Media & Updates

Controversial building in Orillia being torn down The former Huronia Regional Centre, an institution with a long history of controversy in Orillia, is being demolished.

I’m the One No One Looked For Although Leo was just 11 years old when he was abandoned by CAS at HRC, he didn’t get to attend the institution school (poor as it was). As an Indigenous child, Leo was put to work right away at slave labour and sent to a ward intended for the working men, where he was horribly abused sexually and physically. His hands were smashed by staff with “shilleleighs” (leather boot soles) and they stomped on and disfigured his feet, but still he had to shovel coal and snow and do farming and landscaping work. The video talks about Leo being roused from bed in the middle of the night to shovel snow before day shift workers arrived. He saw himself as “the black sheep of the family”, because “I’m the one no one looked for.” Leo Gattie’s story - created by Kelsey Anger, Reconciliation Dept. Director, Anishinabek Nation and narrated by Melody, Leo’s friend and support worker.

Harold Dougall is a longtime survivor of the former Huronia Regional Centre (HRC), and now he's an author of his story. The 77-year-old survived the era when people with disabilities were institutionalized behind closed doors and abuses took place. Behind Closed Doors the title of the new book about Dougall's experience living at the former HRC in Orillia and the Edgar Adult Occupational Centre in Oro-Medonte. "I'm on Cloud 9," said Dougall. "People are scared to tell their story. I want to let the people know who the story is from ... I want my book out there so people know who I am." Dougall co-wrote the book with Jay Dolmage, a professor at the University of Waterloo and editor of the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies and Katharine Viscardis, an instructor at Northern Lakes College. Dougall's story will be part of a larger book titled A Disgrace to this Province by Viscardis. It is currently in the editing phase. Born in Hamilton, Dougall was placed in the care of the Children's Aid Society when he was two years old. Upon advice to do so, his foster mother delivered him to the HRC in 1960, when he was 11. He writes, "When we arrived at the institution, I didn't want to get out of the car. I walked up the stairs. I said, 'Mom, this is a place I don't need to be.' We stepped into the main lobby there and the door was open. After we stepped inside, I heard 'click' as though the door locked behind us. I asked my mom, 'What's going on here?' A member of staff came down to take me to the cottage and they told my mom, 'Go home and don't come back here.' "I cried all the way to the cottage (A). The staff said, 'Stop crying or else I'll hit you.' The cottage door opened. It was locked behind me and then they smacked me. Life inside that building was hard. I cried. I cried myself to sleep sometimes." Dougall wrote that the boys' ward was overcrowded and everyone had to live in a strict military style. "They just wanted us to keep us in line by using straps, hands and belts. They'd kick us. They'd do anything to keep us in line. Some staff would take their shoes off and use the soles to hit us. They'd hit us anywhere on our bodies," he wrote. In speaking with OrilliaMatters, Dougall said the children feared the pipe room. It was a hot mechanical room. Staff locked them inside for hours as a form of punishment. Dougall said he remembers being in there and seeing scratches on the door where children were trying to get out. "If you were bad, they put you in there. One time, I couldn't walk out of there. I had to crawl," he said. Although there was a school at the HRC, Dougall wasn't sent there, so he received no formal education. He later taught himself how to read and write. When he turned 12, he was assigned to care for four other boys, and he took that seriously, even taking punishment for defending them from physical abuse. Despite being told by staff to hit the boys when they argued, Dougall said he talked to them instead. He taught them how to wash themselves. He also used his own money to buy them new toothbrushes and was punished for it. He persisted and taught the boys about money, travelling on buses, and other aspects of the outside world. In 1962, his foster mother had him transferred to the Edgar Adult Occupational Centre so he could receive occupational training. That environment was far superior to the HRC, said Dougall, and he lived there until 1975. "They trained me to do grass cutting, to work on cars. That's where I got my licence ... The first thing they started me in was the kitchen there. I loved it ... I felt free," he recalled. A class-action lawsuit was brought against the province by former HRC residents who suffered sexual, physical and verbal abuse in the institution. Dolmage's parents, Marilyn and Jim Dolmage, who were associated with the HRC, were among the leaders of the lawsuit against. Dougall participated as well but said he wasn't allowed to testify in court. In 2013, a $35-million settlement was reached, providing compensation to residents who had developmental disabilities. Dougall received some funds from his time at both the HRC and the Edgar Adult Occupational Centre. The HRC operated between 1876 and 2009. The Edgar Adult Occupational Centre operated between 1964 and 1999. Today, Dougall lives independently in Orillia. He is well known in the community. He has run for city council twice and plans to run again this fall. He has been on the city's accessibility advisory committee. He is a former Special Olympics swimmer. He volunteers to sell buttons for the annual Canada Day celebration and the Scottish Festival. Dougall is a member of Remember Every Name, a group supporting survivors of the HRC. He is also an advocate for inclusivity and belonging and does public speaking. Dougall only received about 50 copies of his book, which he is selling for $10. "Empower Simcoe is supporting Harold to get more reprints of his book," said Jamie Hall, corporate communications manager with Empower Simcoe. "We would like to do a book signing with Harold at the library, but we need copies." In posting the book to Empower Simcoe's social media pages, Hall said it has had 1,400 interactions and 200 comments of support and notices that people want to buy his book. "When I look back to the kid I was in Huronia ... I'd day to that little boy, 'Be proud of yourself,'" wrote Dougall. Written by Gisele Winton Sarvis, OrilliaMatters.com

Survivors and members of ‘Remember Every Name’ met with Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Wednesday to discuss the future of the Huronia Regional Centre (HRC).

For many survivors, the former Huronia Regional Centre (HRC) is a place filled with haunting memories of institutional abuse, and now, decades later, the province’s decision to tear down parts of the site is bringing long-awaited closure to some who once lived there. “It’s about time,” said Betty Ann Rose Bond, who was placed in children’s aid care at age six and spent five years at the facility. “It’s an eyesore to the City of Orillia and also to us survivors.” Bond says her time at HRC was marked by trauma. The facility housed people with developmental disabilities until it closed in 2009. Bond says she remembers “too much” about her time at HRC, adding she recalls primarily “lots of abuse from staff.” A group of former residents launched a class action lawsuit against the Ontario government, alleging systematic abuse at the institution. The province settled the lawsuit in 2013 for $35 million. The allegations were never tested in court. The property is currently owned by the Ontario Provincial Police and has been used for the past two decades for training purposes. There are 49 buildings and 11 tunnels. The OPP says it is consulting with members of ‘Remember Every Name’ before deciding how the site should be used going forward. "To be respectful and to honour the people that survived that experience it’s important that they have input on the future use of the lands and buildings there because that was considered their home," said Debbie Vernon of ‘Remember Every Name,’ a group dedicated to preserving the memory of those who lived at HRC. The group is calling for a museum or permanent memorial to be built on the property to recognize the lives and stories of former residents. Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac supports the demolition and believes the site holds potential for new uses. “It’s a dark era and I think we just need to move forward. Taking the buildings down I think will help. I know the former residents are excited about seeing the buildings come down so that’s a good step.” Bond agrees. “It’s a bit of closure for us in a good way. You’re not going to erase our memories, they’re there, and it’s a permanent thing, but we need to move on too.” Police and survivors are expected to meet later this month to discuss next steps for the site’s future.  Source: CTVNews.ca Barrie, Rob Cooper, Journalist

A controversial building dating back to 1876 situated on acres of government‐owned and managed land at the north of Lake Simcoe may no longer be. Back in 2013, a $35 million lawsuit was filed by former residents of the Huronia Regional Centre against the province on allegations of mistreatment. The lawsuit claimed residents suffered abuse at the hands of their caregivers, which was home to people with developmental disabilities. The Ontario government paid millions to former residents and made an official apology. Since its closure in 2009, the property has been used for government services and initiatives, including a courtroom, a public health lab, and trainee homes and facilities for the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). While the province says these programs and services will continue, a portion of the Orillia campus is no longer needed. The Ministry of Infrastructure (MOI) is proposing the phased demolition of up to 49 buildings and 11 tunnels on the Huronia Regional Centre site. The ministry told CTV News on Monday that the assets and buildings have deteriorated and are no longer viable for long-term use. Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac saying, “Well this a dark area and I think we just need to move forward, you know, taking the buildings down I think will help. I know the former residents are excited about seeing the building come down. So, that’s a good step.” “Infrastructure Ontario (IO), on behalf of MOI, will lead planning for the demolition of buildings and site rehabilitation to ensure the site is ready for future use and redevelopment,” said the Ministry of Infrastructure to CTV News. IO is now actively pursuing a contract to carry out the planned demolition. Further decisions on site use will be made by the OPP in consultation with the Solicitor General’s office and Infrastructure Ontario. The OPP is in the preliminary planning stage of the new academy, including a comprehensive needs assessment. “The former HRC site offers important proximity to OPP General Headquarters, and based on its current use is considered a desirable site,” said Gosia Puzio, Corporate Communications Bureau, Ontario Provincial Police. “Those buildings coming down mean a couple of things, we’re obviously cleaning up the sight but we’re excited for the OPP. They are going to build an academy there which is going to be great for Orillia and we’re looking forward to seeing that too,” McIsaac continued. Officials say the timing of everything will be determined through the awarded contract. “It frees up the other land around it and Orillia has had a long standing interest in the land along the lakefront,” McIsaac said. This demolition is part of province’s plan to continue to generate revenues and reduce liability costs in Ontario. Written by: Julianna Balsamo, CTVNews.ca Barrie 

Survivors and allies in Remember Every Name are overjoyed about this long-hoped for announcement. The announcement includes an invitation for us to work with government and to meet with the OPP on the future of the HRC property. This is in response to our insistence that recommendations made by survivors to a 2017 Infrastructure Ontario consultation be followed, especially the construction of a collaboratively planned and respectfully curated museum on site. Download the letters below:

'Survivors and allies in Remember Every Name are overjoyed about this long-hoped-for announcement,' says advocate who is pushing for a museum on the property. Sixteen years after the controversial Huronia Regional Centre (HRC) was shut down, the province has finally decided on the fate of the 175-acre property. OrilliaMatters has learned Kinga Surma, the province’s minister of infrastructure, has given initial approval to demolish, in phases, up to 49 buildings and 11 tunnels on the sprawling former HRC property that lies between Memorial Avenue and Lake Simcoe. “The existing assets and buildings on the HRC site, constructed in the 1800s, have significantly deteriorated and are no longer viable for long-term use,” Surma says in a letter to the group, Remember Every Name. Parts of the property are currently used by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and other government tenants, Surma notes. “(The Ministry of Infrastructure), in partnership with the Ministry of the Solicitor General and the OPP, (is) working to advance demolition activities to support future redevelopment of the former HRC campus for continued government use,” notes the letter. In a separate letter to the group, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said this year’s provincial budget included a “commitment to modernize police training facilities to meet the public safety needs of our growing communities by training more police officers.” He notes the plan was “identified as a public safety priority and addressed the aging infrastructure of the OPP Academy” on the site. Carrique says “planning work is underway for construction of a new OPP Academy in Orillia, which is expected to include developments on the former HRC campus.” He says the “redevelopment of the site presents a significant opportunity for the OPP to equip new recruits, existing police personnel and Indigenous police partners with the skills needed to respond to the increasing complexity of policing and address urgent specialized training demands.”

Through her heroic efforts, Marie was one of the lead plaintiffs with the Huronia Regional Centre Class Action successfully suing the Ontario government for the neglect and abuse they suffered when they lived at HRC. Marie touched many people who lived at the institution and her legacy will live on. Marie Stark's Celebration of Life at The Church of Holy Trinity, Toronto held on Sunday, June 1st, 2025.