Special to Ontario Construction News
The Ontario government is investing $319,423 to improve the Terry Fox Monument and Visitor Centre in Thunder Bay, the northwestern Ontario community where Fox was forced to end his cross-country run.
“Terry Fox is a Canadian hero whose Marathon of Hope impacted the lives of millions of people in Canada and around the world,” Premier Doug Ford said in a news release. “Our government is proud to honour his memory so his legacy can continue to inspire those living with cancer and give hope to his dream of finding a cure.”
The City of Thunder Bay will use the funds to repair the visitor centre’s roof, upgrade walkways, trails and landscaping and purchase new equipment such as water filling stations, outdoor picnic tables and benches. The city will also install technologies including screens, tablets and stands for interactive displays, as well as undertake restoration work to revitalize the 30-year-old Terry Fox monument.
The monument and visitor centre, which welcome more than 100,000 visitors each year, commemorates where Fox had to call off his Marathon of Hope.
After being diagnosed with bone cancer in his leg that led to an amputation in 1977, 21-year-old Fox decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He ran an average of 42 kilometres a day for 143 days until September when it was discovered that the cancer had returned and spread to his lungs. He died nine months later on June 28, 1981.
In September of 1981 Canadian hotelier and philanthropist Isadore “Issy” Sharp, who had lost his son to cancer in 1979, founded the annual Terry Fox Run, a global fundraiser each September that has raised more than $1 billion for cancer research.
“This investment helps preserve one of Canada’s most iconic landmarks and keeps Terry Fox’s legacy inspiring visitors from around the world,” said Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay—Atikokan. “By revitalizing the visitor centre, monument, and surrounding grounds, we are improving accessibility, enhancing the visitor experience and supporting tourism.”
