TURNED AWAY BY SHELTER, HOMELESS MAN'S SLEEP IN DUMPSTER IS DEADLY

Fort McMurray, Alberta, - A homeless man who took refuge in a garbage
dumpster after being turned away from the city's shelter died when he was
accidentally tossed into a disposal truck the next morning. Eli Cardinal,
44 died of asphyxiation consistent with the compacting that occurs in large
garbage trucks, the medical examiner said in a news release. His body was
found Saturday at the city dump. Police believe he was picked up from a
downtown dumpster Friday morning. "I'm kind of frustrated and mad," said
Eli's brother, Stan Cardinal. "To me that's how the town treated us native
people, like garbage. My brother, he was such a mellow and kind-hearted
guy. He never would raise a hand to no-one. What a way to die."

Wayne Burt, co-ordinator of community services for the Salvation Army, said
it appears staff turned away Eli Cardinal when he showed up drunk at the
shelter, long after the 11 PM curfew Thursday night. "These are the two
reasons he wasn't allowed in," Burt said. "We're just not equipped for
that." He said people are only allowed in after 11 PM if they are working
late or clear it with staff beforehand. "We find when people are coming in
late they're coming in intoxicated, disturbing everyone," Burt said. "Some
people need to get up early and that's not fair."

Stan Cardinal said Eli ended up in foster homes after their mother left the
family. He said they faced discrimination because their father wasn't a
status Indian, as well as having to cope with domestic violence and drug
and alcohol abuse. "Nobody cared about us," he said. "We grew up like
dogs." Burt said policy changes at the shelter are unlikely. "You have to
operate with rules and regulations," he said. Street people "still have to
take some responsibility for themselves to a point."