Thirty-five years after the Marathon of Hope, there’s a push to honour Terry Fox’s legacy with a museum or centre in downtown Vancouver.
Fox, arguably the greatest British Columbian ever born, was commemorated with a statue outside B.C. Place in 2011, but the people continuing his fight against cancer believe it’s time for something more substantial.
Dr. Victor Ling, scientific director of the Terry Fox Research Institute, said the proposed museum would house artifacts from Fox’s historic trek and potentially even show off the latest progress in cancer research.
“I think it’s very exciting,” Ling said. “With current technology, we believe they should be able to display some of the most advanced research in real-time.”
The Terry Fox Foundation, which is leading the push for the museum, said it would also want to bring in the van used in the Marathon of Hope, which is currently on display at the Museum of History in Ottawa.
B.C. said it’s keen to help fund the project, provided the federal government can contribute as well.
“We are delighted to help. Terry Fox is a national hero,” Premier Christy Clark said. “He is the ideal picture of how ordinary, average people can make a tremendous difference in the world.”
The foundation said it hoped to open the museum in time for Canada’s 150th birthday, in 2017, but that deadline won’t be met.
Have your say: Do you support the building of a Terry Fox Museum in Vancouver?
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Peter Grainger
