Stratford walking tour honours women’s history

By: Amanda Nelson

Stratford Walking Tours is once again hosting a women’s history walking tour, this time to support the Rose McQueen Legacy Fund, a new fundraising initiative that honours McQueen and her contribution to the city by supporting the Stratford Festival’s education department.

Lauri Leduc, owner, operator and guide, will host the Step into HERstory guided walking tour on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m.

The tour will take attendees through Stratford’s streets as Leduc leads the group and discusses women, from Stratford’s first female mayor to pioneering physicians to domestic workers at the Windsor Hotel. Guests will learn some of the forgotten stories of Stratford’s past.

The Oct. 18 date is special, says Leduc, because Canada recognizes it as Persons Day. It marks the 1929 decision by Canada’s highest court of appeal to include women in the legal definition of “persons.” This gave some women the right to be appointed to the Senate of Canada and paved the way for women’s increased participation in public and political life.

“This tour is focused on some of the women who have shaped the history of Stratford and their forgotten stories,” said Leduc. “I will share details about these women and their contribution to the city, and because I’m hosting it on Persons Day, I thought it was a great opportunity to bring those two ideas together. I think it is a great way to celebrate.”

Though this decision did not include all women, such as Indigenous women and women of Asian heritage and descent, it did mark critical progress in the advancement of gender equality in Canada.

Five dollars from each ticket sold for the Oct. 18 tour will be donated to the Rose McQueen Legacy Fund to support emerging artists through the Stratford Festival.

McQueen herself is one of the women featured on the tour. Her story inspired Tom Patterson to found the Stratford Festival.

“She’s a prominent figure in our city’s history,” said Leduc. “She was involved with community education, the Stratford Festival, and so many aspects of the city. She was passionate about education and her students’ lives, and that didn’t end when the school day was over. She volunteered in the evenings at the Y, helping educate young girls, so her job wasn’t just to teach from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. She really involved herself in the community.”

Details about the Rose McQueen Legacy Fund can be found at www.rosemcqueen.ca/the-rose-mcqueen-legacy-fund.

Tickets for the Step into HERstory walking tour are $20 per person. Advance reservations are required. Tickets can be purchased at www.stratfordwalkingtours.ca.