Letters: 'Elbows up' sends wrong message
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Citizens are not opponents to be boxed out or intimidated. This kind of posturing replaces dialogue with division, and trust with fear.
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Our UCP government claims to want to make our communities safe but takes away speed limit enforcement tools from our policing services, turning what should be safe highways into unsafe and dangerous roadways.
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David Field, Calgary
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Kudos to Stampede parade
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Don Braid said it all, in his beautifully articulated column.
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Congratulations to the Stampede Parade planners . . . what an amazing, creative entry of floats. They certainly covered our diversity as a city and country — inclusiveness, patriotism. Thank you.
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Yes we have a history with American people, we have upheld our part in a loyal, welcoming, accepting friendship, because this is who we are as Canadians.
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Violet Lazorko, Calgary
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What's really behind Carney's winks?
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On June 30, Prime Minister Mark Carney said — not for the first time — that Canada is 'the most European of non-European countries.' He also said it in May, in France, and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said it in an interview with the BBC. It's obviously a deliberate talking point.
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What's weird about it is that Carney and Joly offer no explanation. Is he currying favour on his European tours?
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Next came the article on Carney's winking from Joseph Brean, who said, 'Winking is a high-wire act. If it goes badly, it could go very badly.'
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I feel Carney is guilty of tomfoolery. He should give an account of his former work with U.K., Royals, Brookfield holdings, and stop acting like he has something up his sleeve with his winking.
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John Bates, Calgary
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We need more bike lanes, not fewer
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Perhaps the discussion to shut down bike lanes is birthed in an attempt to gain votes without any future foresight. I'd love to ride my pedal bike in bike lines all over the place.
But what's truly interesting is the growth in e-bikes. People who ride these are growing in number every day. If we have bike lanes, we have a safe place for them, too.
Let's find a way to get more people on bikes instead of shutting down bike lanes.
Art Vesterdal, Calgary
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Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
King Charles says he 'misses Canada' in meeting with Canadian mounted troop at Windsor Castle
Members of the Canadian military's only ceremonial mounted troop got to meet and chat with the King Monday at Windsor Castle. The 26 soldiers from Lord Strathcona's Horse, a Canadian Forces tank regiment based in Edmonton, are in England to fill the role of the King's Life Guard at Buckingham Palace until July 21. King Charles III hosted them Monday at Windsor Castle. 'His Royal Highness invited the mounted troop over for a brief meeting,' Capt. Tom Lauterbacher, the Strathcona Mounted Troop leader, said Monday. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'He made sure that the soldiers were enjoying their accommodations' at Hyde Park Barracks and King's Guard Barracks, and asked 'how we were liking the horses,' Lauterbacher said. The Canadians are riding horses that belong to the U.K.'s Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. 'He knows that it's a big change between the horses that the Household Cavalry have and our quarter horses that we have in Canada,' Lauterbacher said. 'They're a lot larger than the horses that we have.' King Charles was interested in how the soldiers came to be in the mounted troop and whether or not they wanted to stay in the army, said the captain. 'He was very personable. He asked a lot of very in-depth questions to get to know the soldiers on more of a personal level.' Lauterbacher escorted the King while he chatted with the Canadians. 'He talked about how much he missed Canada; how beautiful he thinks it is,' Lauterbacher said. 'He wishes he could be able to get out more, but the trip is fairly long — h e made the joke.' They sipped sparkling water and orange juice at the reception. 'The soldiers had a little bit of time to talk and share a laugh with His Royal Highness and then we had to be back on our way to get back to the (guard) duties,' Lauterbacher said. They are guarding Horse Guards in St. James Park, the original entrance to Buckingham Palace. The invitation to take on the ceremonial role is a rarity; this is only the third time the job has been done by soldiers from outside the United Kingdom. The invite, which marks the regiment's 125th anniversary, came from the King himself, who is the Strathcona's colonel-in-chief. From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day, two Canadians at a time, wearing dragoon helmets and their regimental colours of scarlet red and myrtle green, do one-hour shifts in guard boxes flanking the palace entrance. At 4 p.m., there's 'an inspection which dates all the way back to Queen Victoria when she found some of her soldiers who were intoxicated on the job, so she gave them a hundred years of defaulters,' Lauterbacher said. The hundred years is long past, but the ceremonial inspection still draws large crowds. The Canadians carry lances while on parade and sabers in the guard boxes. 'Our soldiers do engage if they have to tell a person to, 'Please don't touch the tack of the animal,' or 'Please don't enter the box,'' Lauterbacher said. 'It's a safety thing that they're allowed to engage.' People who have come to snag photos of the Canadians 'have been absolutely fantastic and super respectful,' he said. One horse 'stumbled a little' during the ceremonies, but its 'fantastic rider' was able to hold the animal steady so it wouldn't cause issues with the crowds, Lauterbacher said. 'It's been a great time so far. The mounted troop has been practicing and getting ready for this for the last few months,' he said. 'And now we're finally getting the opportunity to do it, the soldiers are ecstatic.' The crowds are immense. 'The soldiers perform in front of thousands of people, but it's nothing compared to the amount of people that come by (Horse) Guards. The photos, the people that want to come up and talk to everybody. How proud we are to be in front of the world and have everybody here cheering us on. It's a dream come true for a lot of the soldiers … to be here and to do the job. It's very busy, but it's very rewarding.' In addition to guarding the palace, the Canadian troop goes on morning rides, called Watering Order, through Hyde Park. 'When they're doing that they can say hello to people and a lot of people are really interested to come up and talk to the Canadians,' Lauterbacher said. 'So, it's been a great time.' Lord Strathcona's Horse stood up its mounted troop in 1974 after the original mounted troop stood down in 1939 to man tanks during the Second World War. 'We're the only mounted regiment in Canada when it comes to the Canadian Armed Forces,' Lauterbacher said. The soldiers also have to maintain their operational skills should they be deployed in tanks. 'They have to train just like any other soldier, while also on the side learning how to ride horses,' Lauterbacher said. The King donned a Canadian naval uniform earlier this year, which some interpreted as his subtle support for this country as U.S. President Donald Trump mused about making Canada the 51st state. 'I can't speculate on what the King's intent is, but I know that he was very happy to have us and host us here and ask the mounted troop to come see him at Windsor Castle,' Lauterbacher said. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Calgary Herald
3 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Edmonton police chief backs province's call to label Bishnoi Gang 'terrorist'
Interim Edmonton Police Chief Devin Laforce said the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) appreciates the province's call for the federal government to designate the India-based Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist organization in Canada. Article content 'Edmonton is not immune to the impacts of transnational crime. We agree with the Government of Alberta that this designation will provide the EPS and its law enforcement partners with enhanced powers and investigative tools that will help us continue to dismantle organized crime groups and criminal activity on our streets,' Laforce said in a statement to Postmedia on Monday. Article content Article content Article content The alleged extortion ring operating in Edmonton, B.C. and around the country is a terrorist organization, Premier Danielle Smith and Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said Monday, calling on Ottawa to call the 'global and violent' group a terrorist organization. Article content The leader of the northern India-based gang has been imprisoned in India for 11 years, but is still suspected of pulling the strings on a transnational criminal network responsible for violence, extortion, drug trafficking and targeted killings, including in Canada, the government statement said. Article content Alberta Justice stands with B.C. Premier David Eby and other officials across Canada in calling for immediate federal action, the statement said, calling on the federal government to use every tool available to dismantle the network and keep Canadians safe, adding that gang activity knows no boundaries and respects no borders, and Alberta wants to send a clear message that it's not welcome here. Article content Article content 'Formally designating the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity will unlock critical powers, allowing provincial and municipal-level law enforcement agencies to access the necessary tools and resources needed to effectively disrupt operations and protect our people,' Smith said, adding that South Asian communities in Alberta have been disproportionately targeted and affected by the gang. Article content Article content Links to Bishnoi are suspected in the case of the June 18, 2023, murder of Surrey, B.C., Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Article content Nijjar was shot and killed in his pickup truck as he left the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., touching off a wave of protests and rallies from local communities against diplomats from India. Article content He was the president at the gurdwara where he was killed. Nijjar also campaigned for a separate Sikh homeland in India — also known as Khalistan — and organized unofficial referendums around the world about Punjabi independence.
Edmonton Journal
3 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton police chief backs province's call to label Bishnoi Gang 'terrorist'
Interim Edmonton Police Chief Devin Laforce said the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) appreciates the province's call for the federal government to designate the India-based Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist organization in Canada. Article content 'Edmonton is not immune to the impacts of transnational crime. We agree with the Government of Alberta that this designation will provide the EPS and its law enforcement partners with enhanced powers and investigative tools that will help us continue to dismantle organized crime groups and criminal activity on our streets,' Laforce said in a statement to Postmedia on Monday. Article content Article content Article content The alleged extortion ring operating in Edmonton, B.C. and around the country is a terrorist organization, Premier Danielle Smith and Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said Monday, calling on Ottawa to call the 'global and violent' group a terrorist organization. Article content Article content The leader of the northern India-based gang has been imprisoned in India for 11 years, but is still suspected of pulling the strings on a transnational criminal network responsible for violence, extortion, drug trafficking and targeted killings, including in Canada, the government statement said. Article content 'Its reach is global, and its intent is criminal and violent,' said the joint statement. Article content Alberta Justice stands with B.C. Premier David Eby and other officials across Canada in calling for immediate federal action, the statement said, calling on the federal government to use every tool available to dismantle the network and keep Canadians safe, adding that gang activity knows no boundaries and respects no borders, and Alberta wants to send a clear message that it's not welcome here. Article content Article content 'Formally designating the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity will unlock critical powers, allowing provincial and municipal-level law enforcement agencies to access the necessary tools and resources needed to effectively disrupt operations and protect our people,' Smith said, adding that South Asian communities in Alberta have been disproportionately targeted and affected by the gang. Article content Links to Bishnoi are suspected in the case of the June 18, 2023, murder of Surrey, B.C., Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Article content Nijjar was shot and killed in his pickup truck as he left the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., touching off a wave of protests and rallies from local communities against diplomats from India. Article content He was the president at the gurdwara where he was killed. Nijjar also campaigned for a separate Sikh homeland in India — also known as Khalistan — and organized unofficial referendums around the world about Punjabi independence.
