Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Family members of the late Gord Downie were at the W.J. Henderson Arena on Monday to help officially open a Downie-Wenjack Legacy Room.
The space, just inside the main entrance, is dedicated to reflection and reconciliation, a stark reminder of the injustices carried out by the Canadian government towards First Nations.
The launch of the Legacy Room is a continuation of Downie’s cause to shed light on one of the darkest moments in Canada’s history.
“The idea really is that when you’re ready, we’re ready,” said Mike Downie, brother of Gord, who spoke at the opening ceremony. “There’s a room there with information that hopefully will inspire somebody, will teach somebody, will be with somebody when they’re ready to start walking this path.”
Before Gord was fronting The Tragically Hip, one of the biggest bands to ever come out of Canada, he was a teen making saves and leading his team to an all-Ontario title at the W.J. Henderson Arena. His family spent many winters inside the arena, playing hockey or cheering on Gord.
As good as he was on the ice, his push for action to right the historic wrongs of Canada is what will stand as his lasting legacy inside the arena.
“Gord understood in his last couple of years of life that he could play a huge role in the future of this country,” said Mike. “He understood that it was time that we all grew up. He understood that we missed all of these opportunities. So when he was on that final tour, going across the country and creating all this energy, all these people so interested in what this man was doing in his final act. All that attention on him and he literally took a mirror and redirected all of that attention to this. To reconciliation. To doing better as a county. To finally getting over this idea that we’re a young country and understanding that actually this nation of ours is built on thousands and thousands of years of history.”
The Legacy Centre highlights Indigenous art and clothing. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
Formed in 2017 following Gord’s call for action, the Downie-Wenjack Fund ‘embodies (Gord’s) commitment, and that of his family, to improving lives of First Peoples in Canada. In collaboration with the Wenjack Family, the goal of the Fund is to continue the conversation that began with Chanie Wenjack’s residential school story, and to aid our collective reconciliation journey through a combination of awareness, education, and action,’ reads a description on the foundation’s website.
“This is the 10 year anniversary of the release of the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and if you look at the number that are completed, it’s a bit dire- 13, 15, maybe 17 have started. Not a ton of progress,” said Sarah Midanik, president and CEO of the Downie-Wenjack Foundation. “And that can be defeating. It can be demoralizing. Is all of this work, all of this money, of all this commitment, is it making a difference? I can assure you it is. We see the hope everyday in classrooms and the next generation of young people in Canada.”
These spaces, of which there are over 120 across Canada, aim to start the conversation.
The entrance to the W.J. Henderson Downie-Wenjack Legacy Centre. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
“Legacy spaces in community centres offer that connection point. That activation. That catalyst for learning and engagement,” added Midanik. “This one is extra special because there’s a personal connection to the Downie family because they actually lived in Amherstview.”
To help mark the opening, Napanee’s Sisters of the Drum performed a welcoming song followed by comments from Mohawk Bay of Quinte chief Don Maracle.
“There were about 150,000 kids that went to residential schools which were operated from 1829 to 1996,” said Maracle, noting his father and aunt were among those subjected to the horrors of these schools-his aunt never returned home. “Many did either suffer abuse or witnessed it. They went to school in a daily state of fear not knowing what was going to happen to them or their classmates.”
Maracle noted the schools had graveyards in its schoolyards and fellow students were often forced to dig the graves of their own classmates.
Sisters of the Drum. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
“One of the calls to action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, there’s 94 of them, was that Canadians should understand better what the relationship was between First Nations people and colonizing people and what First Nations people gave to make Canada what it is today,” said Maracle.
The addition of the Legacy Room, which is now open to the public, was part of a major renovation project currently underway at the W.J. Henderson Arena. It includes display cases showing artwork and highlights the culture of First Nations, while also sharing the grim details of residential schools.
“We understand that reconciliation is not symbolic. It is action. Through this space we can foster learning, respect and relationships, not just today but for generations to come,” added Loyalist mayor Jim Hegadorn.
The timing of the opening of the Amherstview Legacy Centre coincided with difficult anniversaries within the foundation. Gord Downie passed Oct. 17, 2017 at the age of 53 after a battle with cancer. Chanie Wenjack was an Anishinaabe boy born in the Ogoki Post in 1954, sent to a residential school at the age of nine. At the age of 12 he attempted to flee the school but was caught shortly after. A week later on Oct. 22, 1966, he was found dead beside railway tracks, succumbing to starvation and exposure. His story is not unlike countless others from those sent to residential schools.
“There is no single solution,” added Mike. “The solution is all Canadians understanding they’re a part of it. They need to be a part of it and to walk that path and to know what’s waiting for them is a greater understanding of this country, of this land and probably of themselves as well.”