Toronto police arrest man in fatal hit-and-run of Filipina nursing home worker

Toronto Police have arrested and charged a man for a hit-and-run that killed a Filipina nursing home worker who was crossing the street on her way home last month.

According to the 32nd Division of the Toronto Police Department, Maritess Martin-Catacutan was hit by a 2001 Dodge Ram van as it turned onto Steeles Avenue West at the corner of Yonge Street on November 25.

• Failure to stop at scene of accident (Criminal Code of Canada charge)
• Careless driving (Ontario Highway Traffic Act charge)
• Failure to yield to pedestrian (Ontario Highway Traffic Act charge)

The 32nd Division said these charges were read before the courts and prosecution may take one to two years.

According to a report by Pinoy OFW, a website dedicated to news on Filipinos abroad, the woman arrived in Toronto in 2008 and "has been away from her family ever since".

 

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According to her Facebook profile, Catacutan worked at The Village of Humber Heights, a care center with special facilities for those with Alzheimer's Disease.

She studied at Arellano University and came from Saguday, Quirino, where her family lives.

 

Canada's National Housing Survey recorded 662,605 Filipinos living and working in Canada as of 2011.

This number is expected to grow in 2014 when the new Live-In Caregiver Program will admit 17,500 foreign workers, including Filipinos, into the country. — Rie Takumi/JDS, GMA News