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Families who donated bursary funds still waiting for answers from Laurentian University

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Sudbury -

It's not unusual to find former Sudbury Police Chief Alex McCauley down by the boardwalk, getting his daily exercise, but these days he has a lot on his mind.

It's been only a few years since his daughter Karen past away. The McCauley family and friends worked to set up a bursary in her name and so far, they haven't heard anything as to its current status.

"I was shocked and astounded … because we had heard nothing until all of the sudden the ship was on the rocks," said McCauley.

He said his daughter poured her blood, sweat and tears into that school. A graduate of Laurentian, she taught, lived and breathed social work.

"She lived for family as well but had just recently been appointed as the director for the school of social work," McCauley beamed.

He and his wife, his son-in-law and people who came to her celebration of life contributed to the fund. The last he heard, he believed the balance was about $28,000.

"Karen passed away in September 2018 -- she was 50 years-old," McCauley said. "So we're still grieving. This is all very fresh and you know, I try to do what I think is the right thing and recover this money for her and speak on her behalf. I know she would be speaking on everyone else's behalf because Karen was no shrinking violet."

A seasoned investigator -- but more importantly in this case, a proud father -- he said the school should be giving the affected families answers.

"We have to establish our university back to where it was before, we have to find those who are accountable, if there's any wrongdoing or whatever that people are held to account," McCauley said.

"We want the money back, of course, but we want the money back for all of the people that have suffered loss."

It's a similar story for Pat Costigan and her husband, John, who lost their son James in a mining accident in 2004.

It's been almost 18 years since they lost their beloved son, but this situation at Laurentian has brought it all back up again.

 

"When this happened, it brought back 2004 again and it probably has for the other parents, too," Costigan said.

"It suddenly brings back -- it's like you stepped on his grave again and that's how I feel... I'm passionate about it and I feel it's wrong -- there's something wrong."

She said her son was a proud engineer and enjoyed travelling the globe, but it was his sense of humour and love of life that endeared him to most.

Costigan describes him as an "Irish" storyteller, the type that didn't have to work very hard to meet new people and make new friends.

One night while he was trying to figure out what he was doing around the kitchen table, he threw out the idea of becoming an engineer, which came as a surprise to his parents.

The company he worked for helped to establish a bursary in his name at Laurentian with what they believe had more than $90,000. They haven't heard anything from the university since creditor protection began.

She said the school owes her family and others an apology.

"I think all the parents want to see that -- they want to know where the money is, is there going to be any money left, how are they going to continue with the bursaries," Costigan said.

CTV News reached out to Laurentian University who declined to comment or offer a statement. They did direct us to a website with documents connected to the insolvency process.

One dated Feb. 7 from the monitor of the process – Ernst & Young – said Laurentian received approval to segregate those funds in a separate account and said the following:

"Amounts owing in respect of the current 2020-21 academic year and future amounts payable to students in respect of student scholarship, bursary or grants, will be paid in the ordinary course."

-With files from Darren MacDonald

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