Ontario Government Helps To Keep Veterans' Stories Alive

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Ontario Government Helps To Keep Veterans' Stories Alive
Digital Archiving Will Ensure Stories Are Passed On To Future Generations

TORONTO, Feb. 16 /CNW/ - The Ontario government is helping preserve the
stories of veterans to ensure that they are shared with future generations by
providing funding for the Dominion Institute's Memory Project Road Shows, John
Gerretsen, Minister Responsible for Seniors, announced today.
"No one has done more for this country than our respected veterans," said
Gerretsen, speaking at an event hosted by The Dominion Institute today. "It is
fitting that their stories reach as wide an audience as possible, and that we
remember their sacrifices. The records created as a result of the Memory
Project Road Shows will breathe life into these histories, bringing them into
classrooms, living rooms and libraries across the province, helping to ensure
that these stories are not lost or forgotten."
The government is providing $200,000 in funding to the Memory Project
Road Shows. Veterans will meet with archivists and military history experts at
public venues in eight communities across the province. They will tell their
stories and present artifacts such as medals, photographs and letters. The
experts will then examine the artifacts and describe their significance.
The audience, made up of students, family members, local historical
societies, seniors clubs, Cadets and Legion Members, will participate in
question and answer sessions. Interviews will be digitally recorded and then
made accessible through the Memory Project website - www.thememoryproject.com -
and through the Archives of Ontario. The Memory Project Road Shows are
expected to be launched in time for the 60th Anniversary Celebrations of
Victory in Europe (VE) Day on May 8.
"This May, Ontario will observe two major 60th Anniversaries of World War
II - the Liberation of Holland and VE-Day," said Rudyard Griffiths, Executive
Director of the Dominion Institute. "The Memory Project Road Shows will ensure
that these anniversaries have an impact across the province and create a
permanent legacy of heroism and values of Ontario veterans."
The Dominion Institute was established in 1997 by a group of young people
concerned about the erosion of a common memory in Canada. More information on
the Dominion Institute is available at www.dominion.ca.

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www.gov.on.ca/citizenship/seniors