'We're going after the offenders': Sask. to suspend welfare benefits for 'serious' offenders with warrants
'We're going after the offenders': Sask. to suspend welfare benefits for 'serious' offenders with warrants
The Government of Saskatchewan has introduced legislation to suspend social assistance benefits to prolific violent offenders with active warrants, and to use information from the Ministry of Social Services to find those evading the law.
“The people of this province do not want to see prolific, serious, violent offenders that are currently on warrant status being supplied financially by the taxpayers of this province,” said Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Christine Tell.
After tabling the Warrant Compliance Act in the legislature Thursday, Tell told reporters there are currently about 1,300 outstanding criminal code warrants in the province.
“I am certain that there are going to be, of those very serious code warrants outstanding, that there are going to be individuals that are on government assistance of some sort,” Tell said.
Tell says the proposed intelligence gathering team will consist of government, law enforcement and social services employees.
The program would focus on those with indictable offences. Entities like Social Services will be able to “use discretion” when providing information to the Warrant Intelligent Team.
“We’re not wanting to impact the families of these offenders. We are going after the offenders, the serious offenders, that are gathering or living off financial assistance to be out in the community at large on a criminal code warrant,” said Tell.
Myles Sanderson was receiving financial assistance from the province at the time of the massacre, according to Tell.
RCMP confirmed he had stopped meeting with his parole officer prior to the attack and was in violation of his release measures.
“Following events in James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, it is imperative that we enhance our ability to collect information on violent offenders with outstanding warrants," said Tell in a news release on Thursday.
The Warrant Compliance Act will not impact people who have completed their sentence, says Tell.
A criminal defence lawyer says people wanted by police on charges are innocent until proven guilty in court.
“Most people with warrants out in this province and across Canada have not been convicted of that offense so the presumption of innocence is still alive at that point,” said Julia Quigley.
“People could be cut off without having any idea that they had a warrant out when they might have gone and dealt with that warrant and turned themselves into police. So that really raises concerns there.”
She says without including a definition of prolific violent offenders in the act, it could negatively impact women and children and potentially affect a “huge swath of people.”
“What most people need is some support from government. This is not going to have the effect of actually addressing the root cause of crime. If anything it’s going to further disenfranchise people, which might actually result in higher crime rates,” said Quigley.
She says suspending benefits and social housing, is an “extremely punitive measure” and it will disproportionately impact Indigenous people.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
The federal government has set aside billions of dollars to quickly build affordable housing across the country, but delays in construction suggest many of the projects approved for funding are missing their deadlines.
After years of reports and allegations detailing a 'toxic' workplace, Canada's RCMP says it is trying to evolve, focusing on diversity in its organization and repairing relationships with communities as it marks its 150th anniversary.
The Memphis police chief on Saturday disbanded the unit whose officers beat to death Tyre Nichols as the nation and the city struggled to come to grips with video showing police pummelling the Black motorist.
Tyre Nichols' fatal encounter with police officers in Memphis, Tenn., recorded in video made public Friday night, is a glaring reminder that efforts to reform policing have failed to prevent more flashpoints in an intractable epidemic of brutality.
When 1990s suede fringe jackets started making a comeback last year, a U.K.-based vintage clothing company decided to order four tonnes of suede from a supplier in the United States. Along with that shipment came a once-in-a lifetime discovery.
When the cold and snow have people hunkering down, these outdoor enthusiasts find motivation in braving the Canadian winter through community and sport.
A new study that analyzes data from more than 50,000 amateur stargazers finds that artificial lighting is making the night sky about 10 per cent brighter each year.
According to a new study, showing university students the health risks of vaping through experts and personal testimonies can help deter them from using e-cigarettes.
As extreme cold weather brings wind chill values nearing -40°C, it's impacting everything from winter recreation to the city's most vulnerable population.
An organization helping Ukrainian newcomers settle into their new lives in Edmonton is hosting a furniture donation blitz to help restock their warehouse.
Canadian police chiefs condemned on Friday the death of a Black man who was savagely beaten by police during a traffic stop in the United States, saying the officers involved must be held accountable.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
Late Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion is being remembered for the many ways she contributed to not only to the city she led for 36 years, but also the province.
OPS and Ottawa Bylaw officers issued 117 parking tickets and 47 Provincial Offences Notices Saturday, as hundreds of people marked the one-year anniversary of the 'Freedom Convoy'.
Ottawa police are warning the public of the dangers of texting explicit images to people on social media platforms, after seeing a spike in sextortion cases this winter.
BC Emergency Health Services saw a slight decline in 911 calls for overdose and drug toxicity last year, but some areas saw a dramatic increase, and the death rate doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
Advocates are predicting this year's Metro Vancouver Homeless Count will be higher than previous years' due to lingering impacts from the pandemic, job losses and inflation.
Anti-poverty activists are praising the Quebec basic income program as a good step toward helping people meet their basic needs — but say strict eligibility criteria exclude many of the province’s lowest-income residents.
Some Indigenous communities in Quebec that are patrolled by provincial police say the established system does not fully meet security needs and needs improvement.
A ceremony will be held this evening to mark the sixth anniversary of Quebec City's deadly mosque shooting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, several senior federal cabinet ministers and Quebec Premier Francois Legault are among those expected to attend.
Before we can appreciate the important role a plush toy named Monkey Guy has played in Elaine Tanner’s life, we need go back to when people started calling her Mighty Mouse.
Some faculty members at Cape Breton University have walked off the job. Their strike started Friday, with the faculty's union saying the administration has disrespected it at every turn, leading to a large number of labour grievances.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos insists the federal government is going to 'work flexibly' with the provinces on the terms of a possible health-care funding deal and avoid 'micromanaging' how they deliver health care to Canadians.
W5 goes deep into the narco heartland to interview a commander with one of Mexico's most brutal cartels. W5's documentary 'Narco Avocados' airs Saturday at 7 pm on CTV.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
The supporters outnumbered the protesters more than 20-to-one. As drag queen Amanda Villa prepared to sing and read to children in Sarnia, a small group of protesters marched outside, while more than 100 supporters of the rally “All You Need is Love” spent time chasing them around the parking lot, and having peaceful discussions about acceptance and hate.
Only a few days after a large winter weather system rolled through southern Ontario, Environment Canada has once again issued a special weather statement for the London region, warning of a snow-rain mix expected to begin Saturday night.
