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Man riding e-bike attacked by grizzly bear in B.C., suffers 'significant' injuries

Man riding e-bike attacked by grizzly bear in B.C., suffers 'significant' injuries

National Post2 days ago
A man has suffered 'significant' injuries after a grizzly bear attack in the British Columbia Interior.
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The province's Conservation Officer Service says in a post on Facebook that the attack happened at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday along the Kootenay River near West Creston, B.C.
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The post says a couple were e-biking along the river when the woman heard her husband scream, then saw a bear running toward her.
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The service says the woman used bear spray on the animal to deter it, then saw a second one attacking her husband.
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The woman then used the bear spray again, and both bears ran off as a result.
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The man was taken to hospital in Cranbrook, B.C., via ambulance and underwent surgery for unspecified injuries.
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The service says three major trails in the area have been closed while officers scoured the vicinity and set traps, but no bears were spotted or captured.
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Suit claims assault by Knowles Centre therapist in '80s
Suit claims assault by Knowles Centre therapist in '80s

Winnipeg Free Press

time10 minutes ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Suit claims assault by Knowles Centre therapist in '80s

A WOMAN is suing the Knowles Centre and the River East Transcona School Division for alleged sexual abuse by a therapist at the centre when she was a teen more than 40 years ago. In a statement of claim filed in Manitoba Court of King's Bench, the woman claims the abuse occurred when she was about 14 to 16 years of age, around 1982 to 1984. She claims the centre and the school division granted the therapist 'a position of power and authority,' which was used to turn him into 'a trusted authority figure to the plaintiff's family, and the plaintiff, who was young, vulnerable and in need of guidance.' The woman claims she was taken to the therapist's residence where the alleged assault took place. She claims the abuse 'continued on a repeated basis, increasing in frequency, nature and intensity as time progressed' and she was made to feel 'it was unsafe to report the wrongdoings.' The woman claims the defendants were negligent for failing to properly supervise the therapist, for not investigating his background and character, and for not protecting her. She says she suffered many damages including physical pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, psychological injuries, addiction, sexual dysfunction, nightmares and night terrors, and difficulty in establishing intimate relationships. The woman said she also dropped out of school. The woman says she has had to undergo medical and psychological treatment throughout the years and will need to continue them for the rest of her life. She says she is seeking unspecified general, special, punitive and aggravated damages. Both the woman and her British Columbia-based lawyer could not be reached for comment. A spokesperson for the school division said they can't comment because the matter is before the courts, while a spokesperson for the Knowles Centre could not be reached for comment. No statements of defence have been filed and the matter has not been adjudicated in court. Kevin RollasonReporter Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press's city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin. Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.

Katrina Chen's kids' book tells of gender-based violence. It's a story she knows well
Katrina Chen's kids' book tells of gender-based violence. It's a story she knows well

CTV News

time2 hours ago

  • CTV News

Katrina Chen's kids' book tells of gender-based violence. It's a story she knows well

Former British Columbia MLA Katrina Chen poses for a photograph, in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, July 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck BURNABY — Former British Columbia legislator Katrina Chen sits on a couch in her Burnaby home, reading aloud from the children's book she's co-written. ''Maybe,' Mommy tells me, 'It's time for a stronger house. We leave everything behind. And we go.'' The mother and son in the story, 'A Stronger Home,' co-written with Elaine Su, turn their backs on a scene of domestic turmoil: a broken vase, furniture overturned, sofa cushions in disarray. 'I wrote this book as a survivor of gender-based violence with personal experiences about how violence has touched and impacted my whole life,' said Chen, B.C.'s former minister of state for child care. 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She and other advocates want changes to the legal and social justice systems to prevent it from continuing. 'Gender-based violence is a form of violence that's the most pervasive and most persistent,' said Chen. 'It's the longest human rights violation throughout human history.' Chen, who represented the riding of Burnaby-Lougheed until last year, was best known in B.C. as an advocate for the NDP government's $10-a-day childcare program, as well as co-chairing Premier David Eby's campaign to lead the party. But in 2022, Chen announced she was taking herself out of contention for a new ministerial position, revealing she wanted 'time and space to heal' from the trauma of gender-based violence. 'I have long-term trauma that has yet to be fully unpacked,' she said at the time. Chen said in a recent interview that she was a victim of gender-based violence during her childhood, but she never talked about the trauma until she was hurt again in her late 30s. 'I started realizing that the impact of violence can really impact a whole person's career, your life choices,' said Chen. She said it was important to break the cycle of violence from generation to generation. But opening up isn't easy — revealing emotional scars came with misunderstanding, judgment, and stigma, said Chen. 'I was very little when I was first touched by gender-based violence, and as I was growing up and realizing what was happening to me, I questioned myself, I judged myself,' said Chen. 'A safer way to live' It's a feeling that Sarah Sherman has struggled with, too. In 2004, her husband, Jeff Bethell, attacked her in her Nanaimo, B.C., home, tied her up, and tried to kill her. She freed herself and alerted police, but when Bethell saw a police car, he crashed his own vehicle, killing himself and a four-year-old boy in a car he struck. Sherman said she lived with 'shame and guilt for many years,' relocating to New Brunswick to escape the past and be 'invisible' again. 'Some people were critically injured. They lost their child. How do I ever make up for that?' said a tearful Sherman, 'I can't, I can't, and that is the most heartbreaking part.' Sherman is the founder of charity We're Here for You, which provides comfort kits to survivors of intimate partner violence. She believes sharing can empower other victims. 'When we share truthfully and authentically, we give other people hope, possibly inspire them to find a better way or a safer way to live.' On the legal front, there has been some progress. Last year, B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma appointed lawyer Kim Stanton to conduct an independent review of the B.C. legal system's treatment of intimate partner violence and sexual violence. Stanton said she found numerous barriers to action and made nine recommendations to help survivors, including an increased focus on prevention, reform in the courts, and legal aid funding for family law services. Chen called it a good start. She also said the reform process could not involve a better person than Sharma, who supported her personally while she was struggling with violence. 'But we need actions,' said Chen. She would like to see all the proposals in Stanton's report enacted, she said. Sharma said 'the work is underway,' and a team within ministries, including hers, was looking at how to implement the recommendations. 'I've seen that there are gaps in the justice system that we need to change,' she said. Sharma said she pressed for changes to the Criminal Code to improve risk assessments when she attended last month's first minister's meeting in place of Eby, who was overseas. 'In particular, what I'm asking to see changed is changing it so after the person's convicted, the bail conditions are looked at so they are held based on the risk that they pose, instead of them being released until sentencing,' said Sharma, adding that this period is usually 'the riskiest time' for the victim. The killing of McCourt in Kelowna had occurred a few hours after Plover was convicted of a separate assault; there was no discussion of keeping him in custody, a recording of the hearing revealed. Eby said last week that he had delivered a letter from McCourt's family to Prime Minister Mark Carney, who had committed to bail reform 'on multiple occasions.' Sharma said she plans to meet with Justice Minister Sean Fraser soon to continue such conversations. 'I think that anybody who has known somebody who's been the victim of intimate partner violence, or anybody who's been a victim themselves, understands that the system doesn't take the crime as seriously as it should,' said Sharma. 'And that makes me angry.' Chen, who is now president of An Xin Community Savings Credit Union in Richmond, said her recovery journey isn't easy, but she is grateful for community support. 'It took me a while to understand how important it is to find my own sense of self and reflect on what I truly want in life — rather than simply reacting to what has happened to me, like constantly feel angry, hurt or sad.' she said. 'With the support of family, friends, counselling and coaching — and knowing I am not alone — I began to focus on my own well-being.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025. Nono Shen, The Canadian Press

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