NEWS RELEASE
COUNTY OF SIMCOE
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A historic and culturally significant landmark is an important step closer to its final home. Working to fulfil the vision of creating a historic lookout, and achieving this with First Nations and community partners, the County supports a community committee to carry out the vision and work to make the lookout site a reality.
The County of Simcoe, in collaboration with Friends of Wiidookdaadiwin, is pleased to announce that work has started to revitalize a closed landfill site located on George Johnston Road in Springwater Township.
The site, now named Wiidookdaadwin, will be repurposed to serve as a regional heritage attraction with scenic vistas, including the Minesing Wetlands, historic Fort Willow, Nine Mile Portage Trail and panoramas from Collingwood to Mount St. Louis Moonstone.
The site will also feature the bronze Wiidookdaadiwin icon created by world-renowned sculptor, Marlene Hilton Moore. The site will become the permanent home of the Wiidookdaadiwin icon, currently on display at the Simcoe County Museum.
The County has worked for several years with the visionaries who have collaborated on this project and who share the County’s values of preserving the natural treasures of the area and creating educational spaces dedicated to the history of our region.
Partners including the County of Simcoe, The Tri Council First Nations, Springwater Township, Rotary and many other individuals and contributors, have worked collaboratively in order to help bring to life the vision of the Friends of Wiidookdaadiwin.
Work on the site will continue this fall with an anticipated completion in 2020. The project is being supported by the County of Simcoe, with significant funding from partners and donors. To learn more about the Wiidookdaadiwin Lookout, or sponsorship and donor opportunities, please visit www.wiidookdaadiwin.org.
About the site
The County manages more than 40 landfill sites, which were uploaded from local municipalities in 1991. The majority of these sites are now closed to the public and serve no productive purpose. This closed landfill site now has the ability to be passively utilized by the public as an attraction due to its scenic overlook.
The views from the overlook are captivating and will serve as an attraction to local residents and visitors to our region. As a closed landfill site, which continues to be monitored and is compliant with the requirements of the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, this project will support public awareness about the environment, the importance of reducing our waste and our history.
About Friends of the Wiidookdaadiwin Committee and Wiidookdaadiwin icon
Formally known as the Huronia Lookout committee, The Friends of Wiidookdaadiwin were incorporated in 2018 to create and open the site now aptly named Wiidookdaadiwin. The Committee unveiled the Wiidookdaadiwin icon at the Simcoe County Museum in 2014, where it is currently on public display.
The Ojibway name of the bronze icon is Wiidookdaadiwin, an Ojibway word meaning “working together and helping one another”. The icon was created by renowned artist and Simcoe County resident, Marlene Hilton Moore. It was financed in part by the Government of Canada’s Canadian Heritage Building Communities through Arts and Heritage Program’s Legacy Fund.
Quotes
“The County recognizes the cultural significance of the Wiidookdaadiwin Lookout site and is honoured to work collaboratively with the Friends of Wiidookdaadiwin, First Nations, and our many other partners to make this project a possibility. In addition to the educational value, cultural importance and tourism benefits, this collaborative initiative aligns with our commitment to environmental stewardship. To repurpose this site with Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks endorsement is an important achievement.”
– George Cornell, County of Simcoe Warden
“Wiidookdaadiwin is a gift that allows us as all to acknowledge our past, celebrate our present and build our future. I want to thank all our donors, partners and board members for their many years of working together and helping one another, and sharing the journey. Soon this magnificent place will become a reality for all to see, learn, share and ultimately create a beautiful place of gathering. The Friends of Wiidookdaadiwin are committed to a new model of collaboration that honours our collective history and strives for true reconciliation.”
– Tony Guergis, Friends of Wiidookdaadiwin Chair
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