Your parents always told you never to speak ill of the dead, right?
Bonjour from the North — three cities, one corridor, and the stories that don't make it south of Barrie. You know, sometimes you read something, and you just scratch your head. Not because it’s confusing, but because it feels like a piece of history just… vanished. We’ve got a story out of Sault Ste. Marie today that hits right at the heart of that. It’s about a police officer, Joe MacDonald, who was killed by two men from the Sault and Garden River, and somehow, he was an “invisible man” at a recent parole hearing. Invisible, tabarnak. How does that even happen?
### The Story That Should Be Heard
Imagine this: a virtual parole conference, early April. The guys who murdered Joe MacDonald are up for review. You’d think his name, his sacrifice, would be front and centre, no? But no. The story says he wasn't on the itinerary, not mentioned at all. This isn't just a slight; it's a gut punch for anyone who remembers the impact of that tragedy. The men involved were from our own backyard, and the ripple effect of that kind of violence touches a community deeply. It’s not something you forget, especially not here in the Sault, where everyone knows everyone, or at least knows someone who knows someone.
What This Means for Sault Ste. Marie:
* **Memory Matters:** For families and communities, remembering those lost, especially in the line of duty, is crucial. * **Justice System Visibility:** It raises questions about how victims' experiences are prioritized in parole hearings. * **Local Impact:** When perpetrators are from our community, like Garden River First Nation or the Sault, it directly affects our sense of safety and justice.
This isn't some abstract legal point; this is about a human being, a police officer, whose life was taken. And for his name to be absent, like he was never there, it’s just… it's not right. It makes you wonder how much the people making these decisions actually understand the communities impacted by these crimes. We’re not just dots on a map up here. We feel these things, deep in our bones, from the steel plant to the International Bridge.
Marc-André Desjardins, Sault Ste. Marie, MiTL Sports Desk.
You want more of this kind of talk? Chantal and the crew dig into these stories every morning — catch them live at mornings.live.