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Centre faces probe into 10 deaths
JIM WILKES
STAFF REPORTER
Ontario's chief coroner will investigate 10 deaths that have occurred at Oaklands Regional Centre since
2000, say the families of two residents who died.
The Oakville residence for adults with an intellectual disability became the focus of a provincial
investigation last fall after 46-year-old Randy Mogridge wandered away. He was found dead in nearby
Sixteen Mile Creek on Nov. 8 after two weeks of searching by police and a small army of volunteers.
Among the deaths to be examined are those of Mogridge and 22-year-old Josef Naylor, who died in
November, 2003, after eating a Halloween decoration.
When contacted last night, Chief Coroner Barry McLellan confirmed he'll be conducting an in-depth
review into the 10 deaths, but declined to provide further details until an official announcement this
week.
Families of the dead men welcomed news of the probe, which could result in an inquest or inquests
being ordered.
"It pleases me very much just knowing that things are being looked into and not being brushed aside,"
said Dean Mogridge, Randy's brother.
"They realize that there's a problem or a definite need for improvement," said Mogridge, 41, of Mount
Hope, in south Hamilton. "Hopefully only good can come from it."
Cyndy Naylor of Guelph agreed. She and her husband Phil have been pushing for an inquest into their
son's death since he died on Nov. 20, 2003, shortly after he was taken to hospital.
Josef had suffered periods of vomiting and stomach pain over three weeks and yet wasn't taken to
hospital until hours before he died, despite their requests that he be examined for a bowel obstruction
or other internal blockage. It was only after an autopsy that they learned he'd eaten the decoration,
which they said perforated his bowel.
"It's not an isolated investigation now," Cyndy Naylor said last night. "It's part of something broader."
The families were notified about the upcoming probe yesterday by Dr. Bonita Porter, Ontario's deputy
chief coroner, who told them the preliminary investigation would be announced this week and wrapped
up by the end of March.
They said they were told a team of investigators has already been assembled to examine 10 deaths at the
institution since 2000, including a bathtub drowning five years ago.
Details of the other seven deaths have not been revealed.
A decision about whether an inquest or inquests will be ordered would come after a review of those
results, the families said they were told.
A duty supervisor at the centre said last night she had no information about an investigation. Oaklands
executive director Sheila Masters could not be reached for comment.
In late November, the province appointed an overseer at Oaklands after another resident wandered
away.
A Halton police officer had spotted a shoeless man in pyjamas wandering along a neighbourhood street
shortly before midnight on Nov. 23, just 15 days after Randy Mogridge's body was found in a nearby
creek.
The officer returned the resident to Oaklands even before an alarm was raised that he was missing.
Sandra Pupatello, minister of community and social services, called the incident "inexcusable" as she
announced the appointment of a manager to oversee operations at the centre.
"With the spotlight that has been on this facility, I would have thought that the agency might have
responded a little differently," she said at the time.
Pupatello said that incident would be investigated as part of an independent review by the ministry into
Mogridge's death. But she said the probe would also examine all residential facilities in the province
funded by the ministry. Also, Oaklands staff members were to have received immediate training on
security and safety measures.
The disappearance of Mogridge, who had autism, epilepsy and bipolar disorder and could not speak,
captured the imagination of residents across Greater Toronto. Thousands of volunteers joined searches.
Police later confirmed he had gone missing from Oaklands twice the day he disappeared.
The Naylors filed a formal complaint last fall with Ontario's College of Physicians and Surgeons over the
medical care Josef received in the weeks leading to his death.
His case was to have been examined this month by the pediatric death review committee of the chief
coroner's office in Toronto. But now it will become part of the sweeping look at deaths at the Oakville
centre.
With files from Tracy Huffman