Orillia removes man from Hall of Fame due to his promotion of residential schools
Orillia is set to remove Thomas Gummersall Anderson from its Hall of Fame after an investigation revealed his promotion of residential schools for Indigenous people and his limited impact on the city.
"We were celebrating through the Hall of Fame someone who caused great harm to a group of people," said City Councillor Janet-Lynne Durnford.
Gummersall was born in 1779 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1993.
"He considered the Indigenous population to be savages he wanted. You know he felt they needed to be rescued to be civilized," said Dunford.
A committee that investigated his past concluded that the rationale behind his selection for the city's Hall of Fame should be recorded.
Charles Penny was a committee member responsible for investigating Anderson's past.
"He really did not have a major tie to the City of Orillia, and in the criteria, you are to have an impact on the City of Orillia, you are to be recognized as national or international figure and we felt there was not a tie a strong enough tie to the City of Orillia," said Penny.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
Anderson was responsible for establishing the first native reserve in the Coldwater area. He then moved those First Nations from Coldwater so white settlers could take over the land.
The City plans to remove Anderson's portrait from the Hall of Fame wall and his biography from a book highlighting Hall inductees. City council will officially vote to have Thomas Gummersall Anderson removed from Orillia's city's Hall of Fame later this month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people are dead following a collision in Fredericton Sunday morning.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busty stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
'The Fall Guy' gives Hollywood a muted summer kickoff with a US$28.5M opening
"The Fall Guy," the Ryan Gosling-led, action-comedy ode to stunt performers, opened below expectations with US$28.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, providing a lukewarm start to a summer movie season that's very much to be determined for Hollywood.
William Shatner says he would consider 'Star Trek' return: 'Here comes Captain Kirk!'
The Montreal-born actor, famed for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in "Star Trek," says he is open to reprising the iconic role in the sci-fi franchise as long as the storytelling is stellar.
Trudeau 'absolutely' best person to lead the Liberals in next election: LeBlanc insists
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists he's not planning a leadership campaign to head the Liberal party, should current leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resign, seemingly quashing rumours he's planning to make a move for his boss' job.
opinion You don't need to be an influencer to earn income from social media
How legitimate are claims by some content creators that the average person can earn passive income from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram? Personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says it's quite possible, if you're willing to put in the initial time and effort.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.