Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 7, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba 50% off ANY REGULAR PRICED LARGE PIZZA With Beverage Purchase VALID FOR DINE-IN ONLY Expires August 31, 2024 204-338-5000 11am- midnight 1420 Henderson Hwy. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2024 A2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS VOL 153 NO 225 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 2023 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published six days a week in print and always online at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 204-697-7000 CEO / MIKE POWER Editor / PAUL SAMYN Associate Editor Enterprise / SCOTT GIBBONS Associate Editor News / STACEY THIDRICKSON Associate Editor Digital News / WENDY SAWATZKY Director Photo and Multimedia / MIKE APORIUS NEWSMEDIA COUNCIL The Winnipeg Free Press is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to determine acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. 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INSIDE Arts and Life C1 Business B5 Classifieds D8 Comics C5 Diversions C6,7 Horoscope C6 Jumble C6 Miss Lonelyhearts C6 Obituaries D7 Opinion A6,7 Sports D1 Television C4 Weather B8 COLUMNISTS: Pam Frampton A7 Peter McKenna A7 READER SERVICE ● GENERAL INQUIRIES 204-697-7000 CIRCULATION INQUIRIES MISSING OR INCOMPLETE PAPER? Call or email before 10 a.m. weekdays or 11 a.m. Saturday City: 204-697-7001 Outside Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 press 1 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.; 7 a.m. - noon Saturday; Closed Sunday TO SUBSCRIBE: 204-697-7001 Out of Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 The Free Press receives support from the Local Journalism Initiative funded by the Government of Canada In September 2020, as the trial date ap- proached and the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing, Crown and defence lawyers agreed to cancel the trial after the three ac- cused argued they didn’t have the resources to comply with a 14-day quarantine require- ment if they returned to Winnipeg. The Crown issued warrants for the three on the understanding they would not be held in custody when they returned to Winnipeg. But they never did return and the case remains at a standstill. In October 2020, a provincial court judge rejected a motion by the Berents seeking to be tried remotely from Los Angeles. Prosecutors argued the complexity of the evidence, the number of witnesses and other factors demanded that they be tried in person. While extradition is an option available to justice authorities, it is typically reserved for the most serious crimes, such as murder, said University of Manitoba assistant law professor Brandon Trask. Extradition is “historically unlikely for offences of this magnitude,” Trask said. “In practice, there are very limited options available in a situation like this where accused individuals are not returning to the jurisdiction for trial,” he said. “The low end of the spectrum here poses some challenges for the Crown.” At the same time, if the three accused do one day return to Canada, prosecuting them could prove difficult if it can be shown jus- tice authorities knew where they were and made no effort to bring them back, Trask said. The more time that passes, the more that memories fade, the greater likelihood that witnesses will not be located or die. “Essentially, we want to make sure that cases coming before the court have some viability,” Trask said. dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca Harris, the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to lead a major party ticket, initially consid- ered nearly a dozen candidates before zeroing in on a handful of serious contenders. Trump has focused much of his campaign on appealing to men, empha- sizing a need for strength in national leadership and even featuring the wrestler Hulk Hogan on the final night of the Republican National Convention. Harris’ finalists — all white men — marked an acknowledgment of the Democrat’s need to at least try to win over some of that demographic. She personally interviewed three finalists: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shap- iro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Walz. Harris wanted someone with executive experience who could be a governing partner, and Walz also offered appeal to the widest swath of the diverse coalition. His selection drew praise from lawmakers as ideologically diverse as progressive leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and indepen- dent Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virgin- ia, a moderate who left the Democratic Party earlier this year. A team of lawyers and political oper- atives led by former attorney general Eric Holder pored over documents and conducted interviews with potential selections. Harris mulled the decision over on Monday with top aides and fi- nalized it Tuesday morning, according to three people familiar with Harris’ decision who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private deliber- ations. Shapiro, an ambitious politician in his own right, struggled with the idea of being No. 2 at the White House and said he felt he had more to do in Pennsylvania, according to one of the people familiar with Harris’ decision. There was also public pushback to Shapiro for his stance on Israel from Arab American groups and younger voters angry over the administration’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. The other contenders threw their support behind the ticket Tuesday, and Shapiro was one of the speakers at Tuesday’s Philadelphia rally. Biden de- scribed the Harris and Walz ticket as “a powerful voice for working people and America’s great middle class.” Walz coined one of Democrats’ buzziest campaign bits to date, calling Trump and his running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance “just weird,” a label that the Democratic Governors Association — of which Walz is chairman — amplified in a post on X and Democrats more broadly have echoed. On Tuesday, Walz said: “Just an observation of mind, I just have to say it. These guys are creepy and, yes, just weird as hell.” Harris, second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Walz will spend the next five days touring critical battleground states, visiting Wisconsin and Mich- igan today and Arizona and Nevada later in the week. Vance, for his part, planned stops in some of the same areas. He said Tuesday that he called Walz earlier in the day and left a voice message. The Trump campaign on Tuesday immediately tried to tag Walz as a far- left liberal. “It’s no surprise that San Francisco Liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her run- ning-mate — Walz has spent his gover- norship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State,” said Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s campaign press secretary. Walz, who grew up in the small town of West Point, Neb., was a teacher, coach and union member at Mankato West High School in Minnesota before entering politics. He won the first of six terms in Congress in 2006 from a mostly rural southern Minnesota district and used the office to champion veterans issues. Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard, rising to command sergeant major, one of the highest enlisted ranks in the military, although he didn’t complete all the training be- fore he retired so his rank for benefits purposes was set at master sergeant. He ran for governor in 2018 on the theme of “One Minnesota” and won by more than 11 points. David Ivory, a 46-year-old St. Paul resident, rode over to Walz’s residence on his bike with his kids shortly after the announcement to deliver their congratulations. “He’s just down to earth. He gets it. He can talk to anybody,” Ivory said. “He doesn’t seem like he’s above anybody.” — The Associated Press Harris running mate Walz is no stranger to Canada W ASHINGTON — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — chosen as U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris’s running mate Tuesday — has strong ties to Canada and a good under- standing of Canada-U.S. trade, observ- ers say. Walz, 60, is a military veteran, re- tired educator and union supporter whose state shares a 885-kilometre bor- der with Canada. “Between Walz and Harris’s back- ground in Canada, these are two people that will have a good understanding of the relationship between the two coun- tries,” said Matthew Lebo, a specialist in U.S. politics at Western University in London, Ont. Harris, who lived in Montreal as a teenager, is expected to be guided by U.S. President Joe Biden’s road map as she navigates America’s relationship with Canada. Biden’s tenure has been described as more stable than his predecessor’s when it comes to U.S.-Canada relations. Former president Donald Trump had pushed to renegotiate the old North American Free Trade Agreement, and it was ultimately replaced with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Canada’s government heralded it as a success, but it did not receive univer- sal praise south of the border — Har- ris voted against it, saying it didn’t do enough to protect American workers or the environment. Lebo said it’s likely that Walz under- stands the value of trade between Can- ada and the United States. The Business Council of Canada’s website says Minnesota’s relationship with its neighbour to the north goes beyond just a shared love of hockey. Trade ties are extensive, especially in the energy and agriculture sectors. Canada is Minnesota’s largest cus- tomer, buying more than US$8-billion worth of goods and services every year, Hillman said. Walz was in Toronto in June to speak with Canadian officials and pursue economic opportunities for collaboration. “We agreed on the need to protect and grow our strong economic ties, in- cluding our growing agriculture and energy sectors,” Premier Doug Ford posted on social media after Walz vis- ited Queen’s Park. Walz also seems “Canadian” in terms of his temperament and values, Lebo said. “Minnesota may be the most Can- adian-like state.” The governor has also pushed social policies in line with those of the current Canadian government, Lebo said. Harris formally clinched the Democratic nomination Monday and was scheduled to appear at a rally with Walz in Philadelphia on Tuesday even- ing, kicking off a campaign blitz to introduce the Democratic ticket in im- portant battleground states. Walz is already well known at the Canadian Embassy in Washington and consulate general in Minnesota, said Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. He “knows Canada well,” she said. Walz and fellow lawmakers have eliminated nearly all of the state’s abortion restrictions, protected gender- affirming care for transgender youth and legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Minnesota Democrats also funded free school meals for children and free tuition at public colleges for students in families that earn less than US$80,000 a year. Walz has been praised for put- ting state funds toward health insur- ance coverage, regardless of a person’s immigration status. Lebo said Walz may be criticized for his response to protests after the mur- der of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020 and for his ad- ministration’s oversight of some pan- demic-era programs. — The Canadian Press, with files from The Associated Press KELLY GERALDINE MALONE TRIAL ● FROM A1 WALZ ● FROM A1 MATT ROURKE / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz arrive at a campaign rally in Philadelphia. OK.RU Maxim, Oxana and Alexander Berent were charged with public mischief after police accused the family of staging an antisemitic attack at their café — BerMax Caffé — in River Heights. JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES In 2019, the Berents alleged their restaurant had been hit by four antisemitic attacks. Security camera footage implicated the family. every one deserves a decent place to live. Donate today at habitat.mb.ca ;