[Image-1] It was the first legislation of its kind in Canada, and now it no longer exists. Today the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia struck down the anti-cyberbullying law created by the province in 2013 after the death of Rehtaeh Parsons. The decision by justice Glen MacDougall ruled that the Act infringed upon Canada’s charter […]
Rehtaeh Parsons
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No jail time for second offender in Rehtaeh Parsons case
[Image-1] A second man who pleaded guilty to distributing an explicit photo of Rehtaeh Parsons was sentenced yesterday to 12 months probation as a Nova Scotia court dusted its hands of the case. That’s 12 months of probation for looking directly into the lens of his friend’s camera and flashing a thumbs-up as he penetrated […]
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No prosecutions in Rehtaeh Parsons publication ban
[Image-1] Rehtaeh Parsons has her name back. An unjust and impractical publication ban has, for all practical purposes, been struck down today. Lena Metlege Diab, the Attorney General and Justice Minister, has announced that almost all breaches of the publication ban will not be prosecuted. Issued to the Public Prosecution Service, the directive says no […]
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How I got my name
[Image-1] Dartmouth teenager Rehtaeh Parsons’ attempted suicide and death drew international outrage, eventually galvanizing public and political action against cyberbullying and sexual assault. She would have been 19 this December. Her mother, Leah Parsons, has shared some of Rehtaeh’s writing and art. The paintings were made in her “darkest moments,” Leah Parsons says, “as she […]
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Trauma services needed in hospitals
[Image-1] Capital Health is in the hot seat again following a recent Coast investigation. In question period at Province House yesterday, former health minister David Wilson asked current health minister Leo Glavine about concerns raised in The Coast’s “The always-on stalker” investigation, which Wilson said, “highlighted the need for trauma-informed services in our emergency rooms.” […]
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The always-on stalker
In the middle of the night on a quiet, residential street in Halifax, a 28-year-old man climbed the steps of a white house with a red door. In the apartment upstairs lived a 30-something woman he found on Craigslist a couple hours earlier. The ad said, “I need it.” He replied by email. He was […]
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New abuse allegation in Rehtaeh Parsons case
Rehtaeh Parsons had visited the IWK when she was having suicidal thoughts. We’re not sure what happened next. During one breakdown, says her father Glen Canning, staff stripped the alleged rape victim naked and kept her in a solitary room overnight. But “we’ve reviewed the situation thoroughly and the accusation made was just not true,” […]
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Protestors put focus on sexual assault
Approximately 50 people stood across the road from the Halifax RCMP and Halifax Regional Police headquarters on Sunday afternoon, protesting what they call police inaction in the case of Rehtaeh Parson’s alleged sexual assault. Rehtaeh died April 7, after she was pulled off life support. She had tried to take her own life three days […]
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Denial of service attack interrupts provincial website and email
A denial of service attack took down the provincial website for about 10 minutes this morning, confirms Brian Taylor, a spokesperson for the Chief Information Office, which oversees all IT operations for the province. Starting at about 9:50am, all provincial websites were inaccessible, and the provincial email system was down as well. A denial of […]
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The Rehtaeh Parsons story in context
As the Rehtaeh Parsons tragedy becomes known, Halifax suddenly finds itself on the world stage, being called “Canada’s Steubenville.” Is that a fair characterization? In terms of the general outline of events, as we know them now, probably. Allegedly the victim of a rape by four high school students, and then secondly victimized by the […]