Ontario woman donates home to Indigenous community
An Ontario woman is giving her land back to the Indigenous community and is hoping to inspire others to do the same.
When Lidia Tromp was faced with moving into a nursing home, she knew what she wanted to do with the house that she lived in for 55 years.
"God put it in my head and my heart to give [the house] away," Tromp said in a news release from Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services (OAHS) on Friday. "It was such a liberating thought. Good will come from it, I'm sure."
She bought the house in Tillsonburg, near London, Ont., after moving to Canada from Holland – where she was born and raised.
Upon moving into the house, she found a set of iron bookends inside a cupboard that would later inspire her to give back to the Indigenous community. The item depicting "a person slumped over on the back of a horse" represented "the suffering of Indigenous people from their loss of land, children, and other forms of oppression," she said.
Often working several jobs simultaneously to pay the mortgage, she still found the time to give back to her community. Over the course of her life, she has made over 10,000 handcrafted dolls and has sent some to young children in other countries.
With the help of her lawyer, the Sault Ste. Marie-based OAHS was contacted in June, and after an inspection was completed, the donation was accepted.
Lidia Tromp was gifted a necklace by Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services (Supplied)
"She has the kindest, gentlest, and most giving heart and soul of anyone I have ever met and likely will ever meet. I was honored to be the representative from OAHS to meet Lidia, I was incredibly moved," Wanda Chorney, the manager of title services for the organization, said in the news release.
The donation of the home will help provide an Indigenous family with safe and affordable rental housing. OAHS prioritizes individuals and families escaping violence, this includes women and children who are living in shelters, victims of sex trafficking, and people experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of becoming homeless.
"I hope things work out better now for the Native nation than what has been done so far," Tromp said.
OAHS manages and maintains the properties in the rental housing programs and also offers a homeownership program.
No one has yet moved into the home donated by Tromp, spokesperson Sarah McBain told CTV News in an email.
Tromp is currently residing in a care facility in Tillsonburg.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.