Actions speak louder than words-they always have and they always will.
So when Loyalist Township celebrated the opening of a Gord Downie-Chanie Wenjack Legacy Room at the W.J. Henderson Arena on Monday, it meant something. Progress. Follow through. Action.
Guests of the Amherstview arena will now have a room to visit to immerse themselves in a culture and time frame of this country that has been overlooked for far too long. The location couldn’t be any more perfect either. Amherstview is about a 35 minute drive from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, home to at least two known surviving members of residential schools and home to countless more with relatives who suffered those same injustices, many of whom never made it back to see their family. Of course those without direct ties to residential schools should have an interest in visiting a legacy centre. All Canadians should seek out firsthand accounts of that chapter of this nation’s past if they are interested in learning the whole story, not just the celebratory moments that make us beam with pride.
Amherstview is also one-time home of Gord Downie, one of the faces behind the project who used his platform during his final cross-country tour as front man of The Tragically Hip to speak up on behalf of those who had been silenced for decades. When Canadians were looking to celebrate one of its greatest poets and songwriters during his courageous battle with cancer-one he knew was entering its final months-he chose to use that spotlight for an entirely different, yet incredibly noble, cause.
His voice helped to get the ball rolling on projects like the Legacy Room at the Henderson Arena.
Far too many times government programs are slow, moving at a glacier’s pace and often vulnerable to shake ups or outright cancellation at the whim of election results.
At the same time, details matter. Taking the time to get these right is crucial as well. Rushing projects like this could jeopardize the quality and impact they’re able to have on visitors. An upcoming planned renovation at the Henderson Arena made for a perfect time to make space for this important message.
There is still much work to be done across Canada, but any positive step is worth celebrating.
A big salute goes out to the staff of Loyalist Township and the members of the Downie-Wenjack Fund who were able to bring this dream to life right here in our community.
It won’t undo the damages caused that quite frankly was still happening not all that long ago. Much has been made this week about how long it has been since the Blue Jays last played in a World Series. The last residential school closed three years after that.
Legacy centres will help to make sure those difficult stories are preserved and be a major step towards never letting anything like that happen again.