NORTH BAY, Ontario — Ontario Northland Railway unveiled its “Every Child Matters” locomotive, GP38-2 No. 1808, on Monday, Sept. 12, at its North Bay shop facility, in a ceremony attended by local First Nations representatives and government officials.
The “Every Child Matters” initiative is part of Canada’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, observed on Sept. 30 to recognize the impact of the nation’s Indian residential school system. It became a statutory holiday in 2021 following the discovery of more than 1,000 unmarked graves at residential school sites.
The Toronto Star reports the locomotive will be used in both freight and passenger service, hauling the railroad’s Polar Bear Express between Cochrane and Moosonee, Ont.
Canadian Pacific also has an Every Child Matters locomotive, unveiled in 2021 [see “Canadian Pacific debuts commemorative locomotive …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 29, 2021].
