The unexpected death of 50-year-old Ashiru Sarafa has left his wife and four children bereaved and devastated with questions that have not been answered and no means of entering Canada even for a visit, his wife Awanat Oluwatoyin Ashiru revealed in an email sent to CBC News.
In the email, Awanat said in line with Islamic rites, Ashiru should have been buried not long after he died, but the inability of them to come to Canada has hampered that.
She wrote: “Being (in Canada would) make an impact in our life because this is where he struggled and died in a mysterious and painful way.”
Ashiru was a staff of New Leaf: Living and Learning Together, a dwelling house for individuals that have intellectual impairments, developmental retardations and mental health issues, situated in East Gwillimbury.
On February 12, 2021, Ashiru drove a resident to a close-by site for a stroll in the forest and swimming, a Ministry of Labour inspector belatedly wrote in a field visit report.
Another report by the Ministry of Labour inspection revealed that York Region Police detected his corpse at the bottom of the pool that afternoon. His family told CBC News that despite the home’s policy that a supervisor must be available at every time, Ashiru had been alone with the resident and could not swim.
While talking to CBC News, Ministry of Labour and the Police said their investigations would continue. Though New Leaf ignored CBC News’ request for comment, it was mandated in March to educate its staff about its pool policy and cease using the pool pending when the investigation would be complete.
The Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, a Ministry that supervises homes like New Leaf, revealed after a “thorough review” that it discovered the company is “complying with the province’s expectations and standards and is able to deliver expected services.”
A few weeks after Ashiru passed, staff of New Leaf and their union, SEIU talked about manacing conditions and staff shortages at the home. During his online memorial in March, the staff described Ashiru as a person who was always smiling and laughing. He was also described as a good and selfless leader that greeted residents before the advent of COVID-19 with a hug, and with an elbow bump after COVID-19 started.
Ashiru came to Canada in 2018 as a refugee and was in the course of obtaining permanent residency for himself, his wife and his children.
During an interview from Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria, his sister, Sola Salami said: “They are very talented children. That’s why he wanted them to achieve a better life. He loved his family and children.”
While talking further, she said she urged Ashiru to take time off during the prevalence of COVID-19 but he said he would continue to work so he could cater for his family.
Ashiru contracted COVID-19 but recovered from it and later went back to work. She said he died trying to meet the demands of his superiors.
She said: “He’s full of compassion. He’s the type of person who thinks of others before himself and wants to help. He doesn’t want anyone else to suffer”
However, efforts to fast track the family’s permanent residency applications after Ashiru died have been futile, according to Dov Maierovitz, the family’s immigration lawyer in Toronto.
Maierovitz said he took up their case when he heard of Ashiru’s death, recognizing the fact that manoeuvring Canada’s immigration system on their own would be near impossible, particularly during the pandemic.
He helped the family apply for visitor visas via Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that would give them the permission to enter Canada briefly and bury Ashiru. According to information on the federal ministry’s website, the processing takes about 162 days.
With sadness, Maierovitz said eight months later, no progress has been recorded.
He said: “(The application) is still lingering at the visa office,” he said. “There’s no further recourse. I don’t know what to do to try to get this family here.”
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of IRCC, Jelena Jenko told CBC News that she could not talk about the family’s condition particularly, and did not respond when asked about the visitor visa application process.
She said: “We are saddened by the tragic event and send our most heartfelt condolences to the family.”
Ashiru’s wife, Awant said she has struggled to cater for their children. She said this during a Zoom interview through an interpreter. She said she could no longer pay the children’s school fees and her hopes to offer them a “beautiful” and “peaceful” life in Canada have died.
While crying she said: “Everything has stopped.”
Ashiru’s daughter, Zainab Omoseke Ashiru, 21, revealed that without her father’s financial support, she could not carry on with her master’s degree to become a nurse.
She said: “His whole plan was for us to come over there, and for us to continue our education and for everything to be fine.
“My dad is gone but I don’t want my education to be gone also.”
