GTA
Apotex founder Barry Sherman and his wife Honey found dead in North York mansion


Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins confirms couple’s deaths in a tweet Friday afternoon.

Barry Sherman, founder of Apotex Inc., and his wife Honey have been found dead at their North York mansion.

Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins confirmed the death of the couple in a tweet Friday afternoon.

“Wonderful human beings, incredible philanthropists, great leaders in health care. A very, very sad day,” he wrote.

“Barry, Honey, rest in peace.”

Staff Sgt. Jeff Taylor of Toronto police’s 33 Division said officers were called shortly before noon to the home at 50 Old Colony Rd., near Bayview Ave. and Highway 401.

Police later described it as a medical call.

Taylor said that a “death investigation” is taking place and that the coroner is investigating.

Sherman founded Apotex Inc. in 1974. The company manufactures and exports generic pharmaceutical drugs to more than 115 countries, according to Apotex’s website.

Sherman himself has a net worth of $4.9 billion, making him among one of the richest Canadians.

Two Canadian newspapers reported that police were investigating the deaths as a possible murder-suicide, citing unidentified police sources.

The bodies were found hanging from a railing on the edge of a basement swimming pool, the Globe and Mail and Toronto Sun reported, citing police sources.

The newspapers reported that investigators were working on the theory that Barry Sherman, 75, killed his wife, hung her body and then hanged himself at the pool’s edge.

Keep It Real wrote:You think perhaps they were taken out by big pharma?

It's not like they've ever had a moral quibble about killing people...

Macdoc wrote:They were also heavy duty philantropists good for the cultural community ...what would you care? ...it's a Canadian story.....

Breaking Canadian story

The family of a Canadian billionaire and his wife have hit back at reports surrounding their recent deaths.
Police are treating the deaths of Barry Sherman and his wife Honey, whose bodies were found in their Toronto home on Friday, as "suspicious" but say no suspects are being sought.
Canadian media, citing police sources, say the case is being investigated as a possible murder-suicide.
But a family statement said no-one close to the couple believed this.
"Our parents shared an enthusiasm for life and commitment to their family and community totally inconsistent with the rumours regrettably circulated in the media as to the circumstances surrounding their deaths," it read.
The statement went on to call for a "thorough, intensive and objective criminal investigation" and for the media to stop reporting on the cause of the deaths until the investigation was finished.
Police work at the home of Barry and Honey Sherman in TorontoImage copyrightREUTERS

The Shermans were found dead at their home in Toronto
The couple's bodies were found by their estate agent, who had been trying to help sell the property. There was no sign of forced entry.
Police say they are awaiting the results of post-mortem exams before deciding on their next steps.
Several Canadian newspapers say they were told investigators were working on the assumption Mr Sherman had killed his wife before killing himself.
Mr Sherman was the founder and chairman of pharmaceutical giant Apotex, which sells generic medicines around the world.
He was one of Canada's richest men and a prominent philanthropist, with Forbes magazine putting Mr Sherman's personal net worth at $3.2bn (Can$4.1 billion; £2.4bn).
Mrs Sherman was a board member for several hospitals, charities and Jewish organisations. The couple had four children.
Tributes have been pouring in for the pair, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeting "condolences to their family & friends, and to everyone touched by their vision & spirit".

Keep It Real wrote:Falsifiability BB - and anyway; some conspiracy theories are philanthropic and harmless imo...so

“Apotex is known for actively fighting patent protections on brand-name drugs, primarily through litigation means. A New York Times cover piece on Apotex's founder, Bernard Sherman, described Sherman's work to get new generic drugs to market as "something of a crusade." The article goes on to explain that while some generic drug manufacturers cut deals with brand-name manufacturers over drug patents, Bernard Sherman and Apotex are against such deal-making.”

Beginning in 2005, Apotex worked on developing an HIV treatment involving three drugs, AZT, 3TC and Navirapin, which could be sent to countries in need under CAMR.[28] In September 2008, after four years of fighting "a morass of red tape and petty politics", Apotex shipped seven million doses of Apo-TriAvir, a generic AIDS medication, to Rwanda. The shipment provided enough medication to treat 21,000 Rwandans for a full year.

Police investigating Sherman deaths checking sewers for clues
Sewer searches can sometimes find objects that someone tried to stash, officer explains.

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What we know so far about the deaths of the Shermans
Toronto Star Toronto Star2d
The bodies of billionaire Barry Sherman, 75, and Honey Sherman, 70, were found inside their home at 50 Old Colony Rd. on Dec. 15. Here's what we know so far:
-- A Toronto police source told the Star it was the Shermans' real estate agent, who had been helping sell the home recently listed for $6.9 million, who found the bodies, entering the home after being unable to make contact with the couple.
-- Hours after the bodies were discovered, a detective confirmed no suspect was being sought and police have not said otherwise in the days since.
-- A police source confirmed to the Star that an early working theory for investigators was that the deaths were a case of murder-suicide. Barely 24 hours after the Shermans’ bodies were found, their four children released a statement blasting that scenario as a “rumour,” something close friends of the Shermans have also said.
-- Two days after the bodies were found, the Toronto police homicide squad officially took over as lead investigator; however, neither death has been deemed a homicide. Police are still calling the deaths suspicious.
-- Toronto police says the cause of death for both Shermans had been “ligature neck compression.” The pathological term describes death from hanging or strangulation with a ligature — an object such as a belt or rope.
-- A police source told the Star that the couple was found together, by their indoor pool, hanging off a nearby structure in a semi-sitting position.
-- Former homicide cops told the Star that investigators will be exploring all possibilities in the deaths, including murder-suicide, double suicide or double homicide.
-- Still yet to come back are toxicology results, which may help provide new information, including whether any drugs had been ingested.

Barry and Honey Sherman were murdered, sources say
The Sherman family’s private investigation into the shocking deaths of billionaire Apotex founder Barry Sherman and his wife Honey is revealing a very different story than the murder-suicide theory that has led headlines to date. A Star investigation reveals the details.

It’s double murder, not murder-suicide. Barry and Honey Sherman were killed in what looks like a professional, contract killing. That’s the conclusion of a variety of experts who have been hired by the family to probe the case.

Here’s the new information: There are markings on the Shermans’ wrists, an indication that at some point their hands were tied together, though no rope or other ties were found near the bodies. Toxicology tests on their bodies reveal no sign of drugs that would have contributed to their deaths. Men’s leather belts found around their necks were the cause of the “ligature compression” that killed them. A top forensic pathologist who did a second autopsy determined this was a double homicide, barring any new information that surfaces.

Meanwhile, the Toronto police would not provide any new information or comment on the findings of the family and maintain their classification of the deaths as “suspicious.”