55-551: Raymond L. "Ray" Loewen (born June 27, 1940) is a Canadian businessman, best known as the former owner of Loewen Funeral Group, as depicted in the 2023 film The Burial . Loewen also had a brief political career, serving as an MLA in British Columbia in the late 1970s. Loewen was born into a prominent Mennonite family in Steinbach, Manitoba in 1940. His uncle founded Loewen Windows , while his father, Abraham Loewen, founded
110-565: A contract with Raymond Loewen of the Loewen Group , who offers to buy three funeral homes but O'Keefe demands that the Loewen Group must not sell funeral insurance to settle the deal. Four months later, the Loewen Group still delays their payment for the purchase of the three funeral homes. Furthermore, Raymond never honored the oral agreement between him and Jeremiah of not selling funeral insurance. His young lawyer Hal Dockins suggests that Loewen
165-527: A decline in resource sectors and a subsequent rise of high value-added services and technology sectors. The presence of BCIT and SFU promoted research & development in the area. For example, manufacturing plants near Still Creek closed in the late 1970s, only to reopen few years later as film production studios. The continued expansion of media production in Burnaby contributed to Hollywood North . Burnaby occupies 96.6 square kilometres (37.3 sq mi) and
220-437: A hierarchical society. Burnaby's marshlands along its rivers and lakes were cranberry harvesting areas for numerous villages, some numbering over 1,000 residents. Indigenous people travelled through Burnaby to reach the mouth of Brunette and Fraser River for the bountiful fishing seasons, eulachon in the spring and sockeye salmon in the late summer. Early European explorers and fur traders introduced diseases that decimated
275-468: A huge potential payout, O'Keefe names Gary as his lead attorney and even re-mortgages his own home to pay for his services. Upon receiving the offer, Loewen hires a black lawyer team fronted by Mame Downes for similar reasons. In court, O'Keefe is cornered when Downes questions his character and points out his financial troubles stem from business deals with a now-convicted felon. Blaming Gary, O'Keefe replaces him with Allred as lead attorney. Dockins produces
330-533: A land area of 90.57 km (34.97 sq mi), it had a population density of 2,750.6/km (7,124.1/sq mi) in 2021. In 2016, the median age is 40.3 years old, slightly younger than the British Columbia median of 43.0 years old. Burnaby has diverse ethnic and immigrant communities. For example, North Burnaby near Hastings Street has long been home to many Italian restaurants and recreational bocce games. Metrotown 's high-rise condominium towers in
385-514: A lead to the black National Baptist Church, revealing that the Loewen group did exploit the church members to sell overpriced packages to other members of the black community. When Raymond Loewen is confronted with this in court and shows no remorse, the jury is swayed in O'Keefe's favor, awarding him $ 500 million in damages—$ 100 million in compensatory damages and $ 400 million in punitive damages . Two years later, Ray Loewen gets fired from his position and
440-475: A valuable witness who insinuates that Loewen overcharges minority communities. Downes in turn questions Allred and reveals that his grandfather was a member of the Ku Klux Klan . When Gary stands up for Allred, his angered black legal team leaves him. Allred realizes he is too compromised and retracts from the case to give the team a higher chance to win. Just when O'Keefe decides to drop the case, Dockins digs up
495-743: Is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia , Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula , it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard Inlet with its Indian Arm to the north, Port Moody and Coquitlam to the east, New Westminster and Surrey across the Fraser River to the southeast, and Richmond on
550-449: Is bounded by Burrard Inlet and the Fraser River on the north and south, respectively. Burnaby, Vancouver and New Westminster collectively occupy the major portion of the Burrard Peninsula . The elevation of Burnaby ranges from sea level to a maximum of 370 metres (1,214 ft) atop Burnaby Mountain . Due to its elevation, the city of Burnaby typically has more snowfall during the winter months than nearby Vancouver or Richmond. Overall,
605-435: Is home to multiple museums highlighting the diverse history and culture of the city. Burnaby Village Museum is a 4.0-hectare (10-acre) open-air museum preserving a 1920s Canadian village. The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre, which includes a Japanese garden, opened in 2000 to promote awareness and understanding of Japanese Canadian culture. The Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology and SFU Galleries are located within
SECTION 10
#1732851526953660-515: Is intentionally trying to run O‘Keefe into bankruptcy by delaying the payment to snatch up his entire business at a cheaper cost. An enraged O'Keefe hires Willie E. Gary , a flashy Florida personal injury lawyer , at Dockins' suggestion, because he thinks that his white contract lawyer Mike Allred will be unable to convince the presumably black jury. Initially, Allred wants a settlement of $ 8 million but Gary fires back confidently that they could get 100 million dollars in settlement instead. With such
715-493: Is located 365 metres (1,198 ft) above sea level on Burnaby Mountain. Therefore, climate records are cooler and wetter, with more snowfall, as compared to the rest of the city. Burnaby has an oceanic climate ( Cfb ) with mild, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada , Burnaby had a population of 249,125 living in 101,136 of its 107,046 total private dwellings, an increase of 7% from its 2016 population of 232,755. With
770-480: Is located at the geographic centre of the Metro Vancouver Regional District . The city has four areas of urban density known as "town centres": Lougheed, Edmonds, Metrotown , and Brentwood. The city's governmental and cultural precincts are located in Burnaby's Deer Lake area. Situated between the city of Vancouver on the west and Port Moody , Coquitlam , and New Westminster on the east, Burnaby
825-500: Is located atop Burnaby Mountain . In Maclean's 2020 rankings, the university placed first in their comprehensive university category, and ninth in their reputation ranking for Canadian universities. British Columbia Institute of Technology 's main campus in Burnaby, home to more than 49,000 full-time and part-time students, was established in 1964. A new $ 78 million, net-zero emission Health Science Centre, expected to open in late 2021, will accommodate 7,000 students. Burnaby
880-564: Is loosely based on the true story of lawyer Willie E. Gary and his client Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe 's lawsuit against the Loewen funeral company , as documented in the 1999 New Yorker article of the same name by Jonathan Harr . It stars Jamie Foxx as Gary, Tommy Lee Jones as O'Keefe, Jurnee Smollett , Mamoudou Athie , and Bill Camp . It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2023, and
935-992: Is served by Metro Vancouver's bus system , run by the Coast Mountain Bus Company , a division of TransLink , the region's transportation authority. The 49 bus route, connecting Metrotown and the University of British Columbia , is the second most boarded bus route after route 99 , which is the busiest bus route in North America. Burnaby is also served by the R5 Hastings St RapidBus . The 2050 Burnaby Transportation Plan, adopted in December 2021, outlines three targets: to reduce traffic fatalities to zero, to increase public transit and active transportation to 75 percent of all trips, and to reduce vehicle emissions by 100 percent. While Burnaby occupies about 4 percent of
990-649: The British Columbia Institute of Technology are located in Burnaby. It is home to high-tech companies such as Ballard Power ( fuel cell ), Clio (legal software), D-Wave ( quantum computing ), General Fusion ( fusion power ), and EA Vancouver . Burnaby's Metropolis at Metrotown is the largest mall in British Columbia, the third most visited in Canada and the fifth largest in the nation. Canada's largest film and television production studio and more than 60% of BC's sound stages are in Burnaby, contributing to
1045-843: The Burnaby Art Gallery , Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, and the Burnaby Village Museum. Michael J. Fox Theatre , a community theatre that seats 613, with 11 wheelchair spaces, is situated within Burnaby South Secondary School . The city's main stadium, Swangard Stadium , is located in Central Park (Burnaby) . It was completed in 1969. The stadium was home to the Vancouver 86ers (now the Vancouver Whitecaps FC ) in
1100-707: The Canadian Soccer League from 1986 to 2010, when the team relocated to BC Place to play in the Major League Soccer . Burnaby co-hosted the 1973 Canada Games with New Westminster . Burnaby Velodrome hosted the National Junior and U17 Track Championship in 2014. Burnaby was the host for the 2014 IQA Global Games , the second edition of the international quidditch championship. The SkyTrain Operations Controls Centre 1, built in
1155-540: The Lougheed Highway , Kingsway (which follows the old horse trail between Vancouver and New Westminster), Canada Way and Marine Drive/Marine Way. Douglas Road, which used to cross the city from northwest to southeast, has largely been absorbed by the Trans-Canada Highway and Canada Way. Since the 1990s, more than 70 kilometres (43 mi) of bike routes and urban trails have been laid in Burnaby. The city
SECTION 20
#17328515269531210-578: The Lulu Island to the southwest. Burnaby was incorporated in 1892 and achieved its city status in 1992. A member municipality of Metro Vancouver , it is British Columbia's third-largest city by population (after Vancouver and Surrey), and is the seat of Metro Vancouver's regional district government. 25% of Burnaby's land is designated as parks and open spaces, one of the highest in North America . The main campuses of Simon Fraser University and
1265-552: The Metrotown neighbourhood, the downtown area of Burnaby, is the largest mall in British Columbia with West Vancouver 's Park Royal in second place. It is the second largest in Canada behind the first-place West Edmonton Mall in Alberta . Metropolis was the second most visited mall in Canada in 2017 and third most visited in 2018. Heavy industry companies including Chevron Corporation and Petro-Canada petroleum refines oil on
1320-632: The Social Credit and BC Liberal parties) and federally (from the Reform , Alliance , and Conservative parties). Its longest-serving politician had been Svend Robinson of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Canada's first openly gay member of Parliament, but after 25 years and seven elections he resigned his post in early 2004 after stealing and then returning an expensive ring. Burnaby voters endorsed his assistant, Bill Siksay , as his replacement in
1375-516: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 92% of 123 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "A solid courtroom drama led by a pair of nicely contrasted performances, The Burial hits the expected genre beats -- and remains a crowd-pleasing treat at every turn." Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Burnaby Burnaby
1430-532: The 1980s, is responsible for the maintenance and operations of both the region's Expo Line and Millennium Line . In 2021, construction began on a $ 110 million Operations Controls Centre 2 to accommodate growing transit ridership. The Expo Line, completed in 1986, crosses the south along Kingsway. The Millennium Line, completed in 2002, follows Lougheed Highway . The SkyTrain has encouraged closer connections to New Westminster , Vancouver , and Surrey , as well as dense urban development at Lougheed Town Centre on
1485-499: The 41 elementary schools and 8 secondary schools – are managed by School District 41 in Burnaby. It operates a community and adult education department, an international students program, and a French immersion program. The British Columbia School for the Deaf is located on the same grounds of the Burnaby South Secondary School . Simon Fraser University 's main campus, with more than 30,000 students and 950 staff,
1540-504: The Indigenous population. This false appearance of Burnaby as a vast open space, along with traditional Indigenous farming techniques which did not permanently alter the landscape, meant Indigenous land in Burnaby was mislabelled as terra nullius . The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858, the first of many gold rushes in British Columbia, brought over 30,000 fortune seekers, including many American miners. The fear of an impending annexation by
1595-618: The Loewen Funeral Chapel in Steinbach in 1931, the first funeral home in southeastern Manitoba. Loewen attended high school at Steinbach Collegiate Institute, playing hockey and football and after high school completed a theology degree at Briercrest Bible College in Saskatchewan. In 1962, Loewen married Anne Heinrichs in Saskatchewan and returned to Steinbach. Upon Loewen's return to Steinbach, his father became ill, and Loewen took over
1650-480: The Loewen Group in a breach of contract suit. In the trial Gary emphasized Loewen's lavish lifestyle, including the ownership of a yacht , and The Loewen Group's agreement with the National Baptist Convention . Jurors concluded from internal Loewen memos and other evidence that the deal, never completed, had just been a ploy to string Mr. O'Keefe along while keeping him out of the funeral markets Loewen
1705-774: The O'Keefe lawsuit was criticized by some legal experts, but Loewen was unable to appeal, and this setback led to a significant downturn in the company's fortunes. After the O'Keefe verdict in 1995, Loewen remained CEO of the Loewen Group until 1998, when he sold his shares in the company. The Loewen Group filed for bankruptcy protection in 1999 and, in 2002, it was restructured as the Alderwoods Group . In 2006, Alderwoods board of directors sold Alderwoods to Service Corporation International (SCI), an American funeral corporation. In 2008, Loewen's Twin Cedars estate in Burnaby , British Columbia,
Raymond Loewen - Misplaced Pages Continue
1760-612: The Simon Fraser University campus at the top of Burnaby Mountain. Burnaby Public Library was first established in 1954. It currently has four locations throughout the city, including the Bobbie Prittie Metrotown, McGill, Tommy Douglas and Cameron branches in each of the four town centres. The library system holds over three million items in circulation, with more than 5,000 visitors per day. Many cultural facilities are located in or around Deer Lake Park , including
1815-517: The United States led to the creation of the Colony of British Columbia in 1858 and the establishment of New Westminster as its capital. Settlers in Burnaby acquired land through a process called pre-emption which allowed people to claim a piece of land by clearing forests and building houses. Indigenous people were excluded from pre-emption. Royal Engineers dispossessed land from Indigenous people with
1870-457: The assistance of military force including the original routes of North Road, Kingsway, Canada Way, and Marine Drive. Logging permits given to settlers destroyed the forests of southern Burnaby which had provided vital sustenance for Indigenous people. The City of Burnaby is named after Burnaby Lake, in turn named after Robert Burnaby , who was a Freemason , explorer, and legislator. He was previously private secretary to Colonel Richard Moody ,
1925-534: The cast in a role Harrison Ford was considered for. In November, Jurnee Smollett was added to the cast. Principal photography took place in New Orleans , starting in March 2022. The Burial premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2023. It was released by Amazon MGM Studios in a limited release on October 6, 2023, prior to streaming via Prime Video on October 13, 2023. On
1980-457: The city's eastern border, at Brentwood Town Centre in the centre-west, Edmonds –Highgate in the southeast and, most notably, at Metrotown in the south. Major north–south streets crossing the city include Boundary Road, Willingdon Avenue, Royal Oak Avenue, Kensington Avenue, Sperling Avenue, Gaglardi Way, Cariboo Road, and North Road. East–west routes linking Burnaby's neighbouring cities to each other include Hastings Street , Barnet Highway ,
2035-528: The company eventually goes into bankruptcy. After the closing credits Willie E. Gary in person appears in a cameo. The film is an adaptation of Jonathan Harr 's article "The Burial", published in 1999 by The New Yorker . In March 2018, Amazon Studios announced it was developing the film with Doug Wright writing the script and Alexander Payne in talks to direct. By November 2020, Maggie Betts came on board to direct with Jamie Foxx attached to star and produce. In October 2021, Tommy Lee Jones joined
2090-458: The company expanded into the United States. In the years that followed, Loewen rapidly expanded his company, purchasing hundreds of small independent funeral homes. By the mid-90s, the company had 15,000 employees and operated 1,115 funeral homes and was the world's second-largest funeral chain. In 1995, Jeremiah O'Keefe , a funeral home operator in Mississippi represented by Willie E. Gary sued
2145-412: The family funeral chapel and immediately fired his own brothers from the company. He ran Loewen Funeral Chapel in Steinbach for five years, before moving to Fort Frances, Ontario in 1967 and ultimately Burnaby, British Columbia in 1969 where he purchased two more funeral homes. At that time, he also became involved in real estate and transportation. The original Loewen Funeral home in Steinbach burned to
2200-484: The first land commissioner for the Colony of British of Columbia. In 1859, Burnaby surveyed a freshwater lake in the city's geographic centre. Moody named it Burnaby Lake. Burnaby was established in 1891 and incorporated a year later in 1892. In the same year, the interurban tram connecting Vancouver , Burnaby, and New Westminster began construction. The expanding urban centres of Vancouver and New Westminster influenced
2255-468: The ground in 1976 and was later rebuilt at a different location. A cairn in Steinbach commemorates the spot of this original funeral home. In 1975, Loewen ran for office in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia . He won the election and represented Burnaby-Edmonds from 1975 to 1979 as a Social Credit MLA. As of the early 1980s, Loewen owned a small handful of funeral parlours, including
Raymond Loewen - Misplaced Pages Continue
2310-564: The growth of Hollywood North . The city is served by SkyTrain 's Expo Line and Millennium Line . Metrotown station in Metrotown is the busiest station on weekends and the second-busiest on weekdays in regional Vancouver's urban transit system as of 2021. Early inhabitants were the hən̓q̓əmín̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking Coast Salish Nations. Local landmarks such as Burnaby Mountain, Deer Lake, and Brunette River feature prominently in Indigenous history passed down through oral traditions. The northern shorelines of Burnaby, along
2365-607: The growth of Burnaby. It developed as an agricultural area supplying nearby markets. Later, it evolved into an important transportation corridor between Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Interior . The introduction of the Skytrain's Expo Line cemented this trend into the 21st century. As Vancouver expanded and became a metropolis, Burnaby was one of the first-tier suburbs of Vancouver, along with North Vancouver and Richmond . During
2420-619: The highest in North America. It also maintains some agricultural land, particularly along the Fraser foreshore flats in the Big Bend neighbourhood along its southern perimeter. Major parklands and waterways in Burnaby include Central Park , Robert Burnaby Park , Kensington Park , Burnaby Mountain , Still Creek , the Brunette River , Burnaby Lake , Deer Lake , Squint Lake , and Barnet Marine Park. Burnaby's Simon Fraser University weather station
2475-547: The land area of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, it accounted for about 10 percent of the region's population in 2016. It is the third most populated urban centre in British Columbia (after Vancouver and Surrey), with a population of 249,125 (2021). Politically, Burnaby has maintained a left-wing city council closely affiliated with the provincial NDP and school board for many years, while sometimes electing more conservative legislators provincially (from
2530-453: The original location in Steinbach and several in British Columbia, with Loewen mostly focusing on other real estate investments. After Loewen's brief political career and downturn in the BC real estate market in the early 1980s, however, he refocused on the funeral business, establishing the Loewen Group and purchasing 45 funeral homes in western Canada . In 1985 Loewen Group went public and, in 1987,
2585-452: The physical landscape of Burnaby is one of hills, ridges, valleys and an alluvial plain. Burnaby is home to many industrial and commercial firms. British Columbia's largest (and Canada's second largest) commercial shopping mall, Metropolis at Metrotown , is located in Burnaby, as well as malls in Brentwood and Lougheed town centres. Still, Burnaby's ratio of park land to residents is one of
2640-406: The second narrows of Burrard Inlet was the site of an ancient battle between the attacking Lekwiltok and the defending Musqueam according to Chief Charlie Qiyəplenəxw. The Coast Salish people living in BC and Washington state numbered more than 100,000 people, a level of population density supported by agriculture in other geographies. Techniques to preserve and store surplus food sustained
2695-413: The shores of Burrard Inlet . Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers , Pacific Blue Cross and Nokia have significant facilities in Burnaby. Other firms with operations based in Burnaby include Canada Wide Media , Doteasy, Telus , Teradici , Mercedes-Benz Fuel Cell, HSBC Group Systems Development Centre, and TransLink . eBay ceased local operations in 2009. Over 24,000 students – across
2750-432: The south have been fuelled in part by arrivals from China ( Hong Kong and Macau ) during the 1990s, Taiwan, and South Korea . According to the 2021 census, ethnic Chinese make up the largest ethnic group of Burnaby with 33.3% while Europeans make up a close 2nd with 30.5%. According to the 2006 census, 54% of Burnaby residents have a mother tongue that is neither English nor French. The 2016 census found that English
2805-424: The suburbanization of Burnaby, "Mid-Century Vernacular" homes were built by the hundreds to satisfy demand by new residents. The establishment of British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in 1960 and Simon Fraser University (SFU) in 1965 helped Burnaby gradually become more urban in character. In 1992, one hundred years after its incorporation, Burnaby officially became a city. Since the 1970s, Burnaby has seen
SECTION 50
#17328515269532860-529: Was listed for sale at C$ 25 million, and was sold June 2012 for C$ 9.948 million. Ray Loewen was portrayed by Bill Camp in the 2023 legal drama film The Burial about the O'Keefe case. After the release of the film The Burial , Loewen was the subject of a spoof on the Mennonite satire website The Unger Review . The Burial (film) The Burial is a 2023 American legal drama film directed by Maggie Betts and written by Betts and Doug Wright . It
2915-498: Was released by Amazon MGM Studios in a limited release on October 6, 2023, prior to streaming via Prime Video on October 13, 2023. In 1995, financially troubled funeral home owner Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe is forced to sell parts of his business to meet financial demands by the Mississippi State Insurance Commission after losing tons of money from a Ponzi scheme by one of his business associates. He makes
2970-602: Was seeking to dominate. The defense introduced testimony about a deal Mr. Loewen had with the black National Baptist Convention to buy their graveyards and employ thousands of black church workers as agents to sell Loewen burial contracts. The move backfired when the jury learned that unlike Mr. Loewen's deals with whites, the contracts did not include services like embalming and viewing at Loewen-affiliated funeral homes. The jury awarded O'Keefe $ 500 million and, unable to afford an appeal, Loewen settled with O'Keefe for $ 175 million. The large amount of punitive damages awarded in
3025-752: Was spoken as the mother tongue of 41.33 percent of the population. The next three most common languages were Mandarin (14.53 percent), Cantonese (12.32 percent) and Tagalog (3.35 percent). According to the 2021 census , religious groups in Burnaby included: The city features major commercial town centres, high-density residential areas, two rapid transit lines, technology research, business parks, film studios such as The Bridge Studios , and TV stations such as Global TV . Major technology firms such as Ballard Power Systems ( fuel cell ), D-Wave Systems ( quantum computing ), Clio (legal tech), Creo (imaging), and Electronic Arts Canada (studio) have their headquarters in Burnaby. Metropolis mall located in
#952047