Marie Slark
“Never open any more institutions. And if your kid has a disability, don't send them to an institution like that. There are other ways to get them help. They don't need to be put away.”
Born on January 31st, 1954, Marie Slark is a survivor of the Huronia Regional Centre. She spent 9 years there, but was officially discharged 13 years later at age 20. Marie is now enjoying retirement at age 68 where she lives with her sister, Antoinette Charlebois, their 2 cats and 1 dog. Marie enjoys knitting and crocheting, often making hats and scarfs to donate to victims of domestic abuse. She has also made over 100 rosaries which are donated to a local church. Marie is interested in travelling to Rome sometime soon.
Interviewed and Produced by TL Sutherland
My name is TL Sutherland. I am currently in grade 10 and have aspirations of attending UBC or Waterloo for software engineering sometime in the future. I use they/them pronouns and am also saving up to transition once I graduate high school. I play instruments inside and outside of school and way too many video games which often leads to me procrastinating. That aside, I hope you enjoy this short interview with Marie Slark.
Keepsake Photographs
Photos beneath Marie's memories were taken by TL, capturing their progress through story development.