Outbreak of Invasive Group A Strep

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S t r e e t Vo i c e
Giving Voice to People Who Are Homeless in Kitchener-Waterloo
Outbreak of Invasive Group A Strep
Street Voice Submission
Winter 2009
In this issue of Street Voice:
1 Outbreak of Invasive
Group A Strep
2 Rooming House
Tennant Rights
3 Stormy Weather
3 Sidewalks and Street lights
4 Seek and Ye Shall Find
5 Waterloo Region
Community Legal Services
6 Paul Croutch
There is an outbreak of invasive group A streptococcal
disease (IGAS) in Thunder Bay and District. “Group A
Streptococcus is a bacterium often found in the throat and on
the skin. People may carry group A streptococci in the throat
or on the skin and have no symptoms of illness.” In most
cases, a strep infection does not lead to serious consequences.
In some people, this bacteria can cause strep throat, scarlet
fever, skin infections and pneumonia. However, in rare case, it
can cause more serious infections like necrotizing fascitis (or
flesh-eating disease) or streptococcal toxic shock syndrome.
•• Necrotizing Fascitis
may occur hours to days
after a small wound or
bruise and is most often
associated with extreme
pain that is out of
proportion to the original
injury. The skin may
be red, hot, swollen or
blistered.
Since August 2007, there have been 75 cases in Thunder Bay
with 10 deaths.
How can infections be prevented?
•• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or hand
sanitizer to remove germs (especially before eating).
•• Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing and dispose
of soiled tissues in the garbage (and wash your hands).
•• Thoroughly cleanse wounds or cuts with soap and warm
water.
•• See a health care provider if you develop signs of illness/
infection.
The risk to the general population is very low. However, the
risk is higher for those in close contact with an individual
infected with IGAS. Close contact can include:
•• household members
•• sexual partners
•• and those they share needles with.
Other risk groups include people who inject drugs, the
under-housed or street-involved, those living in crowded and
unhygienic conditions and those with chronic illnesses.
Group A Strep infections are treated with antibiotics.
Severe infections require emergency medical treatment and
hospitalization.
What are the signs of infection?
•• A person may not have any signs or symptoms and simply
carry the bacteria in their throat for a period of time.
•• A sore throat accompanied by a fever or rash may indicate
strep throat.
•• Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome may start with
flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, tiredness) that become
increasingly severe (shock, disorientation and multi-system
organ involvement).
If you are a service provider:
•• Ask clients and/or their contacts about wound history and
assess any current wounds for discharge, pain, redness,
swelling and blisters
•• If clients and/or contacts have wounds encourage them to
see a health care provider and dispense an abscess kit and
hand sanitizer if available
•• Encourage client to monitor for symptoms such as fever,
chills, fatigue, and if symptoms develop it is imperative for
the client to visit an emergency department
•• Provide client with assistance to help facilitate a visit to the
emergency department if needed.
Please contact the Communicable Disease Information Line
at 519-883-2007 if you have questions or concerns.
S t r e e t Vo i c e Giving Voice to People Who Are Homeless in Kitchener-Waterloo
Winter 2009
Rooming House Tennant Rights
Gay Slinger
a.m. and 8 p.m. The landlord is also not allowed to enter your
rental unit and throw out your property before the final date
of your tenancy has passed.
DID YOU KNOW … ??
THAT roomers and boarders are covered by the Residential
Tenancies Act as “tenants” as long as they are not sharing
either a kitchen or bathroom with the owner of the building
or certain members of the owner’s immediate family. This
means those living in rooming houses, boarding houses,
lodging houses or domiciliary hostels can be covered by the
Act. Sometimes even people living in motels or hotels can be
covered by the Act.
THAT the landlord cannot force you to pay by post-dated
cheques or automatic debit. The landlord also has to give you
receipts for your rent payments for free and whenever you
ask. You should not pay rent in cash without getting a written
receipt from the landlord or superintendent as it may be very
hard for you to prove payment later without one.
THAT as tenants, you have a right to a safe and fit place
to live in a good state of repair. You can contact the local
Property Standards or Fire Prevention offices for inspections
at no cost to you. You can also apply to the Landlord &
Tenant Board for certain things, including work orders or rent
reductions.
THAT the landlord is entitled to a rent deposit of no more
than one month’s rent or, if the rent is paid weekly, one week’s
rent. It cannot be used for anything other than paying the last
month’s or week’s rent. The landlord must also pay interest on
the deposit every year.
THAT the landlord is, in most cases, entitled to a rent
increase each year as fixed by the provincial government.
He must give you at least 90 days written notice of any rent
increase on a form made by the Board. Rent can only be
increased once a year.
THAT the landlord also cannot just enter your room
whenever he wants except in an emergency or with your
consent or as allowed under the Act. Usually, before entering
your unit, your landlord must give you 24 hours written
notice to enter and only for certain reasons.
THAT the landlord cannot shut off or deliberately interfere
with the supply of a vital service such as heat, electricity, gas
or water unless it is for a short time to make needed repairs.
THAT the landlord cannot just evict you at any time – he
must follow the eviction process under the Act. There is
no lawful eviction without an Order from the Landlord
& Tenant Board. You can live in your rental unit until you
give your landlord proper notice to move out or you and
the landlord agree to a date you’ll move out or the landlord
lawfully ends your tenancy by giving proper notice under the
Act and then gets an Order from the Board. You would have
the right to defend yourself at a hearing before any Order
would be made or perhaps even work out an agreement with
your landlord to solve issues. The landlord cannot lock you
out of your rental unit unless he has an Order to evict from
the Board and he has the Sheriff ’s office come to your rental
unit to enforce it. You can be evicted at any time of the year.
THAT the landlord cannot prevent you from having a pet
in your rental unit once you are a tenant but you will be
responsible for the actions of that pet and could be evicted
if it, for example, causes damage to your unit, bothers other
tenants, causes allergic reactions in other tenants or is a
dangerous type of animal.
THAT you can contact the Investigation & Enforcement
Unit for help if your landlord is breaching his duties,
including threatening to or has locked you illegally out of your
rental unit or is entering your unit illegally or is cutting off
your vital services. They can be called at 1-888-772-9277.
THAT the landlord cannot take your personal property if
you don’t pay the rent and you’re still living in your rental
unit. If you are evicted by the Sheriff ’s office, you still have 72
hours after the locks are changed in which the landlord has to
keep your property safe and available for you to get between 8
THAT the landlord has to give you a copy of your written
tenancy agreement within 21 days of you signing it and
giving it to your landlord. If your agreement is verbal only,
the landlord has to give you written notice of his legal name
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S t r e e t Vo i c e Giving Voice to People Who Are Homeless in Kitchener-Waterloo
Winter 2009
Continued - Rooming House Tennant Rights
and address within 21 days of the start of your tenancy. If the
landlord does not do these things, your obligation to pay rent
is stopped until he complies and then all back-rent must be
paid.
Waterloo Region Community
Legal Services
THAT the landlord is required to give an information sheet
by the Board to every new tenant on or before the start of
the tenancy which outlines the rights and responsibilities of
landlords and tenants and the role of the Board.
Waterloo Region Community Legal Services provides legal
support to people with little or no income, related to the
following issues:
•• Ontario Disability Support Program
•• Ontario Works
•• Landlord and Tennant disputes
•• Canada Pension Disability
•• Criminal Injuries Compensation
THAT you, as tenant, have the following duties:
•• pay your rent in full and on time
•• to keep your unit clean to the standard that most people
would consider ordinary or normal cleanliness
•• to give proper written notice to move out of your rental
unit. If you are paying rent by the day or week, you must
give at least 28 days’ written notice before the date you are
moving and that date must be the last day of your rental
period. If you are paying rent by the month, you must
give at least 60 days’ written notice before the date you
are moving and that date must also be the last day of your
rental period.
•• to repair any damage to the rental property caused by you
or your guests or pets whether on purpose or just by not
being careful enough
•• to not change the locking system on your rental unit’s
door unless you get your landlord’s permissionto not
substantially interfere with the reasonable enjoyment of
other tenants in the use of their units or of the landlord in
certain situations
•• to not commit illegal acts or cause safety concerns in or
around your rental unit
THAT, for more information on your rights and
responsibilities, you can go to the following websites:
•• Landlord and Tenant Board (1-888-332-3234)
www.ltb.gov.on.ca
•• Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario
www.acto.ca – click on “Tenant Info”
•• Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
www.cleo.on.ca
•• Ontario Human Rights Legal Support Centre
(1-866-625-5179)
www.hrlsc.on.ca
You can also contact the local legal clinic, Waterloo Region
Community Legal Services, at 519-743-0254 (www.wrcls.ca)
for more info. The clinic is funded by Legal Aid Ontario so
you must meet financial requirements to qualify for service.
To access support you can call the office with your problem.
They may be able to offer you advise over the telephone,
re-direct you, or ask you to come to the office for an
appointment. You can also drop by their office
Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Bring any documents that may help explain your case. You
will also need to provide information about your household
income as the clinic is funded through Legal Aid Ontario.
The office is located at:
170 Victoria Street South (corner of Victoria and Park)
Kitchener, Ontario
(519) 743-0254
www.wrcls.ca
Legal Aid Ontario
Legal Aid Ontario provides legal support related to the
following issues:
•• Criminal law
•• Domestic violence
•• Divorce
•• Immigration sponsorship appeals
•• Capacity to consent to treatment
If you want to apply for Legal Aid, you will need to bring
court documents, proof of income, proof of expenses, and
bank information, to:
Legal Aid Office
50 Queen Street North, Kitchener, Ontario
(519) 743-4163
www.legalaid.on.ca
Monday to Thursday
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S t r e e t Vo i c e Giving Voice to People Who Are Homeless in Kitchener-Waterloo
Winter 2009
Seek and Ye Shall Find
Glen MacMillan June, 2008
We tell ourselves what we want to hear and ignore what is
said to us. Over time, we come to believe only what we choose
and draw a line in the sand – as if everything we believe to
be true must be so; must be true just because we believe.
A friend of mine call that circular reasoning. I call it being
human.
I just recovered a truth I thought was lost to me – something
about reasons to live. Things were bad enough that I had even
arranged to check out of this world when I could no longer
function in the manner I was used to or at least in a way I
was comfortable with. After two years of deep depression
and constant pain (I’ll spare you the grisly medical stuff ) in
which I sat on my sorry ass in a littered and sour smelling
apartment, I moved closer and closer to that irrevocable,
eternal resolution. At first, I liked my apartment. It was all set
up to help me deal with physical needs. I enjoyed going out
on my scooter each day to visit friends, grab a coffee or just
enjoy the passing parade. But the depression crept up on me.
I made my little home my prison. I ignored people, chased
away friends and shunned people who offered to help me. The
depression turned back. I began reading about suicide and
euthanasia, how in some countries it was OK…
of comfort (and they did) and cut off all contact with the
outside world including with my mother (and they did), all
with the intent to break my spirit – reduce me to a number
with no dignity like over in Germany at another time – same
stuff, same abuse – man’s inhumanity to man.
I couldn’t let them do it. The one thing they couldn’t control
was my mind. I was not going to succumb. I was in control.
The hole was exactly like that. It was a tiny place deep in the
bowels of Walla Walla Federal Prison, a 5’ x 5’ concrete box
with a sloping floor to a 3” open drainpipe to take what you
pissed and crapped. At both ends of the sloping floor there
were small copper pipes shooting constant streams of achingly
Keep my dignity. Go when I want to and the hell with
cold water toward the centre drain. The hole had no light, no
everyone who advised that there was something I had to
heat and nothing but cement to sit on or lie on. There was no
contribute and that it wasn’t my time to go. My doctor
sound but that of running water. It was like being buried alive
intervened with the cheerful news that without bypass heart
surgery I could expect a stroke and end my days as a vegetable. – the ultimate punishment.
After that, I was ready to execute my plan – my check-out
plan – Adios, Good-bye and all that. So I figured that I would I survived because I was able to live inside my head. I played
word games, did number excercises, dreamed through
go for the bypass and if I didn’t make it, well, that would
imagined past lives and spent a million dollar lottery win –
save me the problem of doing myself in. Two years of deep
spent it a bunch of times. And I at my finger nails and picked
depression had led me closer and closer to that irrevocable
my toenails all bloody which was only a little worse food than
resolution.
the veggie burgers that appeared wordlessly with a bam-clang
How did I get to that bleak place? I am the huy who survived of steel twice a day. Veggie burgers. Slabs of rye bread, blobs
of something, no dressing, no margarine…
8 months in “The Hole” – a cold, barren isolation cell in a
max security prison, months of physical and mental abuse,
vile food, no human company, sleep deprivation and constant “What day is this? Must be morning of day three because I’ve
eaten 5 burgers and the next one will be supper meaning it’s
discomfort. In all that time I thought of many things but
night again and then and son on and so on…”
doing myself in was not one of them. My thoughts, and
feelings during that time were righteous. I figured that they
could beat me (and they did), deny me even a modest amount Inside your head you wander and go dream state. You go free
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S t r e e t Vo i c e Giving Voice to People Who Are Homeless in Kitchener-Waterloo
Winter 2009
Continued - Seek and Ye Shall Find
and your mind takes you to places – good places – you’ve
been before like the beach and a picnic in the sun so warm
and bright, kids laughing, dogs barking, the water is warm and
then bam-clang-bam the veggie burger arrives no dressing or
margarine and another day has passed but more to go and so
you gulp the burger and try to go back to the good place.
Stormy Weather
by: Richard Mclean
i hear the distant thunder
and watch lightening flash
across the darkened sky
why do i want to cry
Keep my dignity. Yeah. I survived the hole. I survived as an
abandoned kid on the streets of New York. No matter what
crap came down on my head I never thought about suicide.
But the idea of becoming a vegetable combined with pain and
self-imposed isolation, well, that was too much.
the wind picks up
and tosses the fallen leaves into the air
i watch as they whirl and fly
almost landing
only to be thrown up again
by a new gust
I figured I’d go for the bypass surgery and if I made it, good.
If I didn’t, that would save me the trouble of doing myself in.
they seem to resemble my feelings
I made it, obviously. They have some really good surgeons at
St. Mary’s Hospital. I am recovering, feeling stronger every
day and have no more ideas about taking myself off this earth.
While hospitalized I met people who were recovering from
having lungs removed. My roommate was 92 and couldn’t do
anything but lie there. I helped feed him and gave him water.
And I started to view the world through a different lens. I
figured that if these people still wanted to live despite their
troubles and shortcomings, what the hell was wrong with me?
I stayed in hospital for 14 days – plenty of time to heal and
listen to their stories all of us could relate to each other. We
all felt pain and discomfort and through that we bonded with
each other, bonded enough to keep in touch. I entered the
hospital hoping – expecting that this was it; this was the end.
Instead, I gained another kick at the can and found the self
that I lost.
That’s what depression does. It takes away the self. Good
friends have rallied around me and come through for me but
until I found that precious self, I couldn’t let them get close.
This has been amazing for me. I always figured myself to be a
hard-shelled survivor, what with being a street and ring fighter
and a veteran of mean streets as well as a few rough prisons.
But I couldn’t kick the shit out of depression until I had a long
look at dying and got to meet some people worse off who had
more will to live than me.
“Seek and ye shall find” – Well, I went seeking, I found my
self and gained friends. I am getting better and in six more
months I’ll have a nose full of roses.
the raindrops fall
softly at first
but incresingly
falling harder
i feel them
they fall over me
washing away my pain
and deep-rooted memories
cleansing me
or maybe it’s just my tears
Sidewalks and Street lights
By Patrick Le Duc
We all come from all walks of life.
We all yearn for comfort when in despair.
Try to see the good in life even when its not fair.
Wish this upon anyone if you dare.
Because you never know when the world will turn upside
down.
The lost souls in society may get a frown.
Just remember this when you’re down.
The only way from down is up.
So even if the wealthy drink from the golden cup.
At least you can say “I didn’t go down without a fight”.
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S t r e e t Vo i c e Paul Croutch
by Richard McLean
Giving Voice to People Who Are Homeless in Kitchener-Waterloo
Winter 2009
Disclaimer: The information in the following article has been taken from various articles published in the following papers; The National Post,
Toronto Life, The Victoria Times, The Toronto Star, the Edmonton and the Toronto Sun; as well as reports from City News and CBC news.
The date was August 30, 2005. Toronto was experiencing
a heavy downpour, compliments of Hurricane Katrina. As
residents of the busy city wrapped their jackets tightly around
themselves, to ward off the rain, no one seemed to notice the
lone figure slowly making his way across the well-lit ball field
in Moss Park; or if they did, they chose not to see him.
His name was Paul. At 59 years of age, the ravages of his
life on the streets had taken their toll on his body; heart
and lung disease, hardening of the arteries, elevated blood
pressure, emphysema, and swelling in the legs that was so
severe, walking was always difficult. He was headed toward
his favorite “bed” - a park bench located near the ball diamond
and tennis courts, where the lights that stayed on all night
provided him with a sense of security he could not seem to
find in the many hostels scattered throughout the city.
Life had not always been this way for Paul. In his younger
years he had been married, had a daughter and worked at
jobs where he always did well. His ex-wife recalls him as, “a
productive, engaging person; a father, a husband, a salesman
and an entrepreneurial newspaper publisher.” The hostel
workers didn’t believe him. It took his ex-wife to verify his
story, and to make them see past the face they saw in front
of them. He had had a falling out with his daughter when
she was fourteen and never spoke to her again. But her never
stopped loving her. This was apparent to Trent Palmer, who
had worked as a case manager at the Gateway Shelter and
who had taken the time to establish a relationship with him.
Palmer had found a picture of his daughter in the paper, and
tried to give it to him. Paul gave it back, explaining that it
needed to be kept in a safe place.
the partiers became quite drunk. Two of them were Corporal
Jeffery Hall and Rifleman Brian Deganis. A senior officer at
the club noticed they had had too much and ordered Corporal
Mountaz Ibrahim and another reservist to escort them back
to the Moss Park Armory.
Some time later, before four in the morning, a captain at the
armories found Hall trying to restrain Deganis on the front
step. Deganis was shouting, “fxxxxng bum! Why is he dissing
me? I’m going to kick his axx,” at a person in a nearby bus
shelter. Even after being maneuvered inside, he continued
with his tirade. “I’m the king of the world. I am going to take
them all.”
It really wasn’t a shocking or unexpected scene when one
considers the allegations of “bum rolling” being a part of their
initiation ritual.
What is shocking, though, are the events that unfolded soon
after, because hatred for the poor and homeless was fueled by
liquid bravado; and the long reaching effects these events had
on all those involved.
I wonder if Paul knew she had grown up to become a
successful botanist in New York. I wonder if he thought of
her, as he cocooned himself in garbage bags and lay down to
settle for the night.
The date was August 30, 2005. Members of “The Queen’s
Own Rifles”” were enjoying a farewell celebration with a
group of German Paratroopers, who had joined them in
summer training exercise. The festivities carried on thought
the night, eventually ending at Budo, a nightclub on Peter
Street. As often happens when the alcohol is flowing, some of
Shortly after 4 a.m. on August 31, Hall and Deganis left the
armories and made their way over to the adjacent park where
Paul Crouch was sleeping. Seeing him on the park bench,
Deganis started taunting him. The assault quickly escalated
from verbal to physical. Deganis and Hall began to repeatedly
punch and kick Paul with such ferocity that his body was
lifted off the ground and finally came to rest about ten feet
behind the bench he had been sleeping on. They continued to
spew their hate-filled venom during the assault, accusing Paul
of being a bum and a sad sack who was fouling their park with
his dirty and useless presence. Their justification, according to
Hall, was that Paul had lunged at them when the taunting had
started. I find that difficult to imagine. You will remember,
Paul was 59 and in poor heath and physical condition. Hall
and Deganis were young, healthy, in great physical condition
and drunk. I guess, sometimes, we all need to find ways to
justify our actions rather than take responsibility for them.
They continued the vicious attack on Paul- punches and kicks
to the head, neck, back, chest and arms, until a hero came
along. Their shouts caught the attention of someone who
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S t r e e t Vo i c e Giving Voice to People Who Are Homeless in Kitchener-Waterloo
Winter 2009
Continued - Paul Croutch
chose to see. Valarie Valen was walking thought the park on
her way to visit some friends at the Fred Victor Centre nearby.
Alerted by the melee, Valen shouted out to them to stop. She
told them she had a cell phone and was calling the cops. By
this time Corporal Mountaz Ibrahim had joined Hall and
Deganis. The three of them turned their attention away from
Paul and started toward her. They taunted her, telling her she
had better start running, and then kicked her feet out from
under her. As they beat on her, they warned her to tell all
her friends that bum and whores, such as herself, were not
welcome in Toronto’s Moss Park.
“Tell your friends the park is ours! We own it,” Deganis
screamed at her as he and his friends continued to drag and
hit her. He thrust his military dog tags in her face telling her
that the tags gave them the right to do whatever they wanted
to do her and all her derelict friends. I guess she must have
lunged at them too.
Valarie managed to make her way to the Fred Victor Centre,
where the surveillance cameras show her making her way to
the pay phones. The 911 operators received a call about some
army or navy men beating a man in Moss Park and attacking
her. Maybe Deganis flaunting behind his dog tags wasn’t a
completely bad thing after all. It was this information that
helped to lead to the arrests. Police and an ambulance were
dispatched to the park, where paramedics found Paul Crouch
about 3 yards away from his bench. The hate-fueled assault
had caused extensive harm:
a fractured back
6 broken ribs; some broken in more that one place
a ruptured spleen
extensive brain damage, which ultimately led to
Paul Croutch’s death.
It is hard not to imagine what Paul might have been thinking
as these army reservist repeatedly kicked and punched him.
The autopsy report found NO defensive wounds on his body;
indicating that he didn’t fight back. Was he wondering what
he had done to provoke such evil? I like to think that he was
spared the reality of what was happening by his mental state,
although we will never know.
While I find it hard not to imagine what Paul was thinking,
I find it impossible to step into the reservists’ shoes. I cannot
begin to imagine the anger, hatred and self-loathing a person
must be living with to take such brutal, unprovoked actions;
and I feel sorry for those who do.
As a result of his murder, Paul Croutch became the unwitting
“poster child” for many groups.
“If there was more affordable housing, this wouldn’t have
happened.”
“If we had kept them all in hospital, this wouldn’t have
happened.”
“If there was more money put into social programs, this
wouldn’t have happened.”
...and the finger pointing started...
“It’s all the governments fault.”
“Blame Harris and his cuts to welfare.”
“The welfare system failed him.”
“The mental health system, the hostel system, the churches;
they all failed him.”
But, the harsh reality is that we, as a society, failed Paul
Croutch and so many others like him; and continue to fail too
many.
The reality of this brutality seems to have been lost as so
many use Paul’s murder as a springboard for their own
agendas - many good and some bad. What seems to have
been forgotten is that somebody’s son, somebody’s husband,
somebody’s father and somebody’s friend has been savagely
murdered.
Let this serve as a reminder that, as noble as our causes may
be, we must ALWAYS remember the human tragedies and
sacrifices made that brought out the need for these causes.
The trial that followed came to an end when the crown
attorney’s office decided to accept a plea of manslaughter
rather than murder. The reason given was that due to the
reservist’s level of intoxication it would have been difficult to
prove intent. (Had it been some drunken homeless people
killing a reservist I wonder if the result would have been the
same.)
The sentences: Corporal Jeffery Hall, aged 24: a ten year
prison sentence for manslaughter in the August 31, 2005
slaying of Paul Croutch; an additional one year sentence
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S t r e e t Vo i c e Giving Voice to People Who Are Homeless in Kitchener-Waterloo
Winter 2009
Continued - Paul Croutch
for the attack on Valarie Valen; and
a lifetime ban on the possession of
firearms.
Private Brian Deganis, aged 24: same as
Hall.
Corporal Mountaz Ibrahim, aged 25:
a nine month sentence as an accessory
after the fact in the murder; a 3 month
sentence for the attack on Valarie Valen;
a ten year prohibition on possession of
a firearm.
Taking into account their time served
(two for one), Hall will serve 10 years
and 8 months, Deganis 5 years and 6
months, and Ibrahim 10 months.
So many lives have been changed due to
this senseless act; 1) Paul’s, 2) Valarie’s,
3,4,5) the three reservists’ and countless
others who have been affected by this
tragedy.
So, what now. How will all those
involved respond?
Will Valarie continue standing up
for what she believes in and for what
is right, or will she now shy away,
remembering the outcome? Or does
she become more vocal and outspoken
as she advocates for all the Paul’s in
our communities. I tend to think the
latter. Despite being severely beaten for
her heroic attempt to save Paul’s life,
she says she forgives her attackers and
hopes they can turn their lives around.
“I forgive them and I really, sincerely feel
sorry for them and their families and I
really hope that this has been an eyeopening and life-changing situation for
them,” she said.
hatred festers and grows? Will they
continue to point their fingers at the
innocent victims and let that darken
their hearts, mind and soul? Will
they be released out of prison filled
with even more anger and hatred? Or
do they look inside themselves and
recognize that what they have done
was horribly and completely wrong,
and learn to accept responsibility for
their actions? Will they come out as
changed men and then work toward
making the world a better place? I
hope and pray for the latter.
Street Voice is written by and for
What about us, as a society? How has
this tragedy affected us? Sure, we are
angry, upset and mortified, but do we
carry the memory of this man with us
and use this memory to help us strive
to help others in Paul’s shoes, or does
he become just another statistic?
Printed by:
people who are homeless or have been
homeless. The editors may request
articles from individuals with no
lived experience of homelessness.
Edited by:
The Homelessness Advisory Group.
Graphic design by:
Peter
M&T Printing
Be a contributor to Street Voice.
Share your ideas, express your creativity,
get your opinions heard through:
• articles
Finally, as individuals, how has Paul’s
murder changed us? Has it inspired
us to be better people - to lend a hand
when and where we can; or do we
become cold and immune to other
peoples’ pain and suffering?
I look out my window as I am writing
this. It is a cold, dark and stormy
night. I can’t help but think about all
the Pauls out there who are doing
their best to survive. I wonder if
anybody notices them as they make
their way to the benches, highway
overpasses, parks or whatever spot
they call bed for the night.
More importantly... I wonder if
anyone will choose to see.
• photographs
• illustrations
• letters to editors
To submit material:
Street Voice
59 Frederick Street
Kitchener, ON
745-4404 ext. 207
E-mail: drankin@kdchc.org
This newsletter is produced by the
Homelessness Advisory Group (HAG) in
association with the Kitchener Downtown
Community Health Centre (KDCHC).
Opinions expressed in the articles are solely
the responsibility of the writers and do not
What about the three reservists? Will
they serve their sentences while their
represent the views of HAG or of KDCHC.
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