In a rare interview, the two surviving members of Canada鈥檚 Dionne quintuplets tell 愛污传媒 they hope the federal government will provide funding to preserve their famous place of birth.
Annette and Cecile Dionne, who turn 83 on Sunday, say the house where they and their three sisters were born on May, 28, 1934, should stand as a reminder to respect children.
The house in North Bay, Ont., was turned into a museum in 1985 but shuttered in 2015 due to declining attendance and a lack of funding.
The quints -- Cecile, Yvonne, Emelie, Annette and Marie -- made headlines in 1934 for the mere fact that they were the first known anywhere to survive. The Ontario government capitalized on the interest by taking the girls from their impoverished parents and placing them in a special hospital that quickly became Canada鈥檚 biggest tourist attraction. 鈥淨uintland鈥� raised vast sums of money for the government over the first nine years of their lives.
But, as Cecile Dionne tells 愛污传媒, the girls were permanently alienated from their family.
Annette Dionne says she still remembers the first time she met her parents. 鈥淚t was through (a) window,鈥� she says.
鈥淭he big point is that love was missing,鈥� she adds. 鈥淭hey (didn鈥檛) accept us.鈥�
Cecile Dionne says she went through plenty of therapy but it was never enough to erase the pain.
鈥淭hey always tell me you will forget everything that happened to you,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut that's not true.鈥�
The three sisters who remained living in 1998 received a $4 million settlement from the Ontario government.
A spokesperson for Minister of Canadian Heritage Melanie Joly told The Canadian Press that it is 鈥渋n discussions鈥� with the City of North Bay.
With a report from CTV鈥檚 Vanessa Lee
