An outlaw motorcycle club, known colloquially as a biker gang or motorcycle gang, is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the biker group.
Sheldon Kennedy is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames in the National Hockey League (NHL). Kennedy was drafted by the Red Wings in the fourth round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft while playing with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League (WHL). In the WHL, Kennedy helped the Broncos capture the 1989 Memorial Cup, and was named to the tournament all-star team. Kennedy represented Canada internationally at the World Junior Championships in 1988 and 1989. He helped Canada win a gold medal at the 1988 tournament. Kennedy was born in Brandon, Manitoba, but grew up in Elkhorn, Manitoba.
Foster children in Canada are known as permanent wards. A ward is someone, in this case a child, placed under protection of a legal guardian and are the legal responsibility of the government. Census data from 2011 counted children in foster care for the first time, counting 47,885 children in care. The majority of foster children – 29,590, or about 62% – were aged 14 and under. The wards remain under the care of the government until they "age out of care." This age is different depending on the province.
David Sweet is a former Canadian politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2006 to 2021. He represented the riding of Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale from 2006 to 2015 and, following the 2012 federal electoral district redistribution, he represented the riding of Flamborough—Glanbrook from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as the Shadow Minister for International Rights and Religious Freedom from 2019 to 2020. Throughout his tenure, Sweet served as chair and vice chair for a number of committees. During the 42nd Canadian Parliament, he served as the chair of the Conservative Party's parliamentary national caucus.
Right To Play is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to use play to empower vulnerable children to overcome the effects of war, poverty, and disease. Right To Play's work is connected to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, and focuses on four outcome areas: quality education, children's health and well-being, girls' empowerment, and child protection. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, the organization has programs in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and has national offices in Canada, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Green Party of Prince Edward Island is a registered provincial political party and one of the three major parties in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The party was founded by Sharon Labchuk, a political organizer for the federal Green Party of Canada. It is a party in the international green political tradition, espousing environmentalism, grassroots democracy, and social justice.
Julian Sher is a Canadian investigative journalist, filmmaker, author and newsroom trainer based in Montreal, Quebec. He was an investigative producer for ten years then a senior producer for five years with the CBC's The Fifth Estate. He has written extensively about outlaw motorcycle gangs, child abuse and the justice system.
Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Canada are well documented dating back to the 1960s. The preponderance of criminal cases with Canadian Catholic dioceses named as defendants that have surfaced since the 1980s strongly indicate that these cases were far more widespread than previously believed. While recent media reports have centred on Newfoundland dioceses, there have been reported cases—tested in court with criminal convictions—in almost all Canadian provinces. Sexual assault is the act of an individual touching another individual sexually and/or committing sexual activities forcefully and/or without the other person's consent. The phrase Catholic sexual abuse cases refers to acts of sexual abuse, typically child sexual abuse, by members of authority in the Catholic church, such as priests. Such cases have been occurring sporadically since the 11th century in Catholic churches around the world. This article summarizes some of the most notable Catholic sexual abuse cases in Canadian provinces.
Amanda Michelle Todd was a 15-year-old Canadian student and victim of cyberbullying who hanged herself at her home in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. A month before her death, Todd posted a video on YouTube in which she used a series of flashcards to tell her experience of being blackmailed into exposing her breasts via webcam, and of being bullied and physically assaulted. The video went viral after her death, resulting in international media attention. The original video has had more than 15 million views as of May 2023, although mirrored copies of the video had received tens of millions of additional views shortly after her death; additionally, a YouTube video by React has a video of teens reacting to Todd’s video which has garnered 44.7 million views as of May 2023, and various videos from news agencies around the world regarding the case have registered countless millions more. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and British Columbia Coroners Service launched investigations into the suicide.
The Friday the 13th Motorcycle Rally is a motorcycle rally held every Friday the 13th in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada since 1981. Its typical summer attendance exceeds 100,000 bikers.
Rehtaeh Anne Parsons, was a 17-year-old Cole Harbour District High School student who attempted suicide by hanging at her home in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, on April 4, 2013, leading to a coma and the decision to switch her life support machine off on April 7, 2013. Her death has been attributed to online distribution of photos of an alleged gang rape that occurred 17 months prior to her suicide, in November 2011. On a Facebook page set up in tribute to her daughter, Parsons' mother blamed the four boys who allegedly raped and released images of her, the subsequent constant "bullying and messaging and harassment", and the failure of the Canadian justice system, for her daughter's decision to die by suicide.
Ride Don't Hide is an annual charity event organized by the Canadian Mental Health Association to raise awareness for, and ultimately defeat, the stigma surrounding mental illness. The event was called the Community Bike Ride in 2009, the ride eventually became Ride Don't Hide in 2012 after Michael Schratter started a ride event called Ride Don't Hide. In his ride, Schratter cycled 40,000 kilometers over 469 days, raising nearly $70,000 to raise awareness for, and ultimately defeat, the stigma surrounding mental illness. Proceeds from the ride go towards Canadian Mental Health Association's efforts in promoting mental well-being, with emphasis on women and their families.
Bikers Against Child Abuse is a charitable worldwide motorcycle organization. The organization works to protect children across eighteen countries from dangerous individuals and situations. Based in Provo, Utah since its inception in 1995 by BYU graduate, psychologist, play therapist and social worker John Paul Lilly, their organization "exists with the intent to create a safer environment for abused children".
Gemma Hickey is a Canadian LGBTQ rights activist and author. They became one of the first Canadians to receive a gender-neutral birth certificate and passport. Hickey founded The Pathways Foundation, an organization that offers support to survivors of religious institutional abuse and their families. Since 2010, Hickey has worked as Executive Director of Artforce, formerly known as For the Love of Learning, a non-profit that works to forge new paths for at-risk youth by advancing their literacy and creative skills.
Kinley Dowling, who performs under the stage name KINLEY, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. She is a member of the band Hey Rosetta! and joined them in 2007. In 2016, she released her solo album Letters Never Sent. In 2018, she was nominated for four East Coast Music Awards, where she won Fan Choice Video of the Year and Rising Star Recording of the Year. She released her second album KINLEY in 2020, where it was nominated for Pop Recording of the Year at the 2021 East Coast Music Awards.
The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry was established in October 2015 to inquire into cases of abuse of children in care in Scotland. It was to report and make recommendations within four years by 2019. But this deadline was later changed to "as soon as reasonably practicable". Concerns have been raised about mounting costs and delays in the Inquiry. Six years after the start of the on-going Inquiry and long after the original deadline, Lady Smith released a report which was critical of the previous Scottish Government for the 'woeful and avoidable' delay in setting up the Inquiry.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Prince Edward Island is part of an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Up until January 14, 2022, Prince Edward Island was the only province/territory that did not have any deaths due to COVID-19.
The Sin City Deciples Motorcycle Club, also known as Sin City Nation, is a mixed race one-percenter outlaw motorcycle club. As one of the most well-known and oldest black outlaw motorcycle clubs in the United States, they have multiple chapters across the nation and have an additional presence in Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. Additionally, the organization has many support clubs in across the U.S. in select states.
