Downie
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He also produced the Secret Path from Wenjack’s story - as an animated film, a music album and Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel.ĭownie was honoured for his work on Indigenous causes by the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs.įor more information, visit downiewenjack.ca.Calling all Toronto fans of The Tragically Hip: frontman Gord Downie's former home is now up for sale in the city, and it's just a stone throws away from Castle Frank subway station.ĭownie's stunning former house is currently on the market for a cool $5,988,000, and it may not actually be the kind of home you'd imagine a rock legend living in (though it is a very elegant home!)Ĭourtesy of Donna Thompson | The Thompson Team He died at age 53 in October 2017 from an aggressive, incurable form of brain cancer, disclosed after a seizure in December 2015.īetween these dates, The Hip played a final Canadian concert tour in the summer of 2016 and Downie pushed Indigenous causes to the forefront, even imploring Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to make them a priority. Follwell said his family and several other physicians that he knew were supportive raised all of the money.ĭownie was the lead singer, lyricist and collaborative songwriter with Canadian iconic rock 'n' roll band The Tragically Hip. It asked for $25,000 during a five-year period. He met with RVH’s patient family advisory council, with the diversity and inclusion committee, which is part of the representation for Indigenous groups in the hospital.īut COVID-19 hit and everything was put on hold until mid-summer 2020, when the process began again - including meeting with the North Simcoe Muskoka Indigenous Health Circle and senior leadership at RVH.Īpproval came from the Downie-Wenjack fund last December. In late 2019, he contacted the Downie-Wenjack fund, asking to be part of the program. Matthew Follwell, RVH’s chief of oncology, who championed the legacy space. “This is a start and there’s more to come,” said Dr. RVH is the first public health-care setting in Canada to take part in this initiative. “The legacy space program has never been more important than it is today.” “It is an initiative that honours truth and reconciliation,” said Janice Skot, RVH president and CEO. “The addition of this legacy space inside the hospital expands upon their deep commitment to reconciliation and, and their important work in serving Indigenous people in Barrie, one of the largest Indigenous populations in Ontario,” said Sarah Midanik of the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund. The photo-poster in the legacy space tells Wenjack’s story. The legacy space consists of a large photo-poster, essentially Downie and Wenjack, and there will also be literature, books and handouts once the pandemic eases. “Friday is 55 years since Chanie died,” said Manitowabi-Roote. In 1966, at age 12, Chanie ran away from the school, attempting to reunite with his family, 600 kilometres away in Ogoki Post in Martens Falls Reserve, in northern Ontario.Ĭhanie’s body was found beside railway tracks on Oct. “Had he lived, he would be 67.”Ĭhanie Wenjack was an Anishinaabe boy who, in 1963 at age nine, was sent to Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Kenora, Ont. “Chanie’s death is not old news, it is today’s news,” said Roxanne Shank of the Barrie South Simcoe Metis Council. Secret Path Week recognizes the passing of Wenjack and Downie. The goal is to improve the lives of Indigenous people by building awareness, education and connections between all Canadians. The legacy space, which will be moved throughout RVH, aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. “This launch is an important step toward truth and reconciliation,” said Roberta Manitowabi-Roote, Indigenous patient navigator at RVH’s cancer care centre.
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We need to do better and we can do better,” said Jermaine Elliott, co-chair of the Indigenous health circle. Secret Path Week was marked this afternoon with emotional speeches, reflection and Indigenous drumming at Barrie’s Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH).Īnd with the formal celebration of the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Legacy Space at RVH comes a safe spot to pause and reflect on Indigenous history and reconciliation.