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[background music] >> CAMH has a long history of treating people with
mental health and addiction issues.
Today, visitors to the twenty-seven acre Queen street site,
can still see portions of the twelve foot brick wall, built by patients
of the original asylum.
>> The story of the provincial lunatic asylum takes us back
a hundred and sixty-seven years.
This journey has often been commemorated by the
laying of cornerstones as new facilities have been built.
On August 22nd, 1846, a plaque and a cornerstone were laid right here,
where I am standing; at the site of the original building's northeast corner.
The plaques however, were obscured from view under the actual cornerstone
which was entombed inside the building's exterior walls.
>> The Chief Justice felt very favourably of the fact that an asylum
was being built to provide respite and care,
and hopefully recovery, and rehabilitation for mentally ill people.
It's very definitely the oldest artefact, or object, or record pertaining to
CAMH and its history.
>> Well, we believe that, the, artefacts sat untouched
for about a hundred and thirty years.
From the time that the original plaques had been put in place in 1846,
until the building was demolished in 1976.
It came as a great surprise to us when these artefacts
were uncovered in a farmhouse, north of Trenton, Ontario.
What we long believed is that they had been demolished along with the building,
back in 1976.
>> Actually, the ceremonial trowel that Chief Justice Robinson used
is also surviving. Philippa Elmhirst is the present day heir,
of his silver trowel.
After Philippa learned of the return of these plaques,
She and her family are making a long-term indefinite loan of the trowel
to CAMH, so that it can be reunited as it were,
with the cornerstone plaques, and become part of our heritage.
>> The final resting place for these artefacts,
was chosen to be the CAMH Legal Hearing Room.
This is significant because there has never, in all of Canadian history,
been a hearing room, dedicated to the important therapeutic
and legal processes that take place here.
The reason we chose the Hearing Room is that is has great... importance to CAMH
and to CAMH's clients and we felt that it was the appropriate resting place
for such an important artefact.
>> It's important that we remember history
because it's an opportunity for us to learn from our past.
Patients have historically had other people speak for them
it becomes really important to be sensitive, and be mindful
to the history, to storytelling, and to patient voice.
These plaques are so important. They're a reminder of
the people involved in the early history of CAMH,
they're a legacy for the people here now,
and for future generations to come.
[music fade-out]