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CASHIN m@ca.on.grey_county.artemesia.flesherton.the_flesherton_advance 2006-03-15 published
CASHIN / PAGE -- Forthcoming marriage
Dyson is very happy to tell you his Mommy and Daddy are getting married.
Maggie CASHIN daughter of Dennis and Valerie CASHIN of Flesherton, and Ameon PAGE son of Shirley OTTEWELL and Kevin LOUGHEAD of Feversham.
The couple pledge their love on Saturday October 7, 2006 at the Gentle Shepherd Church with reception to follow at the Flesherton Kinplex. Buck and Doe to be held on Saturday April 8 in Flesherton, tickets available at Jolley's Video.
Page 6

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CASHIN m@ca.on.grey_county.artemesia.flesherton.the_flesherton_advance 2006-03-29 published
CASHIN / PAGE
Buck and Doe For Maggie CASHIN and Ameon PAGE
On April 8, 2006 9: 00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m at the Flesherton Kinplex
Age of Majority required
D.J. Scott BETTS * Buffet * Tickets $6/person
Page 2

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CASPARY m@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2003-09-12 published
CASPARY, Margaret and Guenther - Happy 50th Anniversary to Margaret & Guenther CASPARY of Oakville. Enduring love and patience have been your cornerstone. Love and good wishes from Robert and Christy, Linda and Sean, and grandchildren Kaelan and Marcellus and Samantha.

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CASSAN m@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-03-04 published
Amanda Maria DERVAITIS and Matthew Stephen CASSAN -- Match:
By Judith TENENBAUM, Page M6
Just one look was all it took for Amanda DERVAITIS to fall for Matthew CASSAN, whose brother, Jim, was the high-school sweetheart of her cousin, Laura VANDERLAAN, and also an acquaintance of hers.
The threesome often visited the CASSAN household, where Ms. DERVAITIS remembers admiring family photos. "I said to Jim, 'Wow, your brother is so cute!' But I'd never met him. It was a weird crush," she explains. Not to mention that Mr. CASSAN was in a relationship at the time.
Then, in December, 2000, the plucky Ms. DERVAITIS tagged along with her cousin to a surprise birthday party for the object of her unrequited affections -- hosted by Mr. CASSAN's girlfriend. Undeterred by that salient detail, she admits to "changing six times" before she was ready for the event. Face to face with Mr. CASSAN, at last, she had to cut the banter short when she realized she had been monopolizing the guest of honour.
The following spring, Ms. DERVAITIS, who has a bachelor of education from McGill University and was working at a Toronto learning centre, was in urgent need of a break after "one of the worst weeks in my life." So her cousin, Laura, and Laura's boyfriend, Jim, offered her solace at his family's cottage. There they encountered Mr. CASSAN, who had just completed his animation studies at Sheridan College. Happily for Ms. DERVAITIS, he was now unattached.
Long-time cottagers, Mr. CASSAN and Ms. DERVAITIS saw nothing untoward in sharing quarters. "We got the bunk room," she explains. All night long, they talked about their lives, commitment to environmental issues and favourite pastimes, including Looney Tunes and Samurai Jack.
"It was like a sleepover, when you were a kid," Mr. CASSAN remembers, chuckling.
"My face hurt from smiling so much," Ms. DERVAITIS says, beaming.
Back home, the magic lingered. Mr. CASSAN resolved "to move slowly," then called before the requisite 24 hours were up. Three days later, on a first date together, they watched animated shorts together at a bar. "Growing up, I loved cartoons," Ms. DERVAITIS confides. "Then Matt came along, I was completely enamoured&hellip and he was an animator."
They were inseparable through the summer, and their love was tested when Mr. CASSAN took a job in Halifax and Ms. DERVAITIS returned to school in Montreal that fall. For further studies in speech pathology, she "only applied to Dalhousie. I wasn't willing to go anywhere else." Denied admission due to limited enrolment, she journeyed to Halifax anyway, clerking in a mall and then working as a tutor.
In April, 2003, Mr. CASSAN's animation studio shut down unexpectedly. Three weeks later, the two packed everything into a U-Haul and returned to Ontario. Their impecunious struggles continued until the following October, when Mr. CASSAN landed a job at Smiley Guy Studios in downtown Toronto. In January, 2004, Ms. DERVAITIS, now 27, began training in order to open her own Oxford Learning Centre in High Park.
In June, 2005, a planned first-ever vacation by Smart car to Newfoundland stalled with reports of frigid weather.
So instead Mr. CASSAN splurged on a Dominican package, using funds he had earmarked for a diamond ring.
Frolicking in the Caribbean, Ms. DERVAITIS assumed a spontaneous proposal was whimsical until Mr. CASSAN's pleadings became so heartfelt that they were both overcome with emotion. In the end, the promise was sealed with an $8 ring, a hotel purchase that has not left Ms. DERVAITIS's hand since then.
December 31, 2005, saw a tripartite event at the Trident Banquet Hall in Toronto: the bridegroom's 30th birthday celebration, a black-and-silver themed New Year's Eve fete and the couple's nuptials, performed by Reverend Tina GABRIEL.
The bride's mother, Lucy BELVEDERE, observes: "They are very much in sync, and their openness keeps them in tune with each other.
"Amanda followed her heart."

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CASSANO m@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-10-08 published
LEO, Pete and Veronica - 50th Anniversary
Pete and Veronica LEO would like to thank our son Peter G. Leo and our, niece Rita ROWLANDS and family, our daughter Marianne and our 2 grandchildren, our photographer Joan WOLFE, and Frank SOLDALTES for making our 50th Anniversary, Sunday September 18, 2005, the most blessed occasion. Thanks for all the beautiful flowers, gifts and wishes from you all. Thank you to Fr. Joe DABROWSKI, Fr. Henry CASSANO, Fr. Theo PINTO who blessed our marriage at the 5 p.m. Mass at Saint Marys Church, Saturday September 17, 2005. -- God Bless, We love you all.

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CASSIDY m@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-11-26 published
CASSIDY, Maureen and John - 50th Wedding Anniversary

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CASSILS m@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-10-15 published
CASSILS / LANG
On Friday September 9, 2005 in the Rose Gardens, Springbank Drive, in the presence of their families, Joan and Nick were united in marriage. Following the ceremony, Friends gathered at the Civic Garden Complex for a wedding party.

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CASTANO m@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2003-05-24 published
Forthcoming Marriage - GOYETTE / CASTANO
Paul and Laura GOYETTE (formerly of London) are pleased to announce the forthcoming marriage of their daughter Michelle Catherine to Mr. Christopher Neil CASTANO of Penetanguishene Ontario. The wedding will take place Oct.25, 2003 at 3: 00 p.m. at Saint Ann's Roman Catholic Church in Penetanguishene.

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CASTILLO m@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-09-03 published
CASTILLO, Sam Jr. and Janis (McKENNA) - Happy 1st Anniversary!!
August 21st, 2005
Congratulations on your 1st Anniversary From Mom and Dad, Sam and Francie CASTILLO.

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CASWELL m@ca.on.grey_county.artemesia.flesherton.the_flesherton_advance 2007-06-27 published
CASWELL / HAUGHTON -- Forthcoming Marriage
Dale and Carol (ESSLAND) CASWELL of Innisfil and Fred and Linda HAUGHTON of Dalston are very happy and proud to announce the forthcoming marriage of their children Carrie CASWELL and Paul HAUGHTON. Wedding to take place July 10, 2007 in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
Love and Best Wishes from your families.
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CASWELL m@ca.on.grey_county.artemesia.flesherton.the_flesherton_advance 2007-08-08 published
CASWELL / HAUGHTON -- Wedding Announcement
Dale and Carol CASWELL of Innisfil and Fred and Linda HAUGHTON of Dalston are very happy to announce the marriage of their children Carrie CASWELL and Paul HAUGHTON of Thornton.
Wedding took place July 10, 2007 in Riu Ocho, Jamaica. Carrie is the granddaughter of Pat ESSLAND, Markdale and the late Gib of Rob Roy and the late Bob and Helen CASWELL of Markdale
Page 5

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CATCHER m@ca.on.grey_county.artemesia.flesherton.the_flesherton_advance 2005-06-15 published
50th Wedding Anniversary
By Bob STEEL, Page 16
June 4, 2005, Saturday, was an eventful day for Mr. and Mrs. C and C CATCHER, the day chosen for a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Christopher Robert CATCHER and Sara Clazien (LEKX) wedding in Trinity Anglican Church, Durham by the Rev. Reginald JACKSON. The matron of honour was Mrs. Patricia JAMES (Christopher's oldest sister) and the best man was David CATCHER (the brother of Chris.) The reception was at the LEKX family farm near Durham. The actual wedding was March 5, 1955.
At their home located on the corner of the Old Durham Road and Grey Road 14, the celebration ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with up to 180 people attending.
Part of the day was a renewal of the wedding vows conducted by the Rev. Anne MILLS, very recently the minister for Christ Church Markdale (Anglican). All present took part in the ceremony. Clazien's brother, William (the LEKX family Is from Holland) sang a solo and the LEKX family sang the hymns.
For their honeymoon, Chris and Clazien drove to French River to stay on a farm of Christopher's parents where he built his first house and became a farmer.
One day on the way to Sudbury their first child was born in the car! They stopped at Burwash to get a doctor. This was the evening of December 22, 1955. The baby was Isobel Patricia.
In the fall of 1956 they came back to the Durham/Priceville area. Chris sold for Watkins Products patent medicines, animal minerals, etc.
Their home was the current one which Chris purchased in 1960. Children were Isobel, Tonia, Mary and Thomas. Christopher John was the fifth in 1962. The family have lived there for 45 years come this August.
They have always been churchgoers. At the present time they attend Christ Church Markdale, Anglican. Both have helped in the church. Clazien is president of the Anglican Church Women. Soon their garden flowers are provided for the altar. Chris is a volunteer at Rockwood Terrace, a seniors' home in Durham. Both Clazien and Chris work in their garden and around the house.
On June 5, the weather was sunny and warm. First visitors were Doctor and Mrs. CHAN at 9 a.m. From 10 a.m. it was visitors.
Chris has worn the Scottish kilt and sporran so his piper Friends came and played the pipes from 11 a.m. to 12: 30 p.m. Kaelen MacNEILL, the 14-year old Highland dancer (who lives next door) performed for about one hour and then helped the CATCHERs. She goes to Grey Highlands High School. There was a large tent for food and shelter. There were flowers and guests everywhere. The food was delicious.
There were innumerable automobiles. Visitors came locally and from Milton, Orangeville, Fergus, Stratford, Guelph, Paisley, Wiarton, Owen Sound, London, Gananoque, Kanata, Toronto and Richmond Hill. There were four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The CATCHERs thank everyone who attended and made the event a lovely, unforgettable event.

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CATCHER m@ca.on.grey_county.artemesia.flesherton.the_flesherton_advance 2005-06-15 published
CATCHER, Clazien and Chris - 50th Wedding Anniversary
Many thanks to all our Friends, neighbours and relatives who came to our 50th Wedding Anniversary party on June 4, 2005. A lively time was had by all, with piper piping, the fiddler playing, the Highland dancer dancing and Elvis in full costume. Thanks for the many cards, gifts and flowers.
- Clazien and Chris.
Page 3

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CATON m@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-06-11 published
BOWEN / CATON
Stag and Doe
Everyone Welcome Friday June 17, 9pm-1am Oarhouse (Wonderland N.)
Limited number of tickets available at door

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CATTERMOLE m@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2003-06-21 published
CATTERMOLE, Maurine and Gord - Happy 60th Anniversary June 26, 2003 Congratulations as you celebrate 60 years of treasured memories and a love and committment that has inspired us all. With Love from Carol and David and Donna and Jim.

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CATZMAN m@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2003-01-25 published
CATZMAN / SHERMAN
Lynn and Marvin CATZMAN and Janet and Don SHERMAN are delighted to announce the engagement of their children, Penny and Jarrett. Happy grandparents are Shirley and Sidney KAPLAN of Vancouver and Fred CATZMAN. Excited siblings are Julie and Michael, David, Darcie and Eileen, Ilana and Lou. A summer wedding is planned.

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CATZMAN m@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2003-07-19 published
CATZMAN / ARBUS -- Lynn and Marvin CATZMAN and Bonnie and Stan ARBUS are delighted to announce the engagement of their children, Julie and Michael. Proud Grandparents are Shirley and Sidney KAPLAN of Vancouver and Babe ARBUS. Excited siblings are Penny and Jarrett, David, Mark and Kim and Marc. Dearly missed at this special time are Fred and Irene CATZMAN, Morris and Molly GROVER and Moe ARBUS.

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CAUCHON m@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-06-11 published
Gay marriage is legalized
Ontario appeal court rewrites law, says couples must be given licences
Activists are ecstatic, Ottawa faces tight deadline to decide on appeal
KLEIN rejects ruling, says he'll invoke notwithstanding clause in Alberta
By Kirk MAKIN Justice Reporter; With reports from Mark HUME in Kelowna, and Canadian Press Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - Page A1
The exclusion of gays from the institution of marriage is illogical, offensive and unjustifiable, the Ontario Court of Appeal said yesterday in a historic judgment that makes same-sex marriages legal for the first time in Canada.
The ruling took effect immediately in Ontario -- two gay men were married yesterday in a Toronto court -- increasing the pressure on the federal government to consider legislation on same-sex unions or go to the Supreme Court. A decision on the latter option must be made by June 30.
Alberta Premier Ralph KLEIN boosted the stakes further, saying his province is not about to recognize same-sex marriages as legal, and will invoke the notwithstanding clause of the Constitution to override any court ruling recognizing a right to such marriages.
"If there is any move to sanctify and legalize same-sex marriages, we will use the notwithstanding clause, period, end of story," Mr. KLEIN said at the Western Premiers Conference in Kelowna, B.C.
The Ontario court methodically dismantled every argument made before it in support of heterosexual-only marriages. It refused even to permit a grace period for Ontario to bring its laws into conformity with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Courts in British Columbia and Quebec have also struck down marriage laws, but gave the governments time to rewrite their legislation.
The Ontario judges said denying same-sex marriage is tantamount to declaring homosexuals a lesser order of being, helping to perpetuate an impression that gays and lesbians are incapable of forming loving relationships.
"A purpose that demeans the dignity of same-sex couples is contrary to the values of a free and democratic society and cannot be pressing and substantial," said Chief Justice Roy McMURTRY, Mr. Justice James MacPHERSON and Madam Justice Eileen GILLESE.
"Same-sex couples are capable of forming long, lasting, loving and intimate relationships. A law that prohibits same-sex couples from marrying does not accord with the needs, capacities and circumstances of same-sex couples."
The judges ordered Toronto's city clerk and the provincial registrar-general to issue and accept marriage licences for two couples married under the Christian tradition of publication of banns in 2001 -- Joe VARNELL and Kevin BOURASSA; and Elaine and Anne VAUTOUR -- making them the first gay marriages in the country.
Henceforth, the court ordered the definition of marriage in Ontario to be "the voluntary union for life of two persons to the exclusion of all others."
The ruling was the culmination of decades of strategic prodding by gay couples, associations and legal activists. All were ecstatic yesterday over the strength of the Ontario ruling.
"This is why people come to Canada," said Michael LESHNER, who married his partner, Michael STARK, within hours of the ruling. "They marvel at our values. We have sent an unmistakable message that love can conquer all."
"It's a momentous day," said Kyle RAE, a gay Toronto city councillor. "It is a great day for equality in Canada."
A lawyer for the couples, Martha McCARTHY, predicted many more marriages in the days ahead, while the federal government ponders a possible appeal. "The more marriages we get, the more inevitable this is," she said in an interview. "The time to be right is ripe, as Martin Luther KING would say."
Courts in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec have now overturned marriage laws. But the rulings in British Columbia and Quebec did not take effect immediately because they allowed governments until mid-2004 to redraft the laws.
A final clash is now possible before a Supreme Court of Canada bench that has steadily established a reputation for defending gay rights. The federal government has only until June 30 to decide whether to appeal the British Columbia ruling. The Liberal government is also expecting a report this week from a parliamentary committee examining same-sex marriage.
Prime Minister Jean CHRÉTIEN said yesterday Justice Minister Martin CAUCHON is looking at the judgment along with the other rulings, and said it is too early to know whether it will be appealed.
Mr. CAUCHON said Ottawa recognizes it must move quickly toward a "national solution" to the same-sex debate.
"We see the direction that the courts are taking now," Mr. CAUCHON said after a cabinet meeting. "I'm asking for a little bit of time to look at the decision and to come back with a statement."
The Ontario Court of Appeal was not in a mood for patience, and it was not willing to run the risk that provincial legislators would devise wording to circumvent their ruling.
"A temporary suspension allows a state of affairs that has been found to violate standards embodied in the Charter to persist for a time despite the violation," the court said.
It also pointed out that were it simply to render the entire law invalid, gay people would be vulnerable to the wrath of heterosexuals who found themselves temporarily denied the benefits of marriage.
The decision rested on the constitutional right to equality and emphasized the "dignity" of individuals.
Launched by eight same-sex couples, the litigation had targeted a common-law definition of marriage as a union between "one man and one woman." The couples won their challenge in Ontario's Divisional Court, but it, too, suspended its ruling for two years.
Yesterday, the Court of Appeal specifically rejected arguments that procreation is an integral pillar of marriage.
"Same-sex couples can choose to have children through adoption, surrogacy and donor insemination," the judges reasoned. "Importantly, procreation and child-rearing are not the only purposes of marriage, or the only reason why couples choose to marry. The opposite-sex requirement in marriage is not rationally connected to the encouragement of procreation and child-rearing."
They said government lawyers offered mere speculation instead of proof to show why the exclusion of same-sex marriages was a valid social objective -- and that the definition of marriage was far from a minimal infringement.
What Canadian think about gay issues
The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled yesterday that the right to marry should be extended to same-sex couples.
Recent surveys have produced the following results:
Do you support or oppose gay marriage?
Support Oppose
Males (18-34) 61.2% 33.9%
Females (18-34) 69.2% 22.2%
If the Supreme Court of Canada said that the federal government had to give gays and lesbians the right to be married, do you think that the government should or should not use its power to overrule the court's decision?
Should Should not
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees equal rights for women and ethnic and religious minorities and other groups. In your opinion, should the Charter also guarantee rights for gays and lesbians?
Yes No
Note: Graphic does not include respondents who did not know or who refused to answer.
source: Centre For Research And Information On Canada

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CAUCHON m@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2003-06-11 published
Gay couple married after ruling
Couple celebrates end of 20-year fight
Judges rewrite definition of marriage
Tracey TYLER and Tracy HUFFMAN Staff Reporters
Two gay men said "I do" yesterday, after Ontario's highest court said "they can."
Crown Attorney Michael LESHNER and his long-time partner Michael STARK were married by Mr. Justice John HAMILTON in a hastily arranged ceremony in the jury waiting room of a Toronto courthouse, as a crowd that included everyone from judges to janitors looked on.
Just hours before, the Ontario Court of Appeal rewrote the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, saying denying gays and lesbians the ability to marry offends their dignity, discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation and violates their equality rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
A unanimous three-judge panel, made up of Chief Justice Roy McMURTRY and justices James MacPHERSON and Eileen GILLESE, then took the issue further than any other court in the world.
Gay and lesbian marriage became legal in Ontario, effective immediately.
"Michael LESHNER, will you please repeat after me," said HAMILTON, as he began the short, civil ceremony. "I do solemnly declare that I do not know of any lawful impediment why I may not be joined in matrimony to Michael Clifford STARK."
Both men repeated the declaration before pledging their vows.
"I Michael, take you Michael, to be my lawful wedded spouse," said LESHNER. "To have and to hold, from this day forward, whatever circumstances or experiences life may hold for us."
HAMILTON, an Ontario Superior Court judge, asked both men to place rings on each other's fingers, then made it official.
"By the power vested in me by the Marriage Act, I pronounce you Michael, and you Michael -- affectionately known as 'the Michaels' -- to be lawfully wedded spouses."
"You are now married," said HAMILTON, who later said it was "an honour" to perform the ceremony.
LESHNER, 55, and STARK, 45, kissed and popped champagne.
Speaking to reporters, LESHNER said he regards the court's judgment as, "Day One for millions of gays and lesbians around the world" and the culmination of a personal 20-year battle to end "legally sanctioned homophobia."
"I wanted to put a stake through that sucker," he said.
His 90-year-old mother, Ethel, who beamed and sang in her wheelchair, drew her satisfaction on a smaller scale.
"I feel wonderful, if he does. And I'm sure he does -- take a look at his face," she said.
"I can't 'rah, rah, rah.' I'm not the type of person to do that," she said. "I'm just happy my son is happy -- I know he's getting a nice guy."
While LESHNER and STARK are believed to be the first gay couple to wed after same-sex marriage became legal yesterday, they may not be the first gay Ontario couple to be legally married. That distinction appears to fall to two same-sex couples who were married in a double ceremony at Toronto's Metropolitan Community Church in January, 2001.
The appeal court ordered the province to register marriage certificates issued to those couples, Kevin BOURASSA and Joe VARNELL and Elaine and Anne VAUTOUR. The judges also ordered the clerk of the City of Toronto to issue marriage licences to LESHNER and STARK and six other couples whose licence applications were held in abeyance pending a ruling by the courts. The province and the city told the judges during a hearing in April that they would abide by whatever the appeal court decided.
Less clear is where the federal government stands.
Justice Minister Martin CAUCHON told reporters yesterday he believes Members of Parliament should have a say in the debate about same-sex marriage, but the government also sees where courts across the country are heading on the issue.
The British Columbia Court of Appeal and a Quebec Superior Court judge have also ruled the common law definition of marriage violates the Charter's equality provisions, but didn't go as far as Ontario in immediately extending marriage to same-sex couples, preferring instead to give Parliament until July, 2004 to change the law.
The Ontario Court of Appeal said there's no need to wait: Changing the definition of marriage, effective immediately, won't create any public harm.
Federal justice department spokesperson Dorette POLLARD said the government has until September 9 to decide whether to seek leave to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.
In the meantime, the government does not have the option of seeking a court injunction to stop same-sex marriages from taking place, she said.
If a further appeal to the Supreme Court is in the cards, it could return to the Court of Appeal to ask for a stay of yesterday's ruling, effectively putting it in suspension, POLLARD said.
She was unable to say how that would affect same-sex marriages that have already taken place.
Opponents of same-sex marriage, however, had no difficulty expressing an opinion on yesterday's decision.
By reformulating the definition of marriage, the appeal court ignored "centuries of precedent" and rendered "ordinary Canadians' views irrelevant," said Derek ROGUSKY, a vice-president of Focus on the Family, whose interests were represented by The Association for Marriage and the Family in Ontario, an intervenor in the case.
In its decision yesterday, written not by one judge in particular but collectively as "the court," the appeal panel changed the definition of marriage from being "the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman," to "the voluntary union for life of two persons to the exclusion of all others."
A person's sense of dignity and self worth can only be enhanced by the recognition that society gives to marriage and denying people in same-sex relationships access to that most basic of institutions violates their dignity, the court said.
"The ability to marry, and to thereby participate in this fundamental societal institution, is something that most Canadians take for granted. Same-sex couples do not; they are denied access to this institution simply on the basis of their sexual orientation."
Preventing same-sex couples from marrying perpetuates the view that they are not capable of forming loving and lasting relationships and not worthy of the same respect and recognition as heterosexual couples, the court added.
It was ruling on an appeal from an Ontario Divisional Court decision last year. The Divisional Court said the common law definition of marriage as an exclusively heterosexual union was unconstitutional, but decided 2-1 to leave it up to Parliament to rewrite the law by July, 2004.
The dissenting judge in that case, Mr. Justice Harry LAFORME, who would have changed the definition immediately, attended yesterday's ceremony.
In its 60-page decision yesterday, the judges systematically disposed of Ottawa's arguments for preserving marriage as a heterosexual domain, saying they were filled with irrelevancies, stereotypes and "circular reasoning."
The government argued that marriage has always been understood as a special kind of monogamous institution that brings the sexes together for the purposes of procreating, raising children and companionship.
That isn't something that lawmakers dreamed up; it predates the law, the government said.
Who invented the concept of marriage doesn't matter, the court said; What does is how gays and lesbians fare under a legal regime that excludes them from the institution.
The government was avoiding the main issue by arguing that marriage "just is" heterosexual and benefits society as a whole, the court said.
"The couples are not seeking to abolish the institution of marriage," wrote the judges. "They are seeking access to it."
With files from Mary GORDON

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CAVACO m@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-01-07 published
CAVACO / KERR -- Engagement

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CAVACO m@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-01-07 published
CAVACO / KERR -- Engagement
Aldina CAVACO and Stuart HARRETT of Aylmer are happy to announce the engagement of their daughter, Andreia Christina CAVACO to Ernest Wesley KERR Jr., son of Ernie and Sylvia KERR of London. Andreia and Ernie will be forever united in love on October 28, 2006.

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CAVANAUGH m@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-08-01 published
CAVANAUGH, Betty and Bill - Happy 65th Anniversary
Congratulations on 23,725 days of love, laughter and Friendship. With love from your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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