Announcement
Virtual Support Group Session, Wednesday, February 12th, 7-8 pm EST
Dr. Paul Demers will join the Support Group Session to give a presentation "Mesothelioma by the Numbers: Tracking the Impact of Asbestos."
Dr. Demers is the Scientific Director of the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC), as well as a Senior Scientist with Ontario Health and a Professor with the Occupational and Environmental Health Division of the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. He has a PhD in Epidemiology and an MSc in Industrial Hygiene, both from the University of Washington in Seattle. Paul is internationally recognized for his expertise on the health effects of workplace exposures and has sat on many expert panels, including the International Agency for Research on Cancer working groups that evaluated carcinogens such as dusts and fibres, firefighting and formaldehyde. He is also a member of the CMF Scientific Advisory Committee.
The session will be moderated by Robin Forbes, oncology social worker, and the co-lead of Psychosocial Oncology at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. There will be time for questions and discussion following Dr. Demers' presentation.
Please register by emailing skirouac@cmfonline.org
In Memory of Éric Jonckheere
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of our friend and colleague Éric Jonckheere, a courageous activist for justice for asbestos victims and for a global ban on asbestos.
Éric and his family endured an unimaginable degree of suffering caused by asbestos. Their story began in a small company town in Belgium, where Éric’s father was the manager of an Eternit asbestos cement factory. A significant proportion of the asbestos used there came from Canada. Eventually, Éric’s father, mother and two of his brothers died from mesothelioma. Tragically, Éric himself joined them on December 13, 2024 after a tenacious struggle against the relentless cancer that began four years ago. His story will of course resonate deeply with many of you, from your own experience or that of a loved one with mesothelioma.
Éric decided years ago that he would not rest until he helped to win justice for asbestos victims and achieve a global ban on asbestos. He made a magnificent contribution to that struggle. He was a charismatic, bigger than life, figure who won people over with charm and humour (often dark) as much as by statistics and policy arguments.
Éric contributed greatly to our asbestos struggle in Canada, as he did in many parts of the world. Alec Farquhar, CMF Board Member and Coordinator of Asbestos Free Canada, was privileged to host him in 2012, when he stood in solidarity with hundreds of activists of Sarnia, Ontario. This was a major moment of progress on our journey to ban asbestos in Canada in 2018.
Éric visited Canada again in 2019, when the CMF sponsored the Canadian launch of Daniel Lambo’s film “Breathless”, which portrayed the global reach of the asbestos industry, grounded in the story of the Jonckheere family. In 2022, the CMF supported the global distribution of the English translation of Éric’s book.
After his mesothelioma diagnosis, Éric came to Toronto in November 2023 and gave a powerful speech at the CMF’s conference. Again, he showed us the urgency of supporting the best possible research into early detection and treatment of mesothelioma. With CMF support, Éric also visited the closed asbestos mines in Quebec – in the town formerly called Asbestos and now called Val des Sources. Éric was in great discomfort at times but courageously and in good humour confronted once again the place where the asbestos in his lungs came from.
Éric was a powerful influence in our movement and a great friend of the CMF. We miss him deeply.
In love and solidarity with Éric, his family and many friends and colleagues
The Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation held a fundraising and awareness raising event with award-winning photographer and filmmaker, Louie Palu, at the Stephen Bulger Gallery, 1356 Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6J 1Y2. 
