Wellington County House Of Industry Cemetery Ceremony

WELLINGTON COUNTY
HOUSE OF INDUSTRY CEMETERY
CEREMONY
Remarks by Ted Arnott, MPP
Wellington-Halton Hills
June 27 , 2013

This afternoon, we are here to recognize and
remember the lives of some 271 County of Wellington
residents who called the House of Industry and
Refuge their home.

None of them ever won a Gold Medal at the Olympics,
or a Nobel Prize; none would have been professionals;
none were well educated, few would have been skilled
in any trade.

None would have achieved any kind of material
success, that our Western society today seems so
fixated on today.

They lived here because they had nothing, and had no
where else to go.

They lived here, some of them rejected and
abandoned by their families.

They lived here, fortunate enough to be cared for and
supported by staff of the County of Wellington.

They lived here, and their physician was Dr. Abraham
Groves.

They lived here, and their dignity and worth as human
beings were recognized.

Even though few cared about these people, the County
of Wellington cared.

The County of Wellington showed compassion,
putting a roof over the heads and feeding the indigent,
demonstrating a kind of empathy that was rare in late
19th and early 20th century Canada.

And as we reflect on all this, we are reminded of the
inherent worth of every single person’s life, whether
they are rich or poor, brilliant or intellectually
disabled, powerful and well connected, or weak and
friendless.

We’re reminded that we will always need to provide a
hand up to those who struggle, through no fault of
their own.

We’re reminded that the County of Wellington not
only sets the bar high today, but has done so for a
long, long time.

And we’re reminded that every single human life
matters.

Thank you for joining us here today.