Rachel Mendleson

Toronto

Deputy National Editor at The Globe and Mail

Deputy National Editor @globeandmail. Recovering investigative reporter @TorontoStar. Enjoys large bodies of water, short-sleeve weather and a good yarn.

Articles

She brought her baby to the doctor. Then she was accused of abuse. Why a controversial expertise courts rely on is facing troubling questions

Jan 30, 2025 | stcatharinesstandard.ca | Rachel Mendleson

In a Brampton courthouse last summer, Dr. Emma Cory took the stand to testify about evidence she had provided in a child abuse case. Two and a half years earlier, in December 2021, the mother on trial had brought her infant to a clinic. Akanksha Sriram was worried because her daughter had a fever and skin markings that she said had appeared out of nowhere. The markings looked like bruises. That concerned doctors, who couldn’t immediately identify a medical explanation.
She brought her baby to the doctor. Then she was accused of abuse. Why a controversial expertise courts rely on is facing troubling questions

Jan 30, 2025 | thespec.com | Rachel Mendleson

In a Brampton courthouse last summer, Dr. Emma Cory took the stand to testify about evidence she had provided in a child abuse case. Two and a half years earlier, in December 2021, the mother on trial had brought her infant to a clinic. Akanksha Sriram was worried because her daughter had a fever and skin markings that she said had appeared out of nowhere. The markings looked like bruises. That concerned doctors, who couldn’t immediately identify a medical explanation.
A bat, but no signs of a bite: Child’s rabies death a grim reminder of a stealth killer

Oct 3, 2024 | thestar.com | Andy Takagi |Rachel Mendleson

A child awoke with a bat in their room. Their parents gave them a once over, but saw nothing of concern. This seemingly innocuous exposure in northeastern Ontario would turn tragic. Despite no obvious signs of contact, the bat had infected the child with rabies. The child, public health officials have confirmed, is the first person in Ontario to die from rabies in more than a half-century.
A bat, but no signs of a bite: Brantford child’s rabies death a grim reminder of a stealth killer

Oct 3, 2024 | thestar.com | Andy Takagi |Rachel Mendleson

A child awoke with a bat in their room. Their parents gave them a once over, but saw nothing of concern. This seemingly innocuous exposure in northeastern Ontario would turn tragic. Despite no obvious signs of contact, the bat had infected the child with rabies. The child, public health officials have confirmed, is the first person in Ontario to die from rabies in more than a half-century.
‘A blight on the city’: Pickering’s controversial Councillor Lisa Robinson has pay suspended over ‘unacceptable behaviour’

Sep 23, 2024 | stcatharinesstandard.ca | Rachel Mendleson

Controversial Pickering Councillor Lisa Robinson has been hit with the steepest penalty available under provincial law, following a series of transgressions that include denouncing Black History Month and aligning herself with a foreign politician known for espousing racist and Islamophobic views.
They watched anti-trans protesters go after a school board. Here’s how they’re helping future targets fight back

Jul 31, 2024 | thespec.com | Rachel Mendleson

At a school board meeting in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley, a resident stood at the microphone, spewing misinformation about school-based sex-ed and transgender people. The board chair asked her to stop but she refused. The trustees filed out in protest, but the woman continued her tirade, baselessly comparing the board’s gender inclusivity policy to an ad for pedophilia. Already a Subscriber? Sign in Staff at the Vernon, B.C., office pumped loud music into the meeting room.
They watched anti-trans protesters go after a school board. Here’s how they’re helping future targets fight back

Jul 31, 2024 | thestar.com | Rachel Mendleson

At a school board meeting in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley, a resident stood at the microphone, spewing misinformation about school-based sex-ed and transgender people. The board chair asked her to stop but she refused. The trustees filed out in protest, but the woman continued her tirade, baselessly comparing the board’s gender inclusivity policy to an ad for pedophilia. Already a Subscriber?
Threats. Claims of insurrection. A council under siege. When alt-right activists targeted Pickering, the city was unprepared for the chaos that ensued

Jul 11, 2024 | thestar.com | Rachel Mendleson

Pickering city officials steeled themselves. They watched as a line of people filed into council chambers to support Lisa Robinson. Since her election in October 2022, the rookie councillor has opposed Pride events and denounced Black History Month. But when councillors try to speak out against her, and rein in what they feel is a growing distraction, Robinson’s defenders get louder. Already a Subscriber?
Threats. Claims of insurrection. A city council under siege. When alt-right activists targeted Pickering, the city was unprepared for the chaos that ensued

Jul 11, 2024 | thestar.com | Rachel Mendleson

Pickering city officials steeled themselves. They watched as a line of people filed into council chambers to support Lisa Robinson. Since her election in October 2022, the rookie councillor has opposed Pride events and denounced Black History Month. But when councillors try to speak out against her, and rein in what they feel is a growing distraction, Robinson’s defenders get louder. Already a Subscriber?
A councillor's 'racist' comments have thrown Pickering council into disarray. Now, the city wants Ontario's Human Rights Commission to deal with her

Apr 2, 2024 | thestar.com | Rachel Mendleson

Pickering council is calling in the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to help it deal with a controversial councillor, who most recently triggered outrage for denouncing Black History Month and the concept of white privilege as “racist.”Councillor Lisa Robinson’s comments, published in an opinion column in a local newspaper, are the latest in a series of incidents that have thrown council into disarray. Already a Subscriber?

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Rachel Mendleson @rachelmendleson

4 Oct 24

RT @picardonhealth: A bat, but no signs of a bite: Ontario child’s #rabies death a grim reminder of a stealth killer, by @andy_takagi @rac…

Rachel Mendleson @rachelmendleson

4 Oct 24

RT @joshualdwchong: The @TorontoStar is hiring! We're looking for a full-time journalist to cover culture and living, with a focus on arts,…

Rachel Mendleson @rachelmendleson

26 Aug 24

RT @wendygillis: In 2022, a contractor made a horrifying discovery in a Rosedale dumpster: the remains of a girl, wrapped in blankets. In @…

Rachel Mendleson

Articles

She brought her baby to the doctor. Then she was accused of abuse. Why a controversial expertise courts rely on is facing troubling questions

She brought her baby to the doctor. Then she was accused of abuse. Why a controversial expertise courts rely on is facing troubling questions

A bat, but no signs of a bite: Child’s rabies death a grim reminder of a stealth killer

A bat, but no signs of a bite: Brantford child’s rabies death a grim reminder of a stealth killer

‘A blight on the city’: Pickering’s controversial Councillor Lisa Robinson has pay suspended over ‘unacceptable behaviour’

They watched anti-trans protesters go after a school board. Here’s how they’re helping future targets fight back

They watched anti-trans protesters go after a school board. Here’s how they’re helping future targets fight back

Threats. Claims of insurrection. A council under siege. When alt-right activists targeted Pickering, the city was unprepared for the chaos that ensued

Threats. Claims of insurrection. A city council under siege. When alt-right activists targeted Pickering, the city was unprepared for the chaos that ensued

A councillor's 'racist' comments have thrown Pickering council into disarray. Now, the city wants Ontario's Human Rights Commission to deal with her

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