Toronto native Dalano Banton may have been selected 46th overall by the Raptors as a part of the NBA draft, the six-foot-nine and 204-pound guard has made history as the first Canadian to be drafted by the country’s lone team in the league.

“It’s a crazy feeling like just you know coming from Toronto, coming from the Rexdale area … a lot of things that you see, you see it on TV but you never really see anyone from your side of town or from your neighbourhood ever make it so far,” the 21-year-old said in a video shared on the Toronto Raptors Twitter account Friday afternoon.

“I feel like it’s a dream that I’m living out for myself, but as well as a hundred other kids from my neighbourhood. So you know I just want to keep pushing and keep going hard for them, and make them know that it is real.

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“So whatever you put your mind to, just work hard at it and it will come true.”

Banton, along with Scottie Barnes and David Johnson, were selected by the team Thursday evening.

He averaged 9.6 points, 3.9 assists and 5.9 rebounds over 27 games in his sophomore season for the Nebraska Cornhuskers last year. He was previously at Western Kentucky

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Bobby Webster, the general manager of the Toronto Raptors, reflected on Banton’s selection after the draft.

“I’m sure it was cool for all of us to hear on the broadcast, ‘the Toronto Raptors select Dalano Banton from Toronto,'” he said, adding he and others believe he has talents to bring to the team.

“He’s big, he plays a little point guard, he sees the floor really well, he can rebound really well.”

— With files from The Canadian Press

Rexdale Dreams @DALANOBANTON

Open Gym: Moment presented by @Bell pic.twitter.com/cUYyj3YHAg

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 30, 2021

AH AH AHHHH@DALANOBANTON | #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/SnsyV4bdmd

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 30, 2021

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

From flora and fauna to amazing sunrises and sunsets, summer is a chance for photographers to showcase pictures taken around Saskatchewan.

Global Saskatoon and Global Regina feature a viewer-submitted picture each day for the Your Saskatchewan photo of the day from images captured by photographers around the province.

The photo is also highlighted on Global News Morning, Global News at 5, Global News at 6 and Global News at 10.

Read more:
June 2021 Your Saskatchewan photo of the day

Please email us if you have a picture to submit for Your Saskatchewan. Photos should be at least 920 pixels wide and in jpeg format.

Here is the Your Saskatchewan photo gallery for July:

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

2-1-1 Saskatchewan has long offered a link for residents throughout the province to reach non-clinical healthcare, as well as social and government programs in their communities via text, phone or online.

“If you’re someone dealing with anxiety, depression, mental health issues, income issues, you can’t call 9-1-1, that’s where you call 2-1-1,” 2-1-1 Saskatchewan Marketing Specialist Coleman Walker explained.

Over the course of the pandemic, Walker and the 2-1-1 team saw a drastic spike in call volume.

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“Our calls, you know, they were in the hundreds the past couple of years (2018, 2019) and then we got something like 1,500 calls in 2020,” he said. “A lot of it surrounds COVID, because people weren’t really sure what to do, where to go, who to help.”

The number of COVID calls were followed closely by those looking to cope with anxiety, depression and loneliness brought on by the pandemic.

As the province has reopened, 2-1-1 has seen another spike in daily calls.

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“This reopening is another change, just like it was when the pandemic hit,” Walker explained. “People had just started to adapt to that routine and are now having to change it all over again, leading to confusion and anxiety.”

This second uptick prompted a newfound partnership behind 2-1-1 and the recently launched SaskWell service.

SaskWell is a two-way texting service that offers mental health and wellness tips, as well as resources.

“We have weekly text messages as well as wellness tips and sign-ups,” SaskWell Project Coordinator Courtney Carlberg said. “So, we’ve added Saskatchewan 2-1-1 as (another) resource.”

SaskWell involves several partners, including the University of Saskatchewan, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

This most recent partnership between SaskWell and 2-1-1 has both parties pleased with how they’ll be able to use their resources to better help the people of Saskatchewan.

“Everyone needs different things in order to succeed in life, and in order to take care of their wellbeing,” Walker said. “We want to be the place that they can come to to find the resources that they need.”

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The government of Nunavut says residents of the territory and of Arctic Quebec can now travel freely between both regions as long as they’ve been in a community for at least 14 days.

The government says people from either region must also be travelling from a community free from COVID-19.

Nunavut has been COVID-free for well over a month, while Nunavik, Quebec’s northern region, had its last case in June.

READ MORE: Could surplus COVID-19 vaccines go to waste in Quebec?

The Nunavik Regional Board of Health says the bubble only applies to people travelling by charter flight or boat, since there are no direct flights between the regions.

Nunavut residents travelling to Nunavik will be tested on arrival, while Nunavik residents travelling to Nunavut will not.

In June, Nunavut announced that anyone who was fully vaccinated could enter the territory without isolating for 14 days.

© 2021 The Canadian Press

Police in London, Ont., are hoping youth in the city can learn from a recent incident that left a teenage boy in hospital.

It was around 7 p.m. on Thursday when police were called to an area near Huron Street and Fallons Lane following reports of a vehicle striking a teenage boy.

Police say they later learned the boy had been riding on a scooter when he grabbed onto the rear handle of a moving vehicle as it passed by.

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The boy fell off his scooter before he was struck by the same vehicle he was holding onto, according to police.

The boy was sent to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

No charges have been laid in the incident.

Sgt. Sean Harding, who serves in the police service’s traffic management unit, says officers have heard of similar incidents occurring in the winter months.

“This type of practice is dangerous year-round, and could result in disastrous consequences,” he added.

Police add that they want parents and guardians to talk to their children about the dangers of attaching themselves onto moving vehicles.

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A judge has put off a decision on a bail request from one of three men accused in an alleged abduction that triggered an Amber Alert in Montreal this week, telling the court on Friday she needs more evidence before ruling.

Two 21-year-olds and a 22-year-old — two of whom are brothers of the 16-year-old alleged victim — were charged in connection with the incident.

Quebec court Judge Joelle Roy was expected to render a decision Friday in the bail application of the 21-year-old brother but instead asked for more evidence, including a full statement from the victim to police and testimony from the parents to better understand the familial and cultural context of the case.

“I want more information, this is a unique dossier with a whole societal and cultural backdrop,” Roy told the court.

Read more:
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The judge extended the bail hearing into next week, when the other two co-accused will also make their bid for bail. A court order prohibits the publication of any information that could identify the minor victim.

During a hearing Thursday, the court heard the girl had been controlled by her brothers in recent months, with their mother’s approval. The alleged victim had left her mother’s home to go live with her father recently after a dispute, and the brothers believed it was their duty to bring her back to their mother’s home, the Crown said.

Prosecutor Bruno Ménard recounted that she was forced to give her money to her brother, she was told how she could dress and she wasn’t allowed to smoke electronic cigarettes.

He said the teen told police her brothers monitored her text messages and frequently turned off the Wi-Fi at home, causing her to fail school classes.

The 21-year-old brother forbid her to work at night and even went to her workplace against her wishes and told her employer she had quit. The victim alleged her mother threatened to take steps to verify whether she was still a virgin, according to the Crown’s account.

Read more:
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Montreal police have said that just after 11 p.m. on Monday, the teen was allegedly forced into a vehicle from her place of work at a restaurant in Kirkland, Que, a suburb in western Montreal.

The Crown says the brothers are alleged to have entered the restaurant and forcibly removed their sister, smashing her glasses and phone and assaulting another employee who tried to stop them. Much of the interaction was caught on video.

In the car with her 21-year-old brother, she told investigators, he removed her shoes and jewelry. The prosecutor told the court her brother threatened, “If you go to the police, don’t worry, I have more than one way to shoot you in the head.”

Major-crimes investigators elected to issue an Amber Alert early Tuesday, fearing for the girl’s safety. Police tracked the cellphone of the 21-year-old brother and arrested him. The girl and the other 21-year-old accused turned up at a Montreal police station soon after the alert was sent out.

The 22-year-old brother was arrested by police later that morning.

The prosecutor argued the 21-year-old brother should remain detained because of the seriousness of the crime and because of the exercise of control over the victim.

The defence has countered that it was an unfortunate event amplified by the Amber Alert, noting the accused has no criminal record. The accused assured the court he was a good brother and would abide by conditions.

But Roy said Friday she needs a fuller picture.

“I also have a duty to protect a 16-year-old girl,” Roy said. “I want a global portrait of the family and what’s going on.”

The case will resume Wednesday and Friday next week.

© 2021 The Canadian Press

A fifth dog has been found after a dognapping took place on June 5 in Lakeshore, Ont., according to OPP.

A total of seven beagles were reportedly stolen from an address on Lions Club Road after a property was broken into.

Within three weeks, two of the beagles were found in separate areas in Windsor, where police say they were abandoned by the suspect or suspects.

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A third dog was found, also in Windsor, on July 13, though police provided no further details on that discovery.

A fourth beagle was found on July 26 in the Devonwood Park area in Windsor. The dog was turned over to the Essex County Humane Society before being returned to the owner, police say.

On Friday, a fifth dog and seven puppies were recovered in Windsor.

OPP say the dog has been returned to its owner.

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Police are looking for assistance in locating the remaining stolen dogs.

Anyone with information is asked to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

–With files from Global News’ Jacquelyn LeBel and Sawyer Bogdan

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

B.C. has recorded another 243 cases of COVID-19 Friday, with more than half of those, 131 cases, being in the Interior Health region.

This brings the provincial total to 149,889 cases.

In good news, there were no new reported deaths.

In the provincial breakdown, there were 56 new cases in Fraser Health, 32 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, nine new cases in Northern Health, 13 new cases in Island Health and two new cases of people who reside outside of Canada, in addition to the 131.

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Forty-seven people remain in the hospital, a decrease of four since Thursday, and 16 people are in the ICU, also a decrease of four in the past 24 hours.

As of Friday, July 30, 81.1 per cent (3,758,385) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 64.9 per cent (3,008,360) have received their second dose.

In addition, 82 per cent (3,548,137) of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose and 67.5 per cent (2,921,008) have received their second dose.

There remain 1,231 active cases of the virus in the province, with 693 of those in the Interior.

B.C.’s COVID-19 numbers have been trending in the wrong direction for the past few days with most of those being driven by cases in the Interior.

As a result, officials announced this week new restrictions for the region to try and curb the infection rates.

The restrictions include:

• A regional order instituting a mask mandate for indoor public spaces to address the COVID-19 outbreak. The order applies to individuals older than 12 years of age.
• Events should be organized outdoors rather than indoors, if possible.
• Restaurants are back to Step 3, which means the maximum capacity of indoor venues has now been reduced.
• Bars, restaurants and nightclubs must have COVID-19 safety plans in place. Liquor service can remain at normal hours but people should not be socializing between tables.
• Reducing the second-dose interval to four weeks, to get people vaccinated quicker.
• Discouraging non-essential travel to the region by people who are not yet fully vaccinated.
• Expanded availability of asymptomatic testing.

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Two men were quickly arrested, say Kelowna RCMP, after allegedly stealing a truck on Thursday evening.

According to police, the two suspects stole a Ford truck from a residence on Hollywood Road South that night.

The homeowner heard his truck being started, then dashed outside to see it being driven away. He then called police to report the theft.

Read more:
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Police say within minutes, officers located the truck and followed it to a gas station along the 2100 block of Springfield Road, where they arrested the driver and passenger without incident.

“The quick response and arrests of these two subjects shows the dedication of officers to curb criminal activity within the community and reduce property crimes,” said RCMP Cpl. Guillaume Tanguay.

The owner was extremely grateful for the quick recovery of his truck.”

Police say the alleged driver, Daniel Anderson, 40, is facing charges of theft of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property, possession of break-in instruments and breaching two court orders.

Police say the alleged passenger, Adam Isaac, 34, is facing charges of theft of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property, possession of break-in instruments, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and breach of a court order.

RCMP added the two have been remanded into custody for a future court date.

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The Town of Uxbridge is cracking down on vandalism and stunt driving at a local park.

Over the course of several months, new barriers and cameras have been installed to stop the issues, with community safety top of mind.

Joanne Richter walks her dog Echo at Herrema Fields almost every day but she says it’s not always peaceful at the Uxbridge park.

“This park is used for all kinds of doughnuts and stunt driving, like, the sound really travels, especially at night. I feel like you could probably hear that anywhere in town. It was really, really loud,” said Richter, who only lives a few blocks from the park.

The noise has recently stopped, and it could be due to new wooden posts put up by the town.

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“It’s such a simple, elegant solution. It doesn’t require additional enforcement,” said Richter.

Bruce Garrod, Uxbridge Ward 3 councillor and finance chair, says the town put up the 45 posts in the middle of July.

Garrod says the town thought about a number of solutions and the wooden posts in the middle of the parking lot made the most sense without taking parking away.

“That’s the biggest issue — the disruption to the neighbours. There’s people that live right adjacent to the park and right across the road from it,” said Garrod.

The wooden posts are just the latest in a number of measures taken in recent months.

“For $3,000 we now eliminate the need for repairs to the parking lot that inevitably be done once or twice a year and then the rocks that we installed along the edge of Herrema we put in last year so that people don’t come in in the winter. They were heading over and ruining our soccer fields,” said Garrod.

Security cameras were also installed last year to prevent graffiti.

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“Since we put that in there hasn’t been anymore tagging on our walls,” said Garrod.

John Cavers, who has lived in the area for the past 15 years, welcomes the changes.

“I guess they want a lot of space to rip and roar and they don’t have that now,” Cavers said.

“For what I’ve seen, it’s really calmed the park down, especially at night.”

As for Richter, she says it can be a busy park with lots of kids running around and she doesn’t want to see anyone getting hurt.

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.