Latest news with #MountRoyalUniversity
Global News
16 hours ago
- Global News
‘Pathological liar': Edmonton justice declares romance scammer a dangerous offender
A serial romance scammer was declared a dangerous offender in an Edmonton courtroom Friday. The Alberta man defrauded victims of nearly $200,000. The justice believes he won't change his behaviour, which is part of her reason for handing him a prison sentence with no end date. Fifty-five-year-old Jeffrey Paul Kent has more than a dozen charges of fraud that span over 35 years in both British Columbia and Alberta, but the decision to declare him a dangerous offender comes from his romance scams. Justice Melanie Hayes-Richard told the court Friday that Kent destroyed the lives and finances of his victims and left them with severe psychological harm. 'He is a serial fraudster. Convincing women of lies and false promises to gain access to their financials. Mr. Kent is an accomplished liar and master manipulator,' said Hayes-Richard in her decision. Story continues below advertisement Kent met five of his victims through an online dating website. He would create false personas to date the women, and would then tell them he had a variety of different jobs. Hayes-Richard said he would use 'love-bombing tactics.' Kent would then ask them for money. He would ask the victims for money for business opportunities, then failed to pay back the money, and sometimes said that he had brain cancer or seizure disorders. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The court heard that most times, he would spend the money gambling at the casino or on horse races. Kent defrauded the women of more than $170,000. 'Using lie upon lie, he inserted himself into his victims' lives, promising a bright and secure future. Instead, he wreaked havoc,' said Hayes-Richard. 2:26 Calgary woman loses $800k in romance scam In declaring him a dangerous offender, the justice said nothing has succeeded in getting Kent to change his behaviour and that she has no doubt he would go back to romance scams. She also says he poses a threat to the well-being of others. Story continues below advertisement 'He is utterly indifferent to the effect of his criminal behaviour on his victims and, in some cases, their children. He has been treated for and intellectually understands his criminal behaviour. He is at high risk of reoffending by committing a serious personal injury offence,' Hayes-Richard said. 'There is no other alternative raised by the evidence that could adequately protect the public against the commission by Mr Kent of a serious personal injury offence other than an indeterminate sentence.' Mount Royal University criminal justice professor Doug King says dangerous offender designations in Canada are rare. 'It's quite a hurdle for the courts to meet. This obviously is a very serious offender that the court has decided, nope, you're going to go away for a long period of time,' King said. Kent has been in custody since Sept. 24, 2018. He will be eligible for his first parole hearing on that day this September. King says the chance that a dangerous offender is released is rare. 'Although they are eligible for parole, the presumption is they're not going to get it, unless they have shown significant assessed improvement and the likelihood of them reoffending again is zero,' King said. 'To give context, a person who's convicted of first-degree murder in Canada is eligible for a parole at 25 years; most get out if they apply for it. Most dangerous offenders don't get out. We're talking about a very different type of offender within the context of the criminal justice system in Canada.' Story continues below advertisement The justice also ordered Kent to make restitution to the women he defrauded.
CTV News
5 days ago
- CTV News
Woman accused of sex crimes involving teens enters into peace bond on some charges
Three charges have been dropped in a sex crimes case involving a 34-year-old central Alberta woman and several teenaged boys, but more serious charges involving one teen will still go ahead. Alexa Suitor, of Sundre, was charged last year with sexual interference, sexual assault and four counts of making sexually explicit material available to a child and was set to appear in court Monday for a preliminary hearing. Instead, she entered into a peace bond, agreeing to stay away from three of the complainants. As a result, three charges of making sexually explicit material available to a child were withdrawn, according to Crown prosecutor Ron Simenik. Conditions of Suitor's two-year peace bond include having no contact or communication with the alleged victims and the one witness named in the case. Suitor will be back in court on Aug. 15 to set a trial date on the charges of sexual interference, sexual assault and making sexually explicit material available to a child involving one complainant. She was arrested on April 8, 2024. Parents in the community of Sundre told CTV News all the alleged victims were under 16 years old at the time of the alleged offences, said to have taken place at a New Year's Eve party. Mount Royal University justice studies professor Doug King describes this case as 'really, really rare,' providing a stat that around one in 10 females are accused of sexual assault. 'The fact that the victims are male and they're under the age of 16 makes it the rarity of the case compared to females under the age of 16. They experience much more sexual assaults,' said King. 'What also makes this rare is that it was reported to the police—more often than not, this stuff happens and the victim never goes forward.'
Global News
20-06-2025
- Business
- Global News
United Conservative Party releases CPP survey results 21 months late
It's taken nearly two years for the province to release results from a survey that asked Albertans if they wanted an Alberta Pension Plan (APP). The survey showed 63 per cent of respondents were opposed to an APP, while only 10 per cent were in support. More recent polling from Leger in February found 55 per cent of Albertan's opposed an Alberta Pension Plan. A May 2025 poll from Janet Brown found 55 per cent of Albertans were in support of the APP if there were more details. In May, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said, 'I am seeing the results you are, I am not seeing that there is an appetite to put it to the people at the moment.' Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University, says the Janet Brown poll, commissioned by the government of Alberta, has interesting results with the number of people waiting for more information. Story continues below advertisement He adds people wanted answers to questions. 'Like, what is the amount that Alberta Pension Plan would start with? What would be the contribution rates? What would be the benefit rates? What would be the mobility between provinces? All of those sorts of questions haven't been answered,' said Bratt. 1:56 Alberta finance minister says he has not 'flip-flopped' on proposed pension change Bratt says the survey was not fair because it asked questions that assumed the respondent wanted an Alberta Pension Plan. 'The question itself was, would you want to leave the CPP if you had the exact same program. In the absence of any details, how do you know that that's the exact same program,' said Bratt. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He adds the survey results are no longer accurate but the delay of the release of the results shows a lack of transparency from the provincial government. 'The bigger story is how and why the government of Alberta refused to hand over public survey data that they encouraged Albertans to fill out. They went to extreme measures to block it, because they realized it was going to embarrass them. They believed that this was a neutral process to just explore the idea of leaving the Canadian pension plan, but it wasn't,' said Bratt. Story continues below advertisement The province says they will continue to talk with Albertans on this topic and says nothing will change unless Albertans approve a new pension plan in a referendum. Bratt says by itself, majority of Albertans are against the province pulling out of CPP and creating the APP. He adds that he expects to see several referendum questions about Alberta's independence. Those might include questions on the APP, an Alberta police force, and Alberta independence. 'I think what the government is hoping for is maybe people might not want to separate, but they still want to send a message to Ottawa,' said Bratt.
Calgary Herald
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
'Much of our history is nothing to be proud of': Dignity Forum premieres new Alberta human-rights documentary
A new documentary highlighting the history of discrimination and prejudice in Alberta is set to premiere this month at Mount Royal University. Article content The documentary, titled Human Rights: Fact or Fiction? A History of Human Rights in Alberta, was created by the Dignity Forum, an Alberta organization that advocates for human-rights protections. Article content Article content 'It really is an educational piece in the sense that it traces the history of human rights in Alberta right up to the present day,' said Ron Ghitter, chair of the Dignity Forum and former MLA and senator. 'Much of our history is nothing to be proud of.' Article content Article content Ghitter has dedicated 45 years to human-rights policy development and advocacy, which has opened his eyes to the extent of discrimination throughout Alberta's history. Article content Article content 'All the major human-rights cases, really, that have gone to the Supreme Court of Canada have gone out of Alberta — from the Vriend case to the Taylor case to the Keegstra case,' he said. Article content 'These were cases which really set a standard in human rights in the country.' Article content Ghitter said the documentary aims to inform and to advocate for change. Article content 'I think people have never really come to grips with what human rights in Alberta has been all about historically,' he said. 'And it's not all negative. Article content 'We're trying to look to the future, as well.' Article content Business leader and philanthropist Mike Shaikh, who formerly chaired the Calgary police commission, is one of the panellists featured in the documentary. Shaikh said he has high hopes for what the documentary can accomplish. Article content Article content 'Diversity and inclusion deserve our attention,' he said. 'I believe this documentary will help create stronger communities and improve lives in Canada.' Article content For Shaikh, creating more inclusive communities for newcomers was a major motivation behind his involvement in the project. Article content 'I've always been a proponent of helping new immigrants, all newcomers to Canada, to see how they can make the Canadian dream come true,' he said. Article content Shaikh also found that he gained a lot personally from the experience, particularly from working with the other panellists. Article content 'I loved listening to Chief Phil Fontaine,' he said. 'He's the one who pioneered the exposure of the residential schools. He was the first one to stand up and speak up — and be heard.' Article content The inspiration for the documentary came from a variety of discussions between Ghitter and others in the Dignity Forum community concerning the increasing cases of discrimination they've seen throughout Alberta — and a desire to bring those concerns to light. Article content 'We can't sit back and just think it'll take care of itself,' Ghitter said. 'You have to respond when you see bigotry, discrimination, stereotyping.'
Calgary Herald
13-06-2025
- General
- Calgary Herald
Calgarian, 76, earns history degree from MRU, and plans to return in the fall
At age 76, David Jackson has never stopped learning new things – and plans to continue on that path for as long as he can. Article content Jackson, a student at Mount Royal University since 2007, walked the stage Friday morning to receive his degree in history. But he's not stopping there – he'll be returning in the fall to start a new degree, this time in anthropology. Article content Article content 'I always had tremendous love for learning,' Jackson said. He earned his first degree – a bachelor of science in mathematics – from the University of Regina in 1975. Following that, he took several computer science courses and embarked on a career in computing. Article content 'It was so boring,' he said. 'So I thought, 'I'm going to take something in the arts.'' Article content His first history class was about the start of the renaissance, and from there, he was hooked. Most of his studies were in European history, but toward the end of his degree, he took an interest in the Middle East. Article content Jackson said his post-secondary experience in 1975 was also a positive one, but he believes that this time around, being in school simply because he wanted to learn made him a better student. Article content Article content Nazak Birjandifar, associate professor of history at MRU, first met Jackson in the final year of his degree. Article content 'David was really a good student – he was really attentive,' she said. 'He was someone who always looked to learn and enjoyed the process. Article content 'Every week, David would come to my office hours and sit down and have a conversation about what we've learned in class,' Birjandifar said. 'I really enjoyed that, and I really liked his perspective.' Article content Birjandifar had the pleasure of watching Jackson walk the stage at Friday morning's convocation ceremony. Article content
