Canada to pay nearly C$1bn to sexual misconduct victims in military

Government set aside funds for Canadian Armed Forces members but doesn’t admit liability following class-action lawsuits

Canada’s government will pay nearly C$1bn ($770m) to members of the military who took part in class-action lawsuits alleging widespread sexual misconduct.

“No one should feel unsafe in their place of work, in their communities,” Justin Trudeau told reporters on Thursday, according to the CBC. “There was a lot of negotiation and discussion with both the people concerned and their representatives and we were pleased that we got a settlement that was acceptable to the people involved,” the prime minister said. read more »

Florida sheriff to investigate Epstein’s work release

A Florida sheriff launched an investigation Friday into whether his department properly monitored the wealthy financer Jeffrey Epstein while he was serving a sentence for soliciting prostitution from underage girls.

The inquiry will focus on whether deputies assigned to monitor Epstein in a work-release program violated any rules or regulations, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said in a statement. Under a 2008 plea deal, Epstein was allowed to spend most of his days at the office of his now-defunct Florida Science Foundation, which doled out research grants, rather than in the county jail. read more »

“The Girls Were Just So Young”: The Horrors Of Jeffrey Epstein’s Private Island

Locals say Epstein was flying in underage girls long after his conviction for sex crimes—and authorities did nothing to stop him. “It was like he was flaunting it,” says an employee at the airstrip on St. Thomas. “But it was said that he always tipped really well, so everyone overlooked it.” read more »