Bob Srigley had a history of altercations with OPP

Late Thursday afternoon Bob Srigley was shot by police officers who attended his home on Arden Road shortly after a 911 call was made by Frontenac News staff. He died at Kingston General Hospital on Sunday Night at 7:48 pm.

“A 45-year-old man involved last week in an interaction with Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers in Central Frontenac succumbed to his injuries yesterday evening. Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) continues to probe the circumstances surrounding his death,” said a press release from the SIU on Monday.

The preliminary information that the SIU has gathered indicates that police attended Mr. Srigley's residence at 5:20 pm on Thursday, and “during the interaction between OPP officers and a male at the residence, police firearms were discharged and the man was struck multiple times.”

In a press release on Thursday, the OPP alleged that “When officers arrived, they were confronted by an armed male. Shots were fired”

Srigley was transported to Kingston General Hospital where he underwent surgery on Thursday evening.

The SIU have assigned 5 investigators and two forensic officers to the case. At this point they have designated two of the OPP officers who were involved in the shooting as “subject officers” and six other OPP members as “witness officers”.

911 call

On Thursday afternoon at about 4pm, a distraught Bob Srigley phoned the Frontenac News office about a story. He wanted to talk to the editor (Jeff Green) about his ongoing dispute with police over an incident that took place last November, which had been covered by the News at that time.

When informed that Green was not in the office, and offered the opportunity to contact him at home, Srigley declined. He then said he was going to get into his boat and set himself on fire, and subsequently hung up.

The newspaper staff contacted Jeff Green at home and the decision was made to call 911.

The SIU has not confirmed that Bob Srigley was the individual who was shot by the OPP on Thursday, saying only that the man was 45 years old and the incident took place on the Arden-Tamworth road. The SIU met with News staff on the weekend concerning the 911 call and the resulting police shooting, so we are certain Bob Srigley was the man who was shot and killed.

Srigley first called the News on November 15, 2012, and alleged that he had recently been beaten by two off-duty OPP officers (who are not assigned to the Sharbot Lake or Lanark OPP detachments – the ones that responded to the 911 call last week) in front of a hunt camp that is located across the road from his property. He lived in a trailer on a small lot that is wedged been the Arden Road and a section of the Salmon River.

That case was already being investigated by the Sharbot Lake OPP, who along with Frontenac Paramedic Services, responded to a 911 call that Mr. Srigley placed on November 6, just after the incident took place. Mr. Srigley was taken to Napanee Hospital by ambulance. He was released in the early hours of the next morning.

He told the News that he suffered from broken ribs, a damaged kidney, and other injuries.

An investigation into the incident was headed up by Detective Sergeant Mark Allison, of the Professional Standards Division of the OPP in Kingston. In the end, the Crown attorney's office decided not to lay any charges against OPP officers Brown and Johnson, who had been the subject of Allison's investigation.

“Consultation was sought with the Crown Attorney. It is the Crown Attorney’s opinion that based on the evidence; there is no reasonable prospect of conviction of either Mr. Brown or Mr. Johnston in relation to the offences of assault causing bodily harm ... The investigation is now closed,” wrote Sergeant Allison to Srigley in early March.

Since then, Bob Srigley has repeatedly contacted the News, seeking further help in publicising his ongoing health issues and the difficulty he said he was having with the day to day maintenance of his property. He was also seeking financial support from the public to enable him to undertake a private prosecution of the OPP for how his incident was handled.

A few weeks ago he was informed that the OPP Complaints Commission was looking into his case. A small item, “Arden man pursuing his case” was published in the Frontenac News on this matter on July 18.

(Note: In two press releases from the SIU, it was stated erroneously that the fatal shooting took place on Crotch Lake. The SIU has been informed of the error.)

Holiday travelers passing by the Arden Road and Highway 7 may have noticed a lively gathering there on June 29. Gordon Wright sparked off the celebrations with his bagpipes as the Friends of Arden sign committee, which was headed up by Gord Brown and included Sarah Hale, Carol Morris, Gloria and Peter Smiley, and David Daski, unveiled the second of two local signs in their efforts to place the hamlet of Arden on the map.

The new sign, which highlights community information and businesses, is located just behind the larger Arden sign, which was the first phase of the local signage project. The new business and services sign is located on a beautifully landscaped piece of land that was donated and landscaped by Glen Matson, and also features concrete benches and planters donated by Val and Roy Beechey.

The sign itself was designed and created by local sign maker, Roger MacMunn. It features the Arden logo “Naturally Beautiful, Friendly by Nature", a short history of the village, and a map of the village painted by local artist Sarah Hale, plus 54 colorful panels detailing the area's over 80 businesses.

Present for the unveiling were Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski, Councilor Tom Dewey, and Anne Marie Young, manager of Economic Development for the County of Frontenac. Each spoke at the celebration and congratulated the Friends of Arden for their efforts towards community revitalization. Friends of Arden member Terry Kennedy hosted the event and spoke of the history of the Friends of Arden group, which was founded in 2010 by long-time Ardenite Dorothy Proctor. The group's goal since then has been to revitalize the community. The sign project was able to happen thanks to a grant from the County of Frontenac's Integrated Community Sustainability Planning Fund. Terry Kennedy thanked the local Arden firefighters, who assisted with the logistics of the celebrations. He stated that the new sign not only serves to identify the village and the many businesses and services it has to offer but also communicates a deeper message “This sign also demonstrates that this is a community working together, a community coming together, and a community revitalizing together.”

Because Easter came early this year, organizers of the Good Friday Easter services in Arden opted for a Cross Walk this year instead of their more elaborate Passion play. A total of 31 members of the community, who included members of the Kaladar, Mountain Grove, Arden and Wesleyan church congregations, walked from the Matson farm to the Arden United church and took turns carrying a number of different-sized wooden crosses. The group, which ranged in age from 5 years old to 70 plus ,stopped at two stations where the group sang a number of hymns. Following the walk Rev. Barbara Mahood led a special Good Friday service at the Arden United Church. On Sunday, members of the community also took part in a special sonrise service at the beach at Big Clear Lake.

His voice may not be what it used to be, but Neil Diamond can still sell out concerts and provoke girlish screams from the audience.

His charisma was - and still is - legendary.

Joey Purpura has lived and breathed Neil Diamond since 2004, travelled across the country and parts of the Caribbean with his tribute show "Diamond in the Rough". `

"I've always been able to do voices, as long as I could remember," said Purpura. "When I found out I could do a pretty good Neil Diamond, my friends encouraged me to go on stage."

The singer wasn't on Purpura's radar growing up and so he really started from the ground up. In 2002, the Toronto-based impersonator began researching the singer's life, studying his every move, song and story behind the music. He found a Las Vegas-based designer able to replicate Diamond's glittery costumes of the mid-70s.

"I wanted to research his life because I not only sing his songs, I tell a story and highlight his life just to make it more interesting," said Purpura.

He searched for little known facts about the singer. For instance, Diamond grew up in the same neighbourhood as Barbara Streisand. They went to the same school and sang in the same choir. Purpura also discovered Diamond was a pre-med student and was six months and 10 credits short of a pre-med degree when he abandoned his studies to pursue music.

"He recorded and released a lot of albums and so he has a huge back log of music," Purpura said about the singer's international appeal.

"And he continues to tour. His music is very diverse and his songs, as one biographer said, cuts through your heart and soul. You feel his pain, anguish and joy."

Diamond was never a heartthrob, but an artist revered for his songwriting and story telling. See for yourself when Purpura brings back Diamond In The Rough: The Neil Diamond Tribute Show to the Arden Legion on Saturday, March 2 at 8 pm. Tickets are $20 advance/$25 at the door. Some of the proceeds go to the Legion. Ph: (613) 335-2737 or pick up tickets at the Legion. For info visit www.solitaryman.ca