BY ANDREA HOUSTON – The night Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke was honoured with the Ally Award from PFLAG Toronto, he presented a gift of his own.
On behalf of the Leafs, Burke gave the Toronto Police Service a new police horse named “Moose,” the nickname he called his son Brendan, on Jan 16. Brendan came out very publicly in 2007. Shockingly and sadly, he died in a car accident in 2010.
Since then, Burke has become a vocal advocate for gay rights and is currently on a mission with his son Patrick to eradicate homophobia from hockey through the You Can Play project.
The horse appears as a $6,650 item in the police board agenda, released March 22.
(Photo of Moose courtesy of Mark Hayes, Toronto police.)
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