God I love that idea – honour Brian Sinclair at 425 Elgin Avenue by creating a memorial sculpture and revitalizing the building and services. The medical clinic located in the basement of 425 Elgin is where Brian Sinclair sought medical expertise on September 21, 2008 and was referred to the Health Sciences Centre Emergency where he died after waiting for care for 34 hours. The grief provoking details of Mr. Sinclair’s death are detailed in the report Out of Sight, that can be found through the below link.
(https://media.winnipegfreepress.com/documents/Out_of_Sight_Final.pdf )
There is no trace of Brian Sinclair’s profound connection to 425 Elgin Avenue as the originating point of the evil trajectory in the healthcare system ending in his death. Honouring Brian Sinclair by constructing a sculpture and making changes to the building and services to inspire community health and culture is in support of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action # 21.
TRC 21. We call upon the federal government to provide sustainable funding for existing and new Aboriginal healing centres to address the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual harms caused by residential schools, and to ensure that the funding of healing centres in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories is a priority.
The following discussion of an initiative to honour Brian Sinclair at 425 Elgin is the result of a research project I started after four years of employment at the site. The research explored solutions to the spatial, cultural, and organizational challenges experienced by staff and residence living at the location. The site is comprised of government seniors housing and Winnipeg Regional Health Authority social and medical services. My commitment to the research was also motivated by my attachment to the neighbourhood due to my years spent there as a teenager.
The lack of a visible acknowledgment of the connection between Brian Sinclair and 425 Elgin Avenue is a testimony to the powerful disregard for Mr. Sinclair’s death to be a turning point in race relations. The overall lack of widespread cultural and economic support for the healthcare system to address racism is tragically still with us, as Joyce Echaquan’s death in September 2020 shows. An extremely brutal and tragic reality.
To honour Brian Sinclair what is needed now is a council of community members and professionals and the inspiration to take action. It would be amazing if the following people and organizations would form a council to begin this initiative.
Hijab Mitra, due to her visionary talents as an architect. An article on her can be found at https://www.canadianliving.com/life-and-relationships/community-and-current-events/article/hijab-mitra-is-transforming-winnipeg-architecture-one-building-at-a-time
Information on her firm at https://www.mistecture.com/team/
End Homelessness Winnipeg Staff selected because the circumstances of Mr. Sinclair becoming a double amputee involved being unsheltered. https://endhomelessnesswinnipeg.ca/history/
Urban Shaman Gallery Staff, for art expertise on a public sculpture. https://urbanshaman.org
Community resident, for a personal perspective on community engagement/support of the initiative.
Dr Barry Lavallee, due to his work on the Brian Sinclair Working Group, as well as Indigenous health and medical education.
Phase one of the initiative to honour Brian Sinclair could start with the memorial sculpture if the council decided upon this. The Manitoba Arts Council would be a good candidate to assist with funding. There is grant funding specifically for Indigenous people that can be found at the below link. https://artscouncil.mb.ca/grants/create-2/
Inspiration for the building and service revitalization can be found by researching the original plans for the site. In the original plans community engagement was central to the goals and development of the building and the services located there. Even the name of the health clinic reflected community-based values as it was called Citizens Health Action Clinic. Over the years the community-based services located in the building either shut down, moved to new locations, or became corporatized.
The disrepair and neglect that has ensued over the decades at 425 Elgin is characteristic of other housing initiatives. A similar housing development called Byker Estate in the United Kingdom was referenced in the below Winnipeg Architecture Foundation information on 425 Elgin. https://www.winnipegarchitecture.ca/425-elgin-street/
The comparison was made in terms of architectural styles. It is also however a great model to inspire renewal at 425 Elgin. The restoration included input from the community.
A model in Winnipeg to inspire renewal is the redevelopment of the Merchants Hotel that was done in partnership with community members. The University of Winnipeg Urban and Inner-City Studies and the Community Education and Development Association (CEDA) are now located at the site. https://cedawpg.org https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/urban-inner-city-studies/merchants-corner.html
The redevelopment of the site included Indigenous design principles. The below link provides some information on implementing Indigenous values in design. https://umanitoba.ca/admin/vp_admin/media/IPDP_Handout.pdf
Honouring Brian Sinclair at 425 Elgin would be a solemn reminder of his life and death, as well as the power of his life to inspire change.
Links for Further Reading
https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/documents/bsi_report.pdf
https://www.ombudsman.mb.ca/uploads/document/files/brian-sinclair-final-report-en.pdf
https://www.manitobacourts.mb.ca/site/assets/files/1051/brian_sinclair_inquest_-_dec_14.pdf
https://libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/indigenoushealth/ForBrian