Man found dead on Mapleton Road in December remembered in Riverfront Park ceremony

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About 20 people gathered yesterday in Riverfront Park in Moncton to honour the life of a man whose name none of them knew. In fact, not one of the 20 or so people in the park yesterday had ever even met the man.

The life of the "unknown citizen," an unidentified man found dead on the side of Mapleton Road in December, was honoured yesterday with a tree-planting ceremony in Riverfront Park.

The man, presumed to be homeless and perhaps travelling through Moncton at the time of his death, was found on the side of Mapleton Road, a victim of the harsh winter elements. While a sketch of the man was circulated, he has not been identified to this day.

Even still, local non-profit groups, in collaboration with the City of Moncton, chose to honour the "unknown citizen," not only in memory of his life, but also as a symbol of the poverty that unfortunately exists in our own backyard.

"It's a physical monument to a man we don't even know," said Bethany Thorne-Dykstra, president of Voice of Real Poverty Inc., a group designed to improve quality of life and act as an advocate for people living near or below the poverty line. "We want people to remember this man did make a difference in his own way."

Thorne-Dykstra said the monument would stand not only in remembrance of the man who died cold and alone along a Moncton street, but also as a reminder that poverty and homelessness do exist in Moncton.

"There's real poverty in the city and normally you don't see it unless you walk down a certain street or go into a soup kitchen," she said.

Sean Tobin, the managing director of Mobile One Soup Kitchen helped spearhead the project to honour the unknown citizen. "We don't really ever want to come to this situation again," Tobin said. "It's a terrible way to go, alone in a snowbank with no one but God to hold his hand."

The red oak sits along the walking path in Riverfront Park between the Moncton Fire Department and the Moncton Press Club. Underneath the tree is a plaque with the sketch of the man on it. The plaque reads: "In memory of the unknown citizen who passed away on Mapleton Road on December 2, 2007 and for all those who have died alone or homeless."