Connect with us

Anglais

How six Toronto lives were fractured by serial killer Bruce McArthur

Published

on

[ad_1]

There is a ripple effect when someone is murdered.

“Doctors always say it is better to break something over fracturing it. Fractures never really heal as well as a break,” said Greg Dunn, best friend of Andrew Kinsman, the last of eight men murdered by serial killer Bruce McArthur. “My heart, soul and spirit have been fractured. They may heal in time but it will never be the same and it will never go away.”

Dunn’s words were read aloud in court Friday by Justice John McMahon as he described how the pain of the murders of eight men by McArthur reverberated through families, friends, communities and Toronto as a whole.

Six people shared with the Star how fractures in their own lives and communities have emerged since the serial killer was arrested just over a year ago. For some, McArthur’s crimes exposed pain from past traumas and historical violence against marginalized communities. For others, there remain haunting questions that may never be answered and thoughts of reunions that will never be.

These are their stories:

"There is an untold fear in our hearts," Piranavan Thangavel says of refugees like himself following the murder of Kirushnakumar Kanagaratnam.
« There is an untold fear in our hearts, » Piranavan Thangavel says of refugees like himself following the murder of Kirushnakumar Kanagaratnam.  (Toronto Star)

Piranavan Thangavel, who spent three months at sea with Kirushnakumar Kanagaratnam

An unanswered question has been weighing on Thangavel since he learned of his friend’s murder: Just how did Bruce McArthur come into contact with Kirushnakumar Kanagaratnam?

“We have to know,” he says. “That’s what his family still wants to know.”

Knowing how they met could help us know how to better protect people hiding from authorities, as Kanagaratnam was after his refugee claim was denied, Thangavel says.

As far as he knows, McArthur hasn’t shared that information, and that may be the only way to find out. Thangavel is resigned to never knowing.

His friend came here to save his life. Instead, it was taken in a way that Thangavel is unable to contemplate.

“For us now to hear of such a horrible death, we who live in this world as refugees feel like there is no safety for us anywhere in the world,” he said in the victim impact statement he read out in court. “Now when we meet new people, talk to them, or seek employment from them, there is an untold fear in our hearts.”

He says he did not see a reaction from McArthur to his words.

Thangavel’s years in Canada have been difficult — like many of those who came on the boat with him and Kanagaratnam. And though Canada does welcome refugees, he says, it is hard for him not to be angry and bitterfor him not to feel that Canada’s policies led to his friend’s death.

Thangavel is hoping to meet soon with the federal Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. He hopes to convince him to change the refugee claim appeal process so failed claimants don’t feel they need to go into hiding to avoid deportation — so they don’t have become as vulnerable as Kanagaratnam was and many still are now.

This is the legacy he wants Kanagaratnam to leave.

“He is not with us but maybe we can do something right for other people,” he says.

Read more:

Serial killer Bruce McArthur given concurrent life sentences, can apply for parole after 25 years

Opinion | Rosie DiManno: Questions, questions, more questions about the McArthur investigation

A timeline of the Bruce McArthur case and the police investigation into the Gay Village killings

"When we report that we have been victimized ? we've been assaulted, or raped ? they need to believe us," advocate Susan Gapka says.
« When we report that we have been victimized ? we’ve been assaulted, or raped ? they need to believe us, » advocate Susan Gapka says.  (Toronto Star)

Susan Gapka, an advocate for transgender and homeless rights

Susan Gapka walked out of Bruce McArthur’s sentencing hearing Monday, “raw and weak-kneed.”

She had sat inside the imposing downtown courtroom looking around the police officers, victims’ families and friends, community advocates and journalists and thought: “we all did our part.” Yet she knows the finality of McArthur’s conviction won’t mark the end of a traumatic period for her personally, or for Toronto’s Gay Village, in which she is steeped.

“Sentencing,” she says, “is a bit like the Band-Aid’s being ripped off. But there’s still a wound under there.”

For Gapka, McArthur’s case has highlighted the vulnerabilities of a life she knows well, and it has played out in a part of Toronto where she’d felt most at home. Twenty years ago, she came out as trans at Zipperz, the bar — a now-closed Gay Village institution — where McArthur had been a frequent face. The area, she says, was “a safe space to be ourselves until we feel comfortable enough to expand our network.”

Each of the stories of McArthur’s victims were devastating, but it was Dean Lisowick’s murder that “rocked” her. Once homeless and a drug addict, she spent many nights not knowing where she would sleep. One night, she stayed with a stranger who had picked her up, “and this person, this man, took advantage of me while I was sleeping.”

“It brought something up that I hadn’t even been thinking about, and I hadn’t even considered it to be abuse,” she says. “It brought something up that I had ignored as part of street life, and survival.”

The case has illustrated how the vulnerabilities of people on the margins can be exploited, she says — a scary thought amid a housing crisis and an opioid epidemic. And it has underscored the essential need for trust between police and the public, particularly those within the LGBTQ community.

She stressed that police must take reports of violence seriously, citing the fact McArthur was arrested following a 2016 allegation he assaulted another man, but was never charged.

“When we report that we have been victimized — we’ve been assaulted, or raped — they need to believe us. They need to believe us. I’ll say it again: They need to believe us.”

"That is trauma that is not going to go away," Rev. Deana Dudley says.
« That is trauma that is not going to go away, » Rev. Deana Dudley says.  (Toronto Star)

Rev. Deana Dudley, a minister at the Metropolitan Community Church

The betrayal of a wolf in the fold, of a man who used his own community as a hunting ground, runs deep.

“People trust themselves less. They trust other people less. They trust the police less,” Dudley says.

“I know people who were approached by (McArthur) and got away. I know people who lived on the same floor as him and saw him on a daily basis and heard things and saw things they didn’t put together at the time. That is trauma that is not going to go away,” she says.

She and other ministers at the church have spoken to many who now live with survivors’ guilt, with fear, with disgust, with anger. Spaces once considered safe are tainted, routines that once seemed manageable — like using dating apps — are too dangerous.

“I have been afraid for my friends. I have been angry at the ways people have been traumatized. I am happy to sit and talk with people about the things that happened to them, that have made them afraid, the nightmares,” she says. “But you know what, no one should be going through this and it pisses me off.”

Their grieving process will continue. Pain will surface in ways expected and sudden.

It will not be easy to repair, foster and build connections among community members, especially for the most marginalized people, she says, but it is more necessary than ever.

In the fall, Dudley was part of a group that gathered at the Mallory Cres. home where McArthur hid the remains of seven of his victims in planters. They cleaned up the yard, seeded the grass and planted hundreds of daffodil bulbs. They will bloom brightly this spring in what Dudley describes as sacred ground.

“They are hardy and they are resilient and they will survive,” she said in the victim impact statement she gave in court this week. “Toronto’s LGBTQ community is also strong and resilient. And we too will survive (though) changed forever.”

"Everyone is responsible for this," Haran Vijayanathan says of how his agency and others need to deliver community support after the McArthur case.
« Everyone is responsible for this, » Haran Vijayanathan says of how his agency and others need to deliver community support after the McArthur case.  (Toronto Star)

Haran Vijayanathan, executive director of the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention

It was only in the quiet pause around the holidays, after Kirushnakumar Kanagaratnam’s funeral, that the horrors of the past year truly sank in. Vijayanathan thought of his mother having to receive a phone call like the ones made to the mothers of Bruce McArthur’s victims, most of whom were South Asian or Middle-Eastern.

“I was sitting there thinking, ‘that could have been me in the casket,’” he says. “That could have been my mother and my family there and they wouldn’t have been able to see me one last time.”

The past year he has focused on supporting families with the logistics that come with loss, organizing funerals and raising funds to defray costs. It was also a time to demand answers, he says.

“Why did it take eight people to be missing and murdered before (McArthur) was found,” Vijayanathan says. “Why wasn’t the same level of attention given to the first three men who went missing?”

The missing persons review is one step in the right direction, he says. But law enforcement agencies have so much work to do to build trust with communities who do not feel safe or protected by them because of racism, classism and homophobia.

“How can the community and the police actually work together to address some of the biases that exist around, for example, someone with a mental health issue coming in to report a friend of theirs didn’t come back to their sleeping bag last night, as was their routine,” he says. “That credibility needs to be applied to everyone.”

The past year has also made Vijayanathan rethink how his agency and others deliver community programming and support, especially important considering some of the men McArthur killed were connected to community agencies and shelters.

“This is a wake-up call. There is a huge spotlight that has been shone on Toronto to see all of the gaps that we have. Some of those gaps are shallow and easily filled, but others are deep and the light has gone deep into those cracks,” he says.

“Everyone is responsible for this.”

"He made a mark on my life," Jeremiah Holmes says of his childhood friend Dean Lisowick.
« He made a mark on my life, » Jeremiah Holmes says of his childhood friend Dean Lisowick.  (Toronto Star)

Jeremiah Holmes, a childhood friend of Dean Lisowick

Relationships that will never be haunt many whose loved ones were killed by McArthur. Dean Lisowick’s daughter will never be able to connect with him or introduce him to his grandchildren. That was Lisowick’s dream too: His cousin Julie Pearo says his face lit up in the times she last saw him, as he described the electric bike he wanted to buy his daughter — something to bring her joy.

Lisowick’s childhood friend Jeremiah Holmes always hoped he’d see Lisowick again. Holmes was 7 when Lisowick came to live in their shared foster home in Udora, Ont.

The boys became close in a happy and strict home with a bullmastiff named Rocky where chores were mandatory.

“He made a mark on my life,” says Holmes. “I have a brother, but Dean became my new brother.”

They attended classes at Morning Glory Public School in Pefferlaw, Ont. Most of their free time was spent outdoors.

“We played together in the summertime until the lights went out. We were little kids, so we were exploring stuff.” That included poking around an old burnt-down house and collecting bullfrogs from the local creek, adventures fuelled by pop and bags of chips.

One winter outing ended with Lisowick freezing and soaking wet, after he walked out on a frozen river to retrieve a large stick.

Lisowick shouted, “I’m the king,” then fell through the ice, says Holmes.

He last saw Lisowick when he was a teen and tried unsuccessfully to find him over the years. Then, in 2018, Holmes saw Lisowick’s name in the newspaper. He felt shock, then hollowness. This wasn’t how he was supposed to find his friend.

Last summer, Holmes visited the Udora home where he and Lisowick spent some of their boyhood years. It was a chance to pause and reflect.

He doesn’t allow himself to think about how Lisowick’s life ended. Instead he hopes Lisowick knew how many people loved and cared about him — how many lives he touched for the better.

“It is just a sad ending for my foster brother and all the other victims that I read about and potential and almost victims,” Holmes says. “I didn’t let myself hold on to any (other) kinds of emotions, other than I think it is just sad.”

"As long as people are vulnerable there will be individuals who exploit that vulnerability," Becky McFarlane says.
« As long as people are vulnerable there will be individuals who exploit that vulnerability, » Becky McFarlane says.  (Toronto Star)

Becky McFarlane, senior director of programs and community services for the 519 community centre

For years, men linked to the Gay Village were going missing and no one had any answers.

“For a lot of people post the arrest of Bruce McArthur, it legitimated a fear I think many people didn’t feel entitled to have, because there was a lot of reassurance that there wasn’t a predator,” she says. “They wanted to believe it couldn’t be possible and I think in the face of McArthur’s arrest it raised a lot of fear.”

The first words of Crown prosecutor Michael Cantlon at McArthur’s sentencing were a validation of sorts.

“For years, members of the LGBTQ community believed that they were being targeted by a killer,” he says. “They were right.”

But just being told that you were right doesn’t make the fear go away, McFarlane says. “It is the reality of what happened that actually creates the fear.”

There was a period of time after McArthur’s arrest where people were more scared than they were before, she says.

The factors he exploited, that made many of his victims vulnerable — refugee status, lack of stable housing, secret lives — have not gone away. They are things people still live with every day in this city.

“How many individuals will it take before we recognize that there is a much more important systemic conversation that we need to have?” she says.

Queer and trans people have long faced targeted violence, she says. Bruce McArthur’s crimes are yet another example.

“As long as people are vulnerable there will be individuals who exploit that vulnerability. That is what makes us scared. There is no relief at the end of the day because people are not left less vulnerable because Bruce McArthur was caught and is in jail and won’t get out. People won’t be harmed by him but they will be harmed by others.”

Alyshah Hasham is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and court. Follow her on Twitter: @alysanmati

Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis

Emily Mathieu is a Toronto-based reporter covering affordable and precarious housing. Follow her on Twitter: @emathieustar

[ad_2]

Source link

قالب وردپرس

Anglais

Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

Published

on

By

Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline. 

Starburst Visuals and Symbols

The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors. 

Starburst XXXTreme Features

Players get to alternate on three features which are Starburst Wilds, XXXtreme Spins, and Random Wilds. The first appears on reels 2,3, or 4. When these land, they expand to cover all positions while also calculating the wins. They are also locked for a respin. If a new one hits, it also becomes locked while awarding another respin. Starburst XXXtreme offers a choice between two scenarios for a higher stake. In one scenario with a ten times stake, the Starburst Wild is set on random on reels 2,3, or 4, and a multiplier starts the respin. The second scenario, which has a 95 times stake, starts with two guaranteed starburst wilds on reels 2,3, or 4. it also plays out using respin game sequence and features. The game also increases the potential with the Random Wilds feature to add Starburst Wilds to a vacant reel at the end of a spin. Every Starburst Wild gives a random multiplier with potential wins of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, or even x150.

The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity. 

What We Think About The Game

The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement. 

That is characterized by the potential win cap of 200,000 times the bet. Starburst XXXtreme does not just give betting alternatives for players that want to go big. The increase of multipliers also provides a great experience. If the respins in the previous version were great, knowing that multipliers can go hundreds of times overtakes the game to a new level. 

Players should get excited about this offering. All of the features can be triggered within a single spin. Whether one plays the standard game or takes the XXXtreme spin route, it is possible to activate all of the features. Of course, the potential 200,000 times potential is a huge carrot. However, the bet size is probably going to be restricted and vary depending on the casino. It is also worth pointing out that a malfunction during the gameplay will void all of the payouts and progress. Overall, the game itself has been designed to provide a capped win of 200,000 times the original bet. 

Continue Reading

Anglais

‘We’re back’: Montreal festival promoters happy to return but looking to next year

Published

on

By

In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.

In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.

Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.

With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.

Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”

“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.

The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.

When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”

Continue Reading

Anglais

MELS new major movie studio to be built in Montreal

Published

on

By

MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.

MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.

The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.

The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.

Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.

STUDIO SHORTAGE

The film industry is cramped in Montreal.

According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.

With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.

Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »

« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.

She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.

« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.

There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.

« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.

Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.

For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.

Continue Reading
Styles De Vie6 mois ago

MAPEI Canada inaugure l’agrandissement de son usine à Laval, au Québec

Styles De Vie6 mois ago

Le Gala Elles reconnaissent célèbre les femmes remarquables de l’industrie de la construction

Styles De Vie6 mois ago

Préparez votre maison pour l’hiver afin d’éviter les réclamations d’assurance

Styles De Vie6 mois ago

Quatre façons de commencer à travailler dans le domaine des ventes

Styles De Vie6 mois ago

La Commission indépendante soutient le recours de la Cour suprême contre le déni des droits des non-francophones par le Québec

Styles De Vie6 mois ago

Justin Trudeau est un raciste contre les Noirs et les Premières Nations – 14 signes

Styles De Vie6 mois ago

Enfants aux études loin de la maison : Trois conseils pour veiller à la santé de leurs finances

Styles De Vie6 mois ago

Règles et règlements que toutes les entreprises canadiennes doivent connaître

Styles De Vie6 mois ago

Épargnez pour l’avenir grâce à nos trucs financiers pour la rentrée

Styles De Vie6 mois ago

Efficacité énergétique: 10 façons économiques de l’améliorer

Actualités2 années ago

Ces légendes du baccara vous dévoilent leurs secrets

Affaires2 années ago

Retard de vol : le devoir de la compagnie envers ses passagers

Anglais3 années ago

Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

Opinions3 années ago

Même les jeunes RÉPUBLIQUES se lassent du capitalisme, selon les sondeurs américains — RT USA News

Opinions3 années ago

« Aucune crise climatique ne causera la fin du capitalisme ! »

Opinions3 années ago

Innovation : le capitalisme « responsable », faux problème et vraie diversion

Opinions3 années ago

Vers la fin du Capitalocène ?

Opinions3 années ago

Le “capitalisme viral” peut-il sauver la planète ?

Opinions3 années ago

Livre : comment le capitalisme a colonisé les esprits

Opinions3 années ago

Patrick Artus : « Le capitalisme d’aujourd’hui est économiquement inefficace »

Anglais5 années ago

Body found after downtown Lethbridge apartment building fire, police investigating – Lethbridge

Santé Et Nutrition4 années ago

Comment aider un bébé à développer son goût

Anglais5 années ago

Head of Toronto Community Housing placed on paid leave

Styles De Vie5 années ago

Salon du chocolat 2018: les 5 temps forts

Anglais5 années ago

This B.C. woman’s recipe is one of the most popular of all time — and the story behind it is bananas

Santé Et Nutrition5 années ago

Gluten-Free Muffins

Santé Et Nutrition5 années ago

We Try Kin Euphorics and How to REALLY Get the Glow | Healthyish

Anglais5 années ago

Man facing eviction from family home on Toronto Islands gets reprieve — for now

Anglais6 années ago

Condo developer Thomas Liu — who collected millions but hasn’t built anything — loses court fight with Town of Ajax

Anglais5 années ago

27 CP Rail cars derail near Lake Louise, Alta.

Anglais5 années ago

Ontario’s Tories hope Ryan Gosling video will keep supporters from breaking up with the party

Styles De Vie5 années ago

Renaud Capuçon, rédacteur en chef du Figaroscope

Mode5 années ago

Paris : chez Cécile Roederer co-fondatrice de Smallable

Anglais5 années ago

Ontario Tories argue Trudeau’s carbon plan is ‘unconstitutional’

Anglais5 années ago

100 years later, Montreal’s Black Watch regiment returns to Wallers, France

Anglais5 années ago

Trudeau government would reject Jason Kenney, taxpayers group in carbon tax court fight

Styles De Vie5 années ago

Ford Ranger Raptor, le pick-up roule des mécaniques

Affaires5 années ago

Le Forex devient de plus en plus accessible aux débutants

Anglais4 années ago

The Bill Gates globalist vaccine depopulation agenda… as revealed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Anglais5 années ago

Province’s push for private funding, additional stops puts Scarborough subway at risk of delays

Trending

slot server jepang
judi slot pulsa