The Canadian Press
Paola Loriggio
NORTH BAY, Ont.–The birthplace of the Dionne quintuplets weathered a treacherous trek down the dark, snow-blanketed streets of a northeastern Ontario city on Sunday as it once again was uprooted and hauled to a new location.
A handful of supporters gathered before dawn to see the historic log cabin, now split in two and attached to trucks, gingerly wind its way to its new spot in downtown North Bay.
The roughly two-km journey took about an hour–less than organizers originally had anticipated despite the blast of wintry weather.
Crews drove the bottom half of the house onto the designated site and brought the roof nearby, to be lifted into place and re-attached yesterday.
Ed Valenti, president of the Dionne Quints Heritage Board, arrived at 6:30 a.m. to watch the home make the trip.
“It’s the move, it’s our big day,” he said. “We wouldn’t get much sleep anyway the night before this thing.”
The move is the culmination of a year-long grassroots campaign to keep the home in North Bay, an effort that started after officials proposed transferring the cabin to a nearby community and handing any related artifacts to museums and universities.
The two surviving quintuplets, Cecile and Annette Dionne, threw their support behind the campaign, arguing the city had a moral obligation to safeguard the home and its legacy.
A spokesman for the 83-year-old sisters said they are proud to see the landmark preserved and grateful to those who rallied to save it.
But Carlo Tarini said the sisters hope governments will step up to ensure consistent funding so the home can re-open and continue to operate as a museum.
The city recently denied a request for money, and the board said it now will reach out to provincial and federal officials.
The board noted it hopes to have the museum up and running by June 1, but conceded much rests on securing financial support.
“The next step up is to get prepped for opening day and to begin the process of showing the home,” Valenti said.
“It’s something we’re looking forward to tackling,” he noted.
“The big thing was getting it here.”
