Good morning. Grieving families detailed immense loss on the first day of Kenneth Law’s sentencing hearing. More on that below, along with the High Seas Treaty and oyster disease management.
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Leonardo Bedoya, left, and Maria Lopez, parents of the late Jeshennia Bedoya-Lopez, speak at the sentencing hearing for Kenneth Law at the Superior Court of Justice in Newmarket, Ont., on Wednesday.ARLYN MCADOREY/AFP/Getty Images
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‘How was I supposed to protect my daughter?’
Highly emotional testimony was aired on the first day of Kenneth Law’s sentencing hearing at Ontario Superior Court in Newmarket. Relatives of the dead gave the court victim impact statements in which they spoke of how he has ruined many more lives than the deaths with which he has been charged.
The context: In May, Law pleaded guilty to aiding in the suicides of 14 people in Ontario and he also admitted to assisting in 79 other deaths in Britain by shipping toxic substances and suffocation equipment to people seeking to die. Here is a full timeline of events.
The details: Parents want to know why Law, a 61-year-old Mississauga engineer, was allowed to operate selling lethal substances online for years before his arrest in May, 2023. Some are also demanding public accountability, including one parent who is calling upon Ontario Premier Doug Ford to a launch a full-fledged follow-up inquiry.
The families: The hearing is scheduled to run for several days as the families of victims from Canada and Britain provide victim-impact statements. Here are some of their stories.
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Police stand in front of the Son of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ont., on Sept. 21.Ian MacAlpine/The Canadian Press
Details emerge about the accused in synagogue shooting
Canada’s former top soldier, retired general Wayne Eyre, said he is horrified by the attack at a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., and is saddened by the suspected shooter’s military connection, which he said brings dishonour to other soldiers.
The accused: Sean Ward, 29, was released from the Canadian Armed Forces because he was deemed unsuitable for further military service under a category called 5F, The Globe and Mail reported on Wednesday according to two National Defence sources.
The community: Liberal MP Chris Malette paid tribute in the House of Commons to the residents of his riding, saying his thoughts are with the Jewish community, the injured police officer and all those affected.
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A Grifols plasma donation centre on Taylor Avenue in Winnipeg on March 13.Shannon VanRaes/The Globe and Mail
Health Canada suspends licence of Grifols site in Winnipeg
Health Canada says it has suspended the activities of Grifols’s plasma collection site in Winnipeg, where a young donor experienced heart problems that led to her death.
The details: The suspension followed an unannounced inspection at the location on June 23. Mark Johnson, a Health Canada spokesperson, said the department then sent a letter on July 13 asking for corrective action to be taken. On Aug. 12, Health Canada gave the location a “non-compliant” rating and proposed a suspension for the following day. Grifols announced a temporary closing of all its locations instead.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney attends an event for the OceanEye International Alliance in support of the Global Ocean Observing System in New York on Sept. 23.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Updates from the UN meetings and more
Canada ratified the landmark High Seas Treaty to protect marine biodiversity and pledged $82-million over five years to a global ocean-monitoring alliance, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.
A speech: At the UN General Assembly, Iran’s President said that his people have been “victims of terrorism” by the United States, delivering a rare wartime speech at the gathering a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he may “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal isn’t reached soon.
What else: President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Moscow at the UN that Ukraine would strike back and make the coming winter deeply painful for Russia, if the two sides cannot agree to a truce on attacks on energy infrastructure before the cold sets in.
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A tour of the Bideford Shellfish Hatchery in Lennox Island First Nation on June 26.Vanessa Tignanelli/The Globe and Mail
Working to save the oyster industry
To save the East Coast oyster industry from deadly parasites, hatcheries on PEI are busy making a hardier breed. These babies’ genetics are considered the best way forward to create homegrown resistant oyster seed to sell to the aquaculture industry, which relies on infected coastal waters as a growth environment for its crop.
The disease: Multinucleate sphere unknown, or MSX, is a deadly oyster disease caused by microscopic parasites. It has led to an industry on the brink of destruction and has ravaged wild and cultured oyster farms in Eastern Canada. PEI’s $27-million industry, for example, is working to recover from MSX, which was first detected on the island two years ago and can kill 95 per cent of infected oysters.
The Take
The Prime Minister has articulated a foreign policy framework that some speak of as the Carney doctrine. A Canadian PM having a doctrine to his name? How many would have bet on that ever happening?
— Lawrence Martin, public affairs columnist
Canada is finally a power on the world stage, writes Lawrence Martin.
The Shot
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Calgary-based father and son, John and Spencer van Roessel, decided to make their own amazing race adventure when they kept getting rejected from the show.Spencer van Roessel/Supplied
After missing out on The Amazing Race Canada, an Alberta father and son duo made their own.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: A frenetic reshuffling of British Columbia’s political landscape has seen candidates change allegiances, leaders come and go and parties scramble to assemble slates.
Abroad: Could the surging conflict in northern Ethiopia spill across borders? Here’s what to know about the crisis.
At home and abroad: A new poll reveals that Canadians want to keep supporting access to abortion services and reproductive care around the world.
Output: How U.S. tariffs are driving Canadian brewers toward Chinese aluminum cans.
Income: The NHL’s pay cap is jumping to US$104-million, and players are soaking in the new record salaries.
Savings: Gas loyalty programs are far more complicated than most people realize. These offer the easiest instant savings at the pump.
Save these: Here are all the new Michelin-approved restaurants in and around Toronto.