APRIL 26, 2025

Dear reader,

Yesterday morning, Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia declared a mistrial in the world junior hockey sex assault trial.The reasons were undisclosed, protected by a publication ban, but the abrupt end to the proceedings was the latest upset for the heavily scrutinized case in which five players—Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Cal Foote and Dillon Dubé—stand accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a gala in London, Ontario, in 2018. A new trial with a new jury is scheduled to begin on Monday, but the case’s central question will remain: What qualifies as consent?

The same question was at the core of the Jian Ghomeshi trial almost a decade ago, with the same media circus surrounding it. In her 2015 feature, writer Leah McLaren, a former friend of Ghomeshi’s, delved into the conversations around the radio host in the months between his arrest, his trial and his eventual not-guilty verdict—and examined the lines people draw in the face of a national reckoning.

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—Stéphanie Verge, features editor

I knew him to be a charming, if temperamental, narcissist who desperately wanted to be adored—and he was, until it all came crashing down. Now he’s surrounded by a small circle of admirers who either believe he’s innocent or have forgiven his sins

BY LEAH MCLAREN | JUNE 17, 2015

Being rich and successful wasn’t enough for Jian Ghomeshi. He wanted to be adored. This meant finding a platform and a fan base. When he landed in radio and became the host of CBC’s Q,it was clear he’d found his place. He was wonderful at engaging listeners by quickly and articulately dashing up to the edge of a point, then slowing down to a Cheshire Cat purr—a trick that would eventually become a signature element of his daily monologue. What was startling about the allegations against Ghomeshi was not that a seemingly law-abiding person was accused of doing terrible things. That happens all the time. It was the way Ghomeshi wove the most cherished and sacred liberal values of Canadian society into an ingenious disguise. The fact that we believed in a cuddly, wholesome version of him made the crimes he was accused of doubly galling. 

In the latest issue: true tales from Toronto’s brain gain. Plus, a Q&A with David Cronenberg, the rise and fall of the 21st century’s most wanted bank robber, and more. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.

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