Philip Mascoll

Veteran Jamaica-born journalist Philip Mascoll died in Toronto on Monday, September 14, after a months-long illness. He was 77. An editor, reporter and former member of the Star’s investigative team, he was also inaugural President of the Jamaican Diaspora Canada Foundation. Mascoll received his early education at Jamaica College before moving to the UK, where he studied journalism, political science, and sociology. He returned to Jamaica in 1971 and worked in communications and community relations before moving to Toronto in 1980.

Mascoll joined the Toronto Star in February 1981. He worked as a writer, editor and assignment editor, covering crime, courts, civic affairs, and Toronto’s diverse communities, before leaving the Star in 2008. His work was marked by a persistence to pursue difficult stories. “He was like a mentor, a very gregarious guy with a real presence, certainly in the office and later in the newsroom,” said Toronto Star Public Editor Donovan Vincent, who worked with Mascoll.