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Ottawa’s iconic statue of Terry Fox is on the move.
Currently standing across from Parliament Hill at 90 Wellington St., the statue is being relocated to Sparks St. on Monday.
“The new location will be along the original route that Terry Fox took during his Marathon of Hope in 1980,” Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) said in a social media post.
The memorial sculpture was created by John Hooper in 1983.
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Fox was 18 years old when he was diagnosed with bone cancer and had to have his right leg amputated six inches above the knee in 1977.
He began his Marathon of Hope at 21 years old to raise money for cancer research.
Starting in St. John’s, Newfoundland, he ran for 143 days, but was forced to stop on the outskirts of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Terry Fox died on June 28, 1981, one month shy of his 23rd birthday.
It was reported in 2022 that the statue would have to be moved to make space for a new building complex with offices for senators and members of Parliament. It said the runner’s family would be consulted about “an appropriate position” for his statue.
According to PSPC, the Block 2 redevelopment project, aimed to transform the city block across from Parliament into “an innovative complex that will meet the needs of Parliament and the public,” should be completed in the early 2030s.
An architectural and engineering contract was awarded to Zeidler Architecture Inc., in association with David Chipperfield Architects in May 2023.
With files from the Canadian Press.
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