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An Act of Evil 

The Afzaal family were taking an evening walk in London, Ontario, when a truck struck and killed them. This is the untold story of Nathaniel Veltman, the small-town factory worker accused of their murders.

Early on a Sunday morning in June of 2021, Nathaniel Veltman told a co-worker he expected to have a rough day on the job. Veltman worked at an egg-processing plant in the town of Strathroy, Ontario, where his duties involved loading 20-pound crates of eggs onto skids, then loading the skids onto trucks, and he wasn’t feeling up to hours of manual labour. “Yeah, man, just so many shrooms last night,” he said. “I went to hell and I saw Satan.”

The co-worker was used to Veltman saying odd things and didn’t pay it much mind. “I was just like, ‘Yeah. Take it easy today, man, like maybe don’t go on any power equipment.’ ” Veltman chuckled and looked away. “Nothing really seemed that off to me,” the colleague says.

The next morning, Veltman, who was 20 at the time, wasn’t at work at all. Another person broke the news: “You’re probably never gonna see Nate ever again.”

Neither colleague is likely to, unless they attend Veltman’s murder trial next fall. After the Sunday shift, Veltman got into his Ram pickup, which he had recently equipped with a bull bar on the front bumper, and drove to London, Ontario, 35 kilometres away. A little past 8:30 p.m., he proceeded down Hyde Park Road, a broad suburban avenue on the edge of the city. Arriving at the intersection with South Carriage Road, he accelerated and jumped the curb. Police allege that he then intentionally struck down five members of the Afzaal family, who were out for an after-dinner stroll not far from their home.

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The Amazing Journey of Alphonso Davies

As part of our comprehensive package previewing the upcoming 2022 World Cup, Jason McBride profiles Canadian soccer superstar Alphonso Davies, who leads Canada to its first World Cup appearance in 36 years this November in Qatar.  

Also in this issue:

• Bilal Baig is on a launchpad to stardom 
• Unifor president Lana Payne on taking up the fight for workers 
• Kent Monkman's alter-ego is challenging colonial history 
• The making of an accused murderer 

Check it out