B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Disgraced South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been denied parole, the lawyer for Reeva Steenkamp's parents said after the parole hearing.
"I can confirm that the parole board has made the decision, parole has been denied and they will be convening in a year's time to consider Oscar Pistorius for parole again," Tania Koen told reporters.
Pistorius was approved for parole consideration after serving more than half of his 13-year sentence. But Steenkamp's parents opposed an early release, their lawyer Tania Koen said ahead of the parole hearing which took place in the Pretoria prison where he is serving his sentence.
The former Olympic sprinter shot his partner four times through the bathroom door of his house in 2013, denying that he killed her in a fit of anger and saying instead he had mistaken her for an intruder.
Koen said Pistorius has told "various versions" of what happened and has "never clarified" why he shot the "final shot" which killed Steenkamp.
According to South African law, inmates can be considered for parole after serving half of their sentence if they meet conditions, like good behaviour in prison.
In 2018, the athlete's father Henke Pistorius told the U.K.'s Times newspaper that he ran bible classes and prayer groups for prisoners, including the jail's most feared gang leader.
To be eligible for parole, Pistorius had to participate in South Africa's "Restorative Justice" process, which gives offenders the opportunity to "acknowledge and take responsibility for their actions."
The athlete -- once feted as an inspirational figure after competing in the 2012 Olympics -- became the center of a trial that was followed around the world.
During the trial, Pistorius pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder and a firearms charge associated with Steenkamp's killing.
Prosecutors argued her killing was deliberate and that the shooting happened after the couple had an argument.
He frequently broke down in court and his past behaviour was closely scrutinized.
Pistorius was convicted of manslaughter in 2014 and sentenced to five years. But a higher court overturned the conviction and changed it to murder a year later, increasing his sentence to six years in prison.
The ruling was appealed by prosecutors who claimed the sentence was too lenient. Pistorius' sentence was increased to 13 years and five months by South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal in 2017.
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.