How art has made a difference in the life of a northern Ont. man with severe autism
The family of a non-verbal Sudbury man with severe autism is sharing the story of how art has made a remarkable difference in his life as he heads to Toronto to display his paintings.
Morgan Kitching is a 21-year-old who discovered his love for painting four years ago during a power outage at the family cottage in Killarney, his mother told CTV News in an interview.
Pierre Sabourin, Trish Jokat and Morgan Kitching of Sudbury. March 27/23 (Alana Everson/CTV Northern Ontario)
His mother, Trish Jokat, believes the combination of colour and creating has led to incredible positive changes in him, including his eating disorder.
"The more he painted, the more he ate. It seems like the colours would imitate the food," Jokat said.
"For example, the red, he is eating cranberries now. The green, he's eating salads. His whole diet has changed."
Pierre Sabourin is Jokat's partner and a landscape artist who has sold his work all over the world.
He also teaches art and said over the past four years, Morgan's artistic talent has blossomed along with other abilities too.
"Seen some incredible changes in Morgan," Sabourin said.
"When I first met Morgan, I couldn't communicate with him at all. And all of a sudden, we were able to communicate through colour. And that's an amazing experience just in itself."
With World Autism Awareness Day on Sunday, Kitching will be displaying 200 of his paintings at Queen's Park on Monday and the family said it hopes the exhibition will shine light on the power of art.
"I hope they take away the fact that there is more therapies out there than just one or two and that they should just let their children explore, use lots of paint," Jokat said.
"'Don't ever give up hope,' is the typical standby statement and just allow them to create."
"The things that I learned teaching school was that children that are dealing with life skills have a propensity to art and I think that is very important to explore," Sabourin added.
A short documentary about Kitching's journey with art and autism is available on YouTube.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Freeland's budget bill passes House after Poilievre pledges to block it
The federal budget implementation bill passed the House of Commons on Thursday, after days of Conservative attempts to block it.
'Tremendous amount we could be doing': Expert shares tips for preventing, adapting to wildfires
As wildfires rage across Canada in what’s being called an unprecedented season, one expert says there’s more that individuals and communities can do to adapt and prevent forest fires from causing widespread devastation.
Supreme Court of Canada won't hear unvaccinated woman's case for organ donation
The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of an Alberta woman who was unwilling to be vaccinated in order to get a life-saving organ transplant.
Special rapporteur David Johnston cuts ties with crisis management firm Navigator
Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference has ended ties with crisis communications firm Navigator, his office confirmed on Thursday.
Are more interest rate hikes on the way? Here's what experts say
In the wake of the Bank of Canada’s unexpected rate hike, economists are pointing to further tightening in the near term.
10-year-old girl survives more than 24 hours alone in the rugged Cascade mountains after getting lost while out with her family
Rescuers in Washington state are praising the resourcefulness of a 10-year-old girl who survived on her own for more than 24 hours in the rugged terrain of the Cascade mountains after getting lost while out with her family.
Wildfire battles continue as heat, air quality alerts affect most of Canada
Air pollution from wildfires remained well above healthy levels across much of southern and northern Ontario and several communities in British Columbia and Alberta on Thursday.
4 very young children critically wounded in knife attack in French Alpine town
As bystanders screamed for help, a man with a knife stabbed four young children at a lakeside park in the French Alps on Thursday, assaulting at least one in a stroller repeatedly. The children between 22 months and 3 years old suffered life-threatening injuries, and two adults also were wounded, authorities said.
Liberals unveil plan to make hybrid House of Commons sittings permanent
Government House Leader Mark Holland has unveiled the federal Liberals' plans to make hybrid sittings a permanent feature in the House of Commons.
Barrie
-
Parents of boy shot dead in Barrie driveway deliver haunting statements at sentencing hearing
The grief-stricken parents of a young teen killed in his driveway in Barrie in 2021 delivered haunting victim impact statements in court Thursday, recalling the day their "world was destroyed."
-
Heat, dry temperatures cause extreme fire danger rating in Simcoe County
A long stretch without rain combined with high temperatures and dry ground conditions has many municipalities across Simcoe County with an extreme fire danger rating and burn ban.
-
HEALTH ALERT
HEALTH ALERT | Wildfire smoke intensifies over Simcoe County
The shifting winds late Thursday morning are predicted to push high levels of air pollution over the City of Barrie and surrounding areas from smoke emanating from wildfires in Quebec and northeastern Ontario.
Toronto
-
Video captures bus plowing into stopped traffic in deadly Mississauga, Ont. crash
Video has surfaced showing a Mississauga, Ont. transit bus plowing into stopped traffic in a crash that left one person dead and at least eight injured on Thursday morning.
-
Toronto constable demoted for role in cheating promotions exam
An officer who admitted to playing a part in a scheme to cheat the Toronto Police Service promotions procedure has been temporarily demoted instead.
-
Girl rescued from burning home in Brampton last week has died: OFM
A girl rescued from a burning home in Brampton last week has died in the hospital, Ontario's fire marshal said on Friday.
Ottawa
-
Air quality improves over Ottawa, but smoky skies could return on Friday
People in the Ottawa-Gatineau area are breathing fresher air, as smoke and haze from wildfires in northern Ontario and Quebec moves out of the area.
-
Rising interest rates making 30-year amortization more popular for homebuyers
As interest rates continue to rise, the cost of buying a house in Ottawa and across Canada is becoming more expensive. Many homeowners are now forced to extend their mortgage payments.
-
Bear spotted in Kanata neighbourhood 'safely placed in a cage', police say
Police received a call about a bear sighting in the 500 block of Woodchase Street, near Breckenridge Crescent, at approximately 9 a.m.
Kitchener
-
SUV smashes into Kitchener LCBO
Police say no one was seriously hurt when an SUV crashed into the front door of an LCBO in south Kitchener Thursday.
-
18-year-old cyclist taken to hospital after crash in Kitchener
An 18-year-old woman riding a bike was taken to an out-of-region hospital with what police call “possible serious injuries” after a crash involving a sedan in Kitchener.
-
Air quality in K-W could improve with chance of rain forecast Thursday night: Environment Canada
Waterloo region and Wellington County remain under a special air quality statement for the fourth straight day Thursday with pollution levels expected to worsen into the evening before potential rainfall and shifting winds could bring some reprieve.
London
-
Pride and prejudice: Wortley Pride event learning from controversy during inaugural event
The second annual Wortley Pride Festival takes place June 10 in Wortley Village. During the inaugural event in 2022, a disruption occurred that led to charges against a London, Ont. man, and while off putting for organizers, they have learned from that experience.
-
Victim transported to hospital after stabbing, 18-year-old man facing charges
A Hanover, Ont. man is left with potentially life-altering injuries after being stabbed following an overnight argument, police said on Thursday.
-
VIDEO
VIDEO | Smoke continuing, rain forecast for the weekend
After nearly three weeks of no rain in the Forest City and days of hazy skies caused by wildfires, it appears as though rain is finally in the forecast for later this the weekend.
Windsor
-
Police release identity of woman’s body found in Windsor field
Windsor police say they discovered the body of a deceased female in a field near Northway Avenue.
-
Windsor woman scammed out of $800 after attempting to buy Taylor Swift concert tickets for herself and granddaughter
A Windsor woman searching for concert tickets said she learned a hard lesson about how easy it is for people to fall victim to online scams.
-
Firefighters battling garage fire in east Windsor
Windsor firefighters are responding to an upgraded working garage in east Windsor.
Montreal
-
Quebec wildfire situation 'stable' for coming days; evacuees stuck until next week
Quebec's precarious wildfire situation is expected to remain stable over the next 48 hours but residents displaced by the raging forest fires likely won't be able to return home until early next week, Premier Francois Legault said Thursday.
-
Man accused of Claudia Iacono killing was arrested the next day in Ontario on drug charges
An Ontario man charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the death of Claudia Iacono, the daughter-in-law of the late Montreal Mafia associate Moreno Gallo, was arrested the day after the killing in Ontario on unrelated drug charges, public records show.
-
Former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre opens up about life after stroke, depression
Former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, who spent his life in politics, collapsed and suffered a stroke on April 11, and even as he's slowly recovering, the fighter's instinct, that he's known for, is very much alive.
Atlantic
-
Higgs government faces caucus revolt over changes to LGBTQ school policy in N.B.
New Brunswick students under the age of 16 who identify as trans and non-binary won't be able to officially change their names or pronouns in school without parental consent.
-
Halifax says more residents can return home Friday after wildfires
The Halifax Regional Municipality says it will announce Thursday when more residents can return to their homes in communities impacted by the Tantallon wildfires.
-
"People are maxing out their credit cards" – Evacuees call for extra emergency money in wildfire aftermath
Evacuees throughout Nova Scotia are calling on the province for more money in the aftermath of wildfires.
Winnipeg
-
Softball-sized hail, strong wind gusts reported in Manitoba storm
A storm that tore through a community northwest of Brandon Wednesday brought with it heavy winds and, in some areas, hail the size of softballs.
-
Man charged in connection to crash that sent two officers to hospital
A 25-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a crash that left two Winnipeg police officers with serious injuries.
-
Premier remains mum on funding to search Manitoba landfill for remains of 2 women
The decision to search a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two First Nations women and who will fund it remains up in the air a month after a feasibility study was completed.
Calgary
-
Victims of serious crash east of Calgary identified as sisters from France
RCMP say two victims injured in a horrific crash east of Calgary earlier this week were family members visiting from France.
-
Worker buried in trench collapse during sewer repairs in Charleswood
Occupational Health and Safety is investigating a trench collapse that occurred at a utility repair site in the community of Charleswood on Thursday.
-
Silver Springs sinkhole swallows front-end of SUV
Members of the Calgary Fire Department were called to a sinkhole that opened up in the community of Silver Springs on Thursday.
Edmonton
-
5 women sue Coventry Homes after co-owner charged with sexually assaulting employee
Five women are suing homebuilder Coventry Homes, while a key figure at the company is facing trial on a charge of sexual assault.
-
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith downplays link between wildfires and climate change
Premier Danielle Smith says the government is bringing in arson investigators from outside the province to trace the cause of some wildfires during an unprecedented season in Alberta.
-
Edmonton man finds furry 'hitchhiker' on his way home from Jasper National Park
An Edmonton man recently ran into trouble in Jasper National Park after a hairy hitchhiker hunkered down under the hood of his car.
Vancouver
-
'Threat to human life': Evacuation ordered for Tumbler Ridge, B.C.
Tumbler Ridge, a community with a population of 2,400 in northeastern B.C., has been ordered to evacuate Thursday due to the danger posed by an encroaching wildfire.
-
Bus taking B.C. kids on field trip bursts into flames
No one was harmed when a bus transporting elementary school children to a field trip in B.C. caught fire Thursday, with the flames fully engulfing the coach, spreading to an outbuilding and prompting wildfire concerns.
-
Air quality advisory lifted in Metro Vancouver as officials warn of difficult wildfire season ahead
Metro Vancouver has ended its air quality advisory, citing favourable winds and cooler temperatures. However, it says new warnings may be needed in the coming days.