Justice sought for worker who drowned
The day that Ashiru Sarafa Awoyemi died should have been a day of celebration.
After years of working around the clock as a group home support worker, saving his money and sending it back to his wife and children in Nigeria, he was hoping to finally get word they could join him in Canada.
But just as his lawyer was trying to call him to tell him the good news — that his application to sponsor his family was approved — Awoyemi was lying lifeless in a pool near the group home where he worked.
Now his death is being investigated and his friends and colleagues, stricken with grief, are demanding justice for a man whose dreams were abruptly cut short.
Awoyemi worked the kind of job that few could do — supervising some of the most violent and difficult to care for adults with multiple diagnoses.
Each morning, the 50-yearold father of four made the hour-long commute from his East York home to the group home in Queensville, north of Newmarket. He worked a 12hour shift, then drove back to his apartment at 10 p.m., bonetired from the physically and emotionally demanding job.
Awoyemi had been doing this
work since he arrived in Canada three years ago and, despite the gruelling pace and often unpleasant interactions, his coworkers say he never lost his smile. It was infectious; when he smiled, you had to smile too.
“Words cannot express how wonderful he is as a person,” added supervisor Andrea Johnson. “He was the type of guy who didn’t argue. He’d just say, ‘yes boss’; and make me laugh. It’s a stressful environment, but he did his job and tried his hardest to get along with everyone.”
But some of his co-workers believe it was that easy-going, can-do attitude that led to Awoyemi’s tragedy.
Awoyemi began working for an agency as a support worker making $15 an hour. He was thrilled when he landed a job with New Leaf, an organization supporting adults with intellectual disabilities and complex needs, where he could secure benefits and increased pay to help bring his family to Canada.
Awoyemi grew a reputation as a hard worker, humble and respectful, eager to help.
Feb. 12 changed everything. On that morning, Awoyemi took one of New Leaf’s most violent residents to the home’s indoor pool, which had been closed due to COVID-19.
Awoyemi had been assaulted by the man the day before and the client had broken windows and kicked doors, co-workers said, but no one else was willing to take the “out of control” resident off the premises to keep him occupied, believing it was too dangerous.
Awoyemi agreed to do it. This job was important to him; he was afraid of losing it, co-worker Kevin Chukwuma said.
No one accompanied Awoyemi as support and there was no lifeguard, according to coworkers. Awoyemi did not know how to swim.
When Awoyemi and the client did not return for lunch and did not answer phone calls, support worker Jack Johnson went looking. He found his colleague lifeless in the pool.
The death is under investigation by the Ministry of Labour.