It is with sadness that we share the news of the passing of members of the CTRF community.


Judy Cairns
1943 – 2021

Judith Basinger-Cairns beloved wife of Malcolm Cairns has passed away, from complications following a brain aneurysm, at the Civic Hospital in Ottawa on Aug 26 aged 78.

Born on August 6, 1943 in Cincinnati Ohio, she lived in Elyria for 20 years and graduated from Elyria High School with the Class of 61. Daughter of Richard and Gale Stith now deceased, she is survived by her two children Scott and Brooks Basinger, by her two step-children Alastair and Michael Cairns, by her two sisters Donna Slocomb and Barbara Terrell, several nieces and nephews, and by her first husband Scott Basinger Sr. Together with grandchildren Halle and Johanna and great grandchildren Robyn and Wren, the family is mourning her unexpected passing.

Educated at Syracuse University where she earned a Masters degree in fine arts, she spent the first part of her career teaching high school in California and Texas, and later teaching art at Canterbury and Brookfield high schools in Ottawa. As a teacher, she had a very particular ability to inspire talented students and to encourage them into seeking further education and careers in the fine arts. She was also a long-time member of the congregation at the Anglican Church of St. Barnabas at 70 James St. in Ottawa.

Dispersal of the immediate family across the continent, as they grew up, resulted in their many successes but meant that personal contact was less frequent than she might have liked, especially during COVID. However, it did provide her an earlier opportunity to travel widely overseas, both before and after her retirement, and it gave her a wealth of experience of foreign places and cultures, and very many fond memories.

Latterly, Judy was able to spend her winters at the family beach condo in St Augustine, Florida where she made several close friends, especially the Dolan’s and the Wipping’s, and a circle of lady friends which met periodically for lunch. When at home in Ottawa she became an avid gardener, enjoyed boating on the Rideau River, book reading, watching classic movies, dining with friends, and strolling and chatting with neighbours while walking her dog Linus. She loved cooking and entertaining, and could sometimes be found whistling a mean tune while she was working.

The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to the doctors and nurses at the Ottawa Civic Hospital. Her deeply held Christian faith, and wonderful and loving companionship with Malcolm over forty years, has left an indelible mark and she will be sorely missed by all who loved her.

There will be a reception in her memory at the Capital Funeral Home and Cemetery at 3700 Prince of Wales Drive, in Manotick on September 9th at 4 pm. The following day at 11am there will be an Anglican funeral service at St Barnabas Church in Ottawa. Following the service, her remains will be interred at a private ceremony at the cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to St Barnabas Church.


Harvey Romoff
1936 – 2018

ROMOFF, Harvey 1936 – 2018 Peacefully, on Wednesday, September 12, 2018. Beloved husband of Susanne Gardner. Father of Jordan (Susan), Janie, and Joff (Tara). Grandfather of Claire, Zoe, Jake, and the late Ariel Romoff. Son of the late Lily and the late Israel Romoff. A brilliant student at McGill and MIT, Harvey excelled at what he did. He was curious, a voracious reader, a music lover and always a delight to be around. He loved food and was both a gourmand and a gastronome – loved to cook at home and with his friends – had a cookbook library and an interesting wine cellar. Harvey worked for Canadian Pacific for more than forty years, completing his career as Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Pacific Ships in London, England. He will be deeply missed by his wife, Susanne, and by his family and many friends. Special thanks to the Doctors, Nurses and Staff at the CHUM for their exceptional care and compassion, as well as to all those whose support meant so much to his family. Funeral service from Paperman & Sons, 3888 Jean Talon St. W., on Monday, September 17 at 11:00 a.m. Burial at the Highland View Section, Lakeview Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Pointe-Claire. Reception to follow burial, at a location to be announced. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Harvey’s memory may be made to the CHUM Foundation, (514) 890-8077. “He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and Sunday rest” W. H. Auden

NB  Harvey was a founding member of CTRF; serving on the board of directors from 1965-1969. Harvey was President of CTRF in 1967-68.


Dr. Pavlos Kanarolgou
1948 – 2016

PavlosKanaroglouOne of the giants of Canadian human geography has left us far too soon with the passing of Pavlos Kanaroglou on May 13, 2016.   Pavlos was a faculty member at McMaster University for a quarter century and had recently moved on to become Professor (Emeritus). He was a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Spatial Analysis from 2002 to 2015, the Director of the McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics from its founding in 2007 until the present and the founder and leader of the Centre for Spatial Analysis at McMaster.  More recently, he had the role of Principal Investigator for the $2.4 million “Social Costs and Benefits of Electric Mobility in Canada” project funded by SSHRC and Automotive Partnership Canada.  His record of peer-reviewed publications is lengthy with several foundational works and he served on multiple editorial boards and national and international committees. His interests were diverse and included the interplay between transportation and land use, the health impacts of vehicular emissions, the use of quantitative techniques in spatial analysis and many others.

While the list of achievements is impressive, the man himself was even more so.   He came from a family of modest means and was heavily influenced by his childhood in a working class Athens, Greece neighbourhood.  He grew up to be a tremendously determined person and a superb leader of people.   He had great vision and clarity and stuck strongly to his convictions.  Colleagues depended on him for advice and many of Pavlos’ students will tell you that he changed their lives.   And there were many students he mentored:  13 PhD students, 32 Master’s students and 15 post-doctoral fellows along with the thousands of undergraduate and graduate students he taught over the years.  Pavlos lived in Hamilton, Ontario from the mid-1970’s onward and was a concerned and involved local citizen.  He leaves behind his wife Vina, daughter Niki and son Savas.

MITL was a great passion of Pavlos’ and we see the future development of MITL as an important component in celebrating and preserving his legacy.

As requested by his family, donations in memory of Pavlos can be directed to the McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics through  www.ifundmac.ca