This week, E3 Community Services and the Collingwood Public Library will be showing a film that sheds light on the crimes committed at Huronia Regional Centre.
The film, Unloved: Huronia's Forgotten Children, by Barri Cohen, features stories about the director's half-brothers who were institutionalized at the Orillia centre where their lives were cut short.
"Their story stands as a microcosm of the immense tragedy of the western world's 20th-century disastrous treatment of intellectually disabled children and youth," states a press release from E3 Community Services. "Yet, humanity is hopefully restored by assembling community and survivor testimony, along with the filmmaker’s insistence that these experiences be fully recognized and memorialized."
The film is being shown as part of E3's recognition of May as Community Living Month. Following the film, E3 and Community Living Ontario representatives will fill out a panel for a discussion and to answer audience questions.
Community Living began in the 1950s as an alternative to the institutional government model, such as the one depicted in Unloved, according to Keith Dee, an advocate with Community Living Ontario.
"The community living movement has evolved from mirroring institutionalized programs and services to more individualized supports that focus on building bridges to the community by being aware of traditional barriers that have kept people apart," said Dee in a news release from E3. "Today’s Community Living starts with the individual and not the place where he or she lives. This film describes very well how Huronia was not the only facility like this – in either Canada or the western world, but one of many institutions built because of society’s belief that some people, people who were considered ‘different’, were seen to have little worth."
Christine Vallis-Page, the CEO of E3 Community Services said the film reflects significant local history and the shift in approach to community integration.
“Disability services are ever evolving” said Vallis-Page in the news release. “We would like this opportunity, during Community Living Month, to not only honour the strength and resilience of people living with intellectual disabilities, but to also propel the discussion forward as we work collectively for a more inclusive tomorrow.
The lights in the Collingwood clock tower will be lit up blue and green in recognition of Community Living Month.
Founded in 1953, Community Living Ontario is a non-profit leader providing a provincial voice for people who have an intellectual disability, their families, friends, and support providers across Ontario. Today, they proudly advocate on behalf of more than 80,000 people while championing the inclusion efforts of over 100 member organizations. Locally, E3 Community Services supports more than 150 individuals throughout South Georgian Bay with independent living solutions, employment readiness, transitional supports, respite care and community engagement
Unloved: Huronia's Forgotten Children will be shown on May 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Collingwood Public Library. Admission is free.
Space is limited so registration is advised https://www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca/client/en_US/cwood/.
