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A groundbreaking terrorism charge against an alleged ‘incel’

Police are seen near a damaged van in Toronto after a van mounted a sidewalk crashing into a number of pedestrians on Monday, April 23, 2018. Toronto will commemorate the second anniversary of a deadly van attack virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor John Tory is set to deliver a statement on YouTube this morning and an online vigil is planned for tonight. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim

In today’s Big Story podcast, the crime itself did not generate many headlines at the time it happened. Partly because the COVID-19 pandemic was ramping up, and partly because women are killed with shocking regularity in Canada. But three months later, two words were added to the murder charge against the accused: “terrorist activity.”

For those who watch the way these crimes are usually prosecuted, the change this week was an incredibly significant one, signalling both our willingness to move on from the “terrorist” stereotype, and the growing concern authorities have with the self-described ‘incel’ ideology. So why was the charge changed? What does it mean, both symbolically and legally? And what happens next?

GUEST: Stewart Bell, reporter with Global News

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