Orillia actor, speaker and writer Ralston Harris recently posted a video to Facebook titled ‘An Open Letter to Orillia.'
The poignant video sheds light on issues such as mental health, drug addiction, rising crime, and unemployment - all big issues in Orillia, he said.
“This is an open letter to Orillia, the city that I grew up in, the city that’s getting depressing,” Harris says in the video.
“Three suicides, two murders, one year, zero answers. It breaks my heart.”
The Orillia native who now resides in British Columbia says his poetry-styled rant is his reflection on a tough year where a handful of his friends in Orillia tragically passed away.
“The last year has been really hard on a lot of people with COVID and everything, and it’s really hit home for me being as far from Orillia as I am,” he said.
“To be frank and honest, there have been a lot of suicides, lots of mental illness, lots of drug use, drug addiction, even overdoses, and the issues have become more apparent and clearer.”
The former Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School and Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute student says something is missing in Orillia; it could be a lack of conversation, a lack of services for people suffering from addiction or mental health, or a lack of access to services, he suggested.
“I thought there was a need to create conversation perhaps, but also to shed light on the issues that are happening in Orillia,” Harris said.
In the video, Harris says, “Tim Hortons every 40 feet? Yeah, but a city must prioritize its obligations to its people in the northeast,” which is in reference to the popular ‘Orillia Song,’ a comedy bit from a Tbag and Bonkers video that made the rounds on the internet 14 years ago.
The reference was also a way for Harris to shed light on the ever-growing retail market for cannabis shops in Orillia, that stands in stark contrast, he says, to a lack of services for addiction supports.
“There are more Tim Hortons or weed shops in Orillia than there are places for people to go in and get the help that they need, perhaps,” Harris said.
Since Harris published the video to his Facebook page last week, he says the response has been positive.
“I haven’t had one negative thing said to me directly or through social media, the response has been really positive,” he said.
“Strangers have been messaging me, friends I haven’t spoken to in years, even teachers have reached out. People want to know how they can help, and I just say spread the message, spread the video, open your ears and open your heart," Harris said.
The 32-year-old left Orillia five years ago to pursue his dreams of getting into show business and has been working in theatre and radio since. Despite making the video that talks about the darker side of Orillia, Harris says he is proud to call himself an Orillian.
“The video was also a way for me to pay homage to my hometown and also all the people I’ve lost,” he said.
Harris got his acting career started in Orillia; he was involved with an improv group led by Stacey Schat and Doug Ironside.
“I appreciate so many people in Orillia. There have been so many people that have helped me, from teachers to parents, to friends’ parents ... I’m grateful for them all,” he said.
As Harris progresses in his career, he hopes to inspire change to improve his hometown; he also hopes to be a positive influence for Orillia’s youth.
“I hope kids will do a lot more to not only represent Orillia but also put it on the map and make good things come out of there,” he said
