How many people have been killed by Pit bulls in Canada over the past

45 years?
Answer: One - or the same number of people killed by Michael
Bryant, the former attorney general responsible for banning pit bulls
and pit bull-type dogs in the Ontario province.
Tens of thousands of Canadian pit bulls, totaled, are responsible for
the same number of human fatalities as the single man who made it
his mission to demonize and destroy an entire breed/type of dog.

_______________________________________________

Michael Bryant charged in cyclist's death

Cycling community gathers at scene of accident to mourn death of Darcy Allan Sheppard
Published On Tue Sep 1 2009

Longtime friend of Darcy Allan Sheppard, Brian Harris is seen sitting on Bloor St. near University Ave. during a protest held by Toronto cyclists after Sheppard was
fatally wounded in an altercation with a driver

PAWEL DWULIT / TORONTO STAR

CTV Videos
Michael Bryant arrested
Police question Michael Bryant in fatal crash
Michael Bryant sits in back of cruiser

Video: Bryant charged in cyclist's death

Robyn Doolittle, Danielle Wong , Nicole Baute Staff Reporters

Former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant has been charged with criminal negligence causing death after a 33-year-
old cyclist was struck and killed last night.

He was also charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death.

Friends identified the victim as bicycle courier Darcy Allan Sheppard, father of three.

Bryant, 43, spent the night and morning in custody. He stared straight ahead as he left the Traffic Services police station
at about 2:30 p.m. today, amid the flash of cameras and buzz of reporters' questions.

Dressed in a suit, but looking tired and distraught, he read a brief statement.

"May I ask for your understanding in not making a statement today on last night's tragic events. At an appropriate moment
I will of course speak to you.

"I would, however, like to extend my deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Sheppard. To all those who have offered
support to my family in the past 12 hours, thank you," Bryant said, choking up slightly.

Bryant is scheduled to appear in Old City Hall court on Oct. 19.

Just after 5 p.m. today, more than a dozen cyclists blocked traffic on Bloor St., laying down their bikes at the spot where
Sheppard died, chanting "murder."

The cyclists, mostly couriers, brought traffic in both directions to a standstill between Unviersity Ave. and Bay St. They
also taunted motorists, yelling at them to turn around and give them space to mourn their friend.

Sheppard's girlfriend Misty arrived and laid down flowers.

The cyclists dispersed at around 6:10 p.m. and traffic resumed.

Sheppard, who was called Al by friends, was likely heading to his new home in the Dupont and Dufferin Sts. area at the
time of the incident, friends said. They said Sheppard had just got back together with his on-again-off-again girlfriend,
Misty, and had said he wanted to marry her.

"Things were starting to go well for him right around now. Stuff was looking good for him," said 24-year-old Sana, who did
not want to give her last name.

Witnesses on Bloor St. last night described a heated confrontation between the driver of a black Saab convertible and a
cyclist that began near Bloor and Bay Sts. at about 9:45 p.m.

Police Sgt. Tim Burrows said that after a minor collision, the cyclist grabbed hold of the car, which drove west on Bloor
toward Avenue Rd.

Witnesses said the cyclist clung to the driver's side of the car, which had its top down, while the driver yelled at him to get
off.

The vehicle veered into the eastbound lanes and mounted the curb, brushing against trees and poles. The victim was
apparently run over by the rear wheels of the vehicle, witnesses said.

The driver's wife was a passenger in the car, police said.

"Lots of people were watching and they couldn't believe what was happening," said Ryan Brazeau, a worker with a crew
laying sewer pipes on Bloor.

One construction worker told CTV News he heard the squeal of tires and saw the car racing the wrong way down the
street past their construction site, with the cyclist hanging onto the car.

"The guy hanging onto the car, hit the mailbox, hit the road, (then) . . . the car ran over him with the back tires," the
witness said. "The guy bounced and the car sped off . . . the person was there just bleeding."

The witness said he felt sick to his stomach when he saw the cyclist "bleeding from his head, his mouth."

Sheppard was taken to St. Michael's Hospital with serious head injuries and died around midnight.

Burrows said a large portion of the incident was captured on surveillance video and that investigators are working to fill in
the gaps.

Police said alcohol was not involved.

On the website Biking Toronto Forum, a message was posted that said cyclists planned to gather at the same spot
Wednesday at 5 p.m.

This morning two of Sheppard's friends sat on the sidewalk scrawling notes for their friend, which they taped to a tree.

"He had a rough go," Will Pierson, 26, said. "And just this last week he had kind of turned his place around and all these
things were starting to look up for him and that's why it's such a f-ing tragedy."

Pierson said he saw a bike on the news on TV this morning and recognized the wheel set as Sheppard's. He and Sana
went to find him afterward at his home, but no one answered.

A friend called at that time and told them the news, Sana said.

The last time Pierson saw Sheppard was yesterday morning and they had chatted about guitar amps.

He and Sana were supposed to swing by Sheppard's house after work yesterday, but no one answered when they got
there.

"He was totally getting his life back on track, which is the part that makes it really, really hard to deal with," Pierson said.

Friends also said Sheppard was an amateur stand-up comedian who sometimes performed at open mike nights at local
clubs.

Bryant was reportedly in contact with a lawyer. Around 12:50 p.m., lawyer Andrew Evangelista arrived at Traffic Services
in a black Cadillac, saying he was visiting Bryant as counsel and as a friend.

Bryant was first elected MPP for St. Paul's in 1999 and won re-election in 2003 and 2007. He was awarded Now
Magazine's Best Toronto MPP for 2008.

Residents on a small street in the St. Paul's riding said they were shocked to hear about the alleged incident.

"I just saw the headline," said one man, who asked not to be named.

"He's a busy guy, we don't see him around very much."

When a Star reporter visited Bryant's two-storey Victorian home on Foxbar Rd., at the intersection of St. Clair W. and
Avenue Rd., a woman closed the curtains. She could then be seen in the window talking on the phone while two children
played.

Bryant was Ontario's youngest-ever attorney general, serving throughout the McGuinty government's first four-year term.

Bryant legalized paralegals, fixed election dates, banned pit bulls, overhauled the human rights system, re-created the
Law Reform Commission, re-established civilian oversight of police and depoliticized Justice of the Peace appointments.

Bryant, who also served as aboriginal affairs minister, stepped down as Ontario's economic development minister in May
to become president and CEO of the new Invest Toronto corporation chaired by Mayor David Miller.

In a statement issued this morning, Miller expressed "sincere condolences to the family and friends of the cyclist who died
last night following an incident in the Yorkville area."

But citing the ongoing police investigation, he declined to comment further.

Bryant's former boss, Premier Dalton McGuinty, also reacted to news of the accident at a press conference this morning
calling it "very sad, very tragic.

"My thoughts are with the family and friends of the gentleman who lost his life," he said.

McGuinty stayed away from answering questions as to how Bryant should be treated in court, given his former ministerial
position with the Attorney General.

"With respect to the case itself, I think the best thing to do is let the investigation unfold," said McGuinty. "I have
confidence that anyone who comes before Ontario courts will be treated with due process."