'His soul is still here,' Family upset EMDC crosses to the dead will be removed
For the families of the 18 people who have died, a roadside memorial of crosses in front of Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC) is a sacred place.
It’s certainly true for Judy Struthers. Her grandson Justin, whom she raised as her own, died inside the jail in December 2017.
“This is the last place he’s been so to me his soul is still here, his spirit.”
But the union representing hundreds of jail workers argues the memorial also represents an ongoing source of psychological stress for its members.
Their position is part of a decision by the Grievance Settlement Board. It handles Ontario public sector complaints.
In May, the body ruled the memorial crosses must be removed from their current site just off Exeter Road in front of the access road to the jail.
The board stated the province had 90 days to comply and to notify families of the deceased.
The decision was rendered on May 3rd.
Some families indicate the province has yet to reach out to them.
Justin Struthers death, his family concurs, appears to one of those mentioned in the grievance board paper.
It cites the local union president of the jail guards who personally responded to Justin Struthers's death. She watched over his body for five hours while waiting for a corner.
The report states, “The circumstances surrounding the incident were extraordinarily upsetting," for the guard.
But Struthers counters the concern.
“And what about our stress? Almost three years now, my husband and my family face this every day.”
But it is not just the deaths the union finds disturbing, according to the decision.
Since the crosses began to appear in 2018 accompanying protests have included signs with photographs.
“The photographs were particularly disturbing and upsetting for (the guard). (The guard) gets upset when she is confronted on a twice-daily basis with the memorial every time she comes to and from work.”
Struthers tells CTV News the photos were of her son in his coffin. She contends they were taken an hour before his funeral to show his body's condition.
The memorial, per the order, is to be taken down by August 1, 2021 leaving the question of whether it will be moved elsewhere.
“They don’t want it here so people can see it. They want it hidden," Struthers says.
The report says the union will work with the province and the families to find another location.
London Lawyer Kevin Egan an advocate for inmates at the EMDC is upset the families found out about the decision to move the memorial 47 days after the decision. He says the memorial should stay where it is.
“People can see it as they drive by. It brings it to the top of their minds, that there is a jail here where people keep dying.”
Tina McCool, the aunt of Adam Kargus, who died at the jail in 2013, did not comment on the movement of the memorial. But she did say “If the guards had done their jobs and watched over the inmate's none of the crosses would have to be there.”
It’s a point Struthers agreed with as she held the sign showing her son’s coffin photos on Exeter Road Saturday.
She vows to still be at the corner, for four to five hours a day, twice a week, even if the crosses are removed. Her family still has many unanswered questions about Justin's death.
“If these crosses are going to be removed, that’s not gonna stop us from being here.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.