been issued for much of New Brunswick as well as Newfoundland. 

In terms of snowfall, Nova Scotia, Shelburne and Yarmouth are expected to receive 15 to 25 centimetres, with much of the rest of the province expecting 10 to 20 centimetres. The North Shore and northern Cape Breton will receive the least amount of snow, with between five and 10 centimetres expected.

P.E.I. and New Brunswick are also expected to receive between five and 10 centimetres of snow. 

Southeast Newfoundland is forecast to receive the most snow, between 30 to 40 centimetres. Snowfall will taper off toward the northwest.

"We've dealt with snowfall amounts like this already this year," said CBC meteorologist Kalin Mitchell, "but what we haven't dealt with is these types of snowfall amounts in this type of cold air and with the gusty winds that we're going to be seeing.

"It's going to be a very light, icy, fluffy snow blowing around quite a bit. That's why visibility is going to be a huge concern throughout the day on Friday. 

The Maritimes can expect the worst to hit between 2 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday before the weather system starts to move out toward Newfoundland and Labrador.

This unit will move 6,000 tonnes of snow an hour. (CBC)

The cold snap is expected to last Sunday night into Monday.

Halifax bus detours, winter parking ban continue 

Halifax's winter parking ban has been extended into Saturday, with street parking restrictions in place between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.

Also in Halifax on Friday, many Metro Transit bus routes are being detoured as blowing snow is making hills impossible to navigate. 

Commuters intending to take a bus or ferry today are asked to check the status of their routes on Metro Transit's website — also good advice for commuters across the rest of Atlantic Canada.

Rolling blackouts 

With the bulk of the snow expected in Friday's storm yet to fall, most flights along the eastern seaboard are delayed or cancelled.

Police in many areas are warning drivers to prepare for hazardous driving conditions and are reminding drivers it's an offence to drive with windows obscured by ice and snow.

Classes haven't resumed yet, but a handful of universities have closed their campuses. For a list of cancellations, click here.

Heavy snowfall amounts and very high wind gusts expected to cause problems for much of central and southeastern Newfoundland Friday into Saturday. (CBC)

There are no reported power outages in Nova Scotia, but there have been rolling blackouts in parts of P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Maritime Electric initiated an emergency power outage on the Island Thursday, cutting  power to some business customers in order to prevent a blackout.

The grids shut down when they reached peak loads. Newfoundland Power has asked its customers to conserve energy by lowering thermostats and not turning on Christmas lights.

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Your questions answered by The National's At Issue panel

Video

CBC News Posted: Jan 03, 2014 10:33 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 03, 2014 10:33 AM ET

Andrew Coyne, Chantal Hébert and Bruce Anderson take on your questions about the political year gone by on a special year-end At Issue panel with Peter Mansbridge.

Watch the episode in the player above.

Stay Connected with CBC News

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The House

• Political Review of 2013 Dec. 28, 2013 6:30 AM This week, The House looks back at the political events that shaped 2013 with Radio-Canada Ottawa bureau chief Emmanuelle Latraverse, National Post and iPolitics columnist Tasha Khereiddin and CBC senior political correspondent Terry Milewski.

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Musician's bamboo flutes destroyed at U.S. customs

A Canadian flutist has been left baffled and distraught after U.S. customs agents decided to destroy his traditional, handcrafted Middle Eastern bamboo flutes.

"I am still waiting for that answer," Boujemaa Razgui told CBC Radio's As It Happens, when asked why he thought U.S. Customs and Border Protection would destroy his instruments.

Razgui was flying from Madrid through New York's JFK airport to Boston. It was at JFK airport that officials found his flutes, and after classifying them as agricultural products, destroyed the flutes "in accordance with established protocols to prevent the introduction of plant pathogens into the United States," the border agency told As It Happens in a statement.

Razgui found out his instruments were missing when his instrument case didn't arrive at his home in Brockton, Mass. He rushed to Boston airport to find his flutes, and was given a phone number for the "department of destroying things," as he described the border agency. He phoned the agency and learned that his flutes were gone for good.

"They don't tell me anything — they just act," Razgui complained.

Razgui insists that his flutes are no different from any other plant-based instrument. "Like guitars, they are all from plants—from trees and stuff," said Razgui. "They are dry."

But the border agency told As It Happens that it "discovered fresh green bamboo canes approximately three to four feet long" in unclaimed baggage that belonged to Razgui. Fresh bamboo is prohibited from entering the U.S., the agency said.

Since the purported "fresh bamboo" and Razgui's instruments were in the same container, he lost his entire collection of 13 flutes—and with them, his livelihood.

"They were my life," Razgui said. 

Finding the right bamboo for his flutes is not easy, as the variety he needs is not available in the Americas, said Razgui. His flutes were made from bamboo sourced from Morocco.

Razgui said he must also ensure that the stems are at least two years old so that they have the right knots and thickness for a proper flute.

Once he has the material, Razgui crafts the instruments himself, heating and cooling them alternately to tune them. "You have to tune it one time for life," he explained.

Razgui has played the flute for over 40 years and performed at concerts all over the world, including Toronto and Montreal. He insists that he just wants to play his flutes in the time he has left.

"I must have my flutes," said Razgui. 

"Maybe tomorrow I'll be dead—but I need to play some flutes in peace."

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Pot-smoking Mountie's lawyer questions motive of assessment

Cpl. Ron Francis, who was ordered to undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment, is due to return to court Monday on a charge of assaulting a police officer. (CBC)

A lawyer representing a New Brunswick Mountie who made national headlines in November for publicly smoking medical marijuana while in uniform is questioning the RCMP's motives for seeking a psychiatric assessment of his client.

T.J. Burke wonders whether the RCMP were trying to stop Cpl. Ron Francis from taking his case to the media again.

Francis, who has a prescription for medical-grade marijuana to help him cope with his work-induced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), had publicly argued he should be able to smoke the drug in uniform.

The 21-year veteran of the RCMP, who was subsequently put on medical leave, was then arrested in Fredericton on Dec. 6 after a confrontation with fellow Mounties and city police officers.

The RCMP had a Form 1 document, signed by a police doctor, that allowed Francis to be detained temporarily under the Mental Health Act.

Francis was charged the following day with assaulting a police officer and a provincial court judge agreed with the prosecution's request to send him for a 30-day assessment at the Restigouche Hospital Center in Campbellton to determine if he's fit to stand trial.

"Was it a legitimate document? Was it a valid document?" asked Burke.

"Was it a document that was just created by the RCMP to see Mr. Francis sent away for 30 days so he would stop speaking about his issue with regards to medicinal marijuana to the press?"

The head of prosecutions in the attorney general's office has declined to comment on the case.

Burke had objected to the form, saying key information was missing, while Francis disagreed with the assessment.

"He does not believe the Form 1 was valid and that the arrest that took place with respect to assaulting a police office was not justified," Burke said.

Francis is scheduled to return to court on Monday.

While it's his medical marijuana use that's getting attention, Burke contends the real issue is his client's PTSD.

"And I think once people get a better appreciation for that, they'll understand what is happening with Cpl. Ron Francis," he said

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20-vehicle pileup blocks Gardiner westbound at Dufferin

Paramedics called to scene as westbound traffic is backed up to Don Valley Parkway

CBC News Posted: Jan 03, 2014 8:47 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 03, 2014 9:42 AM ET

A crash involving more than 20 vehicles has blocked Toronto's westbound Gardiner Expressway west of Strachan Avenue approaching Dufferin.

The crash just after 8:30 a.m. ET Friday has stalled westbound traffic on the Gardiner. Vehicles are backed up all the way to the Don Valley Parkway.

Eastbound traffic is crawling through the area as drivers slow down to take a look.

Toronto paramedics received calls to take two people to hospital with minor injuries, but their ambulance was having trouble reaching the scene.

More to come

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