TORONTO – Despite being on house arrest, Christopher Husbands was able to work at Stan Wadlow Clubhouse in Toronto – a city run after school program without providing a criminal background check.
Husbands’ was on house arrest for a drug conviction at the time of the shooting.
Located at 373 Cedarvale Ave, near Woodbine ave and Cosburn ave, the Stan Wadlow Clubhouse offers social, educational, and support services for adults, as well as arts programs for all ages.
Preschool programs as well make up part of the Wadlow Park services.
Husbands’ began working for the city of Toronto in November 2011 – his last day was on May 18, 2012.
Though some reports suggest Husbands’ was fired from his job, Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti told Global News that Husbands’ quit.
The revelation that Husbands’ worked with children as a city employee has sparked outrage and an investigation in city hiring practices.
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“We are conducting a thorough investigation and a comprehensive policy review to improve hiring procedures in Parks, Forestry and Recreation,” said City Manager Joe Pennachetti in a press release on Wednesday.
When the shooting happened at the Eaton Centre, city policy was that employees would be asked for a criminal record check, though the city was not forced to confirm the checks.
“Legislation does not mandate that we have the police checks confirmed,” Pennachetti said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Currently, because the thousands of temporary and part-time workers the city parks, and recreation department hires, they are not mandated to confirm the checks – the city manager announced on Wednesday that after Saturday’s events, he has put a stop to that practice.
“as of today, I have stopped that,” Pennachetti said. “No one will be hired until that police check has been verified, and of course we don’t want to hire anyone with a criminal record.”
Husbands had a long criminal record, including convictions for possession of drugs in 2008, 2010, and 2012.
Saturday’s shooting at the Eaton Centre left one person, Ahmed Hassan dead, and six other people wounded.
Hassan was shot several times in what police called a targeted attack. Media reports suggest that both Husbands and Hassan were part of the ‘Sic Thugs’ gang in Toronto.
The city of Toronto is one of the country’s largest employers of youth with approximately 10,000 part-time recreation workers.
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