Close X
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
ADVT 
National

Toronto Lawyers And Family Mourned After Cottage Fire Kills Four

The Canadian Press, 28 Dec, 2016 01:47 AM
  • Toronto Lawyers And Family Mourned After Cottage Fire Kills Four
DOURO-DUMMER, Ont. — A Toronto law firm is remembering one of its partners as a "vibrant and wonderful person" after news that a family of four died in a fire near Peterborough, Ont.
 
Police said the fire broke out early Christmas Eve in a large cottage on Stoney Lake.
 
Const. Jason Folz of the Peterborough OPP said four bodies were pulled from the building, along with the bodies of two pets.
 
He called the incident a Christmas tragedy.
 
While police have yet to confirm the the victims' identities, friends and family took to social media to mourn Geoff Taber, his wife Jacquie Gardner — also a lawyer — and their two sons.
 
 
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, the firm where Taber was a partner, released a statement Monday confirming the family's death and expressing condolences.
 
Managing partner Dale Ponder wrote in the statement that the couple were "first and foremost" loving parents to their two sons.
 
"There are no words adequate enough to express the depth of sorrow we feel about the tragic death of Geoff and his beloved wife Jacquie and sons Scott and Andrew," she wrote.
 
She added that Gardner had also worked at Osler before moving on to Altamira Investment Services.
 
"Geoff and Jacquie were first and foremost loving parents to their two remarkable sons," she said in the statement. "We will miss them terribly."
 
Folz said the entirety of the cottage was destroyed in the blaze, and all of the upper levels collapsed into the basement.
 
The Office of the Fire Marshal is continuing its investigation into the cause of the fire, but Folz said it may be slow-going because of forecasted freezing rain.

MORE National ARTICLES

Guests At Winnipeg Hotel Evacuated Due To High Levels Of Carbon Monoxide

Guests At Winnipeg Hotel Evacuated Due To High Levels Of Carbon Monoxide
WINNIPEG — Guests at the Viscount Gort Hotel on Winnipeg's Portage Avenue had to be evacuated early Monday morning due to high levels of carbon monoxide.

Guests At Winnipeg Hotel Evacuated Due To High Levels Of Carbon Monoxide

Calgary Real Estate Developer Shot, Wounded Outside Home In Morning Attack

Calgary Real Estate Developer Shot, Wounded Outside Home In Morning Attack
Riaz Mamdani, founder and chief executive of Strategic Group, was confirmed as the victim by a company spokeswoman who said he was in stable condition.

Calgary Real Estate Developer Shot, Wounded Outside Home In Morning Attack

B.C. Says Insurance Rates To Go Up By 4.9 Per Cent As Affordability Is Reviewed

B.C. Says Insurance Rates To Go Up By 4.9 Per Cent As Affordability Is Reviewed
VICTORIA — Those who insure their vehicles in British Columbia will see a rate increase for basic insurance of 4.9 per cent.

B.C. Says Insurance Rates To Go Up By 4.9 Per Cent As Affordability Is Reviewed

Hamilton, Ont. Cops Arrest Men 'Cooking Crack Cocaine' In Car, Selling It From Vehicle

Hamilton, Ont. Cops Arrest Men 'Cooking Crack Cocaine' In Car, Selling It From Vehicle
Hamilton police say officers pulled over a car in the city's downtown area around 1 a.m. on Sunday for a traffic violation.

Hamilton, Ont. Cops Arrest Men 'Cooking Crack Cocaine' In Car, Selling It From Vehicle

Indian Act Sex-discrimination Lawsuit Reaches Ontario's Top Court

Indian Act Sex-discrimination Lawsuit Reaches Ontario's Top Court
TORONTO — A woman's long quest to be recognized as an Indian goes before Ontario's top court Tuesday in a constitutional challenge that asserts she and others like her are victims of discrimination.

Indian Act Sex-discrimination Lawsuit Reaches Ontario's Top Court

Canada Has A Lot To Offer Travellers During Sesquicentennial Year

FREDERICTON — Canada already has a lot to offer travellers, but as the country celebrates its 150th birthday in 2017 with a year full of sesquicentennial celebrations, there's even more to see and do.

Canada Has A Lot To Offer Travellers During Sesquicentennial Year