Currently located at the corner of Paris and Brady Streets, the city announced the Crosses for Change memorial would move to a permanent location last year; they have now announced Dan Bergeron as the artist who will lead the project
In a step towards the permanent Crosses for Change memorial, the City of Greater Sudbury announced July 23 that they have chosen Dan Bergeron of Fauxreel Studios to lead the development of the installation.
A release from the city states that before any design work begins, Bergeron will work with a project working group and “engage families, community organizations, people with lived experience and other community partners” to help shape the final concept for the memorial to those who died of overdose or toxic poisoning from substances.
Announced Feb. 21, 2025, the permanent installation will fill the small area known as Carleton Park, located at the corner of Paris Street and Cedar Street in downtown Sudbury. The memorial will be developed alongside planned improvements associated with the Paris-Notre-Dame Bikeway Project, including new pathways, lighting and site enhancements, said the city at the time.
“Infrastructure required to support the future installation will also be incorporated into the park improvements,” the city said.
According to his website, Bergeron was born and raised in Toronto, and is a public artist “who employs a range of styles, themes and materials to activate and explore the meaning of our shared public spaces.” His public installations “aim to open a dialog with viewers,” the website description reads, “promoting engagement through both intimate familiarity and wonder at the unexpected.”
“The strength of this project will come from the people whose experiences and perspectives help inform it,” said Bergeron in the city’s release. “I’m looking forward to listening, learning and working together to create a memorial that reflects the significance of this place.”
His website states that the shape, texture and location of a site “and its history or current uses” dictate the form and content of his projects.
His uncommissioned works live in cities around the world including London, Toronto, New York, Paris and Amsterdam. Bergeron has created works for commercial brands such as Nike, Adidas, Vespa and Converse, states his website, and he has completed commissions for the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto and the Luminato festival. Permanent public artworks include commissions in Toronto and at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s head office.
You can find more of Bergeron’s work here.
“I’m pleased to see this meaningful community project continue to move forward,” stated City of Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre, in the release. “This is an opportunity to create a permanent place of reflection that respects the experiences of families, partners, and people with lived experience, while continuing to support remembrance, healing and hope.”
Founder of the memorial, Denise Sandul has said the current Crosses for Change memorial began as a way to honour her late son, Miles Keaney, and the lives of people lost to the opioid crisis. At the announcement of the permanent memorial, she told attendees that grief can be a “very isolating experience,” and she began the memorial so the community could have collective support.
Keaney died of an overdose just up from the site’s Paris Street location, and Sandul placed the first cross there for him. The numbers only went up from there, at one time reaching almost 300 of the simple white crosses, some featuring photos and flowers, others simply a first name.
“Every one of those crosses have a story of their own: there are similarities, there’s differences, but all of these people mattered,” she said.
In the city’s release, Sandul said that knowing this work will continue as a permanent place “means so much to the families and community members who have found comfort at the current location over the years,” she stated. “I’m grateful to everyone who has helped move this project forward, and I look forward to assisting with the project and the final outcome.”
The project will be developed in accordance with the city’s Public Art Master Plan and will include targeted community engagement throughout the design process, states the city release. “A final concept will be developed following this engagement.”
More information will be shared as the project progresses, said the city. You can find updates on their Crosses for Change website here.