Nygard found guilty of four sexual assault charges

TORONTO - Peter Nygard, who once led a women's fashion empire, was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault on Sunday but was acquitted of a fifth count, plus a charge of forcible confinement.

The jury at his trial in Toronto handed down the verdict on their fifth day of deliberations following a six-week trial. The 82-year-old Nygard — who appeared in court in a wheelchair with his hair tied back and sporting a long Canada Goose jacket over a hoodie and tinted glasses — stood stoically beside his lawyers as the jury read out each ruling.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Crown attorney Neville Golwalla thanked the jury, Toronto police and the complainants for what he called a "just result."

"This is a crime that typically happens in private and profoundly impacts human dignity. To stand up and recount those indignities in a public forum such as a courtroom is never easy and takes great courage," he said of those who came forward.

234 people with ties to Canada leave Gaza Strip

OTTAWA - Global Affairs Canada said 234 Canadians, permanent residents and their eligible family members have crossed from Gaza into Egypt Sunday.

The update came as the Rafah crossing reopened after a two-day closure, allowing foreign nationals to flee the war-torn territory.

Dalia Salim, a London, Ont. woman, said her 66-year-old father crossed the border Sunday with her uncle, who is a U.S. citizen.

"I'm so relieved, I have the biggest weight lifted off my shoulders," Salim said in a phone interview. "I'm still hurting for my people and my country ... but on a personal level, I'm just really glad that my dad is safe."

Hundreds attend Remembrance Day ceremony downtown

Clad in dress uniforms or street clothes, hundreds of veterans, active service members and civilians gathered in Winnipeg’s downtown convention centre to solemnly mark Remembrance Day.

Saturday morning’s service, organized by the Joint Veterans’ Association, marked not only the signing of the armistice that ended the First World War on Nov. 11, 1918, but the 75th anniversary of Canadian and international peacekeeping, the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War’s armistice and the 80th anniversary of the Italian campaign during the Second World War.

The service, which began at 10:30 a.m., was also the first Remembrance Day event attended by NDP Premier Wab Kinew, since he was elected the province’s leader, and the second attended by Lt. Gov. Anita Neville since she was sworn in last October.

“We recognize all our veterans have given a part of themselves for our country,” master of ceremonies Capt. Mary-Anne Saciuk told the crowd, after the arrival of dignitaries and the Royal Canadian Air Force band performed O Canada.

Winnipeg hockey coach charged with sexually exploiting teen player

A Winnipeg youth hockey coach has been charged with more than a dozen sex offences following accusations she groomed one of her teenage players into a sexually exploitative and abusive relationship.

Madison Biluk, 28, coached teams under Hockey Manitoba’s authority between 2018 and 2023, Winnipeg police spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon said Friday.

At the time of the alleged abuse, between 2019 and 2021, Biluk was in her 20s and the player was a teen. The alleged abuse began while the alleged victim, who is now an adult, was under 16 years old.

Biluk “forged an inappropriate relationship by grooming and gaining the trust of the survivor,” said McKinnon, who added that the alleged coercion and abuse continued after the teen stopped playing hockey.

Photo Gallery: Remembrance Day in Winnipeg

Hundreds of veterans, active service members and civilians gathered in Winnipeg’s downtown convention centre to mark Remembrance Day. Photos by Aaron Vincent Elkaim / The Canadian Press.

‘How could this happen?’ Dozens more share impact of 2022 fatal drunk-driving crash

One after the other — over 20 in all — they walked up to a microphone and loosed their pain, aching loss, and anger, along with one overriding message: this didn’t have to happen.

Jordyn Reimer, a designated driver, was doing the right thing, taking friends home after a night out, they said, when Tyler Goodman made the conscious decision to drive drunk, taking Reimer’s life in a two-vehicle, high-speed collision.

Goodman, 30, sat sombrely in the prisoner’s box of a Winnipeg courtroom Friday as nearly 80 of Reimer’s friends and family members, all wearing purple “Justice for Jordyn” t-shirts, filled the gallery directly behind him.

“How could this happen?” family friend Laurie Sinclair said angrily, turning to Goodman as she read her victim impact statement in court. “Why? Why? A young lady doing the right thing, and this is the outcome?”