Terry Fox statue used in ‘stunt’ in Ottawa, sparking condemnation
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/01/2022 (1633 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A statue of Terry Fox near the Parliament buildings in Ottawa had signs hung on it Saturday during the protest against COVID-19 restrictions, sparking widespread condemnation.
A photo circulated online of the statue with a sign saying “Mandate Freedom” stuck to it, and holding an upside-down Canadian flag. Another Canadian flag was tied around the statue’s neck.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson tweeted Saturday afternoon that he had asked staff to remove the sign and flag.
But after those were removed, people continued to place other objects around the statue, including another Canadian flag and a sign saying “He will not divide Canada.”
Fox, long considered one of Canada’s most iconic and heroic figures, died of cancer at the age of 22 in 1981, after having run cross-country with a prosthetic leg to raise funds for cancer research, dubbed the Marathon of Hope.
“Terry Fox died of cancer that he exacerbated on his Marathon of Hope running across Canada trying to raise money to fight a deadly disease — quite the opposite of what’s happening here,” tweeted former Conservative Canadian heritage minister James Moore on Saturday.
“Have a protest, do your thing, don’t disrespect this monument of a Canadian hero.”
Thousands of protesters opposing COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates gathered on Parliament Hill Saturday, including truckers from a convoy that travelled across Canada this week.
Multiple people took to social media to call out what happened to the statue.
“I’m the Mayor of Terry Fox’s hometown. He’s our city’s hero, national inspiration and an unifier,” tweeted Brad West, mayor of Port Coquitlam, B.C. “Whatever your cause, you don’t get to appropriate his legacy and you don’t touch his statue. Ever. This should be removed immediately.”
Toronto doctor Andrew Baback Boozary pointed out that Fox “sacrificed everything for people with cancer.
“Shameful as there are now thousands without access to cancer treatments as our hospitals care for the unvaccinated,” he tweeted.
The Terry Fox Foundation also tweeted out a photo of the statue, untouched, but without referring directly to Saturday’s events.
“The Terry Fox Foundation is proud to continue Terry’s mission of funding cancer research,” the foundation tweeted. “Terry believed in science and gave his life to help others. Thank you to all of our supporters who help us work toward realizing Terry’s dream of a world without cancer.”
Jacques Gallant is a Toronto-based reporter covering politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @JacquesGallant