Tuesday, 26 November 2013
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Interview opportunties dealing with the wrongly convicted and the West Memphis 3
AIDWYC
The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WRONGFUL
CONVICTION - EXPERTS WILL GATHER FOR A DAY-LONG CONFERENCE FOLLOWED BY
20th ANNIVERSARY GALA FOR ASSOCIATION IN DEFENCE OF THE WRONGLY
CONVICTED
What: The
Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC) will be
hosting “BACK to the FUTURE” a day-long educational conference, gala
dinner and an evening of festivities in recognition of its
20th Anniversary. It is intended to be a celebration of all that has
been accomplished. It is also an event whose purpose is to raise
awareness and much needed funds to support the work on cases.
When: Saturday, November 23, 2013
Time: Conference 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. Gala: 7pm-to-midnight
Where: Hyatt Regency, 370 King St W. Toronto, ON M5V 1J9
Who: Jason Baldwin (West Memphis Three) is the Keynote Speaker at AIDWYC’s Gala Dinner. He will be introduced by film director Atom Egoyan (his new non-fiction film, Devil"s Knot,
examines the West Memphis Three murder and subsequent trial). Mr
Baldwin will be in Toronto early and is available for a limited number
of interviews. He joins a long list of wrongly convicted Canadians and
Americans who will be in Toronto to participate in this milestone event.
AIDWYC Co-President, lawyer Ralph Steinberg is available for interviews, as are lawyer and AIDWYC founder James Lockyer and AIDWYC board member Ron Dalton, ( who himself is a wrongly convicted Canadian who spent 9 years in prison for a non-murder).
Also speaking and available for interviews (prior arrangement requested) are New York lawyers and co-founder’s of the Innocence Project Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, the godfather of innocence work and founder of Centurion Ministries, James McCloskey,
co-host of the Fifth Estate, Linden MacIntyre, Special advisor to the
Commissioner of the Elliot Lake Inquiry and former Special Advisor on
wrongful convictions to the Department of Justice, Stephen Bindman, retired Kingston, Ontario Chief of Police, William Closs, Judge Anne Derrick, QC of the Provincial and Family Court of Nova Scotia, Professor Tim Moore from
the Department of Psychology at Glendon College, who is a consultant
and expert witness in criminal trials both in Canada and the United
States, Justice Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
WHAT: Leading
experts in their fields who will be taking part in seminars covering
topics that include: History of Innocence Work, Shaken Baby Syndrome,
the Role of the Crown in Preventing Wrongful Convictions, the Role of
Bias in the System, False Confessions/Plea Bargains, the relationship
between Forensic Science and Miscarriages of Justice and the Long Way
Home – the wrongly convicted and their families share their stories.
SUPPORT MATERIAL: Sammy Ray Welch has recently produced and directed a 6-minute video about the organization and it can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGD2PA2HLLQ (Preview) (Preview) This video is available for
free
use by
the media.
Toronto lawyer and retired Toronto Star investigative reporter Harold Levy has written about AIDWYC and the wrongly convicted over the past two decades. He also writes an award-winning blog about exoneration cases involving disgraced Ontario coroner Charles Smith.
In preparation for the November 23 conference Levy has worked with videographer George Socka
to interview four people about the plight of the wrongly convicted in
Canada and the United States. Over the course of two weeks they
interviewed Rob Baltovich, John Artis, Ralph Steinberg and Sean MacDonald. These videos are available for free use by the media: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTPeARoq8a0&feature=youtu.be
The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted
is a national, non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to
identifying, advocating for, and exonerating individuals convicted of a
crime that they did not commit and to preventing such injustices in the
future through education and reform.
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The
media is invited to cover the conference and the gala - please contact
Stephen Weir for press passes and to arrange interviews. The public is
welcome to attend “Back to the Future”. Tickets can be purchased
through AIDWYC’s website http://www.aidwyc.org.
CONTACT: Stephen Weir at 416-801-3101 or 416-489-5868. stephen@stephenweir.com.
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
AIDWYC Frees Another Wrongly Convicted - Hays to get new trail
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New Forensic Evidence Leads SCC to Send
Leighton Hay’s Murder Conviction Back to Trial
Toronto,
Canada – The Association in Defence of the Wrongly
Convicted (AIDWYC) is pleased to announce that the Supreme Court of Canada has
today ordered that Leighton Hay’s 2004 first degree murder conviction in
Toronto must be quashed and sent back for a new trial. For 12 years Mr. Hay and
AIDWYC have been fighting to clear his name and the Supreme Court of Canada’s
decision is an important step towards establishing his innocence.
In the early
morning of July 6, 2002, two men shot and killed Collin Moore in a Toronto
nightclub. The men also shot at Collin’s brother, Roger Moore, who escaped with
a graze to his forehead.
The Crown
alleged that Mr. Hay was one of the two gunmen and the gunman who was supposed
to be Mr. Hay was described by an eyewitness as having 2-inch dreadlocks. However, when arrested hours after the
shooting, Mr. Hay had a very short haircut causing the prosecution to allege
that he must have cut his hair after the shooting. The prosecutor produced hairs found by police wrapped in a
newspaper from the bathroom in the home where he was arrested as proof of the
haircut.
At Mr. Hay’s
appeal in the Supreme Court of Canada on April 23, 2013, AIDWYC presented new
evidence that undermined the Crown’s eyewitness identification evidence of Mr.
Hay. The new evidence establishes that the hairs seized from the home by the
police came from Mr. Hay’s beard and were not from a haircut.
Erroneous
eyewitness identification is a well-known cause of wrongful convictions in
Canada and in other countries. According to the U.S. Innocence Project,
eyewitness misidentification is the single greatest cause of wrongful
convictions in that country, playing a role in nearly 75% of convictions
overturned as a result of their post-conviction DNA results.
James Lockyer,
AIDWYC’s lead counsel who argued the case in the Supreme Court of Canada for
Mr. Hay said today,
“It is a good day for Mr. Hay and a good day for justice in
Canada. Mr. Hay is a vulnerable member of our society and is in many ways a
ready victim for a wrongful conviction.
AIDWYC adopted his case three years ago and we feel vindicated by this
decision. We will be there for Mr. Hay at his new trial.”
AIDWYC is a
non-profit organization dedicated to identifying, advocating for, and clearing
the names of individuals convicted of crimes they did not commit and working to
prevent future wrongful convictions through education. This year, AIDWYC is
celebrating its 20th Anniversary. On November 23, 2013, an
educational conference and celebratory gala will be held in Toronto. Both
events are open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend. Visit
AIDWYC’s website to learn more and donate: www.aidwyc.org.
For more
information, contact:
James Lockyer,
416-847-2560
Win Wahrer,
416-504-7500
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Prostate Cancer (Sex) Diary
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NEWS ADVISORY
10/30/2013
Attn: News Desks; Health/Book/Lifestyle Editors
File: Prostate Cancer, Men’s Health, Movember, New E-Books
Is there sex after prostate cancer? Men’s health top of mind during ‘Movember’
Interviews available: Don Truckey, author of:
“My Prostate Cancer (Sex) Diary
The story of a young survivor who didn’t go limp”
Just released e-book is man-to-man account of dealing with the disease through diagnosis, treatment
AND the part that almost always gets left out: sex after treatment
What: New e-book My Prostate Cancer (Sex) Diary, by Don Truckey; published byCanadianwritersgroup.com. Like no other book on the subject, this memoir not only works through the confusion and controversies surrounding prostate cancer, including the ups and downs of treatment options and learning to move on, but provides an honest, personal account of one man’s journey toward post-surgery sexual recovery.
Why: While awareness of prostate cancer has increased this past decade, one thing that doesn’t get discussed when all of those “Movember” moustaches begin to sprout is the fact that treatments for the disease have dramatic and often traumatic consequences when it comes to a man’s sexual ability. Many men suffer from severe or total erectile dysfunction after treatment. Directed at men (and their partners) who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, My Prostate Cancer (Sex) Diary delivers the straight goods, not necessarily from a doctor, but from another man who’s been through it.
Who: Don Truckey is an award-winning screenwriter whose work includes the television series Street Legal and Urban Angel. He has written two movies with hockey as their theme: the Gemini award-winning Net Worth and Chicks with Sticks, as well as Crazy Canucks about Canada’s Olympic Ski team. His first book in the Caraway Kim Series, The Adventures of Caraway Kim . . . Southpaw was published in 2005 and was shortlisted for the 2007 Rocky Mountain Book Award (Alberta Children in Literacy Program). Don Truckey resides in Toronto, Ontario. He was diagnosed with the prostate cancer at age fifty-four and has recovered following successful treatment.
View author introduction at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhH-WeBe_00
My Prostate Cancer (Sex) Diary, by Don Truckey, published by Canadian Writers Group is available online for $2.99 via the following links:
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To arrange interviews or obtain book and author photos please contact:
Linda Crane
OR
Stephen Weir
Monday, 28 October 2013
Don Truckey: The Story of a Young Survivor Who Didn’t Go Limp
MEDIA ALERT
Prostate Cancer (Sex) Diary E-Book Published in Canada
A Chronicle of the Not-So-Hard Facts About this
Prevalent Disease
Toronto, ON. It is the side effect of prostate
cancer that the medical profession doesn’t like to talk about, especially in
Movember – severe or total erectile dysfunction. Oh yes, and encountering adult diapers and catheters way on
the young side of ninety.
|
| Don Truckey Poses For Press Pictures |
The Canadian Writers Group has just published journalist,
author and prostate cancer survivor Don Truckey’s new e-book My Prostate
Cancer (Sex) Diary: The Story of a Young Survivor Who Didn’t Go Limp. Available now on Kindle and Kobo, Truckey’s e-book
is an extremely frank personal account about prostate cancer treatment. It has
been written for people who want to hear the straight goods, not necessarily
from a doctor, about what it means to be diagnosed with this often-treatable
disease – there will be 23,600 men in this country who get the news this year
alone.
Don Truckey is an award-winning screenwriter whose work
includes the television series Street Legal
and Urban Angel. He has written two movies
with hockey as their theme: the Gemini award-winning Net
Worth and Chicks with Sticks,
as well as Crazy Canucks about Canada’s Olympic Ski team. His first book in the
Caraway Kim Series, The Adventures of Caraway Kim . .
. Southpaw was published in 2005 and was shortlisted for the 2007
Rocky Mountain Book Award.
Truckey, who lives in Toronto, went from writing screenplays
to chronicling sex and prostate cancer after being diagnosed with the disease
at fifty-four. His personal diary
is witty, easy to read and takes on every prostate cancer taboo. Truckey has
recorded a short video in which he talks about the new e-book http://youtu.be/KhH-WeBe_00.
Based in Toronto, the
Canadian Writers Group represents Canada’s most talented, in-demand freelance
writers and published the bestselling e-book Finding Karla. See more at: http://canadianwritersgroup.com/#sthash.mJyj0k5T.dpuf
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For interviews,
preview copies of the book, photographs contact:
Stephen Weir
Stephen Weir &
Associates
Toronto
416-801-3101
CranePr@Rogers.com
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Religion and Politics will mix at IFOA with Preston and Simpson on stage
+and+Jeffrey+Simpson.jpg) |
| Andrew Preston (l) and Jeffrey Simpson |
Attention Political Buffs and Non-Fiction Readers…
Globe and Mail columnist Jeffrey Simpson
Discuss timely subject: Religon and America Politics
International Festival of Authors
Saturday, October 26, 2013 8 p.m
TORONTO: October 17, 2013…The International Festival of Authors (IFOA) joins forces with The Charles Taylor
Prize for Literary Non-Fiction (CTP) for an evening of literary
discussion that puts the spotlight on religion and politics. On
Saturday, October 26th author Andrew Preston, winner of the 2013 CTP for Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith: Religion in American War and Diplomacy will talk about his book, and later be joined by award winning author and Globe and Mail
public affairs columnist Jeffrey Simpson to discuss the book, and its
relation to recent American politics. The event begins at 8 p.m. at the
Fleck Dance Theatre, Queen’s Quay Terminal Building, Harbourfront,
Toronto.
Charles
Taylor Prize founder Noreen Taylor will speak on behalf of Canada’s
most prestigious literary prize. Mrs. Taylor explains that, “In light
of current events, Andrew Preston’s well-researched reflections on the
religious underpinnings of American Foreign and Domestic Policy offer
important insights both into us and our neighbour to the South. As for
Jeffrey Simpson, his background in both Canadian and American affairs is
justifiably award-winning. With Jeffrey interviewing Andrew, I think
we are all in for a treat. It will be nothing short of brain candy.”
WHAT: Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction Spotlight at IFOA
Religion & Politics with Andrew Preston and Jeffrey Simpson
WHEN: Saturday, October 26 at 8:00 pm
WHERE: Harbourfront’s Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay West, Toronto
 |
| Andrew Preston |
Preston teaches American history and international relations history at Cambridge University, where he is a fellow of Clare College. Before Cambridge, he taught history and international studies at Yale University. He has also taught at universities in Canada and Switzerland and has been a fellow at the Cold War Studies Program at the London School of Economics. He was born in Ontario and received his BA from the University of Toronto.
Jeffrey Simpson is the national affairs columnist at The Globe and Mail and the author of eight books, including Chronic Condition: Dragging Canada’s Health-Care System into the 21st Century, which won the 2013 Donner Prize for the best book on public policy and is currently shortlisted for the City of Ottawa Book Awards. An Officer of the Order of Canada, he is a senior fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
He was a juror for The 2009 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction and the 2012 Cundill prize in History at McGill,
for which Andrew Preston was shortlisted. Jeffrey Simpson lives in
Ottawa with his wife Wendy. They have three children.
The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction
recognizes excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing and emphasizes
the development of the careers of the authors it celebrates. For more
information visit: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca
The International Festival of Authors
presents a wide range of readings, round table discussions, on-stage
interviews, book signings and a number of special events featuring the
most exciting authors in contemporary literature. The 34th annual IFOA runs from October 24 to November 3, 2013. For tickets visit: http://ifoa.org/festival or call the Harbourfront Centre Box Office at 416-973-4000.
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Issued by/Media contacts:
To cover this event, request photos or speak with the authors:
Stephen Weir & Associates
Stephen Weir: 416-489-5868 cell: 416-801-3101 sweir5492@rogers.com
Linda Crane: 416-727-0112 or cranepr@rogers.com
The event has taken place. The two photographs shown above were taken by Stephen Weir at the Fleck Theatre event. There are more pictures from the event in the Photography Blog.
Stephen Weir: 416-489-5868 cell: 416-801-3101 sweir5492@rogers.com
Linda Crane: 416-727-0112 or cranepr@rogers.com
The event has taken place. The two photographs shown above were taken by Stephen Weir at the Fleck Theatre event. There are more pictures from the event in the Photography Blog.
Monday, 7 October 2013
Great White Shark Gets Wet Welcome To Toronto
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| Ontario Underwater Council's Scuba Demonstration Tank in Front Of Ontario Science Centre |
 |
| Shark Banner Outside IMAX theatre |
Distributed by Giant Screen Films, Great White Shark is produced by Yes/No Productions and Liquid Pictures 3D. It is narrated by acclaimed stage and film actor Bill Nighy.
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