THUNDER BAY - A ceremony meant to honour vulnerable members of the community who have been lost and provide friends and family an opportunity to mourn has been postponed due to recent regulations relating to COVID-19.
Thunder Bay Shelter House and Hospice Northwest were to host the ceremony on Tuesday, but Shelter House executive director Michelle Jordan said the province’s restrictions on social gatherings larger than 25 people meant they could not go ahead at this time.
“We are really disappointed but with trying to make that event safe was going to be very difficult,” she said. “So we decided to try and hold off and see if things open back up again and do it later on, or we might just have to do it next year.”
The ceremony was first held last year as a way of honouring people who have passed away and provide clients and staff at the Shelter House an opportunity to grieve.
“This is an event we look forward to every year to honour the people who have passed on in this population,” Jordan said. “It gives us a chance to reflect on the work that we do and give the staff an opportunity to grieve the people that we take care of and other residents an opportunity to grieve and remember the people that were with us once.”
Last weekend, the provincial government announced province-wide restrictions on social gatherings. Because the event last year drew more than 100 people, Jordan said there was no way to hold it safely this year with the restrictions in place.
“We didn’t want to have to limit staff or clients from participating in that event, so we decided to postpone,” she said.
Shelter House will look at hosting the ceremony later this year if restrictions are lifted or possibly postponing it to next year.
Jordan said it is an important ceremony for people in the community and last year provided an opportunity for healing for many people.
“It was a really good turn out and people felt really good after just being able to express their grief,” she said.
