Detroit native retracing Underground Railroad by walking Bruce Trail
Zwena Gray is discovering Southern Ontario, one step at a time.
“Driving it is totally different than walking it. My feet definitely feel that,” said Gray.
The Detroit native isn’t just out for some exercise, she’s attempting to partially retrace the steps of those who used the Underground Railroad to escape American slavery and find freedom in Canada.
“I’m on a trail for 900 kilometres. People didn’t even have a trail when they were doing the Underground Railroad. To be fair, it wasn’t really, anything like this experience,” said Gray.
Zwena Gray, retracing part of the Underground Railroad, by walking 900 kilometers of the Bruce Trail. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
The penultimate stop in Gray’s journey is in Owen Sound, considered the northern most terminus of the Underground Railroad, where many escaped slaves settled in the region. At one point, 10 per cent of the area’s population was African-American.
“Which means people have been coming here via that route since the 1830s, 1840s, and in greater numbers as we approached the 50s and 60s, when the Civil War was on,” said Blaine Courtney, whose great-grandfather came to Owen Sound via the Underground Railroad, and now chair’s Owen Sound’s Emancipation Festival.
During her stop at Grey Roots Museum’s Underground Railroad display Thursday, Gray says she learned much more about the harrowing journey and its ultimate finish in Grey County.
Blaine Courtney, of the Owen Sound Emancipation Festival talks with Zwena Gray, who is retracing part of Underground Railroad by walking 900 kilometers of the Bruce Trail, at the Grey Roots Museum near Owen Sound on May 26, 2022. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
“It’s really powerful to be in this space and see so much of the history,” she said.
Gray has one week left in her six week journey on the Bruce Trail. While the famed trail doesn’t directly follow the Underground Railroad, its symbolic distance and treachery mirrors the perils her ancestors endured to reach freedom nearly 150 years ago.
“It’s just a privilege to be out here,” said Gray.
You can follow Gray’s self titled 'Black on the Bruce' journey on her Instagram page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Conservative MPs free to attend 'freedom' protests this summer: Bergen
With the nation's capital bracing for anticipated anti-mandate 'freedom' movement protests during Canada Day weekend, interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen says her MPs are free to attend.
Biden signs landmark gun measure, says 'lives will be saved'
U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school.
Gunman kills 2 during Oslo Pride festival; terror suspected
A gunman opened fire in Oslo's night-life district early Saturday, killing two people and leaving more than 20 wounded in what Norwegian security service called an 'Islamist terror act' during the capital's annual Pride festival.
U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, allowing states to ban abortions
The U.S. Supreme Court has ended the nation's constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade. Friday's outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.
Guns and abortion: Contradictory decisions, or consistent?
They are the most fiercely polarizing issues in American life: abortion and guns. And two momentous decisions by the Supreme Court in two days have done anything but resolve them, firing up debate about whether the court's Conservative justices are being faithful and consistent to history and the Constitution – or citing them to justify political preferences.
'Devastating setback': Trudeau, politicians react to overturning of Roe v. Wade
Canadian politicians are responding to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to end constitutional protections for abortion, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling the news 'horrific.'
Roe v. Wade: These U.S. states are likely to ban abortion
With the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end constitutional protections for abortion, 26 states are likely to ban abortions; 13 of which are expected to enact bans against the medical procedure immediately.
Russians try to block city, cement gains in eastern Ukraine
Russian forces were trying to block a city in eastern Ukraine, the region's governor said Saturday, after a relentless assault on a neighboring city forced Ukrainian troops to begin withdrawing after weeks of intense fighting.
RCMP reform would prevent political interference, criminologists say
An Ottawa criminologist says questions about whether political pressure was placed on the RCMP commissioner in the Nova Scotia shooting investigation illustrate why Brenda Lucki should not report to the public safety minister.
Kitchener
-
Vehicles damaged at Waterloo dealerships
Waterloo regional police are investigating after 21 vehicles at four Waterloo dealerships were vandalized in the space of two days.
-
Endangered butterfly spotted in southwestern Ontario for first time in 3 decades
The success is thanks to a team of local scientists.
-
Neither police nor bylaw will be at Kitchener encampment on eviction day, says region
The region says they expect encampment residents to comply with the order to leave and enforcement won’t be needed.
Windsor
-
SIU clears Windsor police officer after man seriously injured during arrest
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has concluded there are no ground to charge an officer after a man suffered serious injuries during the course of his arrest in a south Windsor parking lot.
-
Fundraisers being held for transplant recipient
Jody Jackson is dealing with a post-op infection but overall she is happy to be alive and recovering in a Toronto hospital from a liver transplant she received June 8.
-
Gas prices reach tipping point — curbing summer road trips
Gas prices are changing summer travel plans across the region. A survey conducted for CAA South Central Ontario found 64 per cent of drivers planning a road trip this summer responded that current gas prices will impact their choices.
Barrie
-
Troubadour festival kicks off in Barrie
The Troubador Festival has returned to the shores of Barrie after a two-year hiatus.
-
Simcoe County hospitals deal with dire staffing shortages
Health officials say painful hospital wait times spanning an average of three to five hours will only worsen with critical staffing shortages.
-
Missing camper found safe in Tiny Township by OPP aviation team
A camper who went missing Friday morning after taking his dog for a walk at Awenda Provincial Park in Tiny Township has been found safe.
Northern Ontario
-
WATCH: Puppy escapes bald eagle after getting snatched from B.C. backyard
A doorbell camera captured the moment a puppy was scooped up by a bald eagle from a B.C. backyard. The dog returned moments later after escaping the bird's talons.
-
Ottawa parents demand answers after boy, 11, not dropped off by school bus
An Ottawa family is demanding answers after their son went missing for five hours following his pickup from school on Monday.
-
Toronto Police pitch licence plate scanners as a way to close parking ticket 'loophole'
The Toronto Police Service are eyeing ways to add more technology to the city’s parking system in a way that could give drivers more options to avoid tickets — and close what one self-styled parking vigilante calls a “loophole.”
Ottawa
-
Ottawa police warn officers will soon start issuing $110 fines for expired licence plates
Ottawa police are reminding drivers to renew their vehicle licence plate, saying officers will soon begin issuing $110 fines for expired plates.
-
Conservative MPs free to attend 'freedom' protests this summer: Bergen
With the nation's capital bracing for anticipated anti-mandate 'freedom' movement protests during Canada Day weekend, interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen says her MPs are free to attend.
-
Ottawa parents demand answers after boy, 11, not dropped off by school bus
An Ottawa family is demanding answers after their son went missing for five hours following his pickup from school on Monday.
Toronto
-
Office workers are returning to Toronto but foot traffic on Mondays and Fridays hasn’t bounced back. Will it ever?
More people are commuting to offices downtown than at any point since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic but the recovery hasn’t been equal across the board, with both GO Transit and the TTC reporting fluctuations in ridership as many workers choose to work from home at the beginning and end of each week.
-
Man wanted after four people violently attacked by his dog in Toronto: police
Toronto police say they are looking for a suspect after he and his 100-pound dog allegedly attacked four people overnight.
-
Police investigating string of overnight robberies at fast food restaurants downtown
Toronto police are investigating a string of overnight armed robberies at fast food restaurants and a convenience store downtown.
Montreal
-
Anger, political pushback in Quebec after Legault says cultures are 'not on the same level'
Those who know the debate most intimately said there's little nuance to be found in Quebec Premier Legault's arguments about Quebec's immigration model. 'Every time it's as painful as it is the first time,' said a spokesperson for a Sikh group.
-
'She was full of life': family to hold memorial for Montreal teen Adalya Dorvil
Friends and family of a 17-year-old girl who died in what police are calling an accident on the shore in LaSalle will gather Saturday to remember the Montreal teen who her mother said was 'was full of life.'
-
Sky to light up as fireworks festival returns to Montreal
To the frustration of those trying to get across the Jacques-Cartier Bridge and the delight of almost everyone else in the city, the Loto-Quebec International Fireworks Competition returns to Quebec starting Saturday night.
Atlantic
-
Missing N.S. teen found safe, Amber Alert cancelled
An Amber Alert issued by Cape Breton Regional Police on Friday has been cancelled, as the missing youth has been located safe early Saturday morning says police.
-
'Reviewed for Privilege': Federal government explains N.S. superintendent’s missing notes
The inquiry into Nova Scotia’s 2020 mass shooting, says four pages of handwritten notes that sparked a political firestorm in Ottawa this week, weren’t immediately submitted when subpoenaed by its investigators.
-
'It’s in shambles': RCMP 'architects of own demise,' says criminologist after complaints in N.B. and N.S.
After a week of criticism and anger at the Mass Casualty Commission in Nova Scotia, and outcry in a rural area of New Brunswick, there are questions about the RCMP’s role in community policing.
Winnipeg
-
Five Winnipeg students involved in 'pepper spray' incident while riding bus to school
A group of students from a school in Winnipeg's River Park South neighbourhood were involved in a 'pepper spray incident' while riding to school on a Winnipeg Transit bus, says a local school division.
-
'It just made my heart warm': Winnipeg bus driver's act of kindness captured on video
An act of kindness from a Winnipeg bus driver is being shared by a passenger who says it warmed his heart to witness.
-
Possible tornado being investigated in Manitoba community
Environment Canada is investigating a possible tornado in Binscarth, Man. on Thursday night.
Calgary
-
Sentence appeals granted in 3 Alberta multiple murder cases
Four convicted multiple murderers in Alberta will be offered the chance to plead their cases to a parole board much earlier after series of appeal decisions on Friday.
-
Past, present and future: Copping says abortion rules won't change in Alberta
After a decision that has sent shockwaves throughout the world about a woman's right to choose, Alberta's Health Minister Jason Copping says there won't be any change here despite what happens south of the border.
-
A new seed library encourages Calgarians to grow their own food
The Calgary Seed Library is tackling issues surrounding food security and sustainability with its weekly seed exchange.
Edmonton
-
'It feels so good': Alberta MP celebrates overturning of Roe v. Wade
A Member of Parliament from rural Alberta went live on Facebook Friday to celebrate a United States Supreme Court vote to end constitutional protections for abortion.
-
Edmonton Garrison hosts first Pride march at Canadian Forces base
Canadian Forces history was made in Edmonton Friday as soldiers, family, and friends marched together in the first Pride parade at a military base.
-
'Devastating setback': Trudeau, politicians react to overturning of Roe v. Wade
Canadian politicians are responding to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to end constitutional protections for abortion, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling the news 'horrific.'
Vancouver
-
Former CFL player convicted of ex-girlfriend's murder won't be eligible for parole for 14 years
A former professional football player who was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend will not be eligible for parole for 14 years.
-
Body found downstream from where Kelowna woman went missing, police say
Mounties in Kelowna say a body has been found downstream from where missing woman Chelsea Cardno may have been swept away.
-
New report ranks Vancouver as 5th most livable city in the world
A recently published report by the U.K.-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranked Vancouver as the fifth most livable city in the world.