A statue honouring the memory of a Toronto boy who died in 2002 is to be unveiled in an east-end park later this month.
The city of Toronto confirmed that a sculpture is being installed at Greenwood Park on Oct. 18, in honour of five-year-old Jeffrey Baldwin, who died after being starved and neglected by his grandparents.
Todd Boyce, a resident of Ottawa who was moved by Baldwin’s tragic story, raised money online for a bronze bench and statue of the boy dressed as Superman. Ontario artist Ruth Abernethy designed the artwork.
Signatures and messages from people who contributed are inscribed on the bench, and “take up every square inch of the slats,” Boyce said in an email.
The statue honours Jeffrey’s love of the superhero.
At first DC Entertainment, the company that owns the rights to Superman, declined to grant permission to use the superhero’s logo, saying it didn’t want it associated with child abuse. The company then reconsidered, and said it would allow the use of the logo.
Boyce said the statue weighs more than 900 lbs.
