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2 RCMP officers charged after N.W.T. man died in police custody in 2025
2 RCMP officers charged in man's 2025 death
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The RCMP says it has laid charges against two of its own officers after a man from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, died in their custody last year.
The Alberta RCMP, which led the investigation into the man's death, says the two Yellowknife officers face charges of criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life.
The charges stem from an incident in March 2025, police say, when the two officers responded to a report of a disturbance at a Yellowknife business.
When the officers arrived, the RCMP says they detained a man who was showing signs of intoxication and left him inside a police vehicle while they gathered more information at the scene.
Police say the officers returned to the car and found the man, 56-year-old Lawrence Blackduck, unresponsive.
He was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene, the RCMP says, after life-saving measures were attempted and paramedics were called.
The RCMP did not give further details about the officers' alleged conduct which gave rise to the charges.
The national police service says it conducted an internal review in the aftermath of the incident and it has since made changes to police policy and training related to in-vehicle detentions.
Chief Superintendent Dyson Smith of the Northwest Territories RCMP extended his condolences to Blackduck's family and community and called the incident "deeply troubling."
"“This is a difficult day for our organization and the communities we serve. We recognize the seriousness of this incident and remain committed to transparency, accountability and maintaining public trust and confidence," Smith wrote in a statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Alberta referendum expected to bring finality, but also more questions on separation
Questions to remain after Alberta separation vote
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
On Monday, Albertans vote on whether to stay in Canada or hold another binding referendum on quitting Canada.
If the vote goes as polls suggest, a majority of Albertans will mark an X to stay in Confederation, and Premier Danielle Smith has said if that’s so, she expects everyone to accept it and move on. Leaders of the independence movement contest that.
And political watchers are divided about whether separation — previously a fringe sentiment — will now be a prominent, permanent feature of Alberta’s political landscape, as in Quebec.
Julian Castro-Rea, a political-science professor at the University of Alberta who studies the separation debates in Quebec and Alberta, believes as long as Alberta feels alienated from the Canadian capital — feeling that Ottawa benefits from Alberta's resource economy without giving back — the movement will have fuel.
"Even if the referendum is lost, the westernization will still be around, because it's kind of a way which, traditionally, Albertans have related to the rest of Canada," says Castro-Rea, who believes western alienation may remain indefinitely.
Alberta's independence movement has been compared to Brexit and separation in Scotland, but the most obvious comparator is Quebec.
Earlier this month, Quebec elected a minority government led by the Parti Québécois, which has promised to call a third independence referendum to leave Canada, following votes in 1980 and 1995.
Experts say the two provinces differ in their catalysts for secession. Quebec and its francophone culture have developed over centuries. Alberta, by comparison, was created alongside Saskatchewan out of the division of the Northwest Territories in 1905.
Alberta's separatists are driven by western alienation rather than a deep-seated nationalist sentiment, like Quebec, experts say. That means it's difficult to see how the long-term future of the movement could pan out.
"They have different identity, different history, different language, as you know, and therefore they can claim, kind of, this historical legitimacy as the basis for their attempts for separation," Castro-Rea says.
Separatist sentiment has been sprinkled into Alberta's saucepan for the past half-century before coming to a boil in recent years. Premier Smith, who has voted to stay in Canada, has repeatedly criticized former prime minister Justin Trudeau's policies as oppressive to Western Canada's sovereignty and its energy-driven economy.
That criticism has softened against current Prime Minister Mark Carney, who referred to Alberta's bid for secession as a "dangerous bluff" on Thursday night. He also said a decisive result would "settle this question."
Andrew McDougall, an associate political science professor at the University of Toronto, says he sees Alberta's referendum as a way to garner political leverage with Ottawa, as Quebec has.
"This has sometimes been referred to in Quebec as the 'knife at the throat strategy,' where Quebec could sort of push its agenda because we've had that incredible threat of a referendum," he says.
But former UCP premier Jason Kenney, speaking in Edmonton earlier this week, said the knife analogy cuts both ways.
"The idea of making the threat by holding a knife to the throat of the federation is how you end up as a have-not province, like Quebec, instead of the ultimate have province like Alberta," he said.
"You want to talk about a lack of investor confidence? The next year, moving towards an actual vote on separation when the first one is won — the economic consequences would be catastrophic."
Political science professor Graeme Young says to understand Alberta’s future, one could look at Scotland.
Young, at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, grew up in Ontario and kept interest in Alberta's prospective separation from afar as Scotland bolsters another push to leave the United Kingdom.
He says he doesn't expect Alberta's separatist campaign will last. He believes the movement could deflate with a different federal political party in power. And he says it can’t draw from the same wellspring of national identity as exists in Scotland.
Young says Scotland's 2014 campaign was, in large part, defeated by uncertainty about the economics of independence, including pensions, currency, finances and its role in the European Union.
And while Scotland has been preparing for more than a decade for another run at independence, Alberta's movement is underprepared, Young says.
"(Alberta's case) has been put together quite hastily," he says. "It does not seem that they have invested as much time and energy into that case as one would expect for setting up a new country."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2026.
— With files from Lisa Johnson in Edmonton and The Associated Press
By Dayne Patterson | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Separation, immigration, the Constitution: A look at Alberta's referendum questions
A look at the 10 Alberta referendum questions
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Here are the 10 questions Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is sending to a provincewide referendum on Monday.
Question 1: Do you support the government of Alberta taking increased control over immigration for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities?
What you need to know: Smith has said she wants to see Alberta have a similar accord as Quebec, which has an agreement with Ottawa that lets the province set its own eligibility requirements for economic migrants.
She said in February that a "normal" and "sustainable" level of immigration would represent less than one per cent of the population, or about 50,000 newcomers per year. But critics say Smith has failed to plan for the population growth it invited with a countrywide ad campaign in recent years.
Question 2: Do you support the government of Alberta introducing a law mandating that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status will be eligible for provincially funded programs, such as health care, education and other social services?
What you need to know: The premier has blamed overburdened public services on rapid population growth in the past five years.
The government's website claims temporary residents cost the province more than $1 billion in health care, education and social services. Critics say those numbers don't add up and that the government is ignoring the economic contributions and benefits they bring to Alberta.
The specific effect of a yes vote is unclear, since the government says it won't define "Alberta-approved immigration status" until after the referendum.
Question 3: Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for social support programs as they do now, do you support the government of Alberta introducing a law requiring all individuals with a non-permanent legal immigration status to reside in Alberta for at least 12 months before qualifying for any provincially funded social support programs?
What you need to know: The government says it won't determine which programs would be affected until after the referendum, should Albertans vote yes.
Temporary workers are already ineligible for some provincial programs, such as Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, and the Canadian Bar Association's provincial chapter says this could run afoul of the Canada Health Act or the Charter's equality provisions.
Question 4: Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for public health care and education as they do now, do you support the government of Alberta charging a reasonable fee or premium to individuals with a non-permanent immigration status living in Alberta for their and their family's use of the health care and education systems?
What you need to know: A potential new charge wouldn't be determined by the government until after the vote, though the premier told Calgary business leaders on Sept. 22 that a health premium could be as much as $1,900.
Education leaders in the province have come out against restricting access to schooling, saying it goes against internationally agreed children's rights.
Question 5: Do you support the government of Alberta introducing a law requiring individuals to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate, or citizenship card, to vote in an Alberta provincial election?
What you need to know: Voting is already restricted to Canadian citizens, and both Elections Canada and Elections Alberta have reported very few cases of ineligible voting.
Smith has said it's about strengthening the integrity of provincial elections. Critics say this policy would only make lineups at the polls more time-consuming and open the door to racial or ethnic bias at the voting booth.
Question 6: Do you support the government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to have provincial governments, and not the federal government, select the justices appointed to provincial King's Bench and Appeal courts?
What you need to know: If approved by voters, this proposal would only commit Alberta's government to working with other provinces and federal lawmakers to make changes to the Constitution.
Changes generally need approval from seven provincial legislatures covering 50 per cent of Canada's population, as well as from the House of Commons and Senate in Ottawa.
Question 7: Do you support the government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to abolish the unelected federal Senate?
What you need to know: Abolishing the Senate would be even more difficult than other general constitutional amendments. It would need to be unanimously approved by all provinces and ratified by the Senate and the House of Commons.
Question 8: Do you support the government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to allow provinces to opt out of federal programs that intrude on provincial jurisdiction such as health care, education and social services, without a province losing any of the associated federal funding for use in its social programs?
What you need to know: The federal "spending power" authority allows Ottawa to attach conditions to its funding for provinces, with health-care funding under the Canada Health Act as a key example.
A permanent provincial "opt-out" clause would require the Constitution to be amended.
Question 9: Do you support the government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to better protect provincial rights from federal interference by giving a province's laws dealing with provincial or shared areas of constitutional jurisdiction priority over federal laws when the province's laws and federal laws conflict?
What you need to know: Under the Constitution, federal laws are given standing over provincial laws when jurisdictional issues arise.
This change to the Constitution would require approval from the Senate, the House of Commons and seven provinces representing at least half the country's population.
Question 10: Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?
What you need to know: Advocates for separation say the province needs to get out from under federal taxation and regulation, freeing up wealth and sparking economic development. Federalists say the split would only hurt businesses and saddle landlocked Alberta with debt and the massive cost of delivering formerly federal services.
Smith has framed her other nine other questions on immigration and constitutional reform as a political compromise that could address Alberta's grievances, gain leverage with Ottawa and avoid dismantling the country.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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8 hacks pour pas que ton déménagement au Québec te ruine complètement
Avec ça, il va te rester de l'argent pour ta déco! 🤑
Le 1er juillet de chaque année, la population québécoise a l'habitude de déménager en profitant du jour férié de la fête du Canada. Étant donné que cette échéance approche rapidement et que l'inflation affecte sérieusement ton budget alloué à la vie quotidienne, tu cherches peut-être un moyen de limiter les dépenses lors de ton prochain changement de logement.
Que ce soit pour avoir des boites gratuites, payer moins cher ton transport ou encore bien choisir la compagnie de déménagement, voici huit conseils qui devraient t'être utiles pour préparer comme il se doit cette journée qui s'annonce chargée, mais à moindres frais.
Utiliser des sacs à ordures au lieu des boîtes pour les vêtements
Pour les vêtements c'est très utile d'utiliser des sacs à ordures, car cela prend beaucoup moins de place qu'une boîte dans un camion et tu peux aisément les empiler ou les tasser pour faire de la place pour tes meubles. En plus, il sera plus simple pour une personne passagère à l'avant d'un véhicule d'en empiler à ses pieds que de mettre des boîtes sur ses genoux. Avec ce truc, tu peux même garder tes vêtements sur les cintres et les déplacer d'une garde-robe à l'autre sans tracas.
Sachant qu'une boite coûte entre 1,25 $ et 4 $ au Dollarama et qu'un ensemble de boîtes pour un appartement coûte 153,57 $ chez U-Haul... Tu vas vite faire des économies!
Demander des boîtes gratuites
Il existe aussi un autre moyen d'obtenir des boîtes, tu peux en demander gratuitement dans des épiceries, dans les magasins de jouets, à la SAQ et dans différents commerces. Certes, tu ne seras pas en mesure de contrôler la taille de ce que tu reçois, mais au moins ce sera sans frais.
Un autre hack intéressant pour ne pas payer de boîtes, c'est de récupérer celles de tes commandes sur Amazon ou autres à l'avance. Une fois le moment venu d'emballer tes affaires, tu n'as plus qu'à les renforcer avec du tape.
Notons que tu peux également demander à tes proches, s'ils ont fait des commandes sur Internet récemment, de t'en garder de côté.
Privilégier les serviettes plutôt que le papier bulle
Non seulement c'est plus écologique, mais en plus ça va faire baisser ta facture de déménagement. Plutôt que d'acheter du papier bulle pour protéger tes objets fragiles comme la vaisselle, les objets électroniques ou autres, tu peux utiliser des serviettes, des guenilles, des draps, des vêtements ou encore des circulaires qui envahissent ta boîte aux lettres.
Rappelons qu'un lot de deux rouleaux peut coûter un peu moins de 30 $ sur Amazon, tandis que cette technique est 100 % gratuite. Tu peux aussi, encore une fois, demander à tes proches s'ils ou elles en ont à te prêter, au cas où tu en manquerais.
Déménager léger
Le calcule est simple : plus tu as de choses à déménager, plus tu as de boîtes, plus tu as besoin d'un gros camion, plus cela coûte cher. Pour faire des économies, cela peut valoir le coup de faire un tri dans tes affaires afin de déménager plus léger.
En plus de sauver des sous, tu peux en gagner en vendant ce qui ne te sert plus sur des sites comme Kijiji ou Facebook Marketplace, ce qui pourrait t'aider à augmenter ton budget pour faire la décoration de ton nouveau chez-toi.
Bien choisir les déménageurs
L'Office de la protection du consommateur du Québec a donné une série de conseils sur son site Internet pour bien choisir les spécialistes du déménagement avec qui tu feras affaire. Il est préconisé de comparer les prix et de communiquer avec au moins trois entreprises différentes avant de faire un choix.
Tu devrais ensuite vérifier si la firme possède une assurance de base pour le matériel déplacé, ce qui te permettra de te faire dédommager si des meubles sont brisés. Les compagnies de déménagement devraient également avoir une assurance responsabilité civile d'au moins un million de dollars.
Il est aussi recommandé de vérifier si l'entreprise est inscrite au Registre des propriétaires et des exploitants de véhicules lourds de la Commission des transports du Québec.
Sache que tu peux obtenir de l'information en utilisant l'outil « Se renseigner sur un commerçant » pour savoir si des mises en demeure ont déjà été émises, ce qui devrait t'aider à prendre une décision éclairée et éviter les pièges.
Se faire rembourser des frais par le gouvernement
Il est possible de se faire rembourser des frais de déménagement par le gouvernement fédéral s'il permet de se rapprocher d’au moins 40 km d'un lieu d'étude ou d'emploi. C'est le cas pour certaines personnes exerçant un emploi en indépendant ou pour celles et ceux qui étudient à temps plein.
Tu pourrais te faire rembourser des frais de transport et d'entreposage, de déplacement, tes repas et le logement lors du trajet, ou encore des coûts de résiliation de bail.
Pour demander cette aide, il faut remplir le formulaire et l'envoyer à l'Agence du revenu du Canada (ARC).
Comparer les prix de location de véhicules en fonction de tes besoins
Quand on parle de louer un camion, on pense souvent à faire appel à des entreprises de déménagement. En fonction du kilométrage besoin, de la taille et de la sorte du véhicule ainsi que de la durée de location, tu devras débourser une centaine de dollars, voire plus, à Montréal.
Selon le nombre de choses que tu as à déménager, ça peut valoir le coup de jeter un coup d'oeil aux prix sur l'application ou le site Internet de location de véhicules entre particuliers, Turo. Au moment d'écrire ces lignes, pour la journée complète le 1er juillet, tu devrais par exemple payer entre 75 $ et 213 $ pour une minifourgonette, un camion ou une fourgonnette.
Tu peux aussi solliciter l'aide de proches ou rejoindre des groupes d'entraide sur Facebook pour demander à des personnes de te rendre service en échange d'un repas ou du remboursement des frais d'essence, à condition qu'ils ou elles disposent d'un véhicule et que tu n'aies pas de gros meubles. Cette astuce te permettra de réaliser d'importantes économies, car le coût du transport est souvent la dépense la plus élevée lors d'un déménagement.
Prévenir d'un changement d'adresse
Oublier de faire ton changement d'adresse peut te mettre dans le pétrin et te coûter plus cher que prévu. Pour éviter de payer le service de réacheminement du courrier résidentiel de Postes Canada, pense bien à prévenir Hydro-Québec, ton service Internet et Services Canada avant de quitter ton logement. Ça t'évitera des frais, car pour quatre mois, tu devras débourser 60,50 $ si tu restes au Québec et 75,25 $ si tu pars vivre dans une autre province si tu fais appel à ce service payant, alors que si tu le fais par toi-même à temps, c'est gratuit.