A Bolton, Ont., woman who murdered her toddler 16 years ago by poisoning the 18-month-old boy with carbon monoxide has been granted six months of day parole.

Nadine Bernard appeared in a virtual hearing in front of the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) on Wednesday, wearing a short-sleeved plaid shirt, sitting next to her parole officer in a room at the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener.

The 50-year-old first-time offender serving a life sentence for second-degree murder became eligible for full parole in February, after successfully arguing for a reduction in her parole ineligibility from 20 to 16 years in front of a jury at a faint hope hearing.

On March 26, 2009, Bernard drove to the underground parkade at 1 Robert Speck Pkwy. in Mississauga, where she worked at Brinks Canada, and parked the vehicle. Bernard had taped and connected a 10-foot piece of black dishwasher hose between the exhaust pipe and the rear passenger window, where her son Jayden was sitting in a car seat.

The following morning, Bernard returned to the parking garage, contacted 911 and advised the operator that the baby was dead. Police arrived and arrested Bernard.

Two handwritten notes found in the vehicle, written by Bernard, suggested it was an act of revenge, including one which said in part, “Payback is a b….”. The other note said, “Mom and Dad, I am sorry. This is the only way I could protect Jayden from Richard and Joy.”

The child’s father, Richard Williams, was a married co-worker of Bernard’s. They had an affair for approximately four years at the time Jayden was conceived. Williams did not disclose the birth of Jayden to his wife for the first nine months of Jayden’s life. When she found out, Williams explained to his wife that he had no intention of continuing the relationship with Bernard but wanted to be part of Jayden’s life.

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After several weeks, Joy Williams agreed to incorporate Jayden into their family. Thereafter, Richard Williams began to exercise access to Jayden and introduced him to his other children and his extended family. When this occurred, Bernard began to feel threatened that Richard Williams would take Jayden away from her.

At the parole hearing, Bernard was asked by a board member what might have changed had she considered the circumstances. “My son would be alive. I would not have tried to kill myself. I would not be incarcerated. I would have put my son first instead of using him as a means to an end,” Bernard replied.

She also agreed with a board member who suggested she had certain expectations about her relationship with Williams. “I expected I was going to marry this man. I expected he was going to divorce his wife based on things that were said to me,” Bernard explained.

Bernard said since then, she’s learned to challenge her thinking by weighing the pros and cons of the situation.

Mitchell Huberman, Bernard’s lawyer, told the board she’s had over 100 psychotherapy sessions with her therapist and has expressed remorse in her grief course. Her lawyer told the board she is a low risk to reoffend and has had success in the community. She’s had 148 days of escorted temporary access and 35 days of work release, working at a catering company.

Bernard spoke about spending time during the escorted access visiting her family, including her mother, two daughters and five-year-old granddaughter, while accompanied by a volunteer who stays with her during the visits.

Huberman said Bernard has also completed three eight-week courses at a Brampton halfway house. “She’s learned how to correct those underlying issues that led to her breakdown and the offence,” Huberman told the board.

Bernard’s parole officer told the board how, on one escorted access, neighbours yelled at her and made comments about the “index offence.” Huberman said the example of the community member screaming at her shows she’s able to deal with it.

Bernard’s plan is to live in a halfway house, also known as a community residential facility, in Toronto. “I would like to volunteer. There is an opportunity for me to work in the community as a hairdressing assistant. Those are things I will look into once I’m comfortable in the Toronto area,” Bernard said.

When asked if she had any closing remarks, Bernard said she was sorry.

“I just want to apologize for my actions and apologize to my son,” she said. “It’s something I’ve done over the years. I also want to apologize to Richard and Joy for my actions. I believe if I was able to process things differently, the outcome would not have been this and life would be have been different.”

The parole board imposed four additional conditions to be followed upon her release on day parole.

Bernard must report any relationships to her parole supervisor or any attempts to initiate friendships. She must have no direct or indirect contact with Jayden’s father or his family; she is restricted from entering Brampton and Mississauga, except with prior written consent, and she must meet with a mental health professional to address grief, loss, trauma and any reintegration stressors she may face.

&copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

TORONTO – Heather Gardiner couldn’t give her seats away.

The Blue Jays owned a record under .500 back in the spring, and looked poised for another middling campaign with little playoff hope.

Things then drastically turned around on the field. Toronto now sits first in the American League East.

And tickets are a hot commodity — often at a hefty price.

Getting into Rogers Centre to see Canada’s only Major League Baseball team has quickly morphed into a costly endeavour this summer that has surprised some fans.

A recent sold-out series against the New York Yankees saw the cheapest seats on resale sites going for more than $200 apiece, while a ticket in the 500 level for Friday’s series-opener with the Kansas City Royals was in the neighbourhood of $80 as of Wednesday afternoon — more than double face value.

Gardiner and her family have two season tickets near the visitors dugout. The tech consultant, who’s had seats since Toronto’s 2015 playoff run, sold most of her extras at cost to friends last season.

After the Jays’ underwhelming start to 2025, interest dropped to near zero.

“We were posting on social media three days before a game saying, ‘We can’t make it and if you want the tickets let me know and they’re yours,’” Gardiner said. “They were free and people weren’t taking them.”

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Toronto’s surge up the standings signalled a drastic shift across the ticket market.

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Fans can make purchases directly from the team through Ticketmaster, while the website also has verified resale options — usually at an inflated price — similar to other big-hitters like SeatGeek and StubHub when supply is scarce.

Jagger Long, who runs Toronto-based resale website Karma Tickets, said a number of factors, including summer holidays, tourism and a winning team are contributing to the spikes.

“We’re riding the hype of the Jays,” he said. “People are spending the money. If they weren’t, the prices would come down.”

A multi-million dollar renovation of Rogers Centre that improved sightlines, added more bars, communal areas and other amenities has also raised the stakes, Long said.

“They’ve done a great job of turning it into more of a social event,” he said.

That mainly happens in the common areas where general admission tickets — standing room, without a seat — can be purchased for a face value of roughly $20.

But those tickets — along with blocks of seats in the 500s — are often snapped up by scalpers or fellow fans looking to make a quick buck, Long said. General admission seats for Toronto’s opener against Kansas City were priced around $50 and up for resale Wednesday.

“People are watching the market,” said Long, who added website algorithms can boost prices automatically when tickets are at a premium. “Even average fans, professional ticket sellers, part-time ticket sellers, they watch. They treat it like a part-time job or a full-time job.”

The Jays said in a statement the club encourages fans to plan ahead and purchase tickets well in advance of games. The team noted there are plenty of seats available for series later in August and September.

Long agreed getting tickets early is the best practice, but added scanning resale options for popular games can still garner good results.

“Jot down the price and then go back in a few days,” he said. “If the prices haven’t really moved, that’s an indicator … you eventually might find a hidden gem.”

The face value of Gardiner’s tickets sit at just over $100 each per game. She hasn’t looked to make a profit in the past, but sold for as much as $350 apiece for the Yankees series, and got $450 this weekend.

Prices for season-ticket holders jumped significantly following the Rogers Centre renovations. Gardiner said she knows a number of fellow fans — including some with tickets since Day 1 back in 1977 at Exhibition Stadium — who have gone that route to maintain their small pieces of baseball real estate.

The financial calculus of attending Jays games aside, Gardiner said the energy at the ballpark is comparable to when she first bought in a decade ago.

“It’s like being there in 2015,” she said. “There was something different, and that’s what it’s feeling like in that building.

“Everyone keeps saying it’s like a playoff game. It is electric.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025.

&copy 2025 The Canadian Press

The Niagara SPCA and Humane Society says over the span of four days, it has received 76 cats that were either surrendered or found abandoned.

Amelia Canto, CEO of the Niagara SPCA and Humane Society, told Global News on Wednesday they are continuing to have even more cats come in.

“This is usually a busy time with the season,” Canto said.

“It’s basically kitten season right now, so the fact that 76 arrived at one time was very overwhelming for us. They are fortunately in good health.”

It all started when 10 kittens were found huddled inside a box and left in a public park, the SPCA said on its website, while nine more cats arrived after a person was evicted and their cats were left with nowhere to go.

Over those four days, other cats — some of them pregnant — came in, while others came in still nursing their litter of kittens.

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But the society says the final blow was 14 female cats found inside a wire dog crate, abandoned in another park with nothing but a handwritten note saying: “Please find these cats a home. I am unable to care for them! I’m sorry.”

The massive increase in felines now brings the total number of cats and kittens being cared for by the Niagara SPCA to 221.

“All the precious lives are now safe in our care, but we’re stretched to the limit,” said Tammy Gaboury, animal care manager, on the SPCA’s website.

“We’ve planned for busy seasons. We couldn’t have planned for this.”

To cope with massive increase of cats under their care, the society is asking people to donate to help with care costs.

Canto says several pet stores have taken some of the cats to feature them as available in the store, as well as donated items for pets in need. Several vets are also stepping up to help cover some surgery and care costs, Canto added.

While under the SPCA’s care, each cat is given flea and parasite control, vaccinated, and received a full physical exam.

Gaboury said on the SPCA’s website they also spay or neuter all cats to help avoid overpopulation, and make it easier for them to find a new home.

“No cat should be left in a park, in a box, or behind a locked door. Please consider giving now to be part of their rescue story,” Gaboury says.

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