“Law and Order”

Public calls for Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw’s resignation are growing following news that seven current officers were among more than two dozen people charged in an internal corruption probe.

During a news conference Thursday at York Regional Police headquarters in Aurora, it was revealed that the officers, a retired cop, and 19 additional suspects were all taken into custody following a months-long investigation into organized crime.

Recently, we’ve seen waves of low-grade violence, chaos, and political upheaval in Western countries. Any society that refuses to enforce laws or treat the mentally ill should not be surprised when tragedy strikes. Liberal obstruction is high, but letting cannibals run amok eventually consumes the whole of society.

In 2005, at the age of 17, Michael Williams participated in the torturous murder of 13-year-old Nina Courtepatte. He lured the girl from West Edmonton Mall to a golf course with four of his friends. A member of the group hit Courtepatte in the head with a wrench, knocking her to the ground; Williams and one of his companions then raped her as the others held her down. After further torture (including numerous cuts to the face), Williams and co. bludgeoned her in the head with a hammer until she died.

Two accused killers, one of them from Toronto, beat murder charges Friday after a judge in Ottawa found it took too long for them to go on trial. For the Ottawa defendant, it was the second time a murder case against him has collapsed over issues with the prosecution.

“It is most unfortunate that this double homicide and attempt murder case will not be tried on its merits,” Superior Court Justice Ian Carter said, reading his reasons for halting the prosecution. “The law is clear, however. The court has no choice. A stay of proceedings is the only remedy that can be granted.”

Sergio Hyland seemed like the perfect advocate. Calling himself a “fierce, relentless, implacable abolitionist,” determined to end incarceration in the United States, Hyland had spent more than two decades behind bars before joining Pennsylvania’s Working Families Party as an anti-prison organizer. His criminal record only burnished his credentials: he had pled guilty to the 2001 killing of a 15-year-old and was later charged in connection with another homicide in 2002. Once he got out of prison in 2022, Hyland launched a website offering “speaking engagements” and “harm/de-escalation tactics” training, and he frequently appeared alongside Philadelphia’s progressive prosecutor, Larry Krasner. The two even shared a news release in April 2025 announcing the Working Families Party’s endorsement of Krasner, which the prosecutor was “honored to accept.” A week later, Hyland was arrested for murdering a 30-year-old mother of two. Police discovered a stockpile of illegal guns in his home. Now Krasner’s office will have to prosecute him.

The Ontario government says it will require defendants to pay cash security deposits before they are released from custody as part of a bill aimed at “tightening” bail requirements.

In a news release issued Monday morning, Attorney General Doug Downey said the current bail system is “broken” and that the bill will introduce repercussions for offenders.

“That’s why our government is advancing a comprehensive tough on crime bail strategy that will strengthen the rules, reinforce compliance, and keep violent and repeat offenders off the street,” Downey said at a news conference announcing the proposed change.