Alberta
Arrest made and child rescued in cross-border investigation
February 19, 2021
Child rescued in cross-border investigation
Calgary… A 37-year-old Fort St. John man has been arrested by ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation unit for allegedly offending upon his daughter.
Following up on a tip, that was initially submitted to the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) team based in Calgary, investigators were able to identify a B.C. suspect allegedly uploading child sexual abuse materials online. Further investigation revealed the photos were of the suspect’s young daughter.
ICE alleges that the suspect had been distributing the photos to another user online. The suspect was arrested on February 8, 2021.
“Our primary concern was the health and well-being of that child. Once we received that tip, our investigators sprang into action and made an arrest as quickly as possible,” said Sgt. Randy Poon, ALERT ICE.
“These types of crimes don’t respect borders or boundaries. The cooperation and enforcement between partners needs to be seamless and this file is an example of the efforts underway to detect, deter and investigate child exploitation files,” said Cpl. Madonna Saunderson, RCMP B.C. North District.
Law enforcement from across Canada, including ICE, the Calgary Police Service, Fort St. John RCMP, RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre, and United States’ National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, collaborated on the investigation.
The suspect’s name is not being released in order to protect the identity of the victim. The victim and family members are receiving help from a variety of specialized support services, and children’s services is involved.
A number of computer and electronic devices were seized for forensic analysis. ICE’s investigation is ongoing.
The 37-year-old man has been charged with:
- Making child pornography;
- Distributing child pornography;
- Possessing child pornography;
- Accessing child pornography; and
- Several firearms offences.
Anyone with information about this case or any child exploitation situation is asked to contact their local police or to report their concern anonymously at www.cybertip.ca.
ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.
Alberta
Former senior financial advisor charged with embezzling millions from Red Deer area residents
News release from Alberta RCMP
Former senior financial advisor charged for misappropriating nearly $5 million from clients
On April 4, 2024, the RCMP’s Provincial Financial Crime Team charged a Calgary resident for fraud-related offences after embezzling millions of dollars from his clients while serving as a senior financial advisor.
Following a thorough investigation, the accused is alleged to have fraudulently withdrawn funds from client accounts and deposited them into bank accounts he personally controlled. A total of sixteen victims were identified in the Red Deer area and suffered a combined loss of nearly $5 million.
Marc St. Pierre, 52, a resident of Calgary, was arrested and charged with:
- Fraud over $5,000 contrary to section 380(1)(a) of the Criminal Code; and,
- Theft over $5,000 contrary to section 344(a) of the Criminal Code.
St. Pierre is scheduled to appear in Red Deer Provincial Court on May 14, 2024.
“The ability for financial advisors to leverage their position to conduct frauds and investment scams represents a significant risk to the integrity of Alberta’s financial institutions. The investigation serves as an important reminder for all banking clients to regularly check their accounts for any suspicious activity and to report it to their bank’s fraud prevention team.”
- Sgt. John Lamming, Provincial Financial Crime Team
The Provincial Financial Crime Team is a specialized unit that conducts investigations relating to multi-jurisdictional serious fraud, investments scams and corruption.
Alberta
Political parties will be part of municipal elections in Edmonton and Calgary pilot projects
Strengthening Alberta’s local elections
Alberta’s government is introducing legislation to ensure Albertans can rely on transparent, free and fair elections, and municipally-elected officials have clearer accountability measures.
In a democratic society, Albertans expect their local elections to be free and fair, and their elected officials to be held to account by clear rules that govern their local councils. The Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act proposes amendments to the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) and the Municipal Government Act (MGA) to add greater transparency to local election processes and ensure local councils and elected officials continue to remain accountable to the citizens who elected them.
“Our government is committed to strengthening Albertans’ trust in their local governments and the democratic process that elects local leaders. The changes we are making increase transparency for Alberta voters and provide surety their votes will be counted accurately. We know how important local democracy is to Albertans, and we will work with local authorities to protect and enhance the integrity of local elections.”
Local Authorities Election Act
Albertans expect free and fair elections and that’s why it’s important we strengthen the rules that govern local elections. To strengthen public trust in local elections, Alberta’s government will eliminate the use of electronic tabulators and other automated voting machines. All Albertans should be able to trust the methods and results of local elections; requiring all ballots to be counted by hand, clarifying rules and streamlining processes for scrutineers will provide voters greater assurance in the integrity of the results.
All eligible Albertans should be able to vote in local elections without impediment. Alberta’s government will limit the barriers for eligible voters to cast a ballot by expanding the use of special ballots. Currently, special ballots can only be requested for very specific reasons, including physical disability, absence from the municipality, or for municipal election workers. By expanding the use of special ballots, the government is encouraging more voter participation.
Amendments in the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act would increase transparency in local elections by enabling political parties at the local level. Political parties would be enabled in a pilot project for Edmonton and Calgary. The act will not require candidates to join a political party in order to run for a local or municipal office, but will create the opportunity to do so.
In addition, proposed changes to the Local Authorities Election Act would allow municipalities the option to require criminal record checks for local candidates, thus increasing transparency and trust in candidates who may go on to become elected officials.
Municipal Government Act
The role of an elected official is one with tremendous responsibility and expectations. Changes proposed to the Municipal Government Act (MGA) will strengthen the accountability of locally elected officials and councils. These include requiring mandatory orientation training for councillors, allowing elected officials to recuse themselves for real or perceived conflicts of interest without third-party review and requiring a councillor’s seat to become vacant upon disqualification.
If passed, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act will also unlock new tools to build affordable and attainable housing across Alberta. Proposed amendments under the MGA would also create more options for municipalities to accelerate housing developments in their communities. Options include:
- Exempting non-profit, subsidized affordable housing from both municipal and education property taxes;
- Requiring municipalities to offer digital participation for public hearings about planning and development, and restricting municipalities from holding extra public hearings that are not already required by legislation; and
- Enabling municipalities to offer multi-year residential property tax exemptions.
Municipal Affairs will engage municipalities and other partners over the coming months to hear perspectives and gather feedback to help develop regulations.
Quick facts
- The LAEA establishes the framework for the conduct of elections in Alberta municipalities, school divisions, irrigation districts and Metis Settlements.
- The MGA establishes the rules governing the conduct of local elected officials once on council, as well as the overall administration and operation of municipal authorities in Alberta, including any policy those authorities may wish to implement.
Related information
Maxime Bernier warns Canadians of Trudeau’s plan to implement WEF global tax regime
The tale of two teachers
UN attacks stay-at-home motherhood as ‘gender inequality’
Desperate Liberals move to stop MPs from calling Trudeau ‘corrupt’
-
Censorship Industrial Complex17 hours agoJordan Peterson, Canadian lawyer warn of ‘totalitarian’ impact of Trudeau’s ‘Online Harms’ bill
-
COVID-194 hours agoPfizer reportedly withheld presence of cancer-linked DNA in COVID jabs from FDA, Health Canada
-
Alberta1 day agoAlberta rejects unconstitutional cap on plastic production
-
Alberta1 day agoAlberta official reveals ‘almost all’ wildfires in province this year have been started by humans
-
Bruce Dowbiggin23 hours agoCome For The Graduate Studies, Stay For The Revolution
-
Business1 day agoTaxpayers criticize Trudeau and Ford for Honda deal
-
Business1 day agoDon’t be fooled by high-speed rail
-
Alberta1 day ago
Political parties will be part of municipal elections in Edmonton and Calgary pilot projects