CASALE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-12-24 published
Crash kills 3 kids, mother
'She wasn't supposed to go,' 10-year-old's grieving aunt says
By Peter EDWARDS, Staff Reporter, Page A1
Hamilton -- Ten-year-old Emily PORTO loved to watch her cousin Francesco play hockey, and begged to watch his game on Thursday night, even though it would mean staying up a little late.
Emily's mother relented, and so Emily went to 13-year-old Francesco's elite-level game in Guelph with Francesco, his mother, Vivian PORTO, 43, and his sister, 10-year-old Azzidene.
They were all killed in a two-vehicle collision around 10: 45 p.m. Thursday along a deadly stretch of Highway 6, north of Parkside Dr.
Four people in a sport utility vehicle that collided with the PORTO minivan suffered potentially life-threatening injuries. Their identities have not been released, but they are a 40-year-old Cambridge man, who was driving, and a 38-year-old Cambridge woman and the man's 17-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter from Perth. They are all in serious condition in area hospitals.
Police blame bad weather for the collision.
"She wasn't supposed to go," Emily's aunt Lisa ULRICH said yesterday in an interview at Emily's home. "Emily got very excited about attending. She begged her mother to go. The cousins are very, very close."
Hanging behind her in the family garage was a wall of sports equipment for Emily and her family.
Their mother, Vivian, loved being a hockey mom, even though Francesco's membership on the triple-A elite level minor bantam Hamilton Junior Bulldogs meant several nights a week on the road.
When not caring for her four children -- including older boys Amadeo and Riccardo, who also play hockey -- Vivian PORTO ran three fabric stores.
"There was never any doubt that her commitment was to the children," ULRICH said. "It was hockey, hockey, hockey. She was a hockey mom."
Other family members were also devastated by the accident.
Emily's brother Gabriel, 3, still hadn't been told about her death yesterday.
Emily and Gabriel were thrilled earlier this month when they got to sit on the knee of Santa in a mall near their home, their grandmother Diana BORDONARO said.
BORDONARO stared at Emily's bicycle in disbelief, then said she loved to show pictures of Emily and her wide, distinctive smile to everyone she knew.
"She had a dimple on one cheek.... I bragged about her to everyone," her grandmother cried. "... I can't imagine this...
"I just took them to see Santa. It was wonderful."
BORDONARO said she doesn't know how to break the news to Gabriel, who's excited about Christmas.
"He never called her Emily," she said. "It was 'sister'... She became a little mother to him. She protected him."
Several people witnessed the accident near the intersection with Highway 5, including other members of the Junior Bulldogs and their parents.
Highway 6 has caught the attention of the regional coroner, Dr. David EDEN.
"We're very concerned about this and we'll look at an inquiry, but we're a long way from making that decision," EDEN said. "I travel that road and it's a very busy stretch of road."
The 24-kilometre stretch of road linking Highways 403 and 401 has been the scene of at least 20 fatal accidents since the early 1990s.
Residents and police blame a lack of barriers between the north and southbound lanes as well as the absence of snow fences to block snow drifts that blow in from surrounding open fields.
"The roads were generally good," said Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Cam WOOLLEY. " However, during the evening winds had picked up and there was blowing snow that had drifted along Highway 6. When (the victim's) van hit the snowdrift she lost control.
"She ended up in the northbound lanes sideways and into the path of the Blazer. Both vehicles were believed to be doing the speed limit of 80 km/h. So it was not survivable.
"The minivan was hit broadside and then pushed back into the guardrail."
Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs president Frank CASALE said he first heard of the accident at 8 yesterday morning and immediately set out to get grief counsellors for the team.
"I couldn't believe it," CASALE said. "We're all in shock. The team, the coaches, the executives are all grieving. He (Francesco) was a wonderful kid, a good hockey player."
Francesco's and Azzidene's dad and Vivian's husband, Sam, is a trainer on another of their teams where he has another son playing, CASALE said.
"I just don't know how he is coping with it all," CASALE said.
The funeral for all four PORTO family members will be 10: 30 a.m. Wednesday at Saint Margaret Mary Church. Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Friscolanti Funeral Chapel.
With files from Paul CHOI, Lois KALCHMAN and The Hamilton Spectator

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CASAMATTA o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-11-18 published
CASAMATTA, Giovanni
Peacefully passed away, at the Trillium Health Centre, Mississauga, on Thursday, November 17, 2005, in his 85th year. Beloved husband of Loreta. Loving father of Mario and his wife Marilyn, Vincenza PRICE and her husband David, and Maria PATON and her husband Randy. Dear Nonno of Christopher (Allison), Robert, Evan, Julie, Jessica and Taylor, and Great Grandnonno of Jonathan. Survived by his sisters Caterina, Marietta and Tutina of Italy. Friends may call at the Turner and Porter "Peel" Chapel, 2180 Hurontario Street, Mississauga (Hwy. 10, North of Queen Elizabeth Way), from 2-6 p.m. Sunday. Funeral Service in the Chapel on Monday, November 21, 2005 at 11 a.m. Entombment Assumption Mausoleum. For those who wish, donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.

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CASANOVA o@ca.on.manitoulin.howland.little_current.manitoulin_expositor 2005-03-02 published
Regina Rebecca MIGWANS
In loving memory of Regina Rebecca MIGWANS who died peacefully at the Manitoulin Health Centre on Tuesday, February 22, 2005, age 82 years.
Regina attended residential school in Spanish. She worked for 15 years at Hammond Organ as a cable assembler. Cherished mother of Yvonne and husband Bruce CASANOVA, Kathy▼ MURRY and Francis MIGWANS, all of Chicago. Dear grandmother of Diane STIMPEL and loved by her brother Raymond MIGWANS (predeceased) Lawrence MIGWANS, Maurice▼ MIGWANS, Kenneth MIGWANS and her sisters Agnes DEMOTT (predeceased,) Annie BISSON, Pauline▼ CORBIERE (predeceased,) Christine PAGE, Nora▼ MIGWANS, all of M'Chigeeng. Visitation was from 2 - 4 and 7 - 9 pm on Friday at Island Funeral Home. Funeral Mass was held at 11 am on Saturday, February 26, 2005 at St. Bernard's Catholic Church, Little Current. Cremation with burial of ashes in M'Chigeeng Cemetery.

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CASANOVA o@ca.on.manitoulin.howland.little_current.manitoulin_expositor 2005-03-09 published
Regina Rebecca MIGWANS
In loving memory of Regina Rebecca MIGWANS who died peacefully at the Manitoulin Health Centre on Tuesday, February 22, 2005, age 82 years.
Regina attended the residential school in Spanish. She worked for 15 years at Hammond Organ as a cable assembler. Cherished mother of Yvonne and husband Bruce CASANOVA, Kathy▲ MURRY and Francis MIGWANS, all of Chicago. Dear grandmother of Diane STIMPEL. Loved by her brothers Raymond MIGWANS (predeceased) Lawrence MIGWANS, Maurice▲ MIGWANS, Kenneth MIGWANS and her sisters Agnes DEMOTT (predeceased,) Annie BISSON, Pauline▲ CORBIERE (predeceased,) Christine PAGE, Nora▲ MIGWANS, all of M'Chigeeng. Visitation was from 2 - 4 and 7 - 9 pm on Friday at Island Funeral Home. Funeral Mass was held at 11 am on Saturday, February 26, 2005 at St. Bernard's Catholic Church, Little Current. Cremation with burial of ashes in M'Chigeeng Cemetery.

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CASASANTA o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-02-21 published
CASASANTA, Umberto " Bert"
Peacefully and surrounded by family and Friends on Saturday, February 19, 2005, at the age of 77 years, at Toronto East General Hospital in Toronto. Beloved husband of the late Mrs. Irene CASASANTA for 37 years, loving father to Susann and John Robert. Dear son of the late Mr. Giovanni and Maria CASASANTA of Rocca Casale, Italy, dear brother to the late Mrs. Linda TOLLIS and Mr. Michael CASASANTA, cherished friend to Lisa, Anthony and Shirley. Sadly missed by numerous nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law and Friends. Friends may call at the Jerrett Funeral Home, 660 Kennedy Road, Scarborough (between Eglinton and St. Clair Aves. E.), Tuesday, February 22 from 5-9 p.m. Funeral Service will be held in our Chapel on Wednesday, February 23 at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Canadian Cancer Society, Mississippi Society or the Heart and Stroke Foundation, in our father's name, is appreciated.

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CASCADDEN o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-07-06 published
ROLFE, Marjorie Dorothea Kathleen (CASCADDEN)

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CASCADDEN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-09-22 published
WILSON, Elizabeth "Betty" Agnes (née HEFFORD/ TOON)
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Elizabeth (Betty) Agnes WILSON (née HEFFORD/ TOON) wife, sister, mother, aunt, cousin, grandmother, greatgrandmother, friend and lady. Betty died peacefully on September 18th, 2005 at Princess Margaret Hospital at the age of eighty-one surrounded by her loving husband and family. Betty was born July 28, 1924 at Toronto, Ontario. Betty is survived by her husband of 37 years William (Bill) G. WILSON, her son and daughter in law, Garry and Karyn TOON and her daughter, Elizabeth TOON, her four stepsons and their partners: Tony and Susan, George and Myrna, Kevin and Denise, and Scott WILSON, as well as her grandchildren: Maryrose VERNER (née COLEMAN,) Robert COLEMAN, Emily REA (née COLEMAN), Kali COLEMAN; Joanne, Robert, Danielle Mae and Geordie TOON; Emma, Craig, Kelly, Kevin and Christopher WILSON; her brother and sister-in-law, Lloyd and Marylou HEFFORD, along with more than thirty-five cousins, nieces, nephews, and great-grandchildren. Betty's absence will be palpable for us all. Betty loved to travel and her journeys with Bill took her the world over. One trip that she talked about often was to South Africa for a photo safari. She also organized a family trip with her cousin Nancy DATTRINO to England, Scotland and Wales on a quest to discover her lineage. Betty and Bill enjoyed winters in Florida away from the cold of Toronto and they would invite family and Friends to come and visit for winter holidays. The tradition of toasting the sunset over the gulf was started at Madeira Beach and continued when they moved to St.▼ Augustine▼ to be closer to her niece Debbie CASCADDEN. There▼ was a cottage at Belmont Lake that was a special place for Betty and her family and is the source of many funny stories. Then later on when Betty and Bill bought a cottage on Paint Lake they would host tremendous parties for the whole gang. When she set the table you felt honoured to be there with her. When Betty had a party there was always dancing, and her husband continued to dance with her right to the end. Betty enjoyed sitting on the deck swing and watching the hummingbirds feed and the evening sunsets were so beautiful over the lake that the whole cottage would be filled with a golden light. Betty was predeceased by her parents, Tom and Mae HEFFORD (née JONES,) her niece Elizabeth-Anne HEFFORD and her grand_son Simon WILSON. Visitation▼ will be held Sunday, September 25th at 11: 00 a.m. followed by a service at 1: 00 pm at Turner and Porter Funeral Home, 436 Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto, Ontario. The family of Betty WILSON wishes to acknowledge the excellent care and compassion given by the Princess Margaret Hospital staff. Words alone cannot express our thanks for the support given our family during Betty's last days. Donations in Betty's memory may be made to Casey House Hospice, the Scott Mission or a charity of choice.

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CASCADDEN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-09-21 published
WILSON, Elizabeth "Betty" Agnes (née HEFFORD / TOON)
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of a dear wife, sister, mother, aunt, cousin, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend and lady. Betty died peacefully on September 18th, 2005 at Princess Margaret Hospital at the age of eighty-one surrounded by her loving husband and family. Betty was born July 28, 1924 at Toronto, Ontario. Betty is survived by her husband of 37 years William (Bill) G. WILSON, her son and daughter-in-law, Garry and Karyn TOON and her daughter, Elizabeth TOON, her four stepsons and their partners: Tony and Susan, George and Myrna, Kevin and Denise, and Scott WILSON, as well as her grandchildren: Maryrose VERNER (née COLEMAN), Robert COLEMAN and Emily Rea (née COLEMAN) Joanne, Robert, Danielle Mae and Geordie TOON; Emma, Craig, Kelly, Kevin and Christopher WILSON; her brother and sister-in-law, Lloyd and Marylou HEFFORD, along with more than thirty-five cousins, nieces, nephews, and great-grandchildren. Betty's absence will be palpable for us all. Betty loved to travel and her journeys with Bill took her the world over. One trip that she talked about often was to South Africa for a photo safari. She also organized a family trip with her cousin Nancy DATTRINO to England, Scotland and Wales on a quest to discover her lineage. Betty and Bill enjoyed winters in Florida away from the cold of Toronto and they would invite family and Friends to come and visit for winter holidays. The tradition of toasting the sunset over the gulf was started at Madeira Beach and continued when they moved to St.▲ Augustine▲ to be closer to her niece Debbie CASCADDEN. There▲ was a cottage at Belmont Lake that was a special place for Betty and her family and is the source of many funny stories. Then later on when Betty and Bill bought a cottage on Paint Lake they would host tremendous parties for the whole gang. When she set the table you felt honoured to be there with her. When Betty had a party there was always dancing, and her husband continued to dance with her right to the end. Betty enjoyed sitting on the deck swing and watching the hummingbirds feed and the evening sunsets were so beautiful over the lake that the whole cottage would be filled with a golden light. Betty was predeceased by her parents, Tom and Mae HEFFORD (née JONES,) her niece Elizabeth-Anne HEFFORD and her grand_son Simon WILSON. Visitation▲ will be held Sunday, September 25th at 11: 00 a.m. followed by a service at 1: 00 p.m. at Turner and Porter Funeral Home, 436 Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto, Ontario. The family of Betty WILSON wishes to acknowledge the excellent care and compassion given by the Princess Margaret Hospital staff. Words alone cannot express our thanks for the support given our family during Betty's last days. Donations in Betty's memory may be made to Casey House Hospice, the Scott Mission or a charity of choice.

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CASCANETTE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-12-14 published
HOGG, William Charles
Suddenly on Monday, December 12, 2005. Bill Hogg, dearly beloved husband for over 25 years to Sandra LOMASZEWYCZ. Beloved father of Diana and her husband Geoff TAILOR/TAYLOR, Bill HOGG Jr. and his wife Deborah, Christine and her husband Keith BEDDARD, and David NEUMANN and his wife Lynne. Loving Poppa of Hayley, Jack, Catrina, Dana, Daron, Michael and Caitlyn. Sadly missed by cousin Charlaine CASCANETTE, step-sister Jan and her husband Dan KENNALEY, sister-in-law Susan and her husband Andy MUDRYJ and their families. Resting at the Newediuk Funeral Home, Kipling Chapel, 2104 Kipling Ave., Etobicoke (two blocks north of Rexdale Blvd.) from 2 p.m. Thursday. Panakhyda Thursday 7: 30 p.m. Funeral service in the chapel Friday at 11 a.m., followed by cremation. Asexpressions of sympathy, donations to the Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre would be greatly appreciated by the family. (The family will receive their Friends in the funeral home from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday).

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CASCIATO o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-07-14 published
CASCIATO, Loretta▼ Ann▼ (née CAREY)
Wife of Leonard CASCIATO of Toronto, died peacefully at her home on Wednesday, July 13, 2005 after a brief illness. She leaves four children John, Paul, Mary-Ellen, Anne Marie and seven grandchildren Adam, Christopher, Jack, Lauren, Michael, Max and Colleen. She was a faithful servant of the Roman Catholic Church, who devoted her life to her family, Friends and charitable organisations, most prominently the Catholic Women's League, and the Catholic Children's Aid Society. Visitation will take place at R.S. Kane Funeral Home, 6150 Yonge Street, from 2-4 p.m. Saturday and 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Sunday. Her funeral will be held on Monday at 11 a.m. at Saint Margaret of Scotland Church, 222 Ridley Boulevard.

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CASCIATO o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-07-14 published
CASCIATO, Loretta▲ Ann▲ (née CAREY)
Much loved wife of Leonard CASCIATO of Toronto, died peacefully at her home on Wednesday, July 13, 2005 after a brief illness. She leaves four children John, Paul, Mary-Ellen, Anne Marie and seven grandchildren Adam, Christopher, Jack, Lauren, Michael, Max and Colleen. She was a faithful servant of the Roman Catholic Church, who devoted her life to her family, Friends and charitable organisations, most prominently the Catholic Women's League, and the Catholic Children's Aid Society. Visitation will take place at R.S. Kane Funeral Home (6150 Yonge Street, at Goulding, south of Steeles), on Saturday from 2-4 p.m. and Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Her funeral will be held on Monday at 11 a.m. at Saint Margaret of Scotland Church, 222 Ridley Blvd., Toronto.

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CASCIO o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-07-06 published
ATTENTO, Giovanni
Peacefully on Monday, July 4, 2005. Giovanni Attento, dearly beloved husband of Carmela. Loving father of Franca and her husband Ignazio CASCIO, Santo and his wife Mena and Mario and his wife Maria. Devoted grandfather to Barbara, Laura, Lillian, Joanna, Angela and Diana and great-grandfather of Nadia, Vanessa, Carlo, Christina, Daniella, Samantha, Anthony, David and Adam. Giovanni will also be lovingly remembered and sadly missed by his many family members and Friends. Family and Friends will be received at the Demarco Funeral Home "Keele" Chapel, 3725 Keele Street, North York, 416-636-7027 (between Sheppard and Finch) on Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. and Thursday from 2-4 and 6-9 p.m. Funeral Mass on Friday at 9: 30 a.m. in St. Jane Frances Catholic Church (2747 Jane St.) with entombment to follow in Holy Cross Cemetery.

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CASCONE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-04-27 published
CASCONE, Ernest
Born December 3, 1918 passed away April 23, 2005 at the age of 86 years. Ernie CASCONE of Lowbanks, loving husband of Kathleen. Lovingly remembered by his brothers Bill of Burlington and Alf of Toronto, and by his sister Ivy BIFFO of Toronto. Predeceased by his brothers Don, Art, and Harmond. Sadly missed by his nieces, nephews and their families. Loving father to Rebecca of Vancouver, Derrick REMINGTON of Bradford, Deborah and Kenneth BRUNACCIONI of Caledonia, Dennis and Deborah REMINGTON of Calgary. Proud grandfather of Jennifer REMINGTON, Carrie REMINGTON both of Calgary, Derrick REMINGTON of Chiliwack, Ken and Lynne BRUNACCIONI of Abbingdon, Marty and Brianna of Calgary and Christina of Owen Sound. Survived by 6 great-grandchildren. Ernie will be fondly remembered by his many Friends, neighbours and co-workers. A private cremation has taken place. Memorial donations to the Dunnville Hospital and Healthcare Foundation would be appreciated by the family. J.W. Hart Funeral Home (905) 774-6335.

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CASCONE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-06-15 published
CASCONE, Alfred (February 4, 1917-June 13, 2005)
After a happy, successful and rewarding life, he died peacefully at home at the age of 88. He will be greatly missed by all his family. Beloved husband and constant companion to Ruth for 64 years. Cherished father of Ron (Bonnie), the late Doug (Maxine), Marlene (Mike LAURIN,) Beverley (Paul AVERY,) and Barbara (Gord BURGESS.) Proud Gramps to grandchildren Lori (Stephen McLELLAND,) Holly, Christopher (Joy), Nicole, D.J. (Angie), and Leslie (Chad) and great-grandchildren Oliver, Abigail and Isaac. Brother of Ivy BIFFIS, Bill and the late Ernie, Armand, Art and Don. Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the R.S. Kane Funeral Home (6150 Yonge Street, at Goulding, south of Steeles). A Funeral Service will be held in the Chapel on Thursday, June 16, 2005 at 1 p.m. Entombment Westminster Mausoleum. Condolences www.rskane.ca.

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CASCONE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-10-21 published
CERICOLA, Rosa (née DI PEDE)
Peacefully on October 20th, 2005, at the Pine Grove Lodge, with her family by her side. Rosa CERICOLA (née DI PEDE) beloved wife of the late Giuseppe CERICOLA. Loving mother of Anna TUZI and her husband Cesare, Frank, Jimmy, Irma AMATUCCI and her husband Carmine and Clare CASCONE. Nonna will be fondly remembered and forever loved by her twelve grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She will be sadly missed by her many nieces, nephews, cousins and many Friends. Friends will be received at the "Woodbridge Chapel" of Scott Funeral Home, 7776 Kipling Avenue (at Hwy. 7) on Friday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral Service in the chapel on Saturday October 22, 2005 at 12 noon. Interment Assumption Cemetery. Memorial donations to Pine Grove Lodge would be greatly appreciated. The family would like to express their thanks to the entire staff at Pine Grove for their support and compassionate care.

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CASE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-01-11 published
STORY, Florence (FIELDS) (CASE)
At Oxford Regional Nursing Home, Ingersoll on Sunday, January 9, 2005, Florence (FIELDS) (CASE) STORY, of Ingersoll, in her 91st year. Wife of the late Fred STORY (1974.) Survived by six grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Predeceased by one son Paul CASE (1999) and one daughter Sylvia MILMINE (2001.) Funeral Service will be held at the McBeath-Dynes Funeral Home, 246 Thames St. S., Ingersoll on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 at 1: 30 p.m.. Visitation one hour prior to service time. Reverend Jim CARR officiating. Interment later Ingersoll Rural Cemetery. Memorial donations to the charity of your choice would be appreciated.

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CASE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-04-25 published
STOKES, Keith
Peacefully at Bonnie Brae Health Care Centre, Tavistock on Saturday, April 23, 2005. Keith STOKES, of Ingersoll, in his 82nd year. Beloved husband of 62 years to Lois (OLDHAM) STOKES. Survived by his children, Beth and her husband Keith BLACK of Ingersoll, Doug STOKES of Ingersoll and Kathryn and her husband Harold FRANKFURTER of Victoria, British Columbia. Also survived by five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, two brothers Bob and Brian and a sister Marian CASE. Keith was an active elder at Mount Zion United Church in London for 21 years and an elder at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Ingersoll for 12 years. He served as a volunteer driver for the Canadian Cancer Society for 12 years and for a number of years with the Interchurch Christmas Cheer. He loved doing woodworking, playing Bridge, Curling and was an avid reader. Cremation has taken place. A Memorial Service will be held at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Ingersoll on Saturday, April 30, 2005 at 2: 00 p.m. Reverend Dr. Lonnie ATKINSON officiating. Memorial donations to St. Paul's Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund or the Alzheimer Society of Oxford would be appreciated by calling McBeath-Dynes Funeral Home, Ingersoll (519-425-1600).

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CASE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-07-06 published
CASE, John H.
Suddenly, but peacefully at University Hospital on Monday, June 27, 2005, Mr. John H. CASE, in his 72nd year. Dear father of Philip (Jackie) and Dr. Lee Ann CHARLTON- CASE (Bradley.) Proud grandfather of Shelby ALWARD (Stephan) and greatgrandfather of Jaykob and Destiney. John will be missed by his former wife, Florence, and especially by his long time companion Halina FONSECA (Christopher, Lisa, Natalie and Daniel). A memorial service will be held at the Westview Funeral Chapel, 709 Wonderland Rd. North, on Sunday July 10, 2005 at 11: 00 a.m. with visitation one hour prior to the service. Those wishing to make a donation in memory of John are asked to consider the London Health Sciences Foundation or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

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CASE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-07-14 published
KINNA, Dale Carman
At Watford Quality Care Centre, on Tuesday, July 12, 2005, Dale Carman KINNA formerly of Alvinston in his 70th year. He will be greatly missed by his brother Glen KINNA and his wife Doris. Beloved uncle of Karen CASE and Roger KINNA (Colleen WIGMORE). Great uncle of Stacey (Dale) GORDON, Steve GRAY/GREY (Aleesha), Jeff and Matt KINNA. Predeceased by his parents, Thelma (TEEPLE) and Nelson KINNA. Cremation has taken place. A private family service will be held at a later date with interment at Alvinston Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Strathrory Middlesex General Hospital Foundation or Four Counties Health Services Foundation. Arrangements by Van Heck Funeral Home, Glencoe, 287-2831.

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CASE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-09-08 published
ROWCLIFFE, Robert Douglas " Bob"
On Tuesday, September 6, 2005 Robert Douglas (Bob) passed away. Bob was born on May 12, 1932 and raised by his father Elgin and mother Ada (CASE) in Rodgerville on Lot 34, concession 1 of Usborne Township. Bob is survived by three of his seven siblings and their spouses: Bill and Betsy of Hensall; Ron and Annette of Sarnia, and; Peggy (Craven) and Geoff of Victoria, British Columbia. Ruth (1924-1929); Laird (1926-1930); Alan (1929-1936), and; John (Feb 21-22, 1931) can now spend some time with their brother. Bob attended both Hurondale School and Exeter High School but was never particularly interested in sitting behind a desk. On May 24th, 1952 Bob married the love of his life, Doreen ELLIOT/ELLIOTT, in Clinton Ontario. Together for over 53 years, they raised, loved and worried about their three children John, Patricia (Campbell) and David. All three kids have strived to emulate what their parents had together and as a result Bob is going to be missed by John's children Chris, Ashley (and her new son and Bob's first great-grandchild Preston), Ryan and John's wife Karrie; Pat's husband Wayne and their children Tara and her fiance John HARTMAN, Erin, Matt and Tim, and; David's wife Kelly and their daughters Paige and Bridget. As a husband, dad and grandfather Bob instilled a sense of honesty, integrity, loyalty and a work ethic that will be difficult to replace. Bob had farming and trucking in his blood and was never happier than when harvesting a good crop, sending a load of fat cattle to the sales barn or delivering a load on time. Bob's entrepreneurial spirit grew Rowcliffe Trucking from one cattle pot that he drove into a company employing dozens of good employees to whom he felt deeply committed. Bob also took great joy in snowblowing his neighbours' lane ways and watching the traffic on No. 4 highway from his front porch while sharing a coffee and a story with Doreen. Bob especially appreciated the time spent with Doreen watching their horses, Dapper Dillon and RJ Ready, race in both Canada and the United States. After a private family ceremony Bob will be laid to rest at the Hensall Union Cemetery. Donations may be made in Bob's memory to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Brain Tumour Foundation or the Hensall United Church through J.M. McBeath Funeral Home in Zurich. (www.jmmcbeathfuneralhome.com)

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CASE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-12-05 published
KENNEY, Donald Gerald
Peacefully, at Exeter Villa Nursing Home, Saturday, December 3, 2005, Donald Gerald KENNEY, 46, of Exeter. Loved son of Dorothy (DESJARDINE) KENNEY of Exeter. Dear brother of Pat and Keith CASE of R.R.#2, Dashwood, Glen KENNEY and companion Linda of Exeter. Father of Wayne, Terry-Lynn, Helena, Peter, Tina and grandfather of Jayde. Also remembered by his nieces, nephews and their families. Predeceased by his father Roy "Joe" KENNEY (1996). Resting at the T. Harry Hoffman and Sons Funeral Home, Dashwood, with visitation Monday evening 7 to 9 p.m.; where the Funeral Service will be held Tuesday, December 6, 2005 at 11 a.m. Tracey WHITSON- BAHRO officiating. Interment Grand Bend Cemetery. If desired, memorial donations to a charity of choice would be appreciated. Condolences at www.hoffmanfuneralhome.com

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CASE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-12-07 published
PROUT, Gerald E.
At Seaforth Community Hospital on Monday, December 5, 2005, Gerald E. PROUT of Egmondville and formerly of Usborne Township and Exeter, in his 77th year. Mr. PROUT was a former Reeve of Usborne Township. Beloved husband of Noreen POWELL and the late Dorothy HODGINS. Dear father of Sandra and George TRYON and Doug and Cathy, all of Exeter, Tom and Bev of Grand Bend and Greg and Lisa of Stratford. Loved by 13 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Also remembered by his siblings, Charles and Olga of Michigan, Glenn and Marg, Geraldine SMITH and Jim and Ann, all of Exeter, Jack of London, Ted and Marie of Alberta and sister-in-law Eva PROUT of London. Predeceased by his parents Charles and Grett (CASE) PROUT, a brother Bob and a brother-in-law Bill SMITH. There will be no funeral home visitation. A public funeral service will be held at Egmondville United Church on Thursday, December 8, at 11: 30 a.m. Pastor Stephen HILDEBRAND will officiate. Interment Exeter Cemetery. Memorial donations to Heart and Stroke Foundation or to a charity of one's choice appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to Whitney-Ribey Funeral Home, Seaforth (519) 527-1390. Condolences at www.whitneyribeyfuneralhome.com

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CASE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-12-24 published
KIDNER, John Joseph
My beloved husband, John Joseph KIDNER, affectionately known as the "Wood Guy," slipped away during the early hours of December 17th, 2005. He was at home surrounded by those that loved him deeply. John was in his 58th year. John was cherished husband of Janice CASE, and loving brother of Cindy and Harry VERKUYL. Dear father to Mark, Brett and Michelle EMMERTON. John was the son of Jack KIDNER and Helen KNOTT, both deceased. John was a man of many hats, some might remember him through athletics at Western and teaching high school in his early years; in later years, others knew him as a stockbroker and as an athlete with a profound (some might say irrational) love of golf. He nurtured a lifelong love of nature and canoeing through the wilderness. In recent years his greatest joy and passion (besides Janice) was working with wood. He often joked about growing up to be Norm Abrams of New Yankee Workshop fame. Since 2001, John spent most of his days in his workshop. He became a consummate craftsman creating an amazing legacy of wooden treasures for family and Friends. He is survived by his in-laws, Grant and Betty CASE; Jim and Jane CASE and their children, Sarah and Sean; niece Cynthia CASE and her fiancée Frederick GAGNON; nieces, Michelle, Angela and Robyn VERKUYL; John and Mary CASE and their sons, Matthew, Andrew and Patrick. He was much loved for his sense of humor, dry wit, fun and sense of adventure. John never lost touch of the boy within. In accordance to his wishes, cremation has already taken place. Those who wish to celebrate John's life should leave January 21st open. We are planning an afternoon of quiet reflection and sharing to be followed by a lively event in celebration of John's birthday and in memory of his life. Please enquire for details. The family requests no flowers, but donations in memoriam can be made to the charity of your choice.

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CASE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-03-19 published
LEGG, Mary Evelyn
Died on March 6, 2005, in Montreal. Pre-deceased by siblings Shirley GILLMEISTER and Russell LEGG. Dear friend and sister-in-law of Harold GILLMEISTER of Hudson, Quebec. Cherished aunt of Mary and Joanne GILLMEISTER of Toronto; of Brenda LEGG and Pat SIKORA of Montreal; and of Lynda GILLMEISTER (Allan CASE) of Montreal. She was always "Auntie Evelyn" to us and many Friends and was Allan's best girlfriend. After a long life of great kindness and generosity to others, she allowed us to take care of her. In her memory, please consider a donation to the Montreal Association for the Blind Foundation at 514-488-0043, x2020 or 2031. They helped make her life easier. Private service.

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CASE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-10-12 published
BALDWIN, Margaret
Died of natural causes in Toronto on October 5, 2005. Born in 1910, Margaret was the daughter of Edward ANDERSON and Alberta McALLISTER of Welland. Graduating in 1932 from University College Toronto, she taught high school in Welland before marrying Dr. William Wesley BALDWIN in 1936. They moved to Brooklin, Ontario, where Bill practiced medicine for over 40 years and Margaret devoted her life to serving others, both in her family and the community of Brooklin/Whitby/Oshawa region. After Bill's death in 1988, she lived in their Brooklin home until 2002 before moving to Toronto. Margaret will be remembered for her lively and affectionate interest in all the people with whom she came in contact, for her wide-ranging volunteer commitments and for the strong support she gave to Bill's medical career. Margaret leaves her children Dr. William BALDWIN of Toronto and Anne POTTER (Richard) of Milford, Ontario; her grandchildren Jennifer EIELSON (John) of Boston, David POTTER (Deb) of Toronto, Carolyn POTTER (Lori SEAY) of Vancouver and Andrew BALDWIN (Tara CASE) of Ottawa, as well as four great-grandchildren in Toronto and Boston. Cremation has taken place. At Margaret's request no service will be held. Friends will be received by the family at The Baldwin Center, 5959 Anderson Street, Brooklin Village from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on October 30, 2005. Many thanks to Providence Centre Staff for their kindness to Margaret.

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CASE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-03-16 published
FARLEY, George W.S.
Passed away on Monday, March 14, 2005, in his 92nd year. Beloved husband of the late Marjorie CASE. Resident of Southbrook Lodge, Brampton for the past 11 years. He will be missed by his Friends and relatives. Friends may call at the Ward Funeral Home, 2035 Weston Rd. (north of Lawrence Ave.), Weston, on Thursday from 1 p.m. until the time of service at 2 p.m. in the Ward Chapel.

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CASE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-08-10 published
HANCOX, Bette Bernice (née CASE)
Born on March 1, 1921 in Strathroy, Ontario, passed away peacefully on Friday, August 5, 2005 at the Kitchener-Waterloo Health Centre of the Grand River Hospital, Kitchener. Dear mother of Beth HANCOX of Waterloo and Vicie and her husband Jonathon HOBBS of Fort Mill, South Carolina. Sadly missed by her grandchildren, Marshall, Cameron and Connor HOBBS, Scott and Laura MONTEITH and their partners Kezia SPEIRS and Rob DANIELS. Predeceased by her husband George HANCOX in 1990 and by her daughter Mary Ellen in 1978. A private graveside service will take place on Saturday, August 13, 2005 at the Parkview Cemetery, Waterloo. Donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation would be appreciated by the family. Funeral arrangements entrusted to the Glendinning Funeral Home, 40 William Street, Plattsville, 519-684-7409.

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CASE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-12-12 published
DENNY, Evelyn Mary (formerly CASE, née BARNUM)
Passed away unexpectedly at the Trillium Health Centre, Mississauga on Saturday, December 10, 2005 at the age of 91. Beloved wife of the late Percy DENNY and Albert CASE. Loving mother of Sharon and her husband Michael TROTTMAN. Much loved "Nana" of Matthew and Chance. Dear sister of Don BARNUM and his wife Arlene, Helen LOYNES and her late husband Jim, and the late Roy BARNUM and his late wife Ruth. Cherished friend of Peter McLAURIN. She will also be greatly missed by all her nieces and nephews. Evelyn had a wonderful ability to embrace change and dedicated her life to the people who meant the most to her. She was a "people person" who shared her passion for music, her beloved Blue Jays and life in general with all who knew her. Friends may call at the Turner and Porter Butler Chapel, 4933 Dundas St. W. (between Islington and Kipling Aves.) on Tuesday from 5-9 p.m. Funeral Service to be held at Islington United Church, 25 Burnhamthorpe Road, Etobicoke on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 at 11 a.m. Private interment Riverside Cemetery. If desired, donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Etobicoke Chapter, 16 Four Seasons Place, Suite 115, Etobicoke, Ontario, M9B 6E5.

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CASE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-12-31 published
A loving mother's son
Andre BURNETT's five half-siblings all grew into the adults their mother hoped they would
So how did her sixth child end up on the most-wanted list and then in the morgue?
By Jim RANKIN, Staff Reporter, Page A22
Andre BURNETT began life as an independent boy, raised by a loving mother in a poor neighbourhood. At some point, for reasons this city must reckon with, he decided to live by the gun. He was murdered September 10 -- becoming Toronto's 54th homicide victim of the year, and the 36th to be killed by a gun.
His tall, thin frame was draped over a chair, and beneath the brim of a baseball cap, the lucky man's eyes were further obscured by wraparound sunglasses.
He had a criminal record for drug and firearms offences. Not reflected on that record was the fact he'd been accused (but not convicted) of pulling the trigger a couple of times in his 24 years. He'd also, in July 2003, taken a police hollow-point bullet between the shoulder blades, just left of his spine.
Although his left arm, damaged by that police shooting, would take time to heal, that was all in Andre BURNETT's past. He considered himself lucky. He could have found himself in jail -- or not sitting there at all.
On that day this past June when BURNETT sat down for an interview a lawyer to his left, and mother to his right -- there was big hope that his luck would continue.
"I'm going to get a place, my own place, with my girl," BURNETT said. "Stay out of trouble."
He also planned to stay away from Jane and Finch, the neighbourhood where he grew up, was schooled, and had made Friends and enemies.
Three months later, there were funeral plans. "He was slaughtered," says his mom, Cecile CASE HOLDER, in her late 50s.
Andre Malik BURNETT left behind a son, 6, a daughter, 4, and the mother of his children.
In a city hurting from a spate of other gun-and-gang-related killings this year, mostly of young black men, and numb from the shooting death this week of 15-year-old Jane CREBA caught in crossfire while holiday shopping, BURNETT's life and death also leaves behind a list of post-mortem questions.
Perhaps the most instructive is the question of how his four half-brothers and a half-sister grew into the adults CASE HOLDER had hoped they would, and her sixth child ended up in the morgue?
It is Black youth that is unemployed in excessive numbers, it is Black students who are being inappropriately streamed in schools, it is Black kids who are disproportionately dropping out, it is housing communities with large concentrations of Black residents where the sense of vulnerability and disadvantage is most acute, it is Black employees, professional and non-professional, on whom the doors of upward equity slam shut. Just as the soothing balm of "multiculturalism" cannot mask racism, so racism cannot mask its primary target -- Stephen Lewis, Report on Racism in Ontario, 1992
Under circumstances that are the subject of a Toronto Police Service homicide investigation, BURNETT, having just served a 60-day stint in jail for breaching parole conditions, wound up back home the afternoon of Saturday, September 10.
It's believed he was driven to Jane St. and Driftwood Ave., not far from his childhood home, his mother says. What is certain is that he was killed around 3 p.m. Witnesses: heard a loud argument, followed by gunfire. BURNETT was reportedly hit by eight bullets. He collapsed on a footbridge. He was, according to police, unarmed.
BURNETT was no angel when he left this world, and to that his mother attests. But on May 27, 1981, born at Toronto General Hospital, he began as one.
Cecile CASE HOLDER had come to Canada from Jamaica in the late 1970s, leaving behind four sons and a daughter from a previous marriage, with the hope of establishing a new home for them in Toronto. With the birth of Andre in 1981, fathered by a man CASE HOLDER likens to a "bad accident" who had very little to do with her son's life, she was done with having children.
Baby Andre, however, "was very sweet. He was my last of six."
BURNETT spent the first five years of his life growing up in an apartment near Bathurst St. and Lawrence Ave. W. -- a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood where one cannot walk a block without finding a bagel shop, and, today, bungalows are being torn down to make way for the occasional monster home.
He wasn't to go near the stove in their apartment, but on Saturdays, when CASE HOLDER was not working, her young son would show up at her bedside with a cup of tea.
"Here, mommy, is your tea," he would say.
"Sometimes he'd drink half of it before he got up there," says CASE HOLDER. "He was very independent. He would go to his drawer and, in the summer, take out a matching shorts and top. In the wintertime, he would match his clothes."
CASE HOLDER worked for a car parts manufacturer, and by 1985, had waded through the bureaucratic red tape required to sponsor her five children from Jamaica. They joined her in the two-bedroom apartment CASE HOLDER had been sharing with her youngest, and the elder five enrolled in local schools. The apartment would not do for long.
It was clear she had to move, but couldn't afford the rent for the kind of space she needed in that neighbourhood.
"So I went and I applied for the Metro Housing, and that's how I end up in Jane and Finch," says CASE HOLDER. " Didn't know I was going into the lion's den."
This reality of huge housing projects creating what many called "communities in distress" has to be dealt with. They're often under-serviced, and a persuasive case can be made for better transportation, for a Community College campus, for a thriving community centre, for some kind of outdoor recreational space. The list goes on. It all has relevance. -- Stephen Lewis, 1992 report
It may have been only a few kilometres away, but the move to Toronto Community Housing Corp., subsidized housing on Shoreham Dr., east of Jane St. and north of Finch Ave. W., might as well have been to another planet. A very small and concentrated one. Bordered by Black Creek Pioneer Village immediately to the north, and York University to the east, the low-rise brick buildings are home to some of the city's least well off, and historically, a place where gunfire is not unexpected.
In other areas of Jane and Finch, however, gunfire is not expected at all. And this is what Jane-Finch ratepayers not living in the pockets of public housing most susceptible to drug dealing, gangs and associated violence have taken great pains over the years to point out.
All that likely would have been lost on little Andre. He started school at Shoreham Public School, where he quickly fell in love with his kindergarten teacher. His siblings, however, continued to go to school in their old neighbourhood, where they had the kind of role models outside the family young Andre would find in short supply.
"All the older kids were seeing around them was positive things," says CASE HOLDER. " Andre was the baby who started school in the Jane and Finch area."
From the beginning, CASE HOLDER says she didn't like what she was seeing in the new area, and for that reason kept her children on a tight leash. There were curfews, and strict rules. "I started to observe how people live, and their kids running around. I was tough on my kids," she says, recalling one instance where she delivered a walloping to her daughter, at the time an A-student who was starting to cut school. "I busted her behind."
CASE HOLDER tried her best to ensure her work hours didn't interfere with her job of raising six children on her own, but when her youngest was 8 or 9, she took up a new job from midnight to 8 a.m. cleaning luxury boxes at the newly opened SkyDome.
On her very first shift, the police came calling to her townhome. CASE HOLDER says they were looking for a neighbour who had sold cocaine to an undercover officer, but ended up arresting one of Andre's half-brothers. During the nighttime raid, police searched the house with guns drawn, including Andre's room, while he was in bed.
"My house was like five hurricanes passed through it," she says. "They didn't even apologize," she says, "and later they arrested the guy who they wanted."
The charges against her son were eventually dismissed, but the raid left her youngest with an indelible impression of police, and white people. Young Andre soon began seeing a therapist, who happened to be white. His mother remembers he was wary. "The white people are bad," she recalls him saying, "because, why would they put a gun into my head?"
Of all Jamaican children under 19 years of age, 62.7 percent live in lone parent families, as do 54.8 percent of children who are African and Black and 52.1 percent of children from "other Caribbean nations." In these three groups, respectively, 64.5, 63.2, and 57.8 percent of children are below the poverty line Ethno-Racial Inequality in Toronto: Analysis of the 1996 Census, by Michael Ornstein, 2000
When Andre BURNETT was in his mid-teens, CASE HOLDER discovered a gun outside their townhome. That, she says, was "the reason why I took my baby and left Jane and Finch one morning."
She moved right out of Canada, to a city in the northeastern U.S., where she lives to this day and works as a caregiver in a hospital. She enrolled BURNETT in a high school there, but he soon was asking to go home, back to Toronto, to finish his schooling.
Another reason he wanted to go home, says his mother, was tight security at his new high school. He didn't like getting wanded every day. He didn't feel the school was safe. CASE HOLDER, deciding he was old enough at 17 to make his own decisions, let him go home to Jane and Finch.
While violent crime in Toronto has been declining, young people's involvement in, and victimization by crime has been trending upwards over the past eight years. The number of youth is projected to grow by 21 per cent in five years -- Toronto's Vital Signs 2005: The City's Annual Check-up
BURNETT initially moved in with a girlfriend of CASE HOLDER's, then with one of his half-brothers. He had arrived back home with thoughts of going to York University, as one of his brothers had. He was bright, into computers, and also looking at a possible career in music, says his mother.
"He liked to write music. He wanted to be a record producer," she says. "He had some stuff that he wrote, but I don't know where they are, and most of the things that he used to write was against, like, the brutality of police. He used to write heavy stuff, like Tupac Shakur."
CASE HOLDER admits she doted on her youngest, particularly after the others had left home. "The other kids used to say I spoil him, but he was the only one that I had to support. So he used to wear Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, stuff like that.
"Then he started wearing black, and clothes that I didn't like to see him in. He started wearing his pants down, and when I see him I would tell him, 'Pull your pants up.'"
At some point, the independent young boy CASE HOLDER had raised became a follower. Just when, she is not sure, but says her son's life changed some time after he went back home and enrolled at Westview Centennial Secondary School, southwest of Jane and Finch.
"That was the doom. That's when all hell broke loose," she says, blaming the school and poor choices in Friends for what followed. (A vice-principal there, responding to a Star inquiry about BURNETT's days, said senior staff had moved on, and there was little she could say other than he had attended the school.)
With the birth of a son, BURNETT became a father before his 20th birthday. He and his girlfriend later had a daughter as well, and the two grandchildren remain an important part of CASE HOLDER's life. She would come back to Toronto to visit, but she no longer had a strong hold on her son. She did try, though.
She remembers one occasion when the half-brother BURNETT had been staying with called her to say he had taken to coming home at 4 a.m. "And so I asked my son to drive him over to me. I remember very clearly, I was in the kitchen, and (Andre) was talking to me, and I had a mop like that in the corner, and I pulled him up and I beat him, and was beating his ass with the mop.
"And he was, like, 'Mommy, Mommy.' He would never say a word to make me upset. He would never, no matter what I do, and I would rap him, and he would never open his mouth.
"He was never a disrespectful child, never."
He started racking up an adult criminal record, which included drug and firearms offences. He was also fingered in a 2002 non-fatal shooting but later saw charges dropped because of identification problems. In connection with that shooting, he made the Toronto Crime Stoppers 10-most-wanted list.
By then, he looked little like the boy CASE HOLDER had raised. Nor like the young man wearing the red gown in his middle-school graduation picture. In one particular police mugshot, he wears a beard. His eyes look dead.
On July 10, 2003, in a police operation aimed at flushing out a wanted gunman in a park near Jane St. and Driftwood Ave., BURNETT was shot once in the back by police, who alleged BURNETT had fired first. Police found a 9 mm handgun at the scene, but, following a thorough search of the area by the province's civilian Special Investigations Unit, no forensic evidence was found to indicate the gun had been fired that night -- no residue, no shell and no bullet could be found. The Special Investigations Unit found the shooting to be justified, and cleared the two officers who opened fire of any wrongdoing.
BURNETT, badly wounded by the police bullet, found himself charged with attempting to kill the two officers.
One dramatic reversal in policy concerned the equity policies enacted by the Liberal and New Democratic Party governments. The Conservatives shut down an Anti-Racism Secretariat created by the New Democratic Party, and its counterpart in the Ministry of Education, abandoned policies aimed at increasing gender equity in administrative posts in education, and deleted references to pro-equity goals -- Stephen E. Anderson and Sonia Ben Jaafar, Policy Trends in Ontario Education, 2003
On most days, Winston LAROSE of the Jane-Finch Concerned Citizens Organization can be found in a cluttered second-floor office at Yorkgate Mall, a rejuvenated shopping centre on the northwest corner of Jane and Finch. Over the years, LAROSE, a trained psychiatric nurse, has watched and lived the hurt of young black men in the neighbourhood.
He never knew BURNETT, but he knows the story.
"Somewhere along the line, we have failed them as a society," says LAROSE. "We are a particularly impoverished area, in terms of social, cultural values and economics and the whole thing. Single mothers raising children, without the means to do it properly, absent fathers, inadequate material things in the home, hardly can pay the rent, distressed mother, Children's Aid having ready access to their children, police officers coming and knocking on the doors.
"It's not treated in the same way as a kid who goes to Upper Canada College, for instance. They're growing up in different worlds."
Generally, he says, this has all translated into a loss of a proper sense of self-esteem and humanity.
"What's been critically important for our community has been the devaluation of social life -- all together, the devaluation of our sense of humanity. I think it's stepped away from strong traditional values that are critical to developing human beings that respect each other."
Those who choose to pull the trigger and take a life, he says, are detached from that reality. "All that happens is an emotional response to, 'You're wearing my colours,' and bam, you're gone."
Extra police alone, as has been pointed out by many this past year in Toronto, is not the answer, he says. "All we're going to have is like Harlem in the old days, or Chicago, where police with guns are patrolling certain neighbourhoods and other neighbourhoods don't have that experience, and this is where we're heading right now."
The warning signs have been long been there, he points out, dating back decades, and perhaps most ominously as laid out in Stephen Lewis's 1992 report on anti-black racism in Ontario, which was ordered up by Bob Rae, the New Democratic Party premier of the day, following the "Yonge St. riots" that stemmed from the verdict in the police beating case of motorist Rodney King in Los Angeles.
Things have not much improved in Ontario, says LAROSE, who cites funding decisions made during the years of the Mike Harris Progressive Conservative government as one of the root causes behind the trouble many of Toronto's most impoverished youth, and black youth in particular, are in today.
"What he did is he restructured schools, and the schools in this area suffered from that. It reduced the number of teachers in the schools. It removed the schools from the domains of the community itself, where they had access, ready access for things like after-school programs, recreational programs and activities.
"A lot of community activities were conducted in those schools and people literally saw those schools as being some place where they could go. That's gone.
"There's kind of a general disrespect for the black community at large that seems to be acceptable," says LAROSE. " That is still very much in existence, and we need to do something to alter that, to change that.
"It has to start with the children we have right now, that are at the age of 5 and 6 and 7," he says -- and then pauses.
"Many of these kids that are committing all these murders, these are Harris's children, because they were 5 and 6 years old (in 1995), and these were the kids that got neglected."
Following the police shooting, BURNETT spent most of his recovery in jail, where he remained until this past summer, when the most serious charges against him were suddenly dropped after one of the two police officers he was accused of trying to kill, on the eve of BURNETT's trial, changed his story. In a last-minute deal, BURNETT pleaded guilty to possessing the handgun, and walked out of court a free man.
Upon his release from jail, CASE HOLDER noticed changes in her son. His head, in her words, wasn't "right." Still, he was a lucky man, and talked of settling down and perhaps getting back to his education. When he came to the Star to tell his story, he did it with the intention of filing a potential lawsuit against police. He said little, but claimed he never had a gun the night police shot him.
Despite the subsequent launch of an internal police investigation into police testimony and note-taking in the case, the two officers were lauded for their actions the night BURNETT was shot by police. The officers received their awards at police headquarters September 20. By then, Andre BURNETT had been dead for all of 10 days, having been gunned down near his old home, becoming Toronto's 54th homicide victim of the year.
There is no indication BURNETT was in a gang. Nor have police indicated what they think might be a motive for his killing.
To this day, his mother is incensed that police would hand out an award so close to his death. But she is hopeful that she will one day attend the trial of whoever took her son's life.
She says she has an idea who did it -- "Friends," she says, from his high school days. And she blames them, and the old neighbourhood, for his demise. She makes no specific mention of any government policy. BURNETT was 14 in 1995 when the Harris government ushered in its Common Sense Revolution platform. All of his older half-brothers and half-sister, the closest of whom was 21 at the time, were out of the secondary school system by then.
Today, one of his half-brothers is an accountant, studying journalism. Another is an Ontario government worker. The remaining two are a house painter and a self-employed electronics technician. BURNETT's half-sister is a bank supervisor.
Andre BURNETT went home this summer, and lies buried in the most expensive coffin his family could afford.
"I know he's in a better place. You should see him. He looked so peaceful," she says. "The funeral home did a good job by him. It was like the day I gave birth to him. He was that perfect child."

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