Online child exploitation spiked during lockdowns. Police worry it's here to stay
Online predators are becoming increasingly resourceful in trolling media platforms where children gravitate, prompting an explosion in police case loads, said an officer who works for the RCMP Integrated Child Exploitation Unit in British Columbia.
Data show the problem spiked during COVID-19 when children began spending more time online — but rates did not wane as police anticipated after lockdowns ended.
In B.C., they soared, almost quadrupling from 2021 to 2023.
Year in review: A look at national news events in July 2024
A look at national news events in July 2024
1 - The strike is over at WestJet. The Calgary-based airline reaches a deal with its mechanics to end a strike that had disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of travellers over the Canada Day long weekend and saw 829 flight cancellations. In a statement on its website overnight, WestJet says there will still be flight disruptions in the week ahead as its planes are brought back into service.
Verse of the Day: December 29
John 14:1-3
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Shifting the stress by prayer and rest
Hebrews 4:1–11
Year in review: A look at national news events in June 2024
A look at national news events in June 2024
1 - Israel's government says its conditions for ending the war with Hamas have not changed and that conditions for a ceasefire are still not met. The comments come a day after U.S. president Joe Biden put forward a proposed peace deal between Israel and Hamas that seeks to enact a three-phase wind-down of the war. Israel's government says putting a permanent ceasefire in place before the conditions are fulfilled is a "non-starter.''
Year in review: A look at national news events in May 2024
A look at national news events in May 2024:
1- Manitoba's Peguis First Nation declares a state of emergency after years of flooding caused heavy damage to infrastructure and housing. Chief Stan Bird says the community has seen significant rates of emotional distress, with a rise in self-harm among youth, drug addiction and incidents of domestic violence. The First Nation recently filed a $1-billion lawsuit alleging the federal and Manitoba governments failed to protect it from the frequent flooding.
Verse of the Day: December 28
Matthew 11:28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Stress reduction: spreading out the work load
Exodus 18:13–27
We’ve been talking about the very common and very real problem of stress. Today I’d like to tackle a practical suggestion for stress-reduction: spreading out the workload.
There is a side of stress that is easily overlooked, and that is trying to do too much ourselves. All of us have a limit. If those huge freight trucks on the highway have a load limit, you can be sure each one of us does, too. When we try to do more than we were designed to do, our level of anxiety immediately begins to rise.
Nominations open for 2025 municipal election
The City of Grande Prairie is informing all residents that beginning Thursday, January 2, 2025, nominations are officially open for the 2025 Municipal Election. The nomination period will run from January 2 until noon on Monday, September 22, 2025. Residents will head to the polls on Election Day, Monday, October 20, 2025, to cast their votes.
Grande Prairie voters will elect:
Gerry Butts says Trudeau less likely to remain leader since Freeland quit
A former chief adviser and close friend to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he doesn't think Trudeau will stay on to lead the Liberals in the next election.
Gerald Butts writes in a Substack newsletter today that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's recent resignation from cabinet dealt Trudeau a staggering blow that loosened his already tenuous grip on the party.
He says Trudeau was "unlikely" to lead the party into the next campaign before Freeland's stunning departure and is "now much less likely to do so."