Mark Bellis: March 2023

Friday, March 31, 2023

Eight dead, one missing in suspected smuggling attempt in Akwesasne

Akwesasne, 31 March 2023 (updated at 6 pm) - Eight people including two children were found dead in waters off St. Regis Island and elsewhere in Akwesasne yesterday - Police believe they were from two families, one Romanian and one Indian, that were trying to enter the United States from Cornwall, Ontario. The operator of the boat that matched the description of one found capsized near the first six bodies to be found near St. Regis Island is being searched for by local police agencies and fire and rescue departments. Two more bodies, one of a woman believed to be an Indian national, and one infant, a Canadian citizen of Romanian descent, were found today (Friday).

Montreal Gazette

Indian Time, Akwesasne Newspaper

Akwesasne Police press release

Sûreté du Québec Helicopter searches water near St. Regis Island

RCMP boat searches St. Lawrence

Hogansburg Awkwesasne Volunteer Fire Department Airboat searches near Stanley Island

Canadian Armed Forces helicopter searches area, April 2, 2023

CBC media van at place by river where boat with the eight victims probably left Canada for the USA, April 1, 2023. near Gray's Creek Marina, Cornwall

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Robin

Cold robin, one of three in the tree. They get more territorial when they start nesting later on.

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

High risk takedown on 401 near Milton

Milton, Ontario, late 1990s - Suspect is kneeling with hands behind head - officer crouching is about to cuff him. There is another OPP officer with gun drawn and shielded by the driver side door.

It's actually a funny story... some people were on their way to a costume party and were dressed as robbers and had toy guns and someone in another car saw them and called the police. I was driving back from the Toronto Star when I saw in the other lane, in this order, a man standing with his hands raised in the middle of the 401 with a very odd expression of terror, embarrassment and amusement on his face, then behind him the front sight of a Sig Sauer automatic, the back sight, and then behind that the blue grey eye of an OPP officer, all lined up on the back of the young man's skull. The officer looked sad and serious. And behind them the traffic of the busiest highway in Canada standing still. So I did a few rather risky things and got over to that side to take pictures. They were released without charges, and since no one was hurt or charged the photos never made it into the paper.