Why the Museum Supervisor Went to Ottawa

Driving through the night, arriving at 4 am.

Kym Kennedy is 43 years old and lives a five-hour drive from Canada’s capital. Around 10 pm on Friday, January 28th, she and her 12-year-old daughter set out for Ottawa. They arrived at 4 am - a few hours ahead of the bulk of the Freedom Convoy.

Kym describes her experiences in a new book, An Attic and a Blank Diary: Insights Into the Freedom Convoy 2022. This is a worthy contribution to the growing body of literature about the truckers who changed the course of Canadian history.

Kym isn’t a professional writer, but she does a marvelous job of articulating her lived experience. Decades ago she developed life-altering medical problems after receiving a vaccine. That medical history, coupled with her assessment that COVID-19 was likely to be mild in the event that she contracted it, led her to decline the vaccines that have been massively promoted by all sectors of our society.

As a result, she lost her job. A job she loved, at a museum devoted to the Canadian humourist Stephen Leacock. (One doubts he’d be amused.) This national historic site is owned by the City of Orillia and funded by the government of Canada. Like many other municipalities, Orillia adopted a one-size-fits-all approach to public health. It insisted that all employees get vaccinated. No exceptions allowed.

Kym’s testimony is poignant and important. She says the convoy made her cry “tears of relief.” She says it showed people with alternative perspectives that they aren’t alone.

By giving those who’d been silenced “a voice,” she says the truckers restored her faith in fellow Canadians.

CORRECTION: The original version of this post mistakenly reported that Kym “ended up staying for weeks” in Ottawa. In fact, she visited for a few days on two occasions.

Read more about Kym:

• These Were My People

• When World Views Shift