Ben Johnson among mourners at Dubin funeral
Posted by admin on October 31, 2008 under Misc. | 
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The cream of the legal profession came to pay their final respects to former Ontario chief justice Charles Dubin, and so did Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson.
Perhaps best known for presiding over an inquiry into steroid use in amateur sport, Dubin was also noted for how fairly he treated witnesses.
Johnson’s coach, Charlie Francis, whose revelations at the 1989-1990 Dubin Inquiry helped blow the lid off sports doping, could attest to that.
“He was a great man and, you know, I wanted to pay my respects,” Francis said outside Holy Blossom Temple after yesterday’s funeral service.
Dubin made it easier for him to tell his story, he said.
“He did his best to bring everything out and give us a chance to say how things were.”
Johnson, who was stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for steroid use at the 1988 Seoul Olympics – sparking the inquiry – echoed his former coach’s comments.
“He treats everybody fairly in the Dubin Inquiry and we come forward and tell the truth about what happened in sports.”
Among the luminaries who came to remember Dubin were former Ontario premiers Bill Davis and Bob Rae, Associate Chief Justice Dennis O’Connor, Chief Justice Warren Winkler and former chief justice Roy McMurtry.(more)