A man accused of importing a deadly opioid onto the streets of Yellowknife was denied bail in NWT Supreme Court Friday.

Darcy Oake, of Yellowknife, is charged with importing and trafficking furanylfentanyl, a less potent form of fentanyl SA国际影视传媒� the powerful painkiller thatSA国际影视传媒檚 fuelled a growing nationwide opioid crisis.

Oake, 23, also faces a charge of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

A court-ordered ban prevents any evidence presented at the bail hearing SA国际影视传媒� including CharbonneauSA国际影视传媒檚 reasoning in striking down OakeSA国际影视传媒檚 bid to be released SA国际影视传媒� from being published.

The charges stem from OakeSA国际影视传媒檚 arrest in November 2016, when Yellowknife officers, investigating a rash of overdoses in the city, conducted a search at a Borden Drive home.

Police seized a substance later identified as furanylfentanyl.

On Nov. 28, 2016, the Canadian Border Services Agency in Vancouver intercepted a Yellowknife-bound package sent from China. The contents of the package also tested as furanylfentanyl, according to an news release from the same year.

Police allege the package is linked to Oake, leading to him being charged for importing the dangerous drug.

Oake has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which have not yet been tested in court. He's set to face the charges during a judge-alone trial in January 2019.

In November 2016, the NWT Department of Health alerted the public of the possible presence of fentanyl after a number of non-fatal overdoses just days apart.

Furanylfentanyl is said to possess one fifth of the potency of fentanyl SA国际影视传媒� which is up to 100 times more powerful than heroin SA国际影视传媒� but it's still nearly 20 times stronger than morphine.

Ambulance hits man outside Stanton Territorial Hospital

A man was treated for non-life threatening injuries after a City of Yellowknife ambulance struck him on Friday afternoon.
Responding to a call around 1:15 p.m, Yellowknife rushed to Stanton Territorial Hospital, near the back ambulance bay. There, it was determined an ambulance hit a man as the vehicle exited a bay door, stated an news release.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident, but say there is no indication of any wrongdoing at this time.

Student who talked about school shootings not guilty of threats

A 13-year-old male youth did not utter threats when he told a school counsellor he had considered carrying out a school shooting, an NWT territorial court judge ruled Monday.

Judge Christine Gagnon found the youth, who canSA国际影视传媒檛 be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, not guilty on three counts of uttering threats. The youth was arrested and charged on March 19 after staff at a Yellowknife school alerted police of a SA国际影视传媒減otential threatSA国际影视传媒� four days earlier.

The case went to trial in June after the student pleaded not guilty. A counsellor at the school, with whom the youth had regular appointments, testified she was SA国际影视传媒渟hocked and taken aback,SA国际影视传媒� when a discussion about guns led to the topic of school shootings.

She said she asked the 13-year old if heSA国际影视传媒檇 ever considered carrying out a school shooting, to which he replied SA国际影视传媒測es,SA国际影视传媒� repeating his answer a second time after the question was raised again. When questioned further, both the counsellor and the schoolSA国际影视传媒檚 principal testified the youth identified a number of students heSA国际影视传媒檇 thought of targetting.

Peter Harte, the youth's lawyer, maintained during the trial that his clientSA国际影视传媒檚 comments were never intended as threats, and that he didnSA国际影视传媒檛 have the means to carry out a school shooting. He contended the youth answered leading questions coming from adults in a candid and trusting environment.

Following the trial, it was up to Gagnon to decide whether the youthSA国际影视传媒檚 comments constituted a threat. On Monday, she ruled they didn't.

In handing down her decision, Gagnon said context was the crux of the case.

The counselling session, she said, began with talks about the youthSA国际影视传媒檚 SA国际影视传媒渦nhealthySA国际影视传媒� fascination with guns, but took a turn due to the line of questioning.

Gagnon said the boy didn't express outright that he wanted to commit a school shooting, but rather answered SA国际影视传媒測esSA国际影视传媒� to whether he thought about it.

The counsellor, Gagnon said, SA国际影视传媒渢ook the conversation to another level by asking about partaking in a school shooting.SA国际影视传媒�

Due to the context of the comments, Gagnon concluded the youthSA国际影视传媒檚 words werenSA国际影视传媒檛 intended as threats.

Nevertheless, Gagnon called the counselling session SA国际影视传媒渄isturbing,SA国际影视传媒� and said school staff did the right thing in intervening. However, she said any cause for concern should be addressed by mental health professionals, not by way of criminal prosecution.

The judge denied a peace bond sought by the Crown to ensure the youth doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 communicate with a number of fellow students named during the trial.

Following the decision, which prompted sighs of relief from the youthSA国际影视传媒檚 mother outside the courthouse, Harte said the implications of the ruling SA国际影视传媒減rotect us all.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚f the law doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 prohibit you from simply expressing your thoughts, thatSA国际影视传媒檚 a good thing for everybody,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

Harte agreed police intervention was appropriate, but said police should never had charged his client.

SA国际影视传媒淗eSA国际影视传媒檚 just a kid who was answering questions in a counselling session about how he felt about some people.SA国际影视传媒�