I just had a meeting with a young man. He's been drug involved for years and years, and is trying so hard to quit... he's got so many issues, which I won't go into here obviously, but society rally needs to be enlightened and change the way we think about things. Locking them up building more and more jails is not the answer at all... I felt so helpless talking to this young man. The thing is he wants to change, but his past is keeping him in a vicious circle, and he's passed from agency to agency... with no continuity...
I know I'm not making much sense, but thats what a blog is for...
Its tough...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Going to start blogging again...
I haven't been blogging at all lately, but I will start again, as its kind of therapeutic as well for me.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
CJOB
On October 7th, I will be on the Richard Cloutier show from 9am - 11am with three young people talking about their involvement in gangs and how parents can learn how to prevent kids from joining gangs. Having two hours on Richard's show is amazing!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Dominic Urichen refused parole
We just left the Saskatoon Psychiactric Centre, after they refused to
let Dominic Urichin on parole! Thank God. He is a " high risk to
vilolently reoffend, and shows no remorse whatsoever."
let Dominic Urichin on parole! Thank God. He is a " high risk to
vilolently reoffend, and shows no remorse whatsoever."
After hearing our statements, he was asked if he had any comments to
speak to the Wiebe's. The Board then asked him if they had no effect
on him. He said, 'Well they can say what they want, I've got nothing
to say to them. I said something in court to them."
That was a lie. He never said anything to us in court.
Anyway he is diagnosed as a psychophrenic. He refuses meds off and on
cuz "I feel I don't need them."
Also found out that, after he killed TJ, he did a home invasion and
bound and gag an 83 year old woman in her home.
Anyway he's where he belongs. I truly believe when he is released, he
will absolutely murder again.
Dominic Urichen Parole
Well it's midnight. My family and I and my sister Holly just checked
into the Saskatoon Inn on the eve of his parole. We have to be at the
Sask. Psychiatric Centre at 8am.
into the Saskatoon Inn on the eve of his parole. We have to be at the
Sask. Psychiatric Centre at 8am.
The hearing starts at 8:30. I'm glad I brought my sleeping pills.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Victim Impact Statement - Dominic Urichen Parole Hearing on May 5th, 2010
Next week, Karen and I, along with Stacey and Chad and my sister Holly are all flying out to Saskatchewan Penitentiary, Regional Psychiatric Centre - Saskatoon, SK to attend the first parole heard for one of TJ's murderers, Dominic Urichen.
We found out that Dominic doesn't even see us. Apparently, he is placed in the room before we arrive along with the Parole Board. We are supposed to sit behind him. We can't see his face or his expressions, or anything. I found this not acceptable. I asked for permission to actually see him during the time I read the impact statement to him. It took about a month, but yesterday I found out that I could at least sit on the side, not directly in front of him, while I read. The other problem is that he has already read our statements ahead of time, which again I find ridiculous. As far as I am concerned, I should be able to read it to him as if he's never heard it before, as now, he has had time to block it from his mind.
As well, I took a novel approach to impact statements. I decided that TJ has never been heard from, and it's time he has. So, although it's never been done, I have written it as if TJ was writing it.
Here it is...
Floyd Wiebe
Hey Dom,
It’s TJ…
Wow, I thought I'd never be able to talk to you after you had me killed… I guess you didn't think you'd hear from me did you? Yeah, well listen up Dom…
Dom, I am talking to you right now... The other people in this room can listen if they want to, but I'm really talking to you. I want you to listen to me very carefully.
I'm supposed to be 28 years old by now... 28... Wow. It's seems like it was yesterday that I was only 20. In fact I’m still 20 I guess. So much has happened in the past seven years. I've watched my mom change so much. Domenic, you have no idea what you've done to my family. I wouldn't say you've destroyed it… as we have always been a strong family. I miss my family. I miss my brother Chad and my sister Stacey so much, and I know they miss me. I also miss my mom and dad… Know what? Every time I left my mom or dad, or hung up the telephone, I said… “Love you, kisses, hugs…” Everytime! Now those words are engraved on a huge 200 lb rock at the cottage and is in a beautiful garden which they called “TJ’s Garden”. That’s crazy that the only way they will ever hear me say that again is to look at the big rock… That isn’t right…
My mom, who is sitting right behind you, is an incredible woman, but you've almost killed her and Domenic I'm really pissed off about that. How dare you attack my mom on so many levels? You've heard all the crap she's been through. You caused this Domenic, you. Before you ordered me to be murdered, my mom was strong and healthy. She isn’t healthy anymore, but she sure is strong. I sit here watching her go through surgery after surgery, and I can’t even wish her well or help her get better, thanks to you.
My dad has changed so much. He's sad almost all of the time. He loses touch with reality a lot. He doesn't have the smile he had. He used to be this guy that would make a whole party laugh at his jokes. I haven’t heard him tell a joke for a long time. He's even on anti-depressants. He misses me. I cry and cry cause I can't make his pain go away. I look at him and I just want to make it all go away but I can't. You have taken all that Dom. I remember, during the trial, after you listened to my dad cry in court reading his victim impact statement to you, and how you just sat there, looking at the floor. You never once even looked at him. You just sat there and you never even said you were sorry. You had a chance to tell my dad how sorry you were and you sat there. Why not? I guess you were just glad that you got the drugs off my body. That’s all you cared about… drugs. Just don’t tell this parole board that you were high on drugs and didn’t know what you were doing Dom. Your lawyer tried that and it didn’t work, and it better not work today either. I did a lot of drugs Dom, and I didn’t kill anyone. I never planned some guys murder just so I could get their drugs like you did. You had no reason to murder me other than to look after your selfish needs. Don’t even go there. Be a man and tell them why you had me murdered Dom, not an excuse, the reason. There isn’t any. Even the judge who sentenced you could not believe how senseless this was.
You never met my parents, and you never met my sister Stacey and my brother Chad. I was their big brother. I protected them their whole lives. My parents would often wonder if I was their parent as I cared so much for them. My death stopped their lives cold. They saw my mom and dad so upset most of the time, they had to hold in their feelings, so they wouldn’t cause them more pain. But, I see their inner torment in their faces. I see them cry while they are alone. I see them put on their masks to the outside world. I see them be brave for my mom and dad. I don’t know how this will affect them in the future, but I won’t be able to look after them, not after what you did to me.
I'm sure you’re sitting here today thinking, what a load of crap this all is. I suppose that when you've actually succeeded in murdering someone that you've got to justify it somehow so that you can live. So that “you” can live... I wish I could say that word... live… but I'm dead… because of you... I suppose you've had seven years to justify what you did… or in “your” mind, probably didn't do. I suppose you really believe that only Anthony and Chad murdered me. The jury convicted “you” of Conspiracy to Commit Murder, but one member of the jury couldn’t grasp the fact that because you weren’t in the car, they couldn’t convict you of First Degree Murder. Eleven jurors did know you were guilty of First Degree Murder. But because only one person couldn’t agree, you got off a life sentence, and here we are. The other members of the jury were so mad they couldn’t convince one person, that they are still mad today. Just last week my dad ran into one of the jurors, and he’s still shaken by what you did to me.
Dominic, you were the one that got Anthony and Chad involved in my murder! You are the one that told Shawn you could easily have me murdered. You set this whole murder up, and you know it. So did the jury. Make sure you tell these people in front of you that you wanted me dead… and how you got the whole plan ready. Explain to them how you wanted me dead, and now you want to get out of jail.
When my dad asked me to write this I really didn't know what I would say to you. I guess the first question was why? Why did you plan my death? Why did you tell Anthony and Chad to beat the shit out of me...? Why did you tell them to inject my neck with Drano...? Remember watching the movie, “The Salton Sea?” That movie gave you that idea, so it would look like a suicide. Why did you tell Anthony to strangle me with such force that he pulled me over the seat with his shoelace...? Why did you tell Anthony to jump on my chest Dom…? Why did you tell him to stab me in my neck repeatedly…? Why did you tell them to leave my almost naked body out there in that field for five weeks in the middle of winter…? Why did you let animals chew on my face Dom…? Why did you let my family search for me for weeks and weeks? WHY…?
I'm sure you don't even know this, but my family wasn't able to even see me after I died. The medical examiner said “We don’t want to see him in this condition…” The condition your plan left me in. They couldn’t see their first-born son after he died. They never got the chance to say goodbye to me. Your plan made sure of that… Your plan… Dom.
You know what? I don't even want to hear your answer Dom. You don't even have one do you. I did nothing to you to cause this, nothing. I have so many questions, but I don't want any of your answers, because no answer is worthy of my life. Life… You don't care about life. You have no respect for your own life. You’ve never had respect for other people either, and you never will. You’re incapable of that. My life to you was totally meaningless.
There is one question I'd like the answer to. I'd like to know why you refused to testify against Shawn James. You even got more jail time because you refused twice in two separate trials, so that he could get off and walk free. Why? You even refused to come out of your cell and demanded a wheelchair to take you to court. The guards told me you laughed at the judge’s orders when she ordered you into court to testify against him. You then laughed at the guards. You’re laughing right now at these people you’re facing aren’t you? You really don't care what happens today. You don't care about anything. I know you Dom. All you care about is getting out of here.
You want to get out of jail, and live a normal life again.
You want to go to MacDonald’s and have a Quarter Pounder. I can’t.
You want to drive a car. I can’t.
You want to go to a bar and have a beer. I can’t.
You want to have a girlfriend. I can’t.
You want to have a job. I can’t.
I doubt you wanted a family, but did you ever ask me if I wanted a wife and kids? You didn’t care…
But I also know you Dom. I know that you want to go to a party and brag about how powerful you are, that you can actually convince people to murder for you.
So here you sit in front of the Parole Board. You’re asking to be released into the public. I don’t know what they will decide, but if they do let you out early, then I want you to promise me something, and Dom, you better live up to it. If you get out, promise me never to do drugs again. Promise me that you will never murder again. Promise me that you will spend the rest of your life telling people what you did and helping others in this world to stay away from drugs. My parents are doing that. They formed the TJ’s Gift Foundation and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars keeping kids away from drugs. You better do something with your life and you better change other people’s lives. You owe it to me to do that.
The parole board is going to hear about all the things you’ve done while you’ve been locked up. They are going to hear your side of the story as to why you should be released from here. It’s all about you today isn’t it… I think it’s about me, or it should be…
I also hope that this same board listens to me.
I’m not asking them for anything.
I can’t.
I’m dead.
T.J.
…on behalf of my dad Floyd Wiebe, “Love you dad, kisses and hugs…”
Monday, April 26, 2010
Just needed to be here...
anymore. It's a hard place to be. But tonight I just felt I had to
come back. I never really know why. I guess because next week we
are going to our first parole hearing for Domenic Urichen. Here I look
in a field where TJ was left and soon in front if a parole board to
let him out. Yep... Incredible.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Just 3 weeks Left! - TJ's Gift Gala Evening - May 13, 2010
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Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Floyd & Karen speak at Churchill High School
One of the students at Churchill High that worked with us on the Soaring Eagles Conference invited Karen and I to speak to the Grade 11 and 12 students. Both classes were so interested in hearing what we had to say to them, both about TJ's story and with giving them the knowledge that they had the power of choice and influence in their lives. Floyd spoke with some students afterward, and was so happy to help them out.
Yay Churchill!
Yay Churchill!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Altona Echo reports of Floyd Wiebe's visit to W.C. Miller Collegiate
Floyd Wiebe's son TJ was brutally murdered at the tender age of 20. His heartfelt presentation at W.C. Miller encouraged students to think twice before using drugs.
Making sense out of a senseless act
Posted By Lori Penner
Floyd Wiebe has worn the same necklace for nearly seven years. It belonged to his son TJ. "It was a gift for his 18th birthday," Floyd says. "He was wearing it the day he died."
TJ Wiebe was brutally murdered on Jan. 5, 2003 at the tender age of 20. He was an accomplished, caring young man with a big heart and big dreams, but unfortunately, he was also involved in using and dealing drugs. It was this involvement which ultimately led to his death.
That cold January day, TJ was told he was going with two men to look at a stereo that was for sale. After driving south past the Perimeter Highway in Winnipeg, one of the men stabbed TJ with syringes filled with drain cleaner and lighter fluid. When this didn't kill him, they attempted to strangle him with a shoelace. They eventually drove to a secluded area between St. Adolphe and St. Agathe, where they dragged him from the car and stabbed him in the neck before jumping on his chest and leaving him to die in the frigid, minus 37 air.
While the murder essentially had to do with a love triangle, Floyd says it had more to do with his son's association with people who were involved with drugs. This past month during Manitoba Addictions Awareness Week, Floyd shared his son's story with the students of W.C. Miller. His hope is that giving the teens a graphic, personal view of where drugs can lead them will make them reconsider some of their choices.
He and his wife regularly speak to schools on behalf of a foundation they set up in their son's honour called TJ's Gift.
The foundation financially supports peer-led drug and gang counseling and also runs workshops designed to teach young people about the dangers of drug involvement. The family also holds gala fundraisers which continue to raise funds for drug awareness. It is their way to make some sense come out of a senseless act.
One of the things Floyd attempts to do is decry the notion that kids who do drugs are bad kids who come from bad homes. His son, he says, had everything going for him, and in fact had a great relationship with his parents.
The last words TJ said to them on the phone were, "Love you, kisses and hugs." Yet he still fell into the trap of drug use and dealing.
Floyd has dedicated his life to helping kids keep away or escape from the drug culture. He has over 700 teens who regularly communicate with him on Facebook and his session at Miller drew many more. Many of the confidential messages he receives from the kids are cries for help.
"My goal is to make them think. When you light up a joint, you are financially supporting the agencies that killed my son. It has to be traced back to something. And you don't know if, for you, that drug will be a gateway to something stronger."
He hopes to make a difference so other parents don't have to endure the nightmare he and his family have endured. "I'm waiting for someone to come up to me 10 years from now and say this presentation changed their life. I know it will happen."
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Karen Speaks at Elwick School
Today, Karen told TJ's story to Grades 5 & 6 students at Elwick School.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Floyd Speaks at Frontenac School
Today I spoke at Frontenac School telling TJ's story and talking to the kids about making better choices regarding drugs.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Floyd Speaks at the Leading Edge Networking Club
Marilyn & Russ Loewen asked me to speak to the Leading Edge Networking Club, a group of business people that get together to discuss leads and general business issues. They meet at the Waverley Dodge Dealership in the Auto Mall.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Floyd Speaks at the Carleton Breakfast Club
Lori Nelson from the Department of Justice asked me to speak today to the Carleton Breakfast Club. The club is made up of a variety of people from many walks of life. They meet at The Manitoba Legislature.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Battle of the Bands Report
First Prize Winner of a 10 Hour Recording Session at Private Ear Recording is:
Black Jacket Armada. They hail from Sturgeon Heights Collegiate.
Black Jacket Armada
Matthew Hodgins
Dom Gibson
Ray Peters
Justin LeBlanc
Lucas Wichenko
SOMA. They are from College Jeanne Sauve.
SOMA
Justin Delorme
Julien Riel
Mario Lagasse
Jordan Waters
Stephen Kurz
Coalition. They are from JH Bruns Collegiate.
Coalition
Weston Walker
Colin Walker
Zane Zinkiewicz
Sylvanna Luong
Liam Naughten
Here are the other 4 GREAT BANDS!
Blame The Television
Jared Kist
Jordan Waters
Zak Pion
Tyler Kotowski
Sacred Iron Crypt (S.I.C)
Dan Waycik
Myles Mayo Tarvis
DJ Willison
Brendan Murphy
Tom Blicq
Dylan Copeland
Random Heroes
Clinton Wazny
Jason Marks
Logan Helbig
Garrett Fache
Sean Donnelly
Victor Johnson
Adam Larson
Spencer Briercliffe
Spencer Pries
After the 7 bands were done, we had two Special Performances by InHumane Rampage and Maximum SIXTY.
After the 7 bands were done, we had two Special Performances by InHumane Rampage and Maximum SIXTY.
OUR MC was Dave Wheeler from Power 97 and our celebrity list of judges were Ace Burpee and Bubba B from HOT 103, Chad Wiebe, my son and TJ's Bro, and Steve Crooks from Dreadnaut. They formed a great team and really had fun and made it fun for the rest of us.
The Battle of the bands was a 150% success. I cant think of anything to improve upon. The kids were amazing. The major accomplishment was the fact that the 35 kids from the 7 bands were so pumped, stoked, (that means excited for you old guys...lol) of being there. We were told by many that this was the best organized Battle they had ever been involved in. Blake Houston and Braydon Cullins from InHumane Rampage were so great at helping us organize this concert. They had fantastic ideas and we really enjoyed working with them. Thanks guys!
About 300 people showed up, and we even had our own Mosh PIT, thanks to Sacred Iron Crypt starting the night with some awesome chest pounding rock!
The Winnipeg Media was amazing!
Winnipeg Sun's Lawrie Mustard did a plug in his paper before the show with a picture of my son Chad Wiebe wearing a Battle of the Bands T Shirt. He also did an great interview with me that is online at Sun Speaks! Thanks to Laurie and Publisher Kevin Klein who also attends our gala.
CTV showed up before the show and did an intro news piece with Karen on the 5:30 news and came back again when the concert was on and did another news piece with Floyd on the 11:30 news. They interviewed Justin Delorme from SOMA but unfortunately ended up on the cutting room floor. Susan Tymofichuk, CTV news anchor interviewed me a lot during our trials, and I know she helped make this happen. Thank you Susan and CTV!
Winnipeg Free Press reporter Jennifer Pawluk also did a great article, and sent a photog to publish a great picture of Sacred Iron Crypt, the first performing band. Thanks to Margo Goodhand, the Free Press Editor, who comes to our gala for sending out a reporter.
This was funny, upon seeing the Garrick's Marquee, Look at what Stacey Wiebe's boyfriend Lynndon Novak and one of the band members from Blame The Television said:
Tyler Kotowski
awesome! now we can all say we were on a marquee with stereos and gwar haha
Yesterday at 3:36pm · Delete
GWAR is a Grammy Award-nominated thrash metal band & STEREOS is an Edmonton band that got its big break on Much Music’s reality show “DisBAND”.
So this event certainly spread the word as to who we are and what we do. It will be even bigger next year!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Selkirk Journal covers my speaking engagement on front page.
‘Don’t ever forget this story’
Posted By Hayley Brigg
Posted 1 day ago
It was a difficult story to tell, but Floyd Wiebe got through it, and his message was more than received.
The Winnipeg man visited the Comp on Tuesday as a guest speaker during the school's annual Addictions Awareness Week program to talk to students, and share with them his own personal tragedy of losing his son to the world of drugs."Most speakers want to be here, they want to come to schools and talk with you guys, but I don't want to be here," Wiebe told a packed theater of Grade 10 and 11 students. "I know that's kind of rude but I'd rather not be here, because something very sad happened for me to be here."
In 2003 at the age of 20, Wiebe's eldest son TJ was brutally murdered by two men, Anthony Pulsifer and Chad Handsor, at the request of another man who was a minor at the time of the murder, simply because he didn't like the fact that TJ was close with his girlfriend.
Students listened intently as Wiebe described the events leading up to his son's death and how Pulsifer and Handsor, two people TJ possibly considered friends or acquaintances, lured him to Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway under the pretense of purchasing a car stereo.
After severely beating TJ and strangling him with a shoelace, the pair slashed TJ's throat and stabbed him twice in the neck before leaving him to die along a deserted farm road between St. Adolphe and St. Agathe.
During the attack, the men also attempted to kill TJ by injecting him with syringes filled with drain cleaner and lighter fluid.
"It was an idea (the minor who issued the murder) got from a Val Kilmer movie," Wiebe told students.
During his presentation, Wiebe chronicled TJ's early life and how once he became a teenager, he began experimenting with drugs and eventually became addicted to and began dealing methamphetamine with the minor who ordered his murder, a decision that ultimately cost him his life.
"I don't want anyone to forget this story, and I don't want anyone to leave here thinking that something like this will never happen to them, because that's what TJ thought," said Wiebe. "People will do anything to anyone when they're involved with drugs."
Wiebe spoke twice on Tuesday, once in the morning and again in the afternoon for Grade 12 students, and ended his presentation with a short video that depicted TJ's sadly short life in photos.
"I hope you guys make good decisions in life, because that will mean everything to TJ, and it will mean everything to me," Wiebe concluded.
Stacey Herda was one of many Comp students who had the opportunity to hear Wiebe speak, and says she was impacted by his story."I really enjoyed his presentation, it was really down to earth and it was a real story, not just someone standing there and saying 'don't do drugs'," said the Grade 12 student.
Herda says she believes Wiebe's message that drugs are a problem that can happen to anyone, regardless of their social situation or home life, hit students the hardest.
"I've had the chance to talk to a lot of people about the presentation, and many of them had a good reaction," said Herda.
"I think it's a good story for the students to hear because we all know these things do go on, and I'm sure we all know some people who are in that same situation."
She adds that she thinks targeting highschool kids to deliver the message that drugs are dangerous is a smart choice, saying the pressures teens face can lead to poor decision making.
"Just thinking about the move from junior high to high school, it's a really drastic change," said Herda. "Everyone starts falling into different places and making different friends, and I think the stress of that along with schoolwork can act as a trigger (for substance abuse problems)."
Herda is also one of a group of students who have been helping to organize and put on the Addictions Awareness Week. She introduced Wiebe to students before his presentation, and encouraged them afterwards to take his message to heart and share it with others.
A member of student council, Herda says when she was approached to help out with the awareness week, she was initially hesitant, thinking the message wasn't going to be effective.
"I didn't really want to be involved at first, because I thought it was going to be the same 'just don't do drugs' message that we hear all the time," said Herda.
"But I got a chance to go and see what some other schools were doing and hear Floyd (Wiebe) speak, and it was really interesting, it really opened my eyes."
Though she is graduating this year, Herda says she plans to continue participating in addictions awareness events, and has even inquired about helping out with the foundation the Wiebe family has set up in TJ's memory – TJ's Gift.
Jan Harris, the Comp's resident Addictions Foundation of Manitoba Youth Counsellor, says although there is no magic formula to ensure kids don't go down the same road as TJ Wiebe, she encourages parents to be open with their kids, and maintain a channel of communication.
"The most important thing you can do to try and get your kids to stay away from substance abuse and addiction is to talk to them," said Harris.
"Let them know what you expect from them, and that you expect them not to get involved with drugs. Let them know you are there, and that you can be a resource for them if they need someone, or are in a difficult situation."
She also suggests parents go through hypothetical situations with their kids, to help them know how to make the right decisions if they're faced with a problem.
"Talk about different scenarios and ask them what they would do, and how would they handle that," Harris said.
"Then you can discuss those situations together and hopefully, if they ever come across that problem, they'll make the right choice."
For more information about addictions resources or TJ's story and his foundation, visit www.afm.mb.ca or www.tjsgift.com.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Floyd Speaks to Marion School
Today, I was invited back to speak to the Grade 7 & 8 students at Marion School. Even though I had spoken to this same group of kids a year ago, the teachers invited me back to speak once again, telling TJ's Story. It was great, many of them hugging me as I entered and left the room. These kids really wanted to hear the story again. Its so great that this happens as it constantly reminds them to make good choices.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Selkirk Journal's Pre-Story of Floyd's visit to Selkirk Comp School
Powerful message coming to Comp
Powerful message coming to Comp
Posted By John Towns
TJ Wiebe was, by all accounts, a bright and caring 20-year-old man who unfortunately was also involved in using and dealing drugs – a pursuit which ultimately cost him his life.
On Jan. 5, 2003, TJ was told that he was driving with two men, Anthony Pulsifer and Chad Handsor, to look at a car stereo that one of their uncles had for sale. After driving south past Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway, Pulsifer began stabbing TJ with syringes filled with drain cleaner and lighter fluid. When this did not kill TJ immediately, Pulsifer removed a shoelace from one of his shoes and began strangling TJ with it, dragging him from the front to the back seat of the car. TJ lay in the back seat, occasionally gasping for breath as Handsor and Pulsifer drove to a secluded area between St. Adolphe and St. Agathe, where they dragged the still alive TJ from the car and proceeded to stab him twice in the neck before jumping on his chest and leaving him to die by the side of the road.
According to testimony given by Pulsifer and Handsor after their arrest later in 2003, they murdered TJ at the behest of another man, a minor at the time of the murder, who did not like the fact that TJ was close friends with his girlfriend.
"A lot of people, before they hear TJ's story, would just assume that he was just a drug dealer who did something bad to another drug dealer," said TJ's father, Floyd Wiebe. "But really, he was murdered because of essentially a love triangle, and it had more to do with the people he associated with as a result of being involved in drugs."
This Tuesday, Wiebe will be speaking to students at the Comp about his son TJ and the dangers of being involved in drugs as part of Manitoba Addictions Awareness Week, which runs from Nov. 15 - 21.
Wiebe and his wife Karen regularly speak to schools across the province on behalf of a foundation they set up in memory of TJ called TJ's Gift. The foundation, which was formed by the Wiebe family in the aftermath of TJ's death, financially supports peer-led drug and gang counselling across the province, and also runs workshops designed to teach young people about the dangers of getting involved in drugs and drug culture.
"I guess you could say the foundation was almost formed right at the funeral," said Wiebe. "We just collected donations in lieu of flowers, and by the end of that first little while, we were sitting with $4,000 that we weren't sure what to do with."
The family decided to put the money toward warning young people about the dangers of getting involved in drugs in an attempt to spare other families from having to endure the devastation of losing a loved one to violent crime. To continue to raise funds, they hold annual gala fundraisers, the latest of which raised over $50,000 last May.
Wiebe says he hopes when he makes his presentation on the 17th that students are able to take some valuable insight away and maybe make decisions that they would not have otherwise made.
"What I hope for, every time, is that TJ's story is able to connect with the kids. Because it's a true story, and it shows the consequences of not just doing drugs, but even just getting involved with the wrong types of people. It's a lot more effective than just saying 'don't do drugs,'" he said.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Battle of the Bands
Tonight at Dakota Collegiate's Theatre we have a semi final Battle. SOMA from College Jeanne Sauve, along with Ryan Lindsay from JH Bruns High School along with The Butterscotch Boys, also from JH Bruns High School will be battling it out to see who moves on to the GRAND BATTLE on Nov. 29th at the Garrick Centre. Tickets for tonight are only $2.00. Starts at 6:30. Be There!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Speaking Engagement at Rene Deleurme Centre
Today I spoke to a great group of kids in the Transitions For Success program. They are very attentive, and had some great conversations with some of the kids afterward. This is my 5th time speaking to kids in this program.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Murderer Anthony Pulsifer transferred to Grande Cache Institution. Here are the updates as to where Chad Handsor and Dominic Urichen are.
On November 9th, 2009, Anthony Pulsifer was transferred to Grande Cache Institution in AB. It is a medium-security facility located in Grande Cache AB.
Chad Handsor is in the Mountain Institution in Agassiz, BC. It is a medium-security facility located in Agassiz, British Columbia.
Dominic Urichen is in the Saskatchewan Penitentiary, Regional Psychiatric Centre. It is a medium security facility located in Prince Albert, SK
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