Â鶹´«Ã½

Politics

    • Military police under investigation over handling of sexual assault case

    Share
    OTTAWA -

    The Military Police Complaints Commission is investigating the way officers handled allegations of sexual assault against a soldier who took his own life, the commission announced Thursday.

    Military police charged Maj. Cristian Hiestand, a flight instructor in a Royal Canadian Air Force flight training squadron, with two counts of sexual assault in November 2021.

    The complainant came forward shortly after the pair had broken up, and alleged that Hiestand had sexually assaulted her twice during their relationship.

    Hiestand died by suicide two months later, and his parents and sister filed separate complaints with the military police, saying they "rushed to judgment" and didn't take a statement from the accused before laying charges.

    A military police officer has also filed a complaint alleging the investigating officers didn't record the woman's interview even though they could have, and that an off-duty sergeant tried to help with the investigation while intoxicated.

    The commission denied the initial request for a public interest investigation in 2022, the interim chairperson Bonita Thornton said in her written decision Thursday. She considered the regular conduct complaint process would be adequate in this case.

    Since then, the case has received media attention and two more complaints have been made.

    "Due to these new circumstances, I have decided to revisit the issue of public interest with respect to the original complaint and the other two related complaints," Thornton said in her written decision to launch an investigation.

    The commission decided to launch a public interest investigation last November, but because the case is also the subject of an internal review, it delayed a public announcement of the probe until Thursday.

    The alleged victim reported Hiestand to the local military police detachment and gave an initial statement two days after their relationship ended on Nov. 25, 2021.

    The case was referred to the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, and Hiestand was arrested five days later. He was charged with two counts of sexual assault.

    Hiestand's parents and sisters allege the investigation by the military police was inadequate, and that the service failed to take his statement before he was charged. The investigation service also failed to accept text messages between Hiestand and the alleged victim that could have proved the allegations false, the complainants claim.

    The commission also received a complaint from Muhsin Warsame, an officer who served at the local military police detachment at the time and claims to have been present when the alleged victim reported the assaults.

    He made several allegations about how the case was mishandled, including that a sergeant tried to assisted with the investigation while off-duty and intoxicated.

    Warsame told the commission the warrant officer who interviewed the alleged victim didn't record it, even though the equipment was available to do so, and that the officer complained with frustration about the victim's choice to come to the military police instead of the local civilian police.

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2023.

    Correction

    This is a corrected story. A previous version stated that the alleged sexual assaults occurred after Maj. Cristian Hiestand and the complainant had ended a relationship. A previous version also misspelled Hiestand's surname.

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

    A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    opinion

    opinion How to make the most out of your TFSA

    The Tax-Free Savings Account can be a powerful savings tool and investment vehicle. Financial contributor Christopher Liew explains how they work and how to take full advantage of them so you can reach your financial goals faster.

    Alberta's premier spoke to calls for an outside, independent investigation into the death of Jon Wells during an incident involving Calgary police last week.

    An Ottawa driver has been charged with stunt driving after being caught going 154 km/h on Highway 417, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

    A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

    Canada

    • Alberta's premier spoke to calls for an outside, independent investigation into the death of Jon Wells during an incident involving Calgary police last week.

    • The union representing longshore workers at the Port of Montreal says work at two terminals could come to a standstill next week as the union served a 72-hour strike notice today.

    • A child was sent to hospital after being attacked by a coyote in northwest Calgary.

    • Toronto police are urging anyone with information, including video footage, to contact them after a man was fatally stabbed in north Scarborough on Saturday evening.

    • An Ottawa driver has been charged with stunt driving after being caught going 154 km/h on Highway 417, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

    • For decades, Melven Jones couldn’t talk about what happened to him as a child. He didn’t even remember it.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    • When the key to a win is work ethic, it is not surprising to see Mattias Ekholm rise to the occasion. Ekholm had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers snapped a three-game skid with a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.

    • The Toronto Raptors have confirmed that Vince Carter's No. 15 will be the first number to be retired by the NBA franchise.

    Autos

    • A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

    • A U.S. driver somehow squeezed her vehicle through a parkade hallway at a Metro Vancouver casino Thursday, before getting stuck at an elevator bank.

    Local Spotlight

    A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

    When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.

    A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

    Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.

    Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.

    A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.

    An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

    Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.

    An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.

    • A man was found dead in a home in the Ditidaht First Nation on Vancouver Island Saturday morning, prompting local council to ask residents to shelter in place.

    • For decades, Melven Jones couldn’t talk about what happened to him as a child. He didn’t even remember it.

    • A Vancouver man has paid $337,500 to the B.C. Securities Commission as part of an insider trading settlement, the financial regulator announced Friday.

    • One person was injured in a stabbing at Moss Park early Sunday morning, Toronto police say.

    • Toronto police are urging anyone with information, including video footage, to contact them after a man was fatally stabbed in north Scarborough on Saturday evening.

    • A child was sent to hospital after being attacked by a coyote in northwest Calgary.

    • Adam Klapka continues to make an impression, and leave an impression, as the 6-foot-8 Czech pushes to make the Calgary Flames opening-night roster. Klapka scored his third goal in three games and delivered two thundering bodychecks to lead the Flames to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in NHL pre-season action on Saturday.

    • Alberta's premier spoke to calls for an outside, independent investigation into the death of Jon Wells during an incident involving Calgary police last week.

    • An Ottawa driver has been charged with stunt driving after being caught going 154 km/h on Highway 417, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

    • The federal holiday on Sept. 30 will bring some schedule changes in Ottawa as Canada marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

    • A garden showcasing Indigenous knowledge, and medical practices will be unveiled Monday on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).

    • Provincial police (SQ) say that a head-on crash on Highway 30 in Candiac has left one driver dead, and another person was transported to hospital in critical condition.

    • World Wrestling Entertainment Hall-of-Famer Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon is the inspiration for a local wrestling production company that will bear his name host events on Montreal's West Island to raise money and create memories for sick children.

    • A commemorative rally marking the fourth anniversary of Joyce Echaquan’s death will take place in Ville-Marie on Saturday afternoon.

    • A man has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of 25-year-old Wyatt Omeasoo in 2023.

    • When the key to a win is work ethic, it is not surprising to see Mattias Ekholm rise to the occasion. Ekholm had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers snapped a three-game skid with a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.

    • A person is in hospital after a hit-and-run crash involving a stolen motorcycle in Grande Prairie early Saturday morning.

    • Team U.S.A. is the winner of the Pan American Black Bass Championship, which attracted some of the world’s best anglers to Nackawic and Fredericton this past week.

    • Communities that suffered total losses in Hammonds Plains, N.S., and Upper Tantallon, N.S., in the 2023 wildfire received a donation of trees from Northern Pulp on Saturday.

    • As the temperatures begin to drop and the leaves change colour, the time for fall suppers has returned in Manitoba.

    • Hundreds gathered in Winnipeg’s Memorial Park Saturday afternoon in a solemn ceremony honouring the lives of fallen firefighters.

    • A beloved annual celebration of arts and culture returns to city streets Saturday night.

    • The Town of Lumsden held their ninth annual Scarecrow festival Saturday.

    • The Saskatchewan Roughriders moved into second place in the CFL's West Division with a 29-16 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday.

    • Minister of Health Everett Hindley wrote to healthcare provider unions on Friday inviting them to join a nursing task force, something the government previously said no to.

    • People in Guelph may notice a new addition at the entrance to Franchetto Park in Guelph.

    • A young motorcyclist has been taken to an out-of-region hospital after a single vehicle crash in Woolwich Township.

    • On Saturday evening just before 8:00 p.m., emergency responders were on the scene of a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of 17th Line and 19th Line.

    • Saskatchewan RCMP says the man who sustained injuries from a serious assault earlier this month has died in hospital.

    • The Saskatchewan Roughriders moved into second place in the CFL's West Division with a 29-16 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday.

    • Minister of Health Everett Hindley wrote to healthcare provider unions on Friday inviting them to join a nursing task force, something the government previously said no to.

    • A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

    • The CEO of the Ottawa Mission is responding to controversial comments made this week by Premier Doug Ford about those living in homeless encampments that received swift blowback from advocates.

    • Fire crews were on the scene of a vehicle fire this morning at Adelaide and King Streets.

    • On Saturday evening just before 8:00 p.m., emergency responders were on the scene of a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of 17th Line and 19th Line.

    • The fourth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada is on Monday, Sept. 30.

    • Members of the Southern Georgian Bay OPP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) are sounding the alarm on a rising number of online and phone scams targeting residents.

    • Several heavily armed officers descended on a home in the southeast area of Barrie Thursday afternoon after reports of a man armed with a crossbow.

    • A bizarre discovery was made on a dirt road in Clearview Township.

    • Two suspects have been arrested by Windsor Police in connection with an incident involving sexual assault and forcible confinement.

    • The Town of Kingsville has prepared a draft short-term rental (STR) bylaw which would regulate and license the operation of vacation rentals in the community.

    • A man was found dead in a home in the Ditidaht First Nation on Vancouver Island Saturday morning, prompting local council to ask residents to shelter in place.

    • For decades, Melven Jones couldn’t talk about what happened to him as a child. He didn’t even remember it.

    • Almost 200 pages of research on the B.C. Conservative Party, which sources within BC United confirm were compiled by their party before it dropped out of the British Columbia election campaign to support its former rival, have come back to haunt the new alliance.

    • Fire crews in Vernon, B.C., responded to a large house fire early Saturday morning.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed.

    • A 10-year-old boy from Lethbridge is being praised as a hero after a routine summer outing at the pool nearly turned tragic for his friend.

    • A man and woman have been charged after a Lethbridge ice creamery was broken into earlier this week. Staff arrived at Cookie Crimes, in the 300 block of Sixth Street South, just before 5:30 a.m. on Monday to discover the front window broken.

    • Sault residents may notice some commotion on the Algoma University campus over the next two weeks as a team conducts an archaeological search.

    • The Pride crosswalk in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has been hit by vandalism for the second time in less than three months.

    • Despite a lead at mid-game in front of a near-capacity home crowd, the Sudbury Wolves dropped their first game of their OHL regular season to Barrie, 3-1.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow Â鶹´«Ã½