Greetings -

For those of you who were unable to attend Saturday's meeting, here as promised,
is a short briefing. I apologize for not catching everyone's name, but I think I have all the various departments and officials represented. I will just try to focus on the salient points, but please, if you have some specific question I'll try to help answer it. Alternatively, I would recommend contacting Paula Fletcher's office for assistance.

Officials Attending: Marilyn Churley, MPP (Chaired the meeting); City Councillor Paula Fletcher;Police Superintendent from 55 Division; Toronto Fire Department Platoon Chief; Ministry of the Environment; Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Public Health; and Don Boyle, Parks & Recreation.


From the Police:

As far as the Police are concerned, their priorities around the case now are to find the person or persons who did this AND to locate the product that was used and insure that it is properly disposed of. We have to keep in mind that the Police are in the middle of a complicated criminal investigation and they must try to protect the integrity of that investigation. Therefore, there is some information that they may have, but cannot divulge at this point in their investigation. That was a bit of a recurring theme.

Police are working on a number of leads. They also emphasized that this product is used strictly for agricultural use - this is not something that would be used in the home, in a home garden or by City Parks - ever. It is a controlled substance in both Canada and the U.S. - anyone purchasing must be licensed by the Ministry of the Environment and only then after they have completed a course through the Ministry. Because it is a controlled substance, all purchase and sales should be logged and of course, the Police are following up on that. So, typically people who would use this substance would be licensed farmers, or somebody else associated with agri-business (perhaps a crop-duster, for example).

For the time-being anyway, the Police have concluded their investigation in the park and they have turned it over to the Parks Department. However, they are still very interested in hearing from anyone who may have information regarding this investigation. Please contact Det. Sydney Thomas at 55 Division 416-808-5500.

From the Ministry of the Environment:

The Ministry's role is to support Public Health. They have been in the park since this past Friday (Feb. 6), Saturday and likely will be out again today (Sunday). They are collecting samples (both from snow and soil) from all over the park, however they appear to be concentrating the search to a few specific areas on a priority basis like the Off Leash Area. Nevertheless, sampling is comprehensive and distributed over a wide area. These samples are being analyzed as quickly as possible.

From the Department of Public Health:

First of all, there is no reason to believe that any person has become ill from contact
with this compound. Dermal contact would have to be significant in order to make someone ill. If people (or dogs, for that matter) have not been ill at this point, they are not likely to be effected.

The Department of Public Health is responsible for deciding when the park can safely be opened. That will depend on how quickly test results come back from the Ministry and what those results are. This is a priority task for the Ministry. Once test results are in, the Ministry of the Environment will work very closely with Public Health in order to reopen the park as soon as possible, but safety is the paramount concern. So, no definitive answer on when.

Parks & Recreation:

Parks & Recreation will take their cue from Public Health on when to reopen the park.
They are able to have the rink and clubhouse up and running within four hours of the
official okay from the Health Department. In the meantime they are monitoring every Off Leash Area on a daily basis and checking for any suspicious foodstuffs, however Don Boyle reported that attendance at other OLA's appears to be back to normal.

Questions & Answers:

Not all of the questions that were asked are listed below - and some answers have
been incorporated into the notes above.

Q: Will the park be tested again in the spring, after the snow melts?
What, if any, follow-up will be done?

A: (From the Ministry of the Environment) - this chemical compound does
have a half-life in the environment (however, it was left unclear what the term
of the half-life is for this particular product - they did not want to reveal that
information now as it is considered relevant to the criminal investigation underway).
Both Marilyn Churley and Paula Fletcher did undertake to make sure that any
required follow-up does take place.

Q: Is the snow being tested as well as soil?

A: (From the MOE) - yes snow is also being tested but they noted that this
compound does tend to gravitate to the soil - that is where it is meant to act
as an insecticide.

Q: How long will daily monitoring of other Off Leash Areas take place?

A: (from Parks Dept.) Monitoring will be ongoing for some time.Q: Does the City use any kind of pesticide in the Parks?A: (from the Parks Department) No pesticides have been sprayed in City
parks in 10 years.

Q: What can members of the community do to help? (great question!)

A: (from various) Report any foodstuffs you see in the park to the
Parks Department. Also let them know if you see the tape is down anywhere
in the park - it is very important to protecting the integrity of the MOE testing
that people and dogs stay out of the park for the duration. You can call Parks
Dept. after hours at 416-392-7149.

Other notes of interest:

Between Crime Stoppers, Animal Alliance, International Fund for Animal Welfare
and a local RE/MAX office, we understand the total reward for information leading
to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this crime is now
up to $6,500.

It was also suggested that funds could be made available to the dog owners whose
dogs were affected by this and are looking at thousands of dollars in Vet bills. We
will follow up on that with a local bank and investigate setting up a trust fund for
that purpose (would anyone like to volunteer to help out on that one?)

Also, a reminder that Nancy Franklin (professional dog walker) is taking a collection
to help establish a memorial for T-Bone. Let me know if you would like to contact
Nancy and I will pass along your message via e-mail - be sure to include your contact
information.

Overall I think the meeting was helpful and productive. It was very well attended -
I'd say over 300 people were there, and I'm counting yesterday as the beginning of the
end of this nightmare. We'll keep in touch as events warrant.

And finally, I was walking Dee Dee (My Flat-Coated Retriever) this morning around the
park and saw a wonderful gesture posted to the Park I.D. sign at the Hogarth Entrance.
Some very touching sentiments about the loss of our friend, T-bone, was left by "Fritz,
Tetley & Willie". On a personal note, I haven't actually had time to have a good cry about
all this in the past week, but that sure helped.

Once again - thanks to everyone for all your support and encouragement. We couldn't do
this on stubborn determination alone!

In the meantime, hang in there!

Casey

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Withrow park update-Friday Feb 7/04

As I'm sure you all know by now, the Police today confirmed our worst suspicions -
that we are dealing with deliberate poisoning with dogs the most likely target. A
carbamate pesticide was used - a very powerful toxin. The particular carbamate
compound used in Withrow is believed to be a controlled substance in Canada -
one which requires a license to purchase and handle.

At this point then, there are two main issues to be going on with: the criminal
investigation being conducted by the police and the subsequent clearing of Withrow
Park by the Ministry of Environment and the Department of Public Health.
We encourage dog owners to continue to cooperate with the police and encourage
other dog owners to come forward with information that might help them advance
their investigation.

In view of the recent distressing events at the park, Marilyn and I are bringing together
officials from Toronto Public Health, Parks and Recreation, the Ministry of the
Environment and Toronto Police Services 55 Division to share information with the
community, answer questions and discuss when and how the park can safely be re-opened.
When/Where: Saturday February 7, 1 pm at Eastminster United Church in the Sanctuary,
310 Danforth Avenue.

Casey Conklin
Withrow dog park assoc.

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Withrow park sealed off

A Toronto park where one dog died and more than a dozen others were sickened since last weekend will remain closed for the next three to five days as police await the results of testing on samples from the area. “Once those results come back and we have a better idea of what we're dealing with, we will then proceed with our investigation accordingly, Toronto Police Detective Sydney Thomas told a news conference on Tuesday.Officers cordoned off the park with yellow police tape on Monday and it “will remain closed until we can say with a certainty that there is no danger to the public,” Det. Thomas said.Although the investigation is focused on the off-leash zone, police warned the public to keep their dogs and children out of Withrow Park.All of the dogs had been in the park in Toronto's Riverdale neighbourhood before developing illness symptoms, including poor balance, diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, panting, foaming at the mouth and behaviour changes. One of the dogs died Monday morning.“We're unable right now to determine what caused this. The only thing we know is that all of them were in the same place at approximately the same time,” Det. Thomas said.Since the news broke, police have received calls from the families of two young children who fell ill within hours of skating and tobogganing on the rink and hill that sandwich the off-leash zone.One of the children was a six-year-old boy, the other's age and gender were not disclosed. Both had been vomiting and feeling lethargic for a few hours.Still, Det. Thomas urged parents not to be alarmed. “It may be related, it may not be— at this point we don't know,” he said.“It may just be flu symptoms. The children are fine, they're doing well, one of them was actually returned to school today.” Neither was admitted to hospital.“I want it to be very clear that out of the hundreds of children that were tobogganing on that hill and playing in that park only two have come forward and said that they felt ill after being in the park,” he added.Police have also received between 10 and 15 calls from dog owners reporting that their pets were sick after visiting the park.Public health, parks and recreation, and the Ontario ministries of health and environment are helping police to get to the bottom of the local spate of dog llnesses.There has been rampant speculation among area residents, who have long been divided over the off-leash zone, that the dogs had been intentionally poisoned. “At this point in time we have no reason to believe that that is the case, Det. Thomas said. But he added: “being the Toronto Police Service we also have to keep in mind that there is the remote possibility that this was a deliberate act.”The clinician at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic on Yonge Street who examined the first six dogs to become ill was uncertain whether the noxious substance was ingested or absorbed through the skin.Samples — including snow from the leash-free area, skating rink and toboggan hill, as well as a piece of food – have been sent a lab at the University of Guelph for analysis.

By LUMA MUHTADIE
Globe and Mail Update

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***Withrow Park Update***

Dog's death shuts park
Owners ask: Were pets poisoned?

Police, officials hunting for clues A popular Riverdale park will remain cordoned off with police tape as officials wait for tests to explain why a dog died and five others fell ill over the weekend. Toronto police and public health officials combed Withrow Park yesterday searching for the cause of the dogs' illness. Many in the neighbourhood have speculated the animals were intentionally poisoned, but Detective Sydney Thomas said police have no evidence the dogs were targeted. "We've got no indication that there's somebody out there poisoning dogs," Thomas said. Thomas added that police are waiting for lab results to determine if a crime was committed. "We're treating it as a public health issue." Since Saturday, six dogs exhibiting signs of poisoning have been rushed to the Veterinary Emergency Clinic on Yonge St. The only common denominator is that they visited the off-leash area of Withrow Park on Saturday or Sunday. Deborah Lamb's 12-pound dog T-Bone died yesterday morning, less than 24 hours after he ate something at the park, which is bounded by McConnel Ave. on the north, Bain Ave. on the south, Carlaw Ave. on the east and Logan Ave. on the west. Lamb said her husband called the Cavalier King Charles spaniel off and thought nothing of it until the tiny dog began to shake violently less than half an hour later. "We knew something was wrong," Lamb said. " He just looked so scared." Lamb rushed the dog to the clinic, where she was told three other dogs from the same park were already being treated. Despite quick attention, T-Bone died after three cardiac arrests. Telling her two children that their beloved pet died because he was may have been poisoned was incredibly hard, Lamb said. "It's shocking to lose a pet this way," she said, adding that "it's like murder" if the poisoning was intentional. Natasha Sapra, director of the Veterinary Emergency Clinic, said she didn't know what was in the substance that caused the dogs to develop diarrhea, vomiting, shaking, panting, foaming around the mouth and behaviour changes. Samples from the dogs and items from the park were sent to the ministries of health and environment for testing. Results should come later today, said Don Boyle, director of parks and recreation for the south district of Toronto. Pieces of broken-up bagel were among the items taken for testing, Boyle said. Garbage was also taken to a police facility. No pesticides have been sprayed in the park in years, he said. And to his knowledge, there have been no recent disputes over dogs there. But off-leash areas can be a sore point. "Dog parks, for the most part, are fairly ontentious," he said. In 2001, several Riverdale residents fought unsuccessfully to have the off-leash area removed. For now, the park is closed until officials are confident it's free of unsafe substances. "It is a big deal. It's a public area," Thomas said. "If it's going to affect the dogs, it will affect a small child." Dozens of children were playing in the park over the weekend, said Riverdale resident Jamie Button, who was there with his young daughter and their puppy, Sadie. Knowing that either could have been in danger is upsetting, he said. "It's a little scary. It's a lot scary, really. I hope it wasn't intentional." It would be devastating to a tight-knit community where people "know you by your dog's name," Button said. "That's really driving a stake through the heart of the neighbourhood." After almost losing his dog to the mystery poison, John Gill was at the park yesterday warning dog owners to stay away. "I was sure he wasn't going to make it," Gill said yesterday as his dog Sax recovered at home. The 4-year-old mixed breed started to shake and vomit soon after returning from the park Saturday morning. Within minutes, Gill said, the illness struck. "He had no control over his organs," Gill said. "He couldn't walk; we had to carry him. He was just convulsing." After learning that other dogs were also sick — some vomiting fluorescent green liquid — Gill was outraged. "I hope someone gets caught and punished if it is a deliberate thing." Sax is now home after $1,100 worth of treatment. The normally energetic dog is still weak, Gill said. If a dog begins to exhibit signs of poisoning, it's imperative to get it to the vet immediately, said Eletta Purdy,
manager of Toronto Animal Services, which is assisting police with the investigation. In 20 years at her job, Purdy says she's never seen a case like this one in Toronto.

-Toronto Star
NICOLE MACINTYRE
STAFF WRITER

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***Alert- Reported February 2/2004***

Something strange is going on in Withrow Park. And if you have a dog, you
should be concerned. Toronto Police have taken the unusual step of issuing a warning to pet owners, after six dogs became seriously ill following a walk in the greenspace. Cops aren't saying much about their investigation, noting only that all of the animals involved
became sick after having been in the area on Saturday and Sunday. The possible suspicion is someone could have left something toxic for the animals to eat or ingest, and that's resulted in the strange series of sudden sicknesses. But there's been no evidence yet that's the case. Still, pet owners are worried. “Obviously the person's got some issues or is hurting and doesn't know how to deal with what they may perceive as a dog issue,” relates Hal Seltzer. “But, hey, that's just speculation. Let's find out exactly what's going on. I mean it just could be some toxic waste. I mean this park definitely isn't clean, that's for sure.” Susan Blanchard knows she’s not alone. “Usually it's packed,” she says about the popular area. “There's hundreds of dogs here every day.” Parents are concerned, too. “Kids … go … sledding down there and, you know, eat the snow,”
reminds Leslie Oliver. “It's pretty scary.Authorities are asking all affected residents to stay away from the park until they finish their probe into what's causing the problem. If you have any information that can fill in the blanks on the mystery malady, call 55 Division at (416) 808-5500.Withrow Park is bounded by McConnell Ave on the North, Bain Ave. on the South, Carlaw Ave. on the East and Logan Ave. on the West. If you've had your dog near there this weekend, and the animal is showing any suspicious symptoms, take your pet to the vet, then call police.

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