Norman J. Ryan

Norman "Red" Ryan, (8 July 1895 – 23 May 1936) was a notorious gangster in early 20th century Toronto, Ontario. He came from an Irish Catholic upbringing and he took to the streets as a young man to engage in crime. He was called the 'Jesse James of Canada' and he was known for armed robbery, safecracking, and other major theft. He killed six people in his career. He was arrested in Minnesota on 14 December 1923 and given life imprisonment, which he served in Canada. He served his sentence at Kingston Penitentiary. He was killed in a liquor store in Sarnia by a police officer after being shot 3 times.

In prison he lived the life of a model prisoner and became a poster child for the prison reform movement in Canada. A large-scale movement to change the parole system with such supporters as Prime Minister R.B. Bennett, several major newspapers and major politicians, led to Ryan's release from prison in 1935.

After his release he hosted a popular radio program on CFRB where he denounced the criminal lifestyle and his own past life. The last broadcast of Ryan's programme on CFRB came directly before the news broadcast about his death in Sarnia. Edward McMullen tried to flee into the United States but he was gunned down at the Blaine crossing in British Columbia/Washington after he opened fire on the border guards when they decided to search him. The Archdiocese of Toronto refused to give Ryan a Catholic burial.