Tom Thomson Parkway sign to be unveiled Sept. 18

Have you noticed the covered sign on Hwy. 60 near the Centre Street North exit? If you were to peek under the black plastic, you’d see a white and blue sign with the name Tom Thomson Parkway.

That sign (and one just like it at the West Gate of Algonquin Park) will be revealed on September 18, 2018 at a special ceremony taking place at the Township of Lake of Bays municipal building. The event will officially dedicate a portion of Hwy. 60, from the West Gate of Algonquin Park to Hwy. 11, to the memory of Tom Thomson and his paintings.

The dedication was the brainchild of local photographer Rob Stimpson. He came up with the idea last year—the 100^th anniversary of Thomson’s death. Stimpson thought it could be a great opportunity to highlight the highway leading to one of Thomson’s biggest inspirations. That place with majestic skies rivers, lakes, rocks and forests, which Thomson was so fond of painting. And ironically, that place where he also met his mysterious and untimely death in 1917 at the age of 39.

Stimpson’s idea to dedicate a portion of the highway seemed to resonate with Lake of Bays Mayor Bob Young, who lobbied neighbouring municipalities and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO), and encouraged residents to send letters to the Ministry in support of the dedication.

Young noted the significance of Thomson on Canadian culture as well as this area. “He’s had a huge influence on the art history of Canada, the artists of Canada and I think on the area,” said Young. “The majority of Tom’s paintings were done in Algonquin Park and some of them actually out along the Oxtongue River, here at the edge of Dwight.”

The natural beauty of the area, the fact that Thomson was drawn here and the fact that he brought friends who shared his love of painting for weekend getaways here, has become a drawing card for many.

A lot of tourists come here because of the Group of Seven and because of Tom Thomson, so it was just sort of like a bit of an anchor.Lake of Bays Mayor Bob Young on dedicating a portion of Hwy. 60 to the memory of Canadian artist Tom Thomson

Since Young embarked on trying to get the dedication approved, he’s learned that while you cannot change the name of a highway, you can dedicate a portion of it to someone or something if the Province lets you. An example, he said, is the name Highway of Heroes attached to a portion of Hwy. 401, from the Toronto coroner’s office to Canadian Forces Base Trenton. That name dedication was made in 2007 in memory of the route travelled by soldiers killed in action in Afghanistan.

In terms of what will appear on the sign, that’s entirely regulated by the MTO. “This [Hwy. 60] is very, very MTO controlled so they actually said what could be on the signs and the typeface and everything,” said Young. He said it’s unfortunate that the signs are the standard white and blue. “What would you think Tom Thomson is remembered for? He’s a man of colour, not just blue and white.”

Young said he will try to appeal with the MTO to allow a couple of additional signs to be placed somewhere along that highway stretch, signs that could be created by local artists—with colour. “That would be done by local artists really representing the art and the colour of Tom Thomson,” he said, adding that he’d try to broach the subject with the MTO following the ceremony. The Hwy. 60 dedication ceremony is open to everyone. It will begin at the municipal building in Dwight at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 18.

Related story: Would you support the renaming of Hwy 60 to Tom Thomson Parkway?

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