An American man, named as a member of a whites-only group and twice turned away from Canada, complained border agents were aggressive and mean to him after finding “Nazi memorabilia” in his truck as well as animal skins painted with symbols authorities believed were rooted in European paganism.

Cormag Jaime Alainn took Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree to Federal Court asking for a judicial review of the way the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) handled his complaint about officers who refused him entry at the New Brunswick border when he attempted to enter Canada from the United States last year with his pregnant Canadian wife.

“The complaint alleges that (CBSA officers) verbally abused and physically assaulted him, mistreated his wife and his pets and damaged his property,” Justice Whyte Nowak wrote in a recent decision.

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The court heard that when Alainn tried to drive into New Brunswick, the U.S. citizen “declared that he was staying in Canada for two months and his pregnant wife (a Canadian citizen) advised that she had been outside Canada for the past five months. The couple were referred to secondary inspection.”

There Alainn “advised that he was newly married and intended to return to Maine to stay with friends after the birth of their first child,” said the Federal Court decision, dated Oct. 27.

Alainn told border guards “that he was unemployed and had no United States residence or significant family ties in the United States,” it said.

When border guards found a slide lock cable for firearms inside the box of the couple’s truck they “became concerned about the possibility” that Alainn might have a gun, which led border guards to conduct pat-down searches on the pair.

Border guards questioned Alainn about the contents of his truck, which included what they “considered to be ‘Nazi memorabilia’ as well as animal skins with spray painted symbols which the (CBSA agents) believed were rooted in European paganism,” said the court.

After Googling Alainn’s name, border guards confronted him “regarding his association with the Asatru Folk Assembly, which (they) believed to be a recognized hate group who advocate for white supremacy. According to a (border agent, Alainn) claimed that the items had no special meaning and he was simply interested in Nordic culture.”

The Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA) says its members must be “traditionally-minded” and of “Ethnic European” stock. “Let us be clear: by Ethnic European Folk, we mean white people,” their website says.

The AFA is registered as a religion in the United States but has also been branded “the largest neo-Völkisch hate organization in the United States” by extremism monitoring group Southern Poverty Law Center. The centre says the AFA has almost two dozen groups in the United States as well as affiliates in Canada.

The AFA espouse Ásatrú, described as a pre-Christian religion of Europe, and evoke the Norse imagery of Vikings. Their “religious imperative” is to ensure “the survival and welfare” of white people, their website says. Many of their public messages use a speaking style popularized in movies and TV as the way Vikings might talk: “Victory never sleeps”; “Hail Ragnvald”; “the gathered Folk spoke to personal victories before Honour was given to the Allfather with resounding energy.”

In a 2021 AFA newsletter, Cormag Àlainn was introduced to the organization’s membership: “Please welcome Christopher Taylor (Now named Cormag Àlainn) of North Dakota as our newest Apprentice Folkbuilder in the Baldrshof District. Chris has been very active in his District thus far.” The post ends: “Hail Chris Taylor! Hail the AFA! Hail Baldr!”

A Facebook page for a man with the same name and similar photographs shows a smiling man in a jacket and tie with two lapel pins; one is the three interlocking horns logo of the AFA and the other appears to be the symbol of Baldrshof, the AFA division that includes North Dakota. A LinkedIn profile gives his most recent employment status as a career break for full-time parenting — based in Nova Scotia — after leaving a job in North Dakota as an industrial machinery operator.

A CBSA officer issued a report denying Alainn entry to Canada “based on a finding that he was unlikely to depart Canada, and his circumstances were not indicative of a temporary stay.” He was allowed to voluntarily turn around and leave Canada.

Two months later, he again tried to come to Canada, to visit his wife. He was again refused entry. He then filed a formal complaint saying that “the reason given by the CBSA for his previous refusal was that he is the leader of a white nationalist group, which (Alainn) states is both untrue and not the reason that he was denied entry,” the court decision says.

In his complaint, Alainn alleged that during his March border stop the officers: “verbally abused him; physically assaulted him in conducting the pat-down search; denied him and his wife food and water for six hours; refused to allow the couple to care for their special needs dog and cat; and damaged his belongings in carrying out their search of his truck.”

During the agency’s investigation of his complaint, CBSA officials viewed video of the border interaction and spoke with Alainn’s lawyer, said the judge, and “when this informal attempt to resolve the complaint did not succeed” the CBSA issued a “final disposition letter” dismissing the complaint.

In a final disposition letter dated June 14, 2024, Dominic Mallette, the CBSA’s acting regional director general for the Atlantic Region, “concluded that (Alainn’s) complaint was unfounded.”

Nowak sided with Mallette.

Alainn “has not shown that the final disposition letter is unreasonable,” said the judge. “There is no merit to the applicant’s argument.” The letter “is intelligible and justified based on the facts and the law,” Nowak said.

She dismissed Alainn’s case, saying he “has not met his onus of demonstrating that the final disposition letter is unreasonable or that it was arrived at in a manner that was procedurally unfair to him.”

Requests for comment from Alainn, through his email address with the AFA, as well as from his lawyer in Canada, and from the AFA leadership in the United States were not answered prior to publication deadline.

National Post

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The story of a former Vice Canada journalist who led an international drug smuggling ring made headlines a number of years ago, in part due to the notoriety of the person charged.

But we’re now learning more about another key figure in the case, another former Vice staffer who is alleged to have taken part.

National Post reporter Adrian Humphreys joins Dave Breakneridge to discuss how new information in the case came to light, what we know about the alleged “deputy”, and where his court case is at.

Background reading:
He grew up rich and joined the hottest media empire. Then came the cocaine mules

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It’s long been known that darkness improves the length and quality of sleep. Studies have shown that even the

phase of the moon

can affect our sleeping patterns.

Now a new study has revealed a link between nighttime exposure to light and cardiovascular health. The research, posted last week in the journal

JAMA Network Open

, studied close to 90,000 people aged 40 and older to look for links between light and various cardiovascular conditions: coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction (heart attacks), heart failure, atrial fibrillation and stroke.

The long-term study followed participants in the U.K. over a period of 9.5 years, from June 2013 to November 2022. Scientists gathered some 13 million hours of light exposure data tracked by wrist-worn sensors worn for a week at a time by participants.

The participants, 88,905 in total, were 57 per cent female and 43 per cent male, with a mean age of 62. Most (97 per cent) were white. Anyone with pre-existing cardiovascular health conditions was removed from the study.

The results found that, across all the conditions being studied, the risks were greater for those who slept in brighter conditions.

For instance, those sleeping in the brightest conditions — equivalent to having an overhead light on in the room — had a 56 per cent greater risk of developing heart failure or having a heart attack compared to those who slept in the darkest places.

Bright light also led to a 32 per cent higher risk of coronary artery disease, a 32 per cent higher risk of atrial fibrillation (irregular and often rapid heartbeat), and a 30 per cent higher risk of stroke than in the dark-sleeping group.

“These associations were robust after adjusting for established cardiovascular risk factors, including physical activity, smoking, alcohol, diet, sleep duration, socioeconomic status, and polygenic risk,” the study found.

It also noted that females were more susceptible than males for risks of heart failure and coronary artery disease after sleeping under bright light. Similarly, younger individuals were found to have a higher risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation than older participants.

“Our findings are consistent with higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in people with brighter nights, observed in smaller cohorts with objective light data,” researchers wrote. They also found results consistent with higher cardiovascular risks observed in rotating shift workers, “a population that experiences frequent exposure to bright light during the biological night.”

Several drawbacks to the study were noted, despite its size and timescale. Researchers pointed out that participants tended to have higher education levels and income than the general populace, and that the study did not identify the source of the light, “meaning we could not adjust for behavioural correlates of night light exposure (e.g., light from stimulating digital content).”

The study also did not capture the causal relationship of night light with cardiovascular disease risk. “Long-term circadian-informed lighting interventions for reducing cardiovascular disease risk are needed,” they wrote.

However, they concluded: “Night light exposure was a significant risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases among adults older than 40 years. These findings suggest that, in addition to current preventive measures, avoiding light at night may be a useful strategy for reducing risks of cardiovascular diseases.”

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OTTAWA — Former senator Don Meredith was found not guilty of all charges of sexual assault and criminal harassment that were brought forward by a former employee, according to a decision read by Superior Court Justice Narissa Somji on Wednesday.

The complainant, who is protected by a publication ban and therefore cannot be named, alleged that she was subject to constant fondling, unwanted touching and threatening remarks by Meredith over a period of six months when working for him over a decade ago.

When delivering her decision in Ottawa, the judge said she found “inconsistencies” which undermined the reliability of the complainant’s account, whereas she found Meredith’s evidence “to be straightforward and clear” and “not shaken” during cross-examination.

“The primary issue at trial is whether the Crown has proved beyond a reasonable doubt whether the offences occurred,” said Somji. “The law is clear that I cannot decide the case by determining which conflicting version of events is preferred.”

Meredith, a Pentecostal minister from Toronto, was appointed to the Senate by former prime minister Stephen Harper in 2010 and resigned from the upper chamber in 2017 after it was revealed that he had a sexual relationship with an underage girl.

He also faced allegations of harassment, including of a sexual nature, to abuse of authority including were the object of two separate reports. Ultimately, the Senate paid nearly half-a-million dollars to nine of his former employees, including the complainant.

During the trial, she alleged that Meredith hugged her, kissed her, and touched her buttocks and breasts with her consent in his Senate office. She also described three incidents which happened outside of the office — including exposing his erect penis.

Meredith denied all of the allegations of sexual nature brought forward during the trial.

Somji argued in her decision that there were contradictions that arose from the complainant — whom she described as a “very fragile witness” who was at times “very emotional and distressed” — which put in question the reliability of her testimony.

In describing an incident in a hotel room in Toronto, the complainant testified that she rejected Meredith’s advances by asking him if it was the first time he was unfaithful to his wife. However, in a statement to police in 2018, she said she feigned to be on her period.

During cross-examination, the complainant said that many thoughts were running through her mind as an excuse to get out of that alleged interaction “should things go further.”

The judge also noted that a Senate security guard who testified on trial recalled that the complainant had been neglecting her appearance when working for Meredith, contradicting testimony that she felt forced to wear skirts and dresses to please him.

Another time, the security guard testified that the complainant had confided in him that Meredith had touched her vagina, but the complainant said she did not recall saying that.

The complainant also alleged that the former senator made inappropriate and threatening remarks — including one instance where he allegedly said he would “stab” her in the back is she leaked information — that made her feel like she was at risk of losing her job.

The Crown argued during the trial that the alleged sexual misconduct, coupled with his remarks, caused the complainant to fear for her psychological safety, resulting in criminal harassment, but the defence argued the elements of criminal harassment were not met.

“While Mr. Meredith acknowledges that he did provide (the complainant) job-related directives, he denies he ever threatened her physical or psychological safety,” said Somji.

Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Meredith thanked his family, God and his lawyer Paul Lewandowski. He expressed relief that this “cloud has been lifted” on him.

“It’s been several years of testing me and my family, and I’m glad that this day is finally over,” he said, adding that he would continue his work in his community.

Meredith said he did not have a message for the former employee who testified against him. He was standing next to his wife, who was in the courthouse for the verdict.

The Crown did not offer any comments immediately after the judge’s ruling.

National Post

calevesque@postmedia.com

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A plane from Chicago to Germany was diverted after a man allegedly stabbed two teens with a metal fork.

The Lufthansa flight took off on Oct. 25, and was en route to Frankfurt when the incident occurred, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. After the in-flight meal service, the man — a 28-year-old from India — allegedly stabbed a 17-year-old male passenger in the shoulder with a fork. The passenger had been sleeping lightly in a middle seat and woke up to see the man was standing over him, the attorney’s office said.

🚨 Indian man charged with allegedly stabbing two minor victims with a metal fork while on board a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Germany.https://t.co/VIGfyP9pzi

— U.S. Attorney Massachusetts (@DMAnews1) October 27, 2025

Then, the man allegedly lunged toward another passenger, also a 17-year-old male, who was in a middle seat in the centre row of the plane. He struck the 17-year-old in the back of the head with the same fork.

The man slapped a female passenger while flight crew members tried to subdue him. He also tried to slap a flight crew member. During this time, it is alleged that the man made a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger, the attorney’s office said.

While he was handcuffed after being subdued, he yelled phrases such as “I am the reason for COVID” and “I am a sinner in the eyes of Siddhartha,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by National Post. (

Siddhartha Gautama

was the fifth-century founder of Buddhism. He was later known as the Buddha.)

The plane diverted to Boston approximately two hours into the flight, after the pilot was alerted to the incident. The 28-year-old man was taken into custody upon landing in Massachusetts.

The first victim, who was struck in the left clavicle, did not suffer from any visible injuries as he was wearing a large hoodie, the complaint said. The 17-year-old told authorities that he had “exchanged pleasantries” with the suspect while the flight was boarding, but otherwise they had no other interactions.

The second victim suffered from a laceration. He was treated by paramedics at the gate.

The man was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the U.S. jurisdiction. That charge could lead to a 10-year prison sentence, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to US$250,000.

The attorney’s office said the man was let into the U.S. on a student visa and had been enrolled in a master’s program in biblical studies. However, he currently does not have lawful status in the U.S.

He is expected to appear in federal court in Boston.

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