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<\/p>\nHundreds of thousands of individuals rush through Toronto\u2019s Union Station daily. But this past Monday, many paused during the morning rush to look at the photographs featured at the \u2018Points of Departure\u2019 exhibit, spotlighting the work of 16 photojournalists in the path of everyday commuters.<\/p>\n
Among them, a deeply personal portrait by photojournalist Alex Franklin, taken in Norfolk County, Ont.<\/p>\n
Titled \u2018I Love You Dearly\u2019, it features her grandmother, Marj Watson, looking away smiling, surrounded by flowers setup at a barn.<\/p>\n
Franklin tells OMNI News she was teary eyed the first time she saw her work at Union Station, a dream come true, especially as someone who came from \u201ca really small town.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t help it. I turned in the corner, looked at it, tears came out and I just let it happen,\u201d she says. \u201cThis is a dream of mine and I know that it means a lot to my grandma.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Photograph entitled \u2018I Love You Dearly\u2019 by Alex Franklin, one of 16 on display at Toronto\u2019s Union Station as part of the \u2018Points of Departure\u2019 exhibit. OMNI News\/Supplied<\/p>\n
The photojournalist also wanted to showcase her grandmother\u2019s resilience and strength. She shares that Watson, within six months, became a double amputee and lost her partner of 50 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen my grandfather passed away in 2019, the photographs that I took of him became so important to myself and my whole family, and I wanted to make sure I also documented my grandmother and have a moment where she feels beautiful and seen,\u201d Franklin adds.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I see that pic, I remember the moment of when I asked her, \u2018Do you feel beautiful?\u2019 She said, \u2018I actually do.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Across the country, photojournalist Ranz Bontogon from New Brunswick turned his lens on four temporary foreign workers in the commercial fishing and processing industry, moments after they shared stories of experiencing exploitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were just grabbing some water, they were standing up, and there was this moment where the four of them were really close and they were hugging,\u201d says Bontogon. \u201cI took my camera and took a photograph of that moment instantly because it really shows camaraderie even in the harshest conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says he intentionally took the photographs with the workers\u2019 backs turned, ensuring the workers are anonymous. Showing their identities may impact their immigration status, which Bontogon describes as \u201creally precarious.\u201d<\/p>\n
The photojournalist adds he wants commuters to see his work and remember that foreign workers are \u201cpeople too\u201d and have families in their home country that they are taking care of.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to treat them with respect,\u201d says Bontogon.<\/p>\n
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A group of Mexican temporary foreign workers talks about the exploitation at the fish plant on the Acadian Peninsula in this photograph by Ranz Bontogon as part of \u2018Points of Departure\u2019 exhibit at Union Station in Toronto. OMNI News\/Supplied<\/p>\n
Why this exhibit now at Union Station<\/p>\n
Organizers say with artificial intelligence and social media constantly evolving, it\u2019s more important now than ever before to feature the work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think citizen journalism is great and helps democratize what we\u2019re seeing, but I also think that trained photojournalists work from a strong ethical framework,\u201d says Chris Donovan, curator of the exhibit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t always feel like we could trust the image itself in the age of AI manipulation, but what we can trust is the individuals who rely on that moral compass and ethical compass that kind of holds us together as an industry,\u201d adds Donovan, who is also the photojournalism programs lead at the Globe and Mail Foundation.<\/p>\n
Artists and organizers hope commuters take something away from the diverse stories being told through these halls.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the busiest building in Canada so it\u2019s really fitting that we have stories from across the country being shared,\u201d says Alexa Polenz, manager of brand and partnerships at Union Station. \u201cPeople can engage with that, they can learn something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donovan adds, \u201cI hope they come away with kind of a sense of national identity, and just the breadth of experience that people have in this country in all kinds of different environments from coast to coast to coast \u2026 just come away with a sense of our purpose and our kind of collective identity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The exhibit \u2018Points of Departure\u2019 can be seen at Union Station until November 1st.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tThe exhibit ‘Points of Departure’ is seen at Union Station in Toronto on Sept. 28, 2026. OMNI NEWS <\/p>\n
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