Donald Trump’s proposed delay to criminal trial denied
Local
Ottawa Citizen: Ian Bush has lost his attempted appeal for a reduced sentence in the attempted murder of Ernest Côté, a 101-year-old war veteran.
Bush is currently serving two concurrent life sentences for his original crime, the murders of Judge Alban Garon, his wife, Raymonde and their friend, Marie-Claire Beniskos. The murders happened on June 30, 2007, but the cold case wasn’t cracked until the police solved a murder with similar hallmarks.
In 2014 Bush used fake City of Ottawa identification to get into Côté’s building. Police found DNA at the scene that matched the 2007 cold case and DNA from Bush.
Bush was convicted in 2017 and handed two concurrent life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years. The jury only took 90 minutes for deliberation at the time.
A panel of three judges denied Bush’s appeal, characterizing the proposal as “woefully inadequate.”
National
Toronto City News: The Assembly of First Nations is worried that the funds needed to close the infrastructure gap on reserves will not be available.
“Without these funds, infrastructure that First Nation communities across the country depend on will continue to deteriorate at an alarming pace,” said a report published by the assembly on April 9.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau added closing the gap by 2030 to his signature pledges on reconciliation. Canada will have to invest $349.2 billion to meet that pledge.
“The Government of Canada must ensure that our voices are not only heard but are leading the conversation and action on matters that affect our communities directly. This includes ensuring significant investments that match what First Nations have deemed necessary for our future,” said National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak.
According to the National Assembly, not only will costs increase if steps aren’t taken, but this estimated cost doesn’t even cover the infrastructure gap facing the Metis and Inuit.
International
The Globe and Mail: A New York appeals judge shut down Donald Trump’s bid to delay his criminal trial over hush money.
Trump’s legal team made the argument that the former president should be given the time to challenge the gag order tied to the trial.
The request was swiftly denied but a full panel of appeals judges will later look at the appeal into the gag order. The trial will commence as scheduled.
“The First Amendment harms arising from this gag order right now are irreparable,” said Trump lawyer Emil Bove.
Justice Lizbeth Gonzalez is the judge who ruled against the former U.S. president.
