Below is a letter (748 words) which was dictated to me by Blair Ross over the
telephone from the Sleepy Hollow Provincial Correctional Centre.
The full length version of the letter (2254 words) contains more information and
follows this shorter version.
Aaron Koleszar 902-659-2575
-------
(Length: 748 words inclusive)
Starving for Justice - The real story by Blair E. Ross
My name is Blair E. Ross. I would like to clarify why I have been on a hunger
strike at the Provincial Correctional Centre since August 21.
On August 15, 2003, my estranged wife Ann Marie requested a restraining order at
the RCMP Detachment in Souris. She obviously believed that I would abide by this
order.
On August 18, 2003 Cst. Eveleigh, while investigating criminal charges that Cst.
Les Dill determined from his interview with Ann Marie, proceeded to unlawfully
arrest me with no arrest warrant. This meant grabbing me, knocking me down to
the ground, getting on top of me and trying to take my walking cane away.
It was Crown Prosecutor MacMillan who decided that I should be detained in
custody. In his decision at my Show Cause Hearing, the Prothonotary Charles
Thompson, substituted the word “vicious” (assault) for the Crown’s word
“serious” when he stated “And I order that the accused be detained in custody
until he is dealt with according to the law. The reasons for that is that there
is a strong likelihood of a, further offences. It is obvious that the accused
has little regard of the criminal law and the Peace Officers who are charged
with its enforcement, so it is unlikely that any, unlikely that he would abide
by any sort of an undertaking; and given the persistent nature of the harassment
culminating in a, I would call, I believe the Crown may have given me this
adjective- a vicious assault, and otherwise I am concerned about the safety.”
The Crown and the Prothonotary are well aware of the fact that these are alleged
summary conviction charges, that I have no prior criminal record that involves
assault and that I have abided by numerous undertakings in the past.
Over the past month in jail I have been allowed no visitors and little if any
justice in regards to preparing a full defence.
I am in the process of initiating civil litigation against the same individuals
and government departments who have constantly abused myself, my sister and
thousands of children who lived at the PEI’s Mt. Herbert Orphanage. Since I gave
our letter of intent, I have been assaulted, unlawfully arrested and unlawfully
incarcerated whenever I was alone. These charges, like the others I have faced,
will be dropped, stayed or I will be acquitted.
While we lived at the orphanage we were raped, tortured, abused emotionally,
physically, sexually, socially and spiritually. We were abused by staff,
doctors, social services, police constables, Ministers and other authority
figures, by visitors and other children who lived at the orphanage. Abusers had
been reported to the RCMP, City of Charlottetown police constables, doctors,
mental health workers and rape crisis centres. On PEI there is a Rape Crisis
Centre and there is a Premier’s task force against violence. I telephoned the
PEI Rape Crisis Centre and left my name and number three 3 different times in
the last year. I asked Mr. Binns and other officials personally for help. I’m
still waiting.
The Mt. Herbert Orphanage Trust had control of billions of dollars since 1921.
Trust members included representatives from the following churches: The Anglican
Church, The Baptist Church, the Christian Church, The Methodist Church and The
Church of Scotland and The Presbyterian Church (Canada) and the Master and
Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of PEI, the Grand Lodge of the
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of PEI, the Ladies Auxiliary of the PEI
Protestant Orphanage and the Ladies Orange Benevolent Assn., and a protestant
member from each of the Salvation Army, the PEI (Government) Dept. of Education,
The Law Society of PEI, The Canadian Banker’s Association of PEI, and others who
contributed to the Endowment Fund. Children who lived at the orphanage are still
asking for assistance and legal representation.
I am requesting that all of Prince Edward Island please listen. It is time to
stop this government abuse and control - Municipal, Provincial and Federal. We
need an independent public inquiry into the Mt. Herbert Orphanage, those
involved, including exhumation and autopsies of children’s bodies buried on the
property.
I remain in jail despite being convicted of nothing. I have only asked for what
all Islanders are entitled to - Justice! Whether I live or die, this must be
brought to the public’s attention. Human Rights for All !
Blair Ross,
Sleepy Hollow Provincial Correctional Centre
Charlottetown, PEI, C1A 8C3
Fax # (902) 569-0542
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Full length version (2254 words)
Starving for Justice
The real story by Blair E. Ross
My name is Blair E. Ross. I would like to clarify why I am on a hunger strike at
the Provincial Correctional Centre since August 21, why I am drinking only
liquids like water, juice and coffee. On August 15, 2003, my estranged wife Ann
Marie requested a restraining order at the RCMP Detachment in Souris. Obviously
she believed that I would abide by this order. On August 16th my wife spoke to
Constable Les Dill and made a statement about certain alleged events. It seems
that Cst. Dill wanted to believe that these events, as told by my wife, were
just what the RCMP needed. He began an investigation in order to lay criminal
charges against me.
On August 18, 2003, Constable Eveleigh was at my wife’s place of employment, in
the process of obtaining a statement from her boss Jackie MacKay (in regards to
the investigation of the work place harassment charge), when I arrived with a
Birthday Card for my wife. I dropped the card off at the office, as I had never
been told by anyone, including my wife, to refrain from calling or going to her
work place.
It seems that the RCMP felt that my wife was safe. At my show cause hearing the
Crown Prosecutor MacMillan held disclosure papers in his hands but kept them
from my perusal. In these papers, under the “Victim’s Information” section on
the prosecutor’s information sheet (from the RCMP), the only box checked was
“victim given an opportunity to complete a victim impact statement.” The box
titled “Victim is at risk” remained unchecked.
The charges were still under investigation (SUI until August 22, 2003) and Cst.
Eveleigh had no arrest warrant. He states in his disclosure that he called Cst.
Dill to see if he could arrest me right after he saw me in Jackie MacKay’s
office. Jackie MacKay, is my wife’s employer, Deborah Kelly Hawkes’s landlady
and I believe a Liberal Poll Captain.
Cst. Eveleigh in his statement says that he got the OK to arrest me and then
followed me out of Jackie’s office and proceeded to tell me that I was under
arrest. I told him that I wished a witness to hear what he was saying to me,
since I had no idea what he was talking about. Instead of walking a few feet
more to Deborah Kelly Hawkes’s home and talking to me like a human being, he
proceeded to arrest me, which meant grabbing me, knocking me down to the ground,
getting on top of me and trying to take my walking cane away. I am an injured
worker, I need my cane for walking, and at the time I only weighed 124 lbs. The
RCMP are well aware of the fact that I resist unlawful arrests. The RCMP are
well aware of the fact that I would need to see an arrest warrant.
My wife never requested that I be detained in custody. I was placed in maximum
security only after a request by Crown Prosecutor MacMillan at my show cause
hearing, where the Crown has the burden of proof to show cause why I should be
detained in custody. In his decision to keep me in custody, the Prothonotary
Charles Thompson, substituted the word “vicious” (assault) for the Crown’s word
“serious” when he stated “And I order that the accused be detained in custody
until he is dealt with according to the law. The reasons for that is that there
is a strong likelihood of a, further offences. It is obvious that the accused
has little regard of the criminal law and the Peace Officers who are charged
with its enforcement, so it is unlikely that any, unlikely that he would abide
by any sort of an undertaking; and given the persistent nature of the harassment
culminating in a, I would call, I believe the Crown may have given me this
adjective- a vicious assault, and otherwise I am concerned about the safety.” He
went on to say “Domestic violence in this province has been brought to the fore
as an issue and a very serious issue and it will not be, it’s not to be
tolerated. And again, given Ann Marie Ross’s fear of the accused, he should be
detained in custody.”
If this alleged assault had occurred as described by Ann Marie and the
Prosecution, there would undoubtedly have been bruises. If this alleged assault
had occurred as described by Ann Marie and the Prosecution, our dog, who is
protective of us both, would have undoubtedly been making a scene.
The Crown and the Prothonotary are well aware of the fact that these are alleged
summary conviction charges and that I have no prior criminal record that
involves assault. The Crown is well aware of the fact that I have abided by
numerous undertakings in the past. I would like the Crown to show me one other
individual in all of Canada who could be held in custody until dealt with
according to the law with similar circumstances. The RCMP, the Crown, the
Prothonotary and now Judge Cheverie have made a mockery of every person in
Canada who has gone to them requesting that their safety be ensured from their
domestic partner after truly “serious” and “vicious” assaults and nothing was
done to help them in any way, shape or form.
If I had access to the media, I would request that everyone in Canada who has
ever had their safety concerns treated in a frivolous manner after being
threatened and assaulted by their domestic partner, make a call to their Justice
Ministers in their province and request that I be released after I sign an
undertaking with reasonable restrictions. Deborah Kelly Hawkes has a copy of the
videotape of the interview between Ann Marie Ross and Cst. Les Dill on August
18, 2003. If you call her to view that video tape, you will see first hand the
coercion of Cst. Les Dill and how they are using my estranged wife to keep me
unlawfully incarcerated.
My wife mentioned on the witness stand, at the Review of my Show Cause hearing
in the PEI Supreme Court on September 2, 2003, that she believed that I needed a
psychological evaluation. After viewing that videotape, one could conclude that
it is my wife who needs a psychological evaluation. My wife mentioned in her
statement that she was keeping a diary. This diary could have shed some light on
the alleged events, but at the plea hearing on September 11th, the crown claimed
that this diary “no longer exists”, but gave no further explanation. These
charges, like the others I have faced, will be dropped, stayed or I will be
acquitted.
Over the past month in jail I have been allowed no visitors, despite filling out
the proper forms and making specific requests to meet with my counsellor Deborah
Kelly Hawkes and my legal representative Vaughn Barnett, who travelled from New
Brunswick but was unable to meet with me.
I believe that the authorities are treating me this way because I am in the
process of initiating civil litigation against the same individuals and
government departments who have constantly abused myself, my sister, and
thousands of children who lived at the PEI’s Mt. Herbert Orphanage. In this
province you have to give three(3) months notice when suing the government. When
the first intent of civil litigation was given, by the now 58 plaintiffs, the
Trust dissolved themselves with the OK of the PEI Supreme Court. Since I gave
our letter of intent, I have been assaulted, unlawfully arrested and unlawfully
incarcerated multiple times.
While we lived at the orphanage we were raped, tortured, abused emotionally,
physically, sexually, socially and spiritually. We were starved and experienced
numerous beatings. We were abused by staff, doctors, social services, City of
Charlottetown police constables, RCMP constables, Ministers and also other
authority figures, by visitors and other children who lived at the orphanage. We
also had visitors who took the children out to either work or to use them for
their benefit. Abusers had been reported to the RCMP, City of Charlottetown
police constables, doctors, mental health workers and rape crisis centres. On
PEI there is a Rape Crisis Centre and there is a premier’s task force against
violence. I telephoned the PEI Rape Crisis Centre and left my name and number
three(3) different times last year. I asked Mr. Binns personally for help. I’m
still waiting. I have also spoken with and asked for assistance from Jamie
Ballum, Jeff Lantz, Lawrence MacAulay, Kevin MacAdam, and Ron McKinley,
regarding police brutality and the Mt. Herbert Orphanage. I’m still waiting.
On April 30, 1998 the Mt. Herbert Orphanage and property was sold to the Eastern
School Board and the PEI Government for the amount of one dollar. On March 20,
2001, the orphanage property was assessed at $2,025,650.00. The PEI Dept. of
Education was a member of the Trust, therefore a Protestant from the PEI Dept.
of Education had been selected to represent the Dept. on the board of Trustees.
The Binns’ government built a treatment centre to control the people who use
government controlled products - prescription drugs, alcohol, and gambling. The
rules, the regulations, the legislation, and the law allowed government
employees and officials to prosper.
The Mt. Herbert Orphanage Trust had control of billions of dollars. Since 1921,
Municipal, Provincial, and Federal governments collected money on behalf of the
Trust. Trust members included representatives from the following churches The
Anglican Church, The Baptist Church, the Christian Church, The Methodist Church
and The Church of Scotland and The Presbyterian Church (Canada) and the Master
and Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of PEI, the Grand Lodge of the
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of PEI, the Ladies Auxiliary of the PEI
Protestant Orphanage and the Ladies Orange Benevolent Assn., and a protestant
member from each of the Salvation Army, the PEI (Government) Dept. of Education,
The Law Society of PEI, The Canadian Banker’s Association of PEI, and others who
contributed to the Endowment Fund. Children who lived at the orphanage are still
asking for assistance and legal representation. These children are asking for
education, after care, therapy and follow-up to ensure that they and their
children are given every chance in life.
All that has been created are self help programs. There has been no
accountability for the doctors, lawyers, judges, and others involved.
I am requesting that all of Prince Edward Island please listen. It is time to
stop this government abuse and control - Municipal, Provincial and Federal. The
children of Mt. Herbert Orphanage need this abuse to stop, as do all members of
our society who live here on PEI.
How can we justify today, this illegal, immoral and unethical control? This
legalized government abuse must be stopped. Our politicians, our clergymen and
everyone on that trust and the people in society who knew of this abuse and did
nothing, need to begin to make restitution.
We have allowed the government to control everyone by rules, regulations, and
legislation - the LAW. We have also enabled them to have a lower class of
society to control by allowing low wages - wages that people are unable to feed
or clothe themselves with, let alone their family members.
Instead of educating our children and creating healthy human beings, they have
violated our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
I believe that the authorities are treating me this way, also due to the fact
that myself and Deborah Kelly Hawkes are co-founding the PEI Fundamental Rights
Party and are supported by many people who live on Prince Edward Island and
away. Since starting to gather signatures last year we have been harassed and
unlawfully assaulted, unlawfully arrested and unlawfully incarcerated eight
times. During the upcoming election we are only able to tell people that if
there is no one to vote for, to please destroy their ballot on September 29th,
and again during the upcoming Federal election by putting a big X through their
ballot or by placing their own name there. If there are enough ballots spoiled,
we can demonstrate that the people have no confidence in the government. We
suggest a purple X, as purple will be the colour of the PEI Fundamental Rights
Party, though we will also incorporate all the colours of the rainbow.
The people have to understand that the current systems in place are abusive. It
is time that we begin to look after all human beings, all life on Prince Edward
Island. We need an an independent public inquiry into the Mt. Herbert Orphanage,
those involved, including exhumation and autopsies of children’s bodies buried
on the property. We need an independent public inquiry into the circumstances
around my arrest and incarceration, including the role of the authorities
involved.
Discrimination must end between those who have access to lots of money and those
who have access to less. While a businessman convicted of killing a customer is
allowed to go free with the support of city counsellors, I remain in jail
despite being convicted of nothing. Maybe I should have gone into business.
I have only asked for what all Islanders are entitled to - Justice!
Whether I live or die, this must be brought to the public’s attention.
Free Blair Ross!
We need Human Rights for All!
Blair Ross,
Sleepy Hollow Provincial Correctional Centre
Charlottetown, PEI, C1A 8C3
Fax # (902) 569-0542
Starving for Justice The real story by Blair E. Ross My name is Blair E. Ross. I would like to clarify why I have been on a hunger strike at the Provincial Correctional Centre since August 21. On August 15, 2003, my estranged wife Ann Marie requested a restraining order at the RCMP Detachment in Souris. She obviously believed that I would abide by this order. On August 18, 2003 Cst. Eveleigh, while investigating criminal charges that Cst. Les Dill determined from his interview with Ann Marie, proceeded to unlawfully arrest me with no arrest warrant. This meant grabbing me, knocking me down to the ground, getting on top of me and trying to take my walking cane away. It was the Crown Prosecutor MacMillan who decided that I should be detained in custody. In his decision at my Show Cause Hearing, the Prothonotary Charles Thompson, substituted the word “vicious” (assault) for the Crown’s word “serious” when he stated “And I order that the accused be detained in custody until he is dealt with according to the law. The reasons for that is that there is a strong likelihood of a, further offences. It is obvious that the accused has little regard of the criminal law and the Peace Officers who are charged with its enforcement, so it is unlikely that any, unlikely that he would abide by any sort of an undertaking; and given the persistent nature of the harassment culminating in a, I would call, I believe the Crown may have given me this adjective- a vicious assault, and otherwise I am concerned about the safety.” The Crown and the Prothonotary are well aware of the fact that these are alleged summary conviction charges, that I have no prior criminal record that involves assault and that I have abided by numerous undertakings in the past. Over the past month in jail I have been allowed no visitors and little if any justice in regards to preparing a full defence. I am in the process of initiating civil litigation against the same individuals and government departments who have constantly abused myself, my sister and thousands of children who lived at the PEI’s Mt. Herbert Orphanage. Since I gave our letter of intent, I have been assaulted, unlawfully arrested and unlawfully incarcerated whenever I was alone. These charges, like the others I have faced, will be dropped, stayed or I will be acquitted. While we lived at the orphanage we were raped, tortured, abused emotionally, physically, sexually, socially and spiritually. We were abused by staff, doctors, social services, police constables, Ministers and other authority figures, by visitors and other children who lived at the orphanage. Abusers had been reported to the RCMP, City of Charlottetown police constables, doctors, mental health workers and rape crisis centres. On PEI there is a Rape Crisis Centre and there is a Premier’s task force against violence. I telephoned the PEI Rape Crisis Centre and left my name and number three 3 different times in the last year. I asked Mr. Binns and other officials personally for help. I’m still waiting. The Mt. Herbert Orphanage Trust had control of billions of dollars since 1921. Trust members included representatives from the following churches: The Anglican Church, The Baptist Church, the Christian Church, The Methodist Church and The Church of Scotland and The Presbyterian Church (Canada) and the Master and Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of PEI, the Grand Lodge of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of PEI, the Ladies Auxiliary of the PEI Protestant Orphanage and the Ladies Orange Benevolent Assn., and a protestant member from each of the Salvation Army, the PEI (Government) Dept. of Education, The Law Society of PEI, The Canadian Banker’s Association of PEI, and others who contributed to the Endowment Fund. Children who lived at the orphanage are still asking for assistance and legal representation. I am requesting that all of Prince Edward Island please listen. It is time to stop this government abuse and control - Municipal, Provincial and Federal. We need an independent public inquiry into the Mt. Herbert Orphanage, those involved, including exhumation and autopsies of children’s bodies buried on the property. I remain in jail despite being convicted of nothing. I have only asked for what all Islanders are entitled to - Justice! Whether I live or die, this must be brought to the public’s attention. Human Rights for All ! You Can Help to FREE BLAIR ROSS!! AND STOP GOVERNMENT ABUSE Phone, fax, write everyone that you know who could help to Free Blair Ross! Premier Pat Binns, MLA’s, MP’s and the Prime Minister of Canada _______________________________________________________________________ September 18: One month since Blair was imprisoned September 21: One month since Blair began a Hunger Strike “Human Rights For All” ____________________________________________________________________________ Blair’s Demands - An Independent Public Inquiry into the circumstances around the arrest and incarceration of Blair E Ross, including the role of the RCMP, the crown, the Prothornotary and the Judge - An Independent Public Inquiry into the Mt. Herbert Orphanage and other orphanages across the country, those involved, including exhumation and autopsies of children’s bodies buried on the property - FREE BLAIR ROSS (on reasonable release conditions) - Human Rights for All You can show your Support: - Write a letter to the Editor. - Write Blair E. Ross c/o Provincial Correctional Centre, Sleepy Hollow, Box 2710, Charlottetown, PEI, C1A 8C3. - Fax your support to Blair at the Provincial Correctional Centre - Fax # (902) 569-0542 - Leave messages for Blair at the PCC - (902) 368-4590 - Express your views to your political candidates and the politicians responsible. - Copy this letter, show others, and spread the word. To donate money to the Free Blair Ross Campaign please contact: Deborah Kelly Hawkes (902) 838-3657 in Montague fundamentalrights@msn.com www.angelfire.com/nb/fundamentalrights/index.html YOU CAN DESTROY YOUR BALLOT ON SEPTEMBER 29TH You can place a Big “X” through your ballot. You can write in your own name or write in Blair Ross’ name.
For Immediate Release - November 4, 2003 Jailed PEI Hunger Striker Still Starving for Justice - 75 Days and Counting... PEI Court System Has Yet to Offer Justice to Blair E. Ross Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island - November 4 marks seventy-five days since PEI social activist Blair E. Ross began a hunger strike, and also marks seventy-eight days he has been incarcerated in maximum security. His detention is scheduled to continue until his yet to be determined trial date. Blair has been denied proper legal procedure throughout his incarceration. He was arrested without a warrant on August 18, when he attempted to drop off a birthday card at his wife's workplace, by an officer investigating an alleged harassment charge. He was required to defend himself the next day at a show cause hearing, without needed medical attention (including access to prescribed medication) or sleep, and without disclosure materials stating the case against him. In this show cause hearing, crown attorney John McMillan argued that since Blair does not respect the legal system, he is unlikely to abide by any release conditions - ie. stay away from his wife. Prothonotary Charles Thompson agreed and decided on Blair's indefinite detention. This flawed ruling, the crux of Blair's continued detention, causes Charles Thompson to appear biased, since it is obvious that many other accused persons are released on undertakings despite a lack of respect for the legal system. Clearly, respect for the legal system is not the only motivation for people to abide by undertakings. Blair has abided by multiple undertakings in the past despite his lack of trust. These are only alleged summary conviction charges (alleged harassment and assault). Blair has no prior criminal record that involves assault and there is no factual material evidence of past violent behaviour, only hearsay. Blair had never been told by anyone, including his wife, to refrain from calling or visiting her work place. His wife had only asked for a restraining order, so obviously she believed that he would abide such an order, but the police decided to press charges. She stated in court that she does not think Blair should be kept in jail. Blair accepts that the marriage is over and has stated he will not attempt contact. On Sept. 2, PEI Supreme Court Judge Wayne Cheverie upheld Thompson's decision, but Blair was not allowed the ability to prepare a proper defence for this hearing either. As a self-representant, on hunger strike, and having been allowed no visitors, the judge offered no direction to Blair regarding legal processes and rights, such as the ability to call witnesses. He was not informed in advance that his wife was being subpoenaed and would testify, so he was unable to properly prepare his cross-examination. The crown has been reluctant, slow, and incomplete in providing full disclosure despite repeated requests for specific evidence. One example is a copy of relevant pages of Blair's wife's diary which could shed some light on the situation. The crown claims that this diary "no longer exists" but offers no further explanation. The charge of alleged harassment is extremely weak. His wife claims that they had been separated since May. Despite her claims of separation, multiple people witnessed the two acting as a couple in June and July and the legal definition of separation does not apply. During this alleged period of separation (June-Aug 15) Blair's wife continued to open his mail and cash his Workers Compensation cheques for months. The legal definition of harassment applies only when the accused was informed that they should not call or visit. After Blair was arrested and kicked in the head on May 3, he was scared for his life and didn't want to be left alone. He went to Toronto and returned later that month for court. Since his wife worked long hours, he began regularly staying with a friend in order to not be alone. The alleged assault is her word against his, and it had allegedly occurred two weeks prior but was not reported. There was no bruising despite the fact that Blair's wife bruises easily, and she made no effort to document the alleged events, despite the knowledge that such evidence was necessary. The allegation of assault was placed by the crown in a context of (alleged) continued harassment (described as fact). There are serious questions about the legitimacy of the arrests, the credibility of the complainant, and Blair's treatment by the police and courts. Blair spent about two months in maximum security jail before he was allowed any visitors. He is experiencing emotional and physical trauma, has been denied the ability to prepare a full and proper defence and has been denied many other rights. Despite repeated requests, he has been denied medical treatment and documentation of the injuries from his arrest, denied prescribed medication, and denied vitamins. Dr. Lantz (brother of recent PEI Attorney General) recently saw Blair and decided that Blair does not require the vitamins that he had requested. As for legal representation, Blair has been similarly deprived of justice. His legal assistant, Deborah Kelly Hawkes, has been denied the ability to appear in court with him and act as his agent (or even sit with him and assist him). A legal researcher from New Brunswick offered to act as Blair's agent and travelled to PEI. However, Judge Nancy Orr ruled against this, citing a 2 month old amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada which states that accused persons (excluding corporations) cannot be represented by an (non-lawyer) agent if the charge they are facing carries a possible sentence of 6 months. This ruling is being appealed on the grounds that only one of Blair's charges carries such a possible sentence, so there is no reason why he shouldn't be allowed his right to defence by agent on the other charges, representing himself on the one charge. Since the court does not seem willing to allow Blair the representation he desires and deserves, he has reluctantly agreed to take on a Legal Aid lawyer, Thane MacEachern. There is much value in protecting victims of domestic assault, but we must also value the rights of the accused, which have been arbitrarily overridden without proper cause. Blair Ross, who spent part of his childhood in the Mt. Herbert Orphanage, explains "Since 1963 I have shared the fate of all wrongly accused or convicted individuals. There will always be muttered doubts about my innocence. Since I was unlawfully arrested, I have received more time served than I would if I had been convicted. This is a miscarriage of justice and an error in law. While incarcerated I have lost my income, my reputation has been further dragged through the mud, and the house I built with my own hands was burned to the ground." Ross continues: "We need an independent inquiry, both into my case, and into the widespread physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at Mt. Herbert Orphanage. It is time to stop all governments' abuse and legalized control. I only demand human rights for all." Blair Ross is known for his 64 day hunger strike in front of the Prince Edward Island legislature in 2001 to protest the practices of the PEI Workers Compensation Board. The protest ended when police arrested Blair without cause. He has been repeatedly arrested without cause since then, but convicted of nothing. Blair has a reputation as a criminal, largely created by police and aided by local media, who make a big deal when Blair is arrested, but ignore or comment only briefly when charges are dropped, dismissed, or stayed. Blair is suing the City of Charlottetown for wrongful arrest, unlawful detention and assault by police, and is also suing members of the Mt. Herbert Orphanage Trust since the RCMP won't conduct an investigation. While in jail he is prevented from proceeding with these cases. Supporter Aaron Koleszar says "Blair E. Ross is a political prisoner. His detention is being justified by the fact that he does not trust the legal system and it is based on unproven allegations. Men with weapons charges and men who repeatedly batter their wives or girlfriends are set free. It is long past time to release Blair Ross on an undertaking with reasonable restrictions so that he is able to prepare a full and proper defence. If Blair dies in custody, his blood will be on their hands." On Wednesday, November 5, at 10:10 a.m. Blair will appear in PEI Supreme Court for a Review of Detention Order.
