‘JOY IS TRUE JOY’: Toronto’s first 2023 murder victim remembered
Toronto’s first murder victim of the new year will receive the Compassion Award from the Immigrant Women in Business organization at their “signature event” on March 8 during an International Women’s Day Celebration.
Joy Barnwell, 70, who was a founding member of IWB representing St. Vincent in the Caribbean, was killed Wednesday in North York and her 27-year-old son, Michael Rawlins, charged with second degree murder.
“You know those people who, no matter what, you will call them and they’ll help? So she’s those type of people,” said IWB CEO-founder Svetlana Ratnikova, who’s originally from Russia.
“She helped with so many women who came to this country because they needed to start with a career and she would help them with a diversity and inclusion career in government because she was a consultant for TELUS and for Royal Bank.”
Toronto police officers responded to the area of Seneca Hill Drive and Finch Avenue East, just east of Don Mills Road in North York, at around 8:15 p.m. for a medical call Wednesday night and found a woman with injuries in medical distress who died on the scene.
“(On) social media everybody looks happy but, at the same time, I think we need to go back to basics – home parties and getting people together and holding hands and having sincere conversations,” said Ratnikova.
“Once I got to know her so much better on a friend’s level, she told me that she had challenges at home with her own son right? But ‘That’s okay,’ she said. ‘I mentor him. You know, I understand people. We are all going through challenges in our family. We have to be super patient and super compassionate and lead with love.’”
Despite knowing Barnwell’s issues at home, Ratnikova said she was still “completely shocked” upon hear the news of her murder.
“I was completely floored,” she said. “I didn’t expect it.”
Ratnikova said Barnwell’ s biggest passions were serving the undeserved, specifically immigrant women coming to Canada and youth empowerment, the latter the subject of a new initiative to be launched at Metro Hall on Jan. 27.
“She was supposed to be playing a big part of that – oh God,” said Ratnikova, adding there will be a minute of silence in Barnwell’s honor.
“You know sometimes how people walk into a room and they don’t need to say anything and you want to talk to them? So this is Joy. Joy is true joy. Someone’s presence who would lighten the room. (You’d say) ‘Joy can you help?’ (She’d say), ‘Yes, I can help.’ And you can forget about the person (needing help). You’d know that she’ll be employed or that she’ll be guided or she’ll be mentored. (Joy) made such a difference in so many people’s lives. It’s unbelievable.”
