Yes, it is. At long last, Steven Truscott — possibly the most well-known wrongly convicted person in Canadian history — is finally getting his due for what he went through. I’m not normally big on this kind of thing but, maybe because I grew up in Clinton, I’ve known about the Truscott case for most of my life, and I’ve always known that he was railroaded.
Nothing that was announced today is going to make up for the time he had taken away, or for his being sentenced to hang by the neck until he were dead at the age of only 14, but it’s better than nothing…
TORONTO — Steven Truscott, the youngest person in Canada to face the hangman’s noose is being compensated $6.5 million for his “miscarriage of justice.”
Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley made the announcement this morning at Queens Park.
Truscott’s wife, Marlene, is also being compensated $100,000.
Truscott was only 14 when he was convicted in 1959 of murdering his 12-year-old classmate, Lynne Harper.
Both of them lived with their families at the Clinton airforce base, now known as Vanastra, in Huron County.
Truscott was sentenced to hang in Goderich in September, 1959. His case became a lightning rod in capital punishment debates that would follow.
Statement from Steven and Marlene Truscott: “This is a bittersweet moment for us. When we began this journey more than a decade ago, we thought only of exonerating Steven – the possibility of compensation never entered our minds. Although we are grateful for the freedom and stability this award will provide, we are also painfully aware that no amount of money could ever truly compensate Steven for the terror of being sentenced to hang at the age of 14, the loss of his youth, or the stigma of living for almost 50 years as a convicted murderer.
“We have had an opportunity to read Justice Robins’ report, and are very pleased with his findings and their acceptance by the government. This is the final and long-awaited step in recognizing Steve’s innocence. We are especially appreciative of Justice Robins’ finding that: It was the state, through the operation of the criminal justice system, that inflicted the harm on Mr. Truscott. We are all dependent upon the proper functioning of the criminal justice system and we must all share the burden of its errors. Through no fault of his own, Mr. Truscott suffered as a result of one of those errors. His loss should be borne by the community as a whole, and not by Mr. Truscott alone. The state has a moral obligation – an obligation that springs from a sense of justice and equity – to provide some redress to Mr. Truscott. The public’s interest in the proper administration of justice – and, indeed, the public’s conscience – demand that a payment be made.
“We wish to thank Justice Robins for his recommendations, Attorney General Chris Bentley for accepting and acting on them so promptly, and Guelph MPP Liz Sandals for her support both within and outside the legislature. We are grateful to the lawyers who represented us in this final phase and made submissions on our behalf to Justice Robins: Hersh Wolch, Marlys Edwardh, Adriel Weaver, and Jenny Friedland. We also thank the AIDWYC lawyers who represented Steven on the application to the Minister of Justice and the reference to the Court of Appeal: James Lockyer, Philip Campbell, Marlys Edwardh, Hersh Wolch, and Jenny Friedland. All of our lawyers brought great commitment and creativity to a series of very difficult tasks, and we know we would not be here today without each of their efforts. The staff at AIDWYC, especially Win Wahrer, were always present behind the scenes, and while their work was perhaps less visible, it was no less important. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank former Justice Minister Irwin Cotler for his decision to refer the case to the Court of Appeal, without which none of this would be possible.
“On a more personal note, we wish to thank our children, Lesley, Ryan and Devon, for their unwavering support. They stood by us when we made the difficult decision to re-open the case, and have continued to do so despite the stress and loss of privacy that have resulted. We also wish to thank the thousands of Canadians – and individuals around the world – who have expressed their support over the years. Your care and kindness have sustained us through some very difficult times, and we are thrilled to be sharing this good news with you today.
“We know that many of you will be eager to convey your congratulations, but right now we need some quiet time to absorb this news and to reflect with our friends and family on everything we’ve been through. We will not be giving any interviews or further statements to the media at this time. We have always appreciated your respect for our privacy, and trust it will continue. We would ask that any further inquiries be directed to our lawyers…
Contrasts are amazing things. They’re good things, too. They enlighten us to the things that are both wrong and right about who and what we are. They are not things to be ignored.
Take, for example, two women who have lost sons in war. Such a loss is tragic by any measure but how we deal with it… well, that is another matter, isn’t it?
“Canadians need to wake up and realize who they have in their military,” she said. The soldiers she meets “feel they can make a difference, and they are making a difference, and we need to show them that respect, and as a country we need to support them in their missions.”
You’ll notice that she didn’t add that “by bringing them home” bullshit line. Gawd damn, I LOVE this country… Last word:
The military lawyers said it wouldn’t be acceptable for civilians to raise money and partner soldiers to carry out humanitarian assistance, but just-retired Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Rick Hillier told them to make it happen anyway. The Assistance to Afghanistan Trust Fund was established in 2006 and part of it is made up of donations from the Boomer’s Legacy Fund created a year ago. This week, Maureen Eykelenboom presented the latest $80,000 cheque to Canada’s Joint Task Force Kandahar.
… who thinks that Marc Patterson is one impressive sonuvabitch.
Some of you out there might remember Marc from the last time that I wrote about him. For those of you that don’t, here it is in a nutshell:
Marc was out on a camping trip with his wife and kids. They brought a friend of the family along; 12-year old Colton Reeb. Colton was on his way to the thundershack one evening when he ran into a cougar. The kind that doesn’t wear lipstick. According to what was on the CBC website at the time, “Colton Reeb was bitten on the head, face, neck and upper chest before a family friend wrestled the big cat off the boy, but his parents told CBC News on Thursday evening their son is resting and in good condition.”
That’s right: “wrestled the big cat off the boy.” Now THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is how you define “balls.”
Well, it looks like I’m not the only one that thinks Marc is the kind of guy I wouldn’t mind buying a round or three for. It turns out that Marc’s getting himself a Carnegie medal for heroism! Canoe had the story today:
That’s when the 45-year-old decided to place the cougar in a choke hold, throttling the animal until it was forced to release Colton, who ran to safety. The cougar shook free and turned on Patterson, snarling at him and preparing to pounce.
Instead, the animal ran off when Patterson started growling back […]
Like any 13-year-old boy, Colton Reeb displays his scars like war medals, the proud evidence of his life-or-death battle with a hungry cougar last summer.
And now the man who made sure Colton didn’t become a fast supper for the massive cat will have his own prestigious decoration to show for the scrap in the forest near Kamloops — a Carnegie medal for heroism.
“When I heard about it, I thought, wow, that’s pretty sweet — I’d like to win one of those someday,” said Colton, who ended up with 300 stitches after being mauled by the mountain lion.
“I’d like to win one of those someday.” Dontcha just love kids? 😀
I wonder what Marc has to say about all this?
“Am I a hero? Well, my wife keeps calling me one and when your wife says you’re a hero, I guess you must be.”
Oh, dear. Thin-skinned thespian lesbian Lorna Pardy doesn’t seem to be garnering any sympathy from the expected quarters.
You might be wondering to yourself, “who the hell is Lorna Pardy?” Well, Lorna’s a dyke with no sense of humour. Apparently, she’s also a heckler; and not a very good one. You see, Lorna’s the whiny little bitch that went scurrying off to the BC Human Lefts Commission after she and a fellow muff-diver got a verbal smackdown from a comedian that they were heckling. Lorna likely reckoned that she’d have some kind of “wall of sisterhood” type shit backing her up on her idiocy. Doesn’t look like it.
It seems Lorna has become something of a pariah among many in the gay community (maybe they remember when they were on the other end of the stick? who knows…). Whatever the reason, she doesn’t seem to be making many friends. Here’s who we’re talking about:
Lorna’s the one in the middle. And, judging by some of what’s in the comments on the site that I filched this from, she’s gonna be on the outside soon. We’ll start off with what M_WORD had to say:
shame on you Lorna Pardy.
shame on you for single-handedly lending the credibility of our community to the near fascist BC Human Rights Council, and thus allowing our causes and passions to be hijacked by these thinly veiled thought-crime police.
Has it occurred to you that instead of filing a human rights complaint, the right thing to do would have been to grow a pair and stop being so thin skinned!? [yeah, I know; I nearly laughed my balls off, too, when I read that part -D] Has our community, nee our lovely and liberal Canadian society as a whole become what it is today by crying wolf every time someone said something that hurt our feelings? It has not. Even the US, with it’s terrifyingly litigious tendencies does not encourage the prosecution of thought crime in the way that your petty and pathetic actions have.
I am so discouraged at your small minded and immature foolishness ms lorna pardy that should we ever meet, you can expect me to bitch slap some damn sense into that air-filled head of yours.. stupid woman. stupid stupid woman. shame on you for implicating all of us in this shameless dance with the insatiable beast of censorship. I still remember a time not that long ago when books deemed to have explicit gay and lesbian content were not allowed into Canada, and now, thanks to the foolish and shortsighted tantrum of one sadly insecure little lesbian hipster, we can all look forward to another walk down that dark path.
thank you for bringing this distinctly fascist distortion of liberal thought into our community.
Seems that EYES_ARE_LISTENING doesn’t have much sympathy, either:
You pathetic drunk!!! You make out with your girlfriend like some 15 year old in front of an adult audience. You then behave like some drunken heterosexual male at a strip joint and whine when you get a taste of your own medicine. This will never leave you. A bit of advice sweetheart: stay away from booze cuz you can’t control your big fat mouth. Oh, and say goodbye to your career.
Hm. Maybe this could explain why Lorna seems to be wanting a low profile, even on gay-friendly sites:
“I can’t even give you my name [to be] printed,” said one of the women, who would only confirm her first name as Lorna.
Heh. Too late, buttercup; everybody already knows who you are.
Did you hear the one about the two lesbians who walked into a comedy club and started heckling the comedian? He turned the tables on them, so they complained to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal. And now the joke is on the taxpayers forced to pay for this kangaroo court.
[The following post contains language which is not suitable for children. I try to keep the site relatively clean (as clean as a trashmouth like me gets, anyway) but there are times when soft language is just plain dishonest. Parents are STRONGLY advised to preview for themselves before allowing their kids access to this post. Better yet; don’t even let your kids read it at all. -Dennis]
…and walk out with a human rights complaint cash cow. Only in Canada. And guess what else? It’s in uber-leftist British Californicate, no less. What are the odds, eh?
Why, why, WHY can I never be making this shit up??? As if none of us saw this bullshit coming, here’s the gist of it: two shitfaced slit-slurpers shuffle into a club, don’t like what the comic on stage is saying, and haul ass to the nearest HRC to piss and moan and collect a free bankroll. That’s what it boils down to.
The rules change from case to case, as needed to ensure that the accused’s rights are properly violated.
Truth is not a defense.
And now, we can add another one to the list: They have no sense of humour…
A Canadian stand-up comedian will face a human rights tribunal hearing after a woman complained she and her friends faced a “tirade of homophobic and sexist comments” while attending one of his shows.
In a decision released this week, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ruled there is enough evidence to hear the case of Vancouver woman Lorna Pardy against Toronto comedian Guy Earle. Zesty’s Restaurant in Vancouver, where the May 22, 2007, show took place, was also named in the complaint. The restaurant has since closed.
But Guy Earle stresses the comments he made last year to Lorna Pardy and her partner at Zesty’s Restaurant (now known as Zawa) were not motivated by sexual discrimination but out of his hatred for hecklers.
In the video, the comedian says he doesn’t “hate anybody based on sexual orientation” but does “hate hecklers.”
HOLY SHIT!!! A comedian that hates hecklers! WHAT ARE THE ODDS OD THAT????? 😯 I wonder what this little Canadian Michael Richards has to say for himself…?
It’s about God damned time!TORONTO — Steven Truscott, the youngest person in Canada to face the hangman’s noose is being compensated $6.5 million for his “miscarriage of justice.”
Statement from Steven and Marlene Truscott: “This is a bittersweet moment for us. When we began this journey more than a decade ago, we thought only of exonerating Steven – the possibility of compensation never entered our minds. Although we are grateful for the freedom and stability this award will provide, we are also painfully aware that no amount of money could ever truly compensate Steven for the terror of being sentenced to hang at the age of 14, the loss of his youth, or the stigma of living for almost 50 years as a convicted murderer.
Contrasts are amazing things. They’re good things, too. They enlighten us to the things that are both wrong and right about who and what we are. They are not things to be ignored.
… who thinks that Marc Patterson is one impressive sonuvabitch.
Well, it looks like I’m not the only one that thinks Marc is the kind of guy I wouldn’t mind buying a round or three for. It turns out that Marc’s getting himself a Carnegie medal for heroism! Canoe had 
Oh, dear. Thin-skinned thespian lesbian Lorna Pardy doesn’t seem to be garnering any sympathy from the expected quarters.
Seems that EYES_ARE_LISTENING doesn’t have much sympathy, either:
