When former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Rob Ramage was before a Newmarket judge in 2008 for sentencing, after being found guilty of impaired and dangerous driving in the 2003 Vaughan crash [that] killed fellow former NHLer Keith Magnuson, 56, Magnuson’s family urged leniency in the case, wrote the Aurora Banner July 14.
Ultimately, Justice Alexander Sosna sentenced Ramage, a resident of St. Louis, Mo., to four years in prison. In a 3-0 ruling, Ontario’s highest court dismissed Ramage’s appeal of his conviction and sentence and upheld the four-year jail term he was handed.
That the appeals court did not budge on the sentence came as a bit of a surprise to Thornhill resident James Morton, an adjunct professor in York’s Osgoode Hall Law School and past president of the Ontario Bar Association.
“In light of the family of (Magnuson) urging a lower sentence, I thought the court might well reduce the sentence,” he said.
Morton, who has followed the case and studied the appeals court ruling, said the court ruled the best person to make the decision about how long Ramage should serve behind bars was the Newmarket judge.
York grad named manager of Orillia development corporation
After a year and a half of helping local charities and non-profit groups, York grad Wendy Timpano (BA ’98) is shifting her focus to another segment of the community – small business, wrote the Orillia Packet & Times July 15.
Currently the executive director & secretary of the Community Foundation of Orillia & Area, Timpano has been named general manager of the Orillia Area Community Development Corporation, which provides assistance – loans and counselling, for example – to small businesses. She will start her new job Aug. 16.
Timpano is a graduate of York University, where she obtained a bachelor of arts, and Humber College, where she earned a post-graduate certificate in public relations.
Incoming Schulich student scored 100% in high school
Dimple Dalal from Turner Fenton Secondary School in Brampton earned a 100 per cent average, the highest academic average within the Peel District School Board for the 2009-2010 academic year, wrote South Asian Focus July 14.
Dalal is among the Peel board’s 3,629 Ontario scholars, students graduating Grade 12 with an average of 80 per cent or higher in their top six Grade 12 courses. She will begin studying at the Schulich School of Business at York University in September. Her long-term goal is to have a career in banking.
Dusk says the coolness of the genre (and swooning girls) led him to jazz
Of all the creative risks jazz crooner and York fine arts grad Matt Dusk (BFA Spec. Hons. ’02) has taken in his life, perhaps the most extreme was staking his career on a musical genre where the average listener, in some cases, is past retirement age, wrote the Waterloo Region Record July 15.
“There was this all-girls school having a talent night competition,” he recalls of the gig that fuelled his decision to scrap economics studies at York and study jazz under the legendary Oscar Peterson. “And all the girls went crazy fighting for my number and I was like, ‘(Bleep) this – I’m doing this!”
Garage gets a woman’s touch
AutoNiche, a Markham-based, mainly female-run garage, is putting an extra emphasis on genuine customer service, educating customers about their cars and car expenses, keeping an ultra-clean shop, and providing amenities for families, wrote the St. Catharines Standard July 15.
“A lot of women feel like they’re getting taken advantage of by auto technicians. We stand out in the sense that we offer better service and we’re more hospitable to women and families,” says Emily Chung, owner of AutoNiche and a former York student.
Ramsay seeks mayor’s job
A mayoralty race already well populated with high-profile candidates didn’t stop Ward 1 councillor and York grad Mike Ramsay (BA Hons. ’89 & BEd ’89) from throwing his own well-worn hat into the ring, wrote the Barrie Advance July 14.
“Oh gosh, bring ’em on,” he told the Advance of his competitors. “Numbers don’t count, quality counts.”
A Barrie native, the 47-year-old attended Codrington Public School, Eastview Secondary School and Georgian College before heading off to York University to study history and education. He has taught history and politics at Barrie Central Collegiate for the past 21 years.
Philosophy grad runs in Kanata North election race
Candidate for Kanata North Matt Muirhead (BA ’99) wants to restore trust in how things are run in the City of Ottawa and the councillor who represents Kanata North, wrote Kanata EMC July 15. He thinks part of that is to have more open communication with the residents of the ward and he feels communication is his greatest asset.
On air
- Norman Gledhill, a kinesiology & health science professor in York’s Faculty of Health, spoke about standards testing for Canadian firefighters, on CBC News (Whitehorse, Yukon) July 14.