'It just takes one bad dose': Coroner rules NDG fixture Sean Abbott died from overdose
'It just takes one bad dose': Coroner rules NDG fixture Sean Abbott died from overdose
A beloved man who was a fixture on the streets of Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighbourhood died last year from a combination of street drugs in his system, including fentanyl, a coroner has ruled.
Sean Abbott fell ill on a sidewalk after midnight on Sept. 18, 2022 and asked a bystander to call 911. He was rushed to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
A coroner report that has not yet been made public but obtained by CTV News showed that there were traces of cocaine, fentanyl and alcohol in Abbott's blood. There were no signs of trauma and the family reported no history of self-harm.
His death was ruled accidental.
NDG residents gathered in Parc Girouard on Sept. 24, 2022 just days after the death of Sean Abbott in a vigil to honour his memory (Luca Caruso-Moro, CTV News).
Abbott, who spent much of his life homeless, was beloved among locals, who crossed paths with him at his usual spot -- the dollar store near the intersection of Sherbrooke and Wilson. Those who knew him described him as a kind, smiling socialite who rarely forgot people's names.
His longtime friend, Michelle Jette, said the cause of death brings some closure, but said what happened to him is a cautionary tale for people living in vulnerable situations.
"It just takes one bad dose, one hot dose to kill you and rip you from the people you love," she said Thursday.
Jette said she tried to help him with his addiction issues and to find him housing and work, but was sometimes faced with resistance.
Now that he's gone she wants people living with similar challenges to know that help is out there.
"You can always seek for help. Sean felt that he was hopeless, that he couldn't change. But he could have," she said, overcome with emotion.
"Even if you feel no one's there you've still got yourself. I think Sean … didn't value himself in that way. And I'm really sad he couldn't change that in his life and he can't change it now. Take care of yourself. People love you. There's someone out there who cares about you."
Thinking back to the community vigil last September, she said she was overwhelmed by the turnout and the nearly $3,000 that was raised to support his family. To honour his life, the community held a clothing drive to donate sweaters and warm jackets to people in need.
She said it spoke to the impact Abbott had on the people who came to know him.
Residents put flowers, pictures, and cards at the base of a tree located at the home intersection of Sean Abbott during a daytime vigil on Sept. 25, 2022 (Luca Caruso-Moro, CTV News)
A makeshift memorial set up at the base of a tree near his spot after his passing remains there today.
Over the years, it had become known in the community as Sean's tree.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.
In an effort to keep the foreign interference story at the forefront, and to do an apparent endrun around the Liberal filibuster blocking one study from going ahead, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is forcing MPs to debate and then vote on a motion instructing an opposition-dominated House committee to strike its own review.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to meet with Vladimir Putin in a political boost for the isolated Russian president after the International Criminal Court charged him with war crimes in Ukraine.
Even at one of the tallest natural peaks on Earth, humans have left their mark in a trail of bacteria as researchers have found germs from coughing and sneezing that have been potentially preserved for centuries on Mount Everest.
March 20 marks the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, and, after a long, grey winter, Torontonians can soon look forward to warmer temperatures and sunnier days.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
The University of Prince Edward Island Faculty Association says its staff has gone on strike after what it says are failed attempts to enter additional negotiations with the university's administration.
The student union president at Cape Breton University said food insecurity has become a concern for many students and the on-campus food bank cannot keep up with demand.
The University of Prince Edward Island coach is defending the team’s actions, after the University of Alberta team skated off the ice without handshakes at the U Sports Men’s Hockey National Championship in Charlottetown.
Lane restrictions are now in place on Wellington Street as construction gets underway on Phase 1 of the Wellington Gateway and Municipal Infrastructure Improvements project.
The first day of spring in the London region will be a beautiful one. The daytime high is forecast to be 6 C, slightly warmer than the average high for this time of year.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
The Town of Strathmore and Siksika Nation hosted the first Lead By Example Powwow this weekend in honour of a young Indigenous man who was shot to death four years ago.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
A community is in mourning after a 10-year-old girl was killed earlier this week when flames tore through her family’s camping trailer southeast of Brantford.
St. Patrick's day street parties in Waterloo, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau making an announcement in Guelph, and a woman charged with defrauding doulas round out the most-read stories of the week.
Vancouver firefighters were called to the Downtown Eastside Sunday evening after a fire destroyed multiple tents in an encampment and spread to a building near Main and East Hastings streets.
An international student was swarmed and beaten by a group of people who ripped off his turban and dragged him across the sidewalk by his hair in Kelowna, B.C., Friday evening, according to a local politician.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in 'What Happened to Ben' on CTV W5.
The investigation into a house explosion in Windsor will continue Monday. The process wrapped up for the day around 7 p.m. at the scene on Aspen Lane in east Windsor.
The first day of spring in Windsor-Essex will be a beautiful one. The daytime high is forecast to be 9 C, nearly 2 C warmer than the average high for this time of year.
Travel nurses go from place to place, all over the world, filling in wherever help is needed. To assist with current shortages, some are in Saskatchewan.
Pile O Bones hosted their 18th annual tattoo convention at the Turvey Centre on the weekend where artists from around the country were able to highlight their talent.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
The Rideau McDonald's Farewell March brought people from across the city, some dressed in costumes, who wanted to say goodbye to a part of what they say makes Ottawa Ottawa.
If you are yearning to walk the trails around Mud Lake in the Britannia Conservation Area, be aware there are wild turkeys looking for mates. A gang of three have been chasing and pecking at visitors to the nature trail for weeks.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
NDG residents gathered in Parc Girouard on Sept. 24, 2022 just days after the death of Sean Abbott in a vigil to honour his memory (Luca Caruso-Moro, CTV News).
Residents put flowers, pictures, and cards at the base of a tree located at the home intersection of Sean Abbott during a daytime vigil on Sept. 25, 2022 (Luca Caruso-Moro, CTV News)
