Maria Harding says Ontario’s plan to recognize the spot where Terry Fox ended his Marathon of Hope is not enough.
And, as reeve of Shuniah, she said the municipal council has a much better idea to showcase Mile 3,339, which is the spot where Fox took the final step of his journey in 1980.
The spot, which is several kilometres east of the Terry Fox Monument on Highway 11/17, has been marked with a metre-high white wooden post for more than 20 years. The small patch of land on the north side of the highway has been maintained by Shuniah resident Tim Pope. It’s now being threatened by the province’s new four-lane highway.
On Monday, Shuniah council was presented with a plan by the Ministry of Transportation to put up a sign near the spot that reads “Terry Fox Marathon of Hope End Milepost 3339” instead.
Harding said that is not good enough.
“We are not pleased with the outcome of our consultation with the ministry,” Harding said Thursday.
Council instead presented a plan that would see a parkette on the side of the highway that includes the original marker.
But because the ministry doesn’t want a turnoff on that part of the highway, the idea wasn’t very well received. Harding was told that the idea doesn’t fit with ministry policy.
“This is northern Ontario. This is not highway 401 or highway 427,” Harding said. ‘We have so much land up here why can we not make an exception or look at the north in a different way… it’s the respect or disrespect shown to the Fox family and to Terry Fox’s memory.”
Harding said even friends overseas have honoured Fox’s memory in their communities. And while there is the monument, Mile 3339 should have a place in the nation’s history as well.
“It’s not the monument, it’s where he stopped,” she said. “It is really a shame that it has been ignored and is being ignored again.”
Harding sent MPP Bill Mauro (Lib., Thunder Bay-Atikokan) a petition Thursday asking for the province to reconsider. She said she’s hoping that it does.
