When the Survivors Memorial Monument was unveiled late last summer at the Huronia Regional Centre (HRC) cemetery, it was an important and emotional milestone for many.
While the stunning monument was hailed as a “beautiful sculpture,” those who worked long and hard to ensure the monument was created say there is more work needed to ensure the memorial is accessible.
Debbie Vernon, the communications coordinator for Remember Every Name - a group that is working to identify and mark gravesites at the cemetery - recently wrote a letter to city council asking the municipality to consider funding for amenities that would open up the monument to more people.
“Survivors hope to have a walkway installed leading from the cemetery and around the monument to be accessible to all people and seating for those who visit,” Vernon wrote in her letter to council.
“At the dedication ceremony last August, a couple of councillors with the City of Orillia approached me indicating interest in helping us with the walkway, plaque, benches and sodding around the monument after it was announced at the dedication ceremony that it was our intent to continue the work to have this done,” she explained.
The group has decided that Instead of erecting a plaque, the hope is to install two black granite benches to match the materials and workmanship of the monument.
The wording, originally intended for a plaque, would instead be engraved on the backrest of the benches. One bench would have the words engraved into the granite and the other bench would be engraved with braille which would enable blind and partially sighted people to read through touch.
“We hope the city can find a way in their budget to install the accessible walkway, sod and benches to help the survivors finish this project,” said Vernon.
While the request was referred to staff for comments and further information, Coun. David Campbell said he thinks council should try to help.
“Mayor (Steve) Clarke, Coun. Tim Lauer, Coun,. Jay Fallis and myself attended the monument ceremony,” said Campbell.
“Tim and I really noticed the difficulty some people were having with getting to the monument (very difficult in a wheelchair for example). We had a conversation with the group … about what the city might be able to do to help with the situation,” said Campbell.
“We wondered if it might be possible to include sidewalk creation as part of the city’s annual sidewalk budget,” he said.
“As the City of Orillia benefitted from having the HRC as a large local employer for many years, it seems appropriate to try and cover these costs for the site,” said Campbell.
Vernon said the “beautiful sculpture was designed in collaboration with Huronia Regional Centre survivors and created by noted metal sculptor Hilary Clark Cole in conjunction with Signature Memorials.”
Funding for the HRC survivors memorial monument came from the Huronia Regional Centre class action settlement.
The survivors hosted a dedication service last August as a tribute to remember those who are buried at the HRC cemetery.
“Most were buried with a number and not a name and staff later removed most of their grave markers,” Vernon explained.
She said survivors would like to include a statement to commemorate the monument on new granite park benches. This is the proposed wording:
“Crows have long memories and remind us we are not alone in caring for this place and the people buried here. They call out and encourage us to speak and demand the truth. As survivors we call on our communities to listen and learn from our experiences, so history will not repeat itself. Butterflies represent the freedom and achievements of survivors lives outside the institution. Forget-me-nots signify our commitment to remembering what must never be forgotten. This monument serves as a testament- to the pain and hopes of people who are now free but who can never forget; and to the dream and struggle to end all institutions where people are not free. Hear the chorus of our hearts. Honour every death, remember every name, cherish every life.”
It would be dedicated "to all those who survived living at the Huronia Regional Centre and to those whose lives ended here. May peace be with them.”
