Breadcrumb Trail Links
Published May 01, 2026 • Last updated 10 hours ago • 3 minute read
The Dionne Museum board has launched a GoFundMe to help raise funds to pay for a second summer student. Photo by Jennifer Hamilton-McCharles, The NuggetArticle content
The Dionne Quintuplets Museum has received more support from their Americans visitors than North Bay city council, says museum chairman Ed Valenti.
Advertisement 2
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Valenti told the Nugget Tuesday afternoon he’s frustrated with the lack of help the tourist attraction and its volunteers receive.
Article content
Recommended Videos
Article content
“Council doesn’t value the Dionne Quints museum – it is a valuable tool. We get more support from Americans than city council. And we’re burning out.”
Valenti said there’s seven volunteers left on the museum board of directors.
“We lost one guy because he’s tired with what’s happening in the city.”
For the last several years, the Dionne Quints board has been asking city council for financial assistance to assist with costly repairs and other improvements of the home.
“Our requests have fallen on deaf ears.”
After this year’s presentation to council, Valenti said they took a different approach.
“We gave up asking,” he said.
“We are owned by the city. They help other groups, but our requests have fallen on deaf ears. I question — does the city really understand how much the Quints are bringing in?”
The Dionne Quints Museum board is looking to the public to help raise $10,000.
Advertisement 3
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Pleading to North Bay council didn’t work, so volunteers have decided to launch a GoFundMe Account.
The Dionne Quints Museum is looking to expand its operations from Friday to Saturday to six days a week during the summer months of June, July and August.
The funds will be used to hire two students to conduct museum tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Museum tours are currently being done by volunteers.
Valenti said if they don’t secure the funds they will have no choice but to reduce the museum’s hours.
“We will be forced to reduce our opening hours to Fridays and Saturdays and showings upon requests. We like and want to be open, and it also helps our bottom line because we rely on donations.”
Gord Young, communication officer with the City of North Bay, said the city is always willing to work collaboratively with the Dionne Museum board and other community partners to explore ways to support their work.
“However, under the agreement between the city and the Dionne Museum board, the city, as owner of the Dionne Home, is responsible for capital-related costs associated with the building but does not provide funding for day-to-day operations.”
Advertisement 4
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
The board is also organizing a celebration of life for the five Dionne quintuplets on August 8 at the Davedi Club.
The dinner will also include a silent auction which will includes several pieces of cartoonist Lynn Johnston’s collection. Tickets are $45.
The Dionne quintuplets were the first known set of quintuplets to survive infancy. They were born on May 28, 1934 in Corbeil, Ontario to Elzire (Legros) and Oliva Dionne, a French-Canadian farming couple.
The five identical girls’ names were Yvonne Édouilda Marie, Annette Lillianne Marie, Cécile Marie Émilda, Émilie Marie Jeanne and Marie Réina Alma. Midwives Madame Lebel and Madame Legros (Elzire’s Aunt) delivered the two-months premature babies weighing less than 14 pounds total.
Their skills helped ensure the survival of the girls, according to the GoFundMe page.
That survival was considered a miracle at the time. Elzire had already given birth to six children — Ernest, Rose Marie, Therese, Daniel and Pauline, with one boy Leo, passing soon after birth. Three boys followed — Oliva, Victor and Claude.
“Soon after the Quints’ birth, the Ontario government took custody of the girls under the guise of protecting them from exploitation. Ironically, they ended up being exploited by the government itself,” according to the fund.
As of Thursday, the fund had reached $436 of its $10,000 goal.
Click here to donate.
Article content
Share this article in your social network