Podcast appearances and mentions of alberta justice

Friday afternoons in a southern Alberta classroom, youth may be learning how to keep their troubles in check. Leaning over chess boards at the ULethbridge, teens and young adults who are at-risk or have been convicted of various crimes are taught to think, think again, then think some more as they move their pawns, kings, queens and rooks across 64 black and white spaces. The founder of Chess for Life says the program helps them learn how to accomplish short-term goals, like completing community service hours, following a curfew and staying out of trouble. In 2018, Alberta Justice approved a request to make Chess for Life an official referral program for probation officers to recommend for young offenders sentenced to community service. Since then, participants have gone on to secure full-time jobs, enrol in post-secondary education and rekindle broken relationships. The speakers will recount how that came about and argue there is a lot of opportunity to think about chess in ways that go beyond the board itself and expanding the program to correctional facilities across Alberta has been beneficial. Presenters in order of appearance: Dr. Lance Grigg: introduction and brief history of Chess for Life at University of Lethbridge, Joel Fortier (senior undergraduate student at U of L): Overview of Chess for Life sessions on campus and the Lethbridge Correctional Centre, Jade Oldfield (doctoral student in Neuroscience):current research project on the impact of Chess for Life on executive functions, program expansion opportunities across Alberta.

Moji Taiwo is a wife, mother, grandmother, author, Creator and Host of The Immigrant Experience Show (Tieshow) on Diversity TV YouTube Channel. Tieshow is intended to be a platform to openly discuss matters of importance to our collective Immigrant population (first and second generation), individuals and families. During her 31 years' service with Alberta Justice and Solicitor General, Young Offender Branch, Moji worked tirelessly to improve, impact, and positively shape the lives of young people and their families. As well, she enjoyed training / mentoring young staff and watched them develop and progress in their chosen careers. Equally, in the community she has delivered Life Skills program classes to youth groups since 1993 and models professionally in her spare time. Moji was a founding and active member of the Nigerian Canadian Association of Calgary (1993), the Yoruba Foundation, Calgary (2004) and founding member/Past President of Women of Vision Society of Alberta (2012 - 2021). She is an an avid volunteer for causes that improves the lives of youth, women, families, and her community. Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Moji to hear about her journey of serving her community. This episode is sponsored by @hello_relo - Relo is Alberta's top online real estate school, for the bold and ambitious. Wherever you are at in your career, Relo will help take you to the next level.

This week on Legally Speaking with Michael Mulligan:In 2013, a 28-year-old babysitter, and mother of four, was charged with murder when a 19-month-old drowned in a bathtub. The case against her was based on the opinion of a pathologist who alleged that “there is no benign explanation” for injuries sustained by the child and that the child had “extensive bruising” that is “typical of abused children.” The babysitter, who had “Borderline Intellectual Functioning,” agreed to plead guilty to criminal negligence causing death to avoid the possibility of life in prison if she was convicted of murder. She served a year in jail, lost custody of her four children, and became homeless. The BC Court of Appeal overturned her conviction. It directed a judicial stay of proceedings because it was recently determined that Crown Counsel who prosecuted the case failed to disclose to the babysitter of her lawyer that an investigation into the pathologist conducted by Alberta Justice concluded that there were serious concerns concerning the pathologist's opinions. Crown Counsel in BC received the 140-page report from Alberta Justice concerning the pathologist but failed to disclose it to the babysitter of her lawyer as they were required to do. In addition, it was revealed that the RCMP had received documentation concerning the 19-month-old having been hospitalized a few weeks before the death with a suspected brain infection that resulted in the sudden loss of balance and hypertonia (abnormally increased muscle tone resulting in rigidity). The RCMP did not disclose this material to either Crown Counsel or the defence.  In criminal cases, the police, and Crown Counsel, have a legal obligation to provide disclosure of all evidence in their possession to the defence. Their failure to comply with this obligation resulted in a misarrange of justice and irreparable harm to the babysitter and her children. Also, on the show, a plan to create twelve “hubs” across BC to address repeat violent offending is discussed. As described, there are some positive elements to the proposal, including increased funding and plans to improve information sharing. The news release with respect to the plan does raise concerns because it suggests that the hubs will be comprised of not only police and probation officers but also “dedicated Crown Counsel.” Depending on how this is implemented, it is a concern. In Canada, Crown Counsel is independent of the police. Police conduct an investigation and then provide a report to Crown Counsel, along with whatever evidence they have collected. Crown Counsel then determines if criminal charges should be pursued. This system helps guard against tunnel vision and allows for independent decision-making.It would be undesirable to have Crown Counsel embedded in hubs with the police and probation officers as they would then be called on to make prosecutorial decisions concerning cases where they were part of the investigation. Follow this link for a transcript of the show and links to the cases discussed. 

0:30 | Alberta Justice says there's no record of electronic communication between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office and prosecutors, in the context of charges stemming from the Coutts border crossing blockade. This contradicts what the premier herself told Rebel Media in December. Ryan opens the show with the latest developments in this story, including Real Talkers' comments via Twitter and email. BE IN TOUCH: talk@ryanjespersen.com  20:26 | Rick Peterson is a money guy. The former Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidate and co-founder of Centre Ice Canadians says all politics aside, it's a bad idea for Alberta to establish its own pension plan. Rick explains why, including some key differences between the Canada Pension Plan and the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCO).  READ RICK'S ARGUMENT RE: PENSION PLANS: https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2023/01/19/the-biggest-kid-on-the-block/#.Y8mr8j3MKUk CHECK OUT CENTRE ICE CANADIANS: https://www.centreicecanadians.ca/ 44:10 | Have you ever found a hidden camera in a hotel room, Airbnb or VRBO? More than one in ten people surveyed say they have. Now that's creepy. "Security evangelist" Tony Anscombe tells us what he does when he checks into a new place, and teaches us how to do a quick sweep of a property. He's also got great insight into Apple AirTags and other devices that can be used for good or evil.  CHECK OUT TONY'S TEAM'S BLOG ON HIDDEN CAMERAS: https://www.welivesecurity.com/2022/11/01/spy-who-rented-to-me-hidden-cameras-airbnbs/ CHECK OUT THE HIDDEN CAMERA SURVEY RESULTS: https://www.ipx1031.com/airbnb-guests-trust-hosts/ 1:00:20 | Most of us know we should leave service dogs alone while they're working. But would you know what to do if a service dog approached you, requiring assistance? NAIT students Michelle Gariepy, Brandon Lindsay, and Roseveer Salh developed Lassie 2.0, which could be a game changer. Find out why the innovation was nominated for the 2022 Capstone Project of the Year in this week's edition of The Leading Edge presented by our friends at Leading Edge Physiotherapy!  LIFE SHOULDN'T HURT: https://leadingedgephysio.com/ CHECK OUT DOGS WITH WINGS: https://dogswithwings.ca/ THE REAL TALK POND HOCKEY CLASSIC IS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4!  REGISTER TO PLAY, VOLUNTEER, OR SPONSOR: https://ryanjespersen.com/pond-hockey WEBSITE: https://ryanjespersen.com/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RealTalkRJ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/RealTalkRJ/ TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtalkrj PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/ryanjespersen THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

With Katherine Kowalchuk, Lawyers4Truth and Granny-Margaret MacKay who started a GIveSendGo for the four men in prison at the Coutts blockade in Feb 2022.https://www.givesendgo.com/G9HX4Jan 18, 2023

Tyler Shandro, Justice and Solicitor General

This week, Renee and Marie discuss the murder of Melonie Biddersingh. This case is known as "The girl in the suitcase". It takes place in Toronto, Ontario. Every week we donate to an organization relevant to the case we discussed. With that being said, this week we are donating to Canadian child Abuse Association . This is from their website (CCAA.org) : The Board of Directors of the non-profit society has been made up of police officers, social workers, Crown prosecutors, child welfare workers, Alberta Justice counsel, and treatment specialists.The CCAA delivers excellence in child witness court preparation and curriculum through service, education, online learning and leadership. Merch: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/terribletruecrime Case Sources: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/elaine-biddersingh-appeal-1.6312609 by Paola Loriggio https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/elaine-biddersingh-senencing-1.3768417 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/i-will-never-forgive-myself-cleon-biddersingh-haunted-by-abuse-that-killed-sister-1.3749757 https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/retired-toronto-detective-who-cracked-girl-in-the-suitcase-murder-reveals-what-led-to-arrest-1.5580736 by Austin Delaney​​https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/09/21/where-is-the-justice-for-the-biddersingh-siblings-dimanno.html by Rosie DiManno ​​https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/everton-biddersingh-convicted-of-first-degree-murder-of-abused-daughter https://www.thespec.com/news/canada/2012/03/21/single-call-cracked-1994-girl-in-a-suitcase-murder.html

In this episode, the Gents are joined by the wonderful and brilliant Anita Veldhuisen Slomp. With humility, curiosity, and expertise, she shares stories of life as a mediator and conflict resolution professional. She provides tips for preventing future podcast disharmony and strategies for becoming better mediators of conflict in our everyday lives. Thanks to Blindman Brewery for hosting the episode and fueling a great conversation! . More about Anita Veldhuisen Slomp: As an independent practitioner, Anita has years of workplace conflict experience as a mediator in organizations including: the Department of national Defense, provincial and municipal governments and academic institutions. She also mediates in community mediation programs, as well as the Civil Claims department of Alberta Justice. In addition, Anita is a Restorative Practices facilitator. She coaches and instructs in a variety of settings including the ADR Learning Institute (ADRLi) and ADR International Group (ADRIG), the University of Alberta School of Business, ADR Institute of Alberta (ADRIA) and The King's University, primarily focused on the topics of conflict resolution and restorative practices.

On today's show, Alberta justice minister Kaycee Madu is the latest politician to throw around over-the-top rhetoric while accusing other politicians of doing the same thing. Banff Mayor Karen Sorenen joins us to discuss the towns decision to ask tourists to stay away. Plus, UCP MLA Drew Barnes discusses his anti-restriction stance. 

Shaye discusses recent comments from Alberta's justice minister.

Guest: Dr. Melanee Thomas, Associate Professor - Political Science at the University of Calgary. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Adams is the founder of Free Play for Kids which started out as Free Footie in 2007, when he met a group of kids that broke his heart into a million pieces.    Tim Adams was at an inner-city school filled with struggling kids, doing a story for his former job as a reporter with CBC Edmonton. After turning the mic off, he asked about volunteering. He had played a lot of soccer and thought he could give the sport back to some of the kids who wouldn't otherwise have the chance to play.    That instance grew into what we know today as www.freeplayforkids.com   The lives that kids lead in our diverse community can get dark. Not everyone has the coach that has changed their life or the mentor that leads by example or the opportunities that make things work out. Not everyone has a safe space at home or their basic needs covered or the skills that some of us take for granted like making breakfast or even being able to afford breakfast. Tim works very hard putting in the reps, to make amazing things happen for kids and young leaders. He recognizes the privilege he has and the experiences he's had that other kids haven't even been able to imagine before Free Play For Kids.    He also knows first hand just how life changing having access to sport and coaches who make you feel seen can be on someone's life.    Not only has Tim provided an opportunity to play, he's grown the program to provide opportunities for leadership, and created a safe space for kids to be their authentic selves.    His team of coaches comes from diverse backgrounds and skills and identities. You can see it in how they lead, and how happy the kids are to be around them.    They've found ways to transport the kids so that it's no longer a barrier. They've formed partnerships with businesses to bring food to kids when gathering wasn't an option. They've worked hard to be there for kids when kids need them most in these unprecedented times.    There is no perfect journey to an undertaking as massive as Free Play, but Tim shares a piece of it all on this episode and how sometimes we have to leave a financially secure space where we don't feel supported and take a risk on ourselves.    Sometimes you have to simply bet on yourself. Just do it.    Over the years, Tim has been recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 (2011) by Edify magazine, he was on of two civilians to receive the 2013 Alberta Justice and Solicitor General Crime Prevention Award, and he was most recently a Northern Lights recipient in 2020.    That's just the tip of the iceberg. To get to know more about him, he's most active on Twitter.   To get to know your host, Chris Liddle, you can follow him @christianliddle, or follow the show @thelifestylechase or head to www.invigoratetraining.com   The Lifestyle Chase is available in both audio and video. To help the show succeed, please share it on social media, and rate it on your favourite podcast platform. 

On this episode of the Global News podcast Crime Beat, crime reporter Nancy Hixt shares a story of a child whose life was silenced, snuffed out and stolen-- so young he never had a chance. In the summer of 2010, EMS were called to a Calgary home where an 18-year-old single mom, Shelby Herchak, lived with her parents and her baby. The infant, just 26 days old, was rushed to hospital. But baby Daniel Herchak’s injuries were so severe, he died hours later. At a media conference soon after, Calgary police stated the cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the head. Officers said Daniel’s injuries were believed to be non-accidental in nature. Police formally interviewed Herchak twice and said her story changed each time--and the explanations didn’t add up when compared to the evidence. 14 days after baby Daniel died, his mother was charged with second-degree murder. But the case would take several major turns. Herchak had bail granted and revoked several times. Then, in September of 2012, the trial date was abandoned and the case was temporarily put on hold--while some of the work done by the medical examiner, in this case, was reviewed. Alberta Justice ordered an independent external review panel to look at 14 of Dr. Evan Matshes’ cases. The panel found his findings “unreasonable” in 13 of those 14 cases.  In baby Daniel's case, the panel agreed with the finding of homicide, and the cause of death-- but deemed his findings unreasonable because he noted there were signs of prior abuse. Then, that government review-- was called into question. A Queen’s Bench Justice ruled the government review was unfair and quashed the results.  The judge also ordered Alberta Justice to pay for a large portion of Matshes legal costs. In this episode, Dr. Matshes speaks to Hixt about the review. It’s the first time he’s ever spoken to a reporter about the investigation and he said he wanted to set the record straight. Because of the controversy surrounding the government review another pathologist provided expertise in the Herchak case instead of Matshes. They came up with the same findings: it was deemed a homicide and the cause of death was blunt force head trauma. Daniel suffered two fractures to the skull, extensive bleeding, bruising to the head and face, bruising and swelling of the brain, nerve damage along the spine, bruising to the chest abdomen and back and hemorrhaging to both eyes Then, on the eve of her trial, Shelby Herchak pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.  She was sentenced to five and a half years in jail but with credit for time in custody pre-trial, she had just two and a half left to serve. It was only during that time in prison, the Herchak finally shed light on what happened that fateful morning. Hear those admissions, along with an exclusive interview with the primary investigator in this case in this episode of Crime Beat: Daniel, silenced at 26 days. Contact: Twitter: @nancyhixt Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyHixtCrimeBeat/ Email: nancy.hixt@globalnews.ca

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Divorce doesn't have to be horrible or scary. When we come to the table well educated on options, choices, and an open willingness for resolve, our approach can be both healthy and benefit all parties. Children and finances are the largest concerns with separation of partnership.Separation and divorce are not always easy or clear cut. Often we need the guidance of an impartial third party.In this episode, we discuss ways to create space for a healthy discussion and some things you need to know.Our guest Susan Dedeluk guides us through some best practices.If you would like to reach Susan - Susan Dedeluk, BSc, RFMhttp://moderndivorce.cainfo@moderndivorce.caTel: (403)253-7653Susan Dedeluk is a Registered Family Mediator with Alberta Family Mediation Society, specializing in Separation & Divorce. She has 15 years experience dedicated solely to the practice of mediation with families experiencing separation and/or divorce. She has extensive experience in assisting separating partners improve their communication and conflict resolution skills. She understands the value of having a mediator assist them through the difficult discussions and transitions required when negotiating the terms of a separation agreement. She is passionate about helping families find their own ‘best way’ to move forward.Susan began Modern Divorce in 2012, after 10 years working as a Mediator, Court Counsellor, and Caseflow Coordinator at Albert Justice. Susan continues to facilitate the Focus on Communication After Separation, a course offered by Alberta Justice, designed to help parents build and maintain a positive co-parenting relationship.

The Bears Bite Back I hate it when the inevitable happens! We've been talking for weeks about people entering closed areas during the most critical time of the year for black and grizzly bears to put on fat for the winter months. I've witnessed numerous people violating the closures and have called for a wildlife ambassador program for Canmore, similar in some ways to the Wildlife Guardians program that has been pioneered by Banff National Park. If you might be interested in getting involved in such a program, drop me a line at info@wardcameron.com or leave a comment in the show notes for this episode. This week, this all came to a head. This week an 18 year old Canmore woman decided to violate the closure in order to take her dog for a walk. Keep in mind that any time there is a close encounter with a bear and you have a dog, there is a chance that the encounter will escalate simply because a snarling dog can be perceived as a threat by a bear. She was walking the trail that runs beside the Rundle Forebay when the attack occurred. She met what is believed to have been a black bear, and the bear made contact resulting in some superficial injuries. She was treated at hospital and released…for now! For the sake of a walk to let her dog pee, she now faces both enormous fines and jail time. Her family and friends dispute the contention that she was in a closed area, stating that it was an open area connecting the Highline far connector along the reservoir. Alberta Environment and Parks insist however she was indeed in a closed area. The entire Rundle Forebay area is closed and it is well publicized within the local area. According to a story in the Rocky Mountain Outlook, Sherene Kaw, assistant director of communications for Alberta Justice and the Solicitor General indicated that the woman did NOT have bear spray and that, while the dog was on leash, she released the leash when the attack occurred. While it can't be definitively determined if the bear was a black or grizzly, no grizzlies were known to be feeding in the area, at least based upon trail camera evidence. This incident really showcases the need for a Wildlife Ambassador program in Canmore. In most years, it may only last for 6-8 weeks. The buffaloberries only last until the first frost, and then they all fall from the bush. Programs like this must operate in conjunction with programs focused on reducing attractants within the townsite. In 2015, when the buffaloberry crop failed, the town saw a huge influx of bears attracted to our flowering fruit trees. Since then, Banff, Jasper and Canmore have developed various programs designed to help reduce the problem. Buffaloberries are no different than any other crop. They need the right conditions at the right time, and if we don't get them, we get a failure in the crop. This year and last were bumper crops, but 2015 was an utter failure. This young woman is being publicly vilified. Her identity is currently being protected and I support that. The tendency of internet vigilantism has no role in this story. Her life is changing by the moment. It is NOT confirmed at this point, whether she is guilty, but let's set that aside for the moment. I truly believe that her point of view has shifted dramatically in the last 48 hours. Instead of vilifiying her, why not bring her into the conversation? It's easy to pour on hate but let's put this into perspective. She's a kid who, as the story currently stands, did a dumb thing. I personally would like to spend some time simply talking with her to understand her point of view at the time, and how it may have changed since that encounter. Protecting corridors is not going well. Social media is composed of adversarial groups unable to see any other viewpoint. I understand that completely. I find it difficult to comprehend the decisions that many people make when their actions do not match their stated beliefs. So let's talk. If found guilty, she faces the potential for large fines and even jail time. The fact that the spokesman for the Alberta government is in the Solicitor General's office indicates that there may be plans to make an example of her in the courts. So many of us that are expelling comments on social media are, well how do I say it, more experienced. How do we reach that younger generation which is far more likely to violate closures simply from a feeling of invincibility and entitlement? Maybe we just talk to them. I would love to talk with you. Please reach out. If you know her, please have her contact me. I will protect your privacy 100% because I think you have something to add to the conversation. Let's put away the pitchforks and look at this as another chance to build a bridge to a community that is an important part of the conversation. Just sayin' And if we're keeping score, this is not a new story. A colleague of mine that is interested in helping coordinate the wildlife guardian program pointed me to a Calgary Sun article from 2014 that looked into the same issue in Canmore. In this story, there was an aggressive bear was known to be in the area. It had, in a similar situation, had a minor infraction where it bit the finger of a Danish tourist. It was a minor encounter, but bears sell newspapers and the story was all over the media and airwaves. Just like this year, yellow flagging tape and signs indicated that the same areas were closed to access. And in case you're wondering, the same closures will happen next year, and the next, and the next. However in this case, Fish and Wildlife officers placed automated cameras at the main access points to the closed area. What did they find? In just 8 days they photographed some 60 people completely ignoring the closure and entering the restricted area. In one case, an entire family with Mom, Dad, one kid on a bike and a burley in tow went under the flagging tape closing a trail and continued on their merry way. This is the world we live in. it's time we embrace the conversation, create a visible wildlife guardian program, provide eyes and provide ears for Conservation Officers. We can help remove the potential for people to 'anonymously' enter closed areas. Guardians would be there for education and outreach. The goal would be to help Parks keep both people AND bears safe. We may find other areas where we can assist in keeping people and wildlife safe down the road. I'm a believer in dialogue and collaboration. I don't know how this will eventually manifest itself, but I'm willing to do what I can do help reduce the challenges we are experiencing this year in the future. Maybe Bear 148 will be one of the last to be removed from the landscape on our watch. Please remember, any time that Parks has to make a decision like the one they did with 148, it's a gut wrenching one. Nothing moves forward without their help and support. Let's build bridges towards viable corridors. Next up…Hells Bells Rogers. Hells Bells Rogers Last week I talked about railroad surveyor Walter Moberly. He was a pivotal figure in the early days of the Canadian Pacific construction. Another surveyor of note was American Major A.B. Rogers. Railroad surveyors were an independently minded lot. Each would select one route for the railroad - their route - and they would defend that to the death. "Nobody could possibly have a better route than the one I selected" However there were a few things that the surveyors agreed upon. One was that the Selkirk Mountains in the interior of British Columbia were impossible to put a train through. Even Walter Moberly planned to go around the Selkirks rather than through them. Well clearly we needed to find someone with an open mind - and we found that in Major A.B. Rogers. Rogers had earned his reputation as an Indian fighter during a Sioux uprising in 1862 during which he rose to the rank of Major. Later, while working as a surveyor for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, he earned a reputation as a man that could find the best route for a new rail line. He was not a well-loved man. He was described by the CPR's locating engineer, J.H.E. Secretan as: "A short, sharp, snappy little chap with long Dundreary whiskers. He was a master of picturesque profanity, who continually chewed tobacco and was an artist of expectoration. He wore overalls with pockets behind, and had a plug of tobacco in one pocket and a sea biscuit in the other, which was his idea of a season's provisions for an engineer." He also had a reputation for heading out a little short on supplies, if not faculties, and many of his expeditions returned on the verge of starvation. At one point, the general manager of the railroad, William Cornelius Van Horne tried to urge him to bring more supplies. The exchange apparently went as follows: Van Horne stated: "Look here, Major, I hear your men won't stay with you, they say you starve them." The Major replied with: "Tain't so, Van." Van Horne continued: "Well, I'm told you feed 'em on soup made out of hot water flavoured with old ham canvas covers." To this, Rogers replied: "Tain't so, Van. I didn't never have no hams!" James Jerome Hill, more well known as the builder of the Great Northern Railroad in the U.S. was also a part of the Canadian Pacific project and he hired Rogers to find a shorter route between Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and Savona's Ferry in British Columbia. The only way to do that would be to go straight through the impenetrable Selkirks as well as through the southern Rockies. While the Rockies had seen more exploration both as part of the Railroad project, but also earlier as part of the fur trade, Rogers would need to link one of these passes with a route through the Selkirks. Jim Hill offered Rogers a bonus of $5,000 and his name on the pass if he could find a route through the Selkirks. Rogers scoured the journals of explorers and surveyors like Walter Moberly to look for some hint of where he might begin to explore for a potential pass. In Moberly's journal, it looked like there might be a possibility by following the Illecillewaet River. Rogers took note of a particular passage in Moberly's journal from 1865: "Friday, July 13th--Rained hard most of the day. Perry returned from his trip up the east fork of the Ille-cille-waut River. He did not reach the divide, but reported a low, wide valley as far as he went. His exploration has not settled the point whether it would be possible to get through the mountains by this valley but I fear not. He ought to have got on the divide, and his failure is a great disappointment to me. He reports a most difficult country to travel through, owing to fallen timber and underbrush of very thick growth..." In the spring of 1881, the Major, along with his favourite nephew Albert Rogers, and 10 Indians headed out towards the Selkirks. While Albert was his given name, the Major generally just referred to him as that Damn Little Cuss. It took them 22 days to reach Kamloops, and from there, the 'Gold Ranges', today known as the Monashees also had to be crossed before they even arrived at the start of the Selkirks. That ate up another 14 days. After spending another 22 days on a raft on the Columbia River, they finally reached the mouth of the Illecillewaet River where the real work began. Each man hoisted a 45-kg pack and they slowly tried to make their way upwards. They went through mile after mile of the most horrific plant to ever grace the planet Earth - Devil's club. If you've never had the pleasure of Devil's club, imagine a six to seven foot woody shrub with huge maple-style leaves and everything from the leaves to the trunk is armed with razor sharp thorns that can easily tear through a pair of canvas pants. So terrible was Devil's club that entire stretches of the railroad were rerouted to go around the worst patches. You couldn't even hack through with a machete. As they made their way through swamp and up vertical rock faces. Albert Rogers later stated that: "many a time I wished myself dead," and added that "the Indians were sicker then we, a good deal." The going never got easier. On numerous occassions, they had to cross bridges of snow suspeded 50 metres above the foaming water of the Illecillewaet River. By this time, their supplies were also beginning to run low, and the cold nights sent a chill right through their thin blankets. They clung to the lower slopes of a mountain that would later be named Mount Sir Donald after Donald Smith, one of the two chief financiers of the railway. "Being gaunt as greyhounds, with lungs and muscles of the best, we soon reached the timber-line, where the climbing became very difficult. We crawled along the ledges, getting toe-hold here and a finger hold there, keeping in the shade as much as possible and kicking toe-holes in the snow crust. When several hundred feet above the timber line, we followed a narrow ledge around a point that was exposed to the sun. (Here four Indians fell over the ledge.) It was in the evening when we reached the summit, very much exhausted. Crawling along this ridge, we came to a small ledge protected from the wind by a great perpendicular rock. Here we decided to wait until the crust again formed on the snow and the morning light enabled us to travel. At ten o'clock, it was still twilight, on the peaks, but the valleys below were filled with the deepest gloom. We wrapped ourselves in our blankets and nibbled at our dry meat and bannock, stamping our feet in the snow to keep them from freezing, and taking turns whipping each other with our pack straps to keep up circulation." Now doesn't that sound like a good time? In the end, they found a stream which split into two channels, with one branch heading west and the other east. It looked like they might have found a pass through the Selkirks, but a shortage of supplies once again forced them to retreat without exploring the western side of the divide. Rogers also realized that the survey crews were rapidly approaching the Bow River valley and he had still not explored the Kicking Horse Pass yet. One of the other things that most of the surveyors agreed upon was that the Bow River valley was the worst possible route to put a train. Not only did it force the line to traverse the Selkirks, but it also meant that they had to go through a horrible pass to the west of present-day Lake Louise, Alberta called the Kicking Horse. Despite these difficulties, this was the route finally chosen and that's a decision we've dissected for more than a century. The long and short of it was that this was the shortest route surveyed and the promoters hoped it would be the cheapest, but that turned out to be completely wrong. We also have to remember that this was a sovereign tool and this route was also the most southerly. They hoped that it would be far enough south to discourage American spur lines from moving into what was Canadian territory. At least in this case it proved true. With the rush towards the Kicking Horse Pass, Rogers party rerouted towards the Bow River valley. Now Rogers, was more of a pathfinder at this point and most of the proper surveyors, the men with the actual instruments necessary to lay out the line, were waiting at about the point visitors to the Rockies would enter the mountains as they drove west from Calgary. The Major came from the south and west and met up with them, and he sent that Damn Little Cuss to come up the Kicking Horse River from the west. He didn't think twice about sending Albert, a 21-year old greenhorn that had never before even been to the Rockies to attempt a task that had never before been accomplished by a non-native. Even the local natives avoided the dreary valley of the Kicking Horse because there was very little in the way of game to hunt - and therefore no real reason to hang about. Needless to say, Albert never showed. The Major paced like a caged animal. He said: "If anything happens to that Damn Little Cuss, I'll never show my face in St. Paul again." He sent out search parties in all directions with orders to fire a volley of shots in the air when they found him. One of those search parties descended the Kicking Horse Pass from the west and finally, they stumbled upon Albert Rogers…literally. Barely moving, and on the verge of starvation, his progress had slowed to a crawl. The only thing he had eaten in the previous 2 days was a porcupine that he had clubbed to death and picked clean right down to the quills. They picked up this pitiful sight, put him on a horse, made their way to the summit of the pass and fired a volley of shots in the air. Apparently the Major road in on his big white horse and as Wilson later recalled: "He plainly choked with emotion, then, as his face hardened again he took an extra-vicious tobacco juice shot at the nearest tree and almost snarled...'Well, you did get here did you, you damn little cuss?' There followed a second juice eruption and then, as he swung on his heel, the Major shot back over his shoulder; 'You're alright, are you, you damn little cuss?'" And with that Albert's face apparently exploded into a grin. He knew the old man better than anyone else and knew that he could never let his real emotions be seen. But the say the double-speed eruptions of tobacco juice from between his big sideburns said more about his emotional state than any words ever could have and nothing more was ever said about the matter. One of the men waiting for the Major was a young punk named Tom Wilson. Wilson was one of those characters that seemed to have the incredible knack of timing. He had the ability to be in the right places at the right time in history. He had begun his career as a Northwest Mounted Policeman and had joined the great march west of the mounties in 1875. He then resigned to join the first survey crews through the Rockies. He described Rogers as he arrived to meet the survey party: "His condition--dirty doesn't begin to describe it. His voluminous sideburns waved like flags in a breeze; his piercing eyes seemed to look and see through everything at once...Every few moments a stream of tobacco juice erupted from between the side-burns. I'll bet there were not many trees alongside the trail that had escaped that deadly tobacco juice aim." Rogers was a typical workaholic, and always had to accomplish more in a day then was practical. The season was getting late and so he pushed the survey crews to move faster. He then declared that he was going to ride out ahead to explore the route and asked for a volunteer. As Wilson again put it: "every man present had learned, in three days, to hate the Major with real hatred. He had no mercy on horses or men--he had none on himself. The labourers hated him for the way he drove them and the packers for that and the way he abused the horses--never gave their needs a thought." Wilson, in the end, agreed to accompany him. Eventually, they came to a river which was swollen and muddy with the spring runoff. Generally, during the summer season, river levels can rise dramatically during the daytime due to the increased pace of snowmelt during the sunny days. At night the water levels usually dropped as the cooler evening reduced the rate of melt. Tom suggested they wait for morning to cross and the old man laughed at him: "Afraid of it are you? Want the old man to show you how to ford it?" The Major spurred his horse into the river at which point the horse was pulled out from under him and he disappeared beneath the raging water. All Tom could do was grab a branch, stick it in the water where the old man had disappeared, go fishing and hope for the best. He was rewarded with a welcome tug and when the Major pulled himself onto the shoreline, all he could say was: "Blue Jesus! Light a fire and then get that damned horse. Blue Jesus, it's cold!" From that point on, when the river would be dirty and muddy with the spring runoff, the surveyors would joke that it was dirty because the old man must be having another bath. In fact to this day it's still known as Bath Creek on maps. Wilson left the survey early this year, swearing never to come back to these God forsaken hills. Rogers laughed at him saying: "You may think you're not coming back but you'll be here next year and I'll be looking for you," All that winter, Tom tried to fight something that just seemed to be tugging at him. Have you ever noticed how sometimes you choose life, and sometimes life chooses you. Before Tom knew what had happened, he found himself back in Fort Benton signing up for one more year on the survey. Tom was hired to pack supplies from present-day Canmore, to the summit of the Kicking Horse Pass. In August of that year, Tom was camped near to present-day village of Lake Louise. He had been hearing the sound of thunder under a clear blue sky. When he met some Stoney Natives he asked them what the sound was: On individual by the name of Gold-seeker told him that it was avalanches off of Snow Mountain high above the Lake of Little Fishes. The next day Tom had the native take him up to the lake and as he became the first non-native to lay eyes on what we now call Lake Louise, he wrote in his journal: "As God is my judge, I never in all my explorations saw such a matchless scene." Tom called the lake Emerald Lake because of its beautiful colour, but the railroad promptly changed the name to Lake Louise after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. This also gives you an idea of where Alberta takes its name as well. She was married to the Governor General of Canada. The very next day, Tom bumped into the Major for the very first time that year and the old man let out a guffaw: "Blue Jesus! I knew you'd be back. I knew you'd be back. You'll never leave these mountains again as long as you live. They've got you now." He was right. Tom was on hand for the hammering of the last spike. You can see his stetson and mustache peering above the crowd from the back in the most iconic photograph of the event. He then went on to start the first guiding operation in the Canadian Rockies and gave many of the areas other enduring guides their start. He lived into the 1930s and is buried in the little cemetery in the town of Banff. Also this summer, Rogers route through the Selkirks was confirmed, and for breaching the final barrier for the Canadian Pacific Railway, he received his bonus of $5,000. He never cashed the cheque. When the general manager of the railroad, William Cornelius Van Horne cornered him to find out why he hadn't cashed it, he blurted out: "What! Cash the cheque? I wouldn't take a hundred thousand dollars for it. It is framed and hangs in my brother's house in Waterville, Minnesota, where my nephews and nieces can see it. I'm not in this for the money." Rogers more than most, really embodied what drove these surveyors. It was not money, it was immortality, and he got that in the naming of Rogers Pass. Next week, I'll look at the challenges in confirming his route as well as the difficulties that the Kicking Horse Pass would present to the railroad.

More and more Canadians are being victimized by laws that allow authorities to seize assets that are suspected of being the proceeds of crime. In several provinces, property and other assets can be seized even without formal charges being laid, let alone a conviction in the case. Authorities only have to prove, based on a balance of probabilities, that property was acquired by illegal means or was used to help commit a crime. Such laws were originally created to help fight organized crime, but many now argue that the net is far too wide. An example is the story of Chad Squire who was stopped by the RCMP near Brooks Alberta in 2010. Police seized $27,000 from him, claiming that it must have been acquired illegally. In fact it was money he received from selling his house, but it took two years and an expensive court fight before it was returned. 74 year old Elizabeth Thomson of Calgary, watched as Alberta Justice obtained an order against her condo, accusing her son of using the property for criminal purposes. Later, it was revealed that the son had used her address on business documents without her knowledge. Such cases show that all law-abiding Canadians should receive the same protection against search and seizure which is found in the Criminal Code and the Charter of Rights. I’m Roger Currie. Join us again next week for more thoughts on the Frontier. For more on property rights, visit our website www.fcpp.org.

Kurt Sandstrom, assistant deputy minister of Alberta Justice in Alberta, Canada discusses his province’s efforts to break cycles of offending with integrated, evidence-based services.  ROBERT V. WOLF: Hi, I’m Rob Wolf, Director of Communications at the Center for Court Innovation and I am at Community Justice 2012 at the end of January in Washington, D.C. … Continue reading Breaking the Cycle: A Canadian Province Explores an Integrated Approach to Addressing Offenders’ Underlying Problems →