Template:Did you know nominations/Huronia Regional Centre

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following discussion is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Allen3 talk 03:54, 3 November 2013 (UTC)

DYK toolbox

Huronia Regional Centre[edit]

(
)
  • ... that particularly during the 1960s, patients of the Huronia Regional Centre were subjected to "despairing conditions" and abuse?

Created by TheFeds (talk). Self nominated at 02:35, 27 September 2013 (UTC).

  • Almost ready. Article created new and brought up to standards between 22–24 September. It is meticulously well-researched and cited, and more than meets DYK standards. The primary claim made by the hook is verified and appropriate—though it may seem controversial, the abusive conditions at the facility are now commonly recognized and have been acknowledged by the Ontario government as part of a lawsuit settlement. The only part of the hook I'm not sure about is the "during the 1960s" claim. TheFeds: Is there a source for this? I don't think the article reproduced from 1960 quite does it. Thanks you for this great contribution. groupuscule (talk) 06:59, 12 October 2013 (UTC)
  • The 1960s claim follows particularly from the Williston report and from the Berton piece; I've added the Williston report as a reference and added a bit more material from it. Regarding the conditions, on page 30 it says, "Overcrowding was most apparent in wards where profoundly and seriously retarded adults, naked or near naked, sat rocking, or aimlessly walking or crawling, often dirty. There was little attempt at programming their activities. Conditions such as these prevailed in Orillia and Smiths Falls until the new systems were introduced beginning in 1964, and until three years ago at Aurora." (emphasis added). I don't have specific knowledge about the duration or frequency of abuse. TheFeds 07:44, 22 October 2013 (UTC)
This is a little more precise based on the sources we have. groupuscule (talk) 05:54, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
  • Maybe it would be more precise to just remove the 1960s reference? After all, the 1960 Berton article described mostly poor conditions, but not details of abuse, and the 1971 Williston report described poor conditions, but again didn't quite allege abuse. Instead, it was the fallout from the patients/families' allegations and lawsuit, and the government's admission that established abuse, but the time period doesn't necessarily match up.
    So maybe Alt2: ... that patients of the overcrowded Huronia Regional Centre were subjected to years of "despairing conditions", and in some cases, abuse?
    I don't want to make it seem too biased against the staff—because the referenced material doesn't give a clear picture of how many staff were "dedicated" (per Berton), and how many were abusers. TheFeds 08:08, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
  • Agree with all of your reasoning here. groupuscule (talk) 22:25, 26 October 2013 (UTC)
  • I read the quote and wondered if the "despairing conditions" referred to the poor working conditions faced by the staff there. Anyway, here's an alt hook for Halloween :
  • ALT3a: ... that there are more than 1400 unmarked graves in a field across from the site of the former Orillia Asylum for Idiots?
  • ALT3b: ... that there are more than 1400 unmarked graves in a field across from the site of the former Ontario Hospital School in Orillia, Canada?
--PFHLai (talk) 12:26, 27 October 2013 (UTC)
  • Now that you mention it, I guess the meaning of "despairing conditions" could go either way.
    I don't know about the intended tone of the DYKs for Hallowe'en, but if macabre is par for the course, those could work. I think I still prefer Alt2 by virtue of being more descriptive of what's in the article. TheFeds 07:30, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
  • ALT3a and ALT3b confirmed. AGF of other DYK requirements based upon previous review by Groupuscule. --Allen3 talk 10:46, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
  • My sense: that making this a themed holiday story is a bit disrespectful. I also prefer Alt 2. groupuscule (talk) 04:41, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Did_you_know_nominations/Huronia_Regional_Centre&oldid=1222477859"