The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Regina - The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal has upheld the conditional sentence of a man found guilty of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl but has rejected adding more time to his controversial sentence. Dean Edmondson had received a conditional sentence of two years' house arrest in 2003 for the assault on the girl, meaning he did not have to serve time in jail. In Wednesday's ruling, the Court of Appeal said the trial judge should have sent Edmondson to jail, but it wouldn't make sense to lock him up now. The case has long been plagued with accusations of racism Ð the girl is aboriginal and the man is white. Family members of the victim and interest groups were outraged over Edmondson's sentence. Ottawa - Prime Minister Paul Martin, whose Liberal government continues to draw heat over the sponsorship scandal, will address the country on Thursday. The Prime Minister's Office said he will speak about the sponsorship program and the current situation in Parliament at 7:45 p.m. ET. The Liberal party has come under fire following recent revelations at the Gomery inquiry, which is investigating the sponsorship program Ð a $250-million project intended to promote national unity and to oppose separatism in Quebec. Calgary - One coyote has been shot and a second is being tracked after two small children were bitten in separate incidents at Calgary playgrounds Tuesday.
