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STRATFORD VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 4
SEPTEMBER 5, 2025
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45 years after Marathon of Hope, Terry Fox’s legacy is still running strong
LISA CHESTER
Times Correspondent
In April,1980, Terry Fox embarked on a one-man mission to raise money for cancer research in his cross-country Marathon of Hope. For 145 days he ran until the unthinkable happened and lung cancer was detected, forcing him to end his courageous journey across Canada. Now, 45 years later, communities across the nation will gather on Sept. 14 to keep the marathon alive. Here in Stratford, the local community will gather at Upper Queen’s Park (near the picnic tables) to share their own memories of Fox or their own stories of how they have been touched by cancer. This year mark’s the 40th anniversary of Stratford’s own Terry Fox Run. “It’s amazing we still remember. We’re still honouring Terry, we’re still looking for a cure. We’ve made great strides, a lot of children’s cancers are easy peasy now,” explained Rena Spevack, organizer of the Stratford Terry Fox Run for the last 26 years. CONTINUED TO PAGE 2
(CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTO) Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma and peer outreach worker Joe Gladding raise the International Overdose Awareness Day flag on Stratford City Hall’s central flagpole on Aug. 29. For more on the day, and what the city did to recognize it, see our story on page 9.
Resident wants more done for homeless as council preps for debate LEE GRIFFI Times Reporter
A former Stratford radio personality and part-time cab driver took to social media recently to express his concerns about homelessness and the absence of a shelter in the Festival City. Rob Wreford, who was an on-air member of CJCS decades ago and was born and raised here, posted a two-
and-a-half-minute, heartfelt video on Facebook where he explained the problem is getting worse. “Part of my job is to respond to requests from our city’s social services to drive the unhoused out of town, sometimes as far away as places like Owen Sound or Hamilton,” he explained. “There’s no homeless shelter in Stratford and the choice is either couch surfing, a warm vestibule or maybe a tent on the edge of town or CONTINUED TO PAGE 3