IN HONOUR OF …
Former Star journalist Barbara Turnbull will have street named after her,
Late Toronto Star journalist and disability advocate Barbara Turnbull will be honoured with a ceremonial street name.
Toronto and East York Community Council voted on Wednesday to name a section of Oak Hall Lane — near the corner of Church St. and King St. E., in Toronto’s St. Lawrence neighbourhood — “Barbara Turnbull Way.”
Turnbull, who died in 2015, was an author and fierce advocate for spinal cord research, organ donation and people with disabilities.
“It is possible to build a life that is satisfying and has happy moments, despite what comes at you,” she wrote in a 2013 ebook, which was excerpted in the Star.
In 1983, Turnbull was only 18 when she was shot in the neck during a robbery at a Mississauga Becker’s store. The shooting left her quadriplegic, but it didn’t hold her back. She pow- ered on, enrolling at Arizona State University four years after the incident.
Turnbull, who died following complications with pneumonia, was posthumously invested into the Order of Canada in 2015.
“Barbara Turnbull was a powerful advocate for people with spinal cord injuries and an in- spiration to many Canadians,” then-Governor General David Johnston said at the time.
Turnbull began her work at the Toronto Star through an internship program while she was still a student. After she graduated from Arizona State as class valedictorian, she remained at the Star, where she worked as a reporter until her death.
Turnbull published two books on her experiences with quadriplegia, and launched the Barbara Turnbull Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to spinal cord research.
Through her commitment to activism sprung the Barbara Turnbull Award, an award set up in her name by a group of colleagues at the Star. The award is given to a student with a disability who exemplifies Turnbull’s perseverance and determination.
Most recently, Jaqueline Au, who studies fashion at Ryerson University, was honoured with the prize for her work designing clothing for those with disabilities.
“Her sheer presence reminded us that the human can overcome the worst adversity,” former Ontario lieutenant governor David Onley said at Turnbull’s funeral, calling Turnbull “a great Canadian who was the epitome of courage and grace.”
Lynn Turnbull and Christine Mortimer, Turnbull’s sisters, described her at her funeral as someone who remained strong despite obstacles that others may have faltered at.
Turnbull’s family was consulted in the ceremonial street dedication, and agreed to the recommendation.
A ceremonial street dedication doesn’t change the addresses along that street or the lane’s official name, but the city will install special signage.