MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK: Luke Landry, 35, originally from the Strait area, was found deceased in a public washroom outside Moncton City Hall in New Brunswick in the early hours of Nov. 22, after being unable to find shelter for the night.
Landry’s mother, Mary MacDonald, said the family only learned of the death of her son hours after she believes the family should have been contacted. Police initially misidentified Landry, mistakenly telling another family their son had passed.
“They didn’t even call me. I called them that evening at 7 o’clock, and they said there was a mix up,” MacDonald said. “The police never contacted us, that was supposed to be the etiquette. There’s no excuse.”
MacDonald said her son was a lover of music and had a passion for theology. Family and friends say he also volunteered his time however he could, to help support people dealing with homelessness and addictions.
“He helped a lot of people. People reach out to us every day telling us how much his friendship and his passion for god helped other people,” she said.
“We loved him and he knew he was loved. I want people to start recognizing that these people on the street are somebody’s kids. They deserve a smile and to be recognized that they are still human beings. This is a stigma that’s crippling a lot of people.”
Landry was released from jail only hours before he was turned away from all the local shelters, while a new policy didn’t allow for the provision of an emergency hotel room.
MacDonald said they let her son out of jail without a jacket, proper footwear, or any help.
“That’s how they sent him out in November. I believe they need to have an advocate before they leave the jail. There should be something lined up,” she said. “This has to be changed; I think enough attention has to be put on it for there to be change. I’m not letting them sweep it under the rug.”
Landry grew up in Port Hawkesbury, had relatives throughout Richmond County, and attended SAERC. He would eventually go on to study Theology at Crandall University in Moncton, still keeping in touch with his family and friends throughout the region.
Michael Stone lives in Port Hawkesbury, and considers Landry one of his best friends throughout the years; he said Landry was also like a brother to him.
“I think more than anything I’m going to miss the way he always had a smile on his face,” he noted. “It kills me to think I’m not going to get a random message from him or he isn’t just going to show up at the house one day.”
A memorial was held for Landry in Moncton on Nov. 30, where around 150 people attended. Gordon MacLeod, an instructor of Landry’s at Crandall University, spoke at the memorial and said he got to know Landry not only as a student, but also as a friend.
“We just became friends,” MacLeod said at the memorial. “In the class I came to learn that Luke was bright, I came to learn that he was hard working and I came to learn that he was funny.”
A celebration of life for Landry is being planned by his family and will be taking place in the Strait area this summer.