Canada at a Glance: Am

MNAFN
May 16, 2014

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MB, May 16, 2014 (CNS Canada), May 16, 2014 (Menafn - Commodity News Service Canada, Inc. via COMTEX) --The following isa quick glimpse of the news making the headlines in Canada.

RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL SURVIVORS FEAR TESTIMONY COULD BE MADE PUBLIC

Survivors of Indian residential schools are furious thattheir personal stories of abuse might become public, despitehaving been guaranteed confidentiality.

They shared excruciating details of their time at the schoolsin closed-door hearings as part of a claims process. Now, the Truthand Reconciliation Commission is asking an Ontario Superior Courtwhether it can include those stories as part of its NationalResearch Centre.

Phil Gattensby went to a residential school and has workedas a support worker to other survivors in about 50 proceedings.For his part, he is comfortable telling his story to anyone as partof his healing. But he understands that others feel differently.

"One of them said that if he knew ahead of time people wouldbe putting his story out into a public domain, or whatever you wantto call it, that he wouldn't have told his story," Gattensby toldCBC News.

More than 20,000 people have gone before an adjudicator ina quasi-judicial private hearing, encouraged by the commission tomeet the problem head-on by telling their stories.

Many had no desire to go public with the harrowing detailsof abuse at Indian residential schools as part of a process to seekcompensation for abuse and harm they suffered.

Survivors, the lawyers, the adjudicator and any family orsupport workers in the hearings have to sign a confidentialityagreement. Hence the surprise when the commission - the bodymandated to contribute to reconciliation - said it wanted thosestories archived in its National Research Centre.

"They are quite upset," said Peter Grant, a lawyer forsurvivors. "Every single person we talked to has said, 'No, thisis my story. I don't want this story made public.'"

The commission says it is simply trying to clarify how therecords from the hearings should be treated. It argues that theresearch centre is the safest and most respectful place to protectthose records.

But Grant said that even if the commission promises to sealthe documents in the archive, archives usually become publiceventually. And if that happens, what little trust survivors haveleft will be gone.

"All of the promises made to them would be, in effect,broken," Grant said.

Gattensby said that if the commission wants to put the storiesin an archive, they should have to get permission from each andevery survivor.

The court will hear the case in July. (CBC News)

CFB PETAWAWA SOLDIER FACES NEW CHARGES IN SEX ASSAULT CASE

PETAWAWA, Ont. - Ontario Provincial Police have laid sevennew charges against a soldier based at Garrison Petawawa in easternOntario in a sexual assault investigation.

Investigators charged Derrick Gallagher, 31, of Petawawawith eight counts of sexual assault and two counts of voyeurismon April 1, in an investigation that began on March 29.

Additional charges were laid late last month, and Const.Peter Robertson said on Thursday that seven new alleged victimshad come forward, bringing the total to 16.

The new charges are sexual assault, five counts of voyeurism,and break and enter with intent to commit an indictable offence,and Robertson says Gallagher now faces 27 charges in total.

OPP say they are being assisted in the ongoing investigationby the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service.

Robertson says provincial police are encouraging any femalewho has had contact with Gallagher to contact investigators.(Canadian Press)PICTOU PIGEONS 'DON'T DESERVE' TO BE KILLED AHEAD OF ROYAL VISIT

Some Pictou, N.S. residents are worried their town is puttinga royal visit ahead of the lives of pigeons after officials boardedup an abandoned building with the birds still inside.

Pictou officials say they boarded up the building's brokenwindows last Friday after receiving complaints about fallingglass, but some locals think the town is putting its image abovethe lives of animals. With Prince Charles and Camilla visitingPictou on Monday, the town has already started touching things upahead of their arrival.

"I believe they did it for the royal visit," Pictou residentRachelle Gaudet told CTV News. "Because, all of a sudden, we haveroyals coming, they're boarding up buildings, they're fixingsidewalks, they're fixing roads."

"I've heard them called rats with wings. It doesn't matter- they don't deserve this treatment," says Charlene Steeves.

Steeves says the birds have been nesting in the building foryears, but now, she's haunted by the sounds of them trying to getout.

"That's all you could hear, was the 'thump, thump, thump'of the constant bodies hitting the window," she says.Many pigeons can be seen lined up behind some of the building'sunbroken, uncovered windows. Not all of the windows are boardedup - just the ones with openings, meaning the birds have no wayto get out.

Deputy Mayor Cam Beaton says the building was boarded up asa safety precaution.

"We received a complaint last week from two residents aboutfalling glass, and when it became a danger to our citizens, thetown, under the Municipal Government Act, can go onto the propertyand secure it," Beaton told CTV News.

Beaton says boarding up the building has nothing to do withthe royal visit.

"This is totally unrelated," he says. "This is a hazard toour residents and we took action to protect our residents fromfalling glass."

The Nova Scotia SPCA has received several calls about thebirds but can't take action because it only investigates incidentsinvolving companion pets. However, a representative from theorganization did say they support residents' efforts to free thepigeons.

The town cut small square holes in the boarded-up windows inresponse to the outcry, but residents say the hand-sized openingsaren't enough.

Beaton says there are no further plans to release the pigeonsat this point. (CTV News)