Deaths

Thursday, January 15

King West and Bay Street

(Southwest corner)

11am

ANOTHER HOMELESS MAN

DIES ON TORONTO STREETS

In the early hours of January 6 John Massie sought shelter in a bank vestibule located on King Street just west of Yonge Street. While in the vestibule John lit a cigarette and accidentally set himself on fire. John suffered burns to eighty per cent of his body and died later that day. John was a homeless native man who was well known in the community. He was 46 years old when he died.

Homeless people continue to die on Toronto streets. Overcrowded shelters, insufficient income on social assistance, and the lack of affordable housing have all contributed to these deaths.

Come out and demand that the City take action to address these deaths and the daily hell and conditions people are experiencing.

NOTE:THE TIME HAS BEEN CHANGED TO 1PM

Wednesday August 20 - 1pm

Outside the Coroner’s Office

15 Grosvenor Street

(West of Yonge, North of College)

Frank Julian, Carolyn Connolly, Dennis Bowen, Robert Maurice, Biniyam Selleshi

In the last month, two more people in our community have died. We don’t want to have to bury another person from the neighbourhood. People are dying on the street and in shelters. People are dying in their apartments alone in the far corners of the city, with only a few dollars left a month after their rent is paid because they were shipped out of the neighbourhood by Streets to Homes. No more people should have to die because the City has abandoned them to struggle and suffer in poverty. The City has to stop telling the public everything is okay. How can everything be okay when we have already lost four people this summer?!

Join us THURSDAY, July 17th, to protest the city’s refusal to address poverty in our community and to speak out against the recent deaths of two homeless men who died last week in our community.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 17, 2008

TIME: 11 AM

LOCATION: Queen and Sherbourne St.

On Monday, July 7, around supper time, Biniyam Selleshi, a young Ethiopian man in his mid- twenties was found dead in the Salvation Army Maxwell Meighen Hostel. On Thursday morning, July 10, Denis Bowen, 42, a native man known to many of us in the community, died outside a social housing building at 200 Sherbourne St.

Paul Croutch was beaten to death in Moss Park nearly 3 years ago.

Note: Please see Robert Maurice's ex-wife's response below)

On Wednesday February 27, 2008, a homeless Aboriginal man was found frozen to death in a downtown stairwell.

The death of this man rests with City officials. Rather than claiming adequate services exist for homeless people, as City officials did just two weeks ago, the municipal government must take responsibility for this preventable death and ensure not one more such terrible loss occurs.