Pellerin: How to be a joyful Canadian — Diane Sims leads the way

Ottawa Citizen

2 days ago

Joy is a concept that's easy to call and hard to run, especially when bad things keep happening to you. But the woman one Ottawa newspaper once called 'the indefatigable Ms. Sims' is filled with so much of it that she shines bright enough to light up the sky and eclipse the Canada Day fireworks over LeBreton Flats.
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Diane Sims is a writer, journalist and communicator who was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie. She has worked all over Ontario, including stints in Ottawa, Manitoulin Island and various points in between. She now lives in Stratford.
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She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis as a teenager. Later, she also had to face ovarian cancer. Plus, you know, the challenges of everyday life. A fierce advocate for accessibility as well as medical assistance in dying (MAiD), she was awarded the Order of Canada last year. She was in Ottawa earlier this week for the ceremony and to launch the Order of Canada Edition of her 2024 memoir, Living Beyond the Shadow, at Perfect Books on Elgin Street.
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I read her memoir from cover to cover and spent a delightful half-hour or so chatting by phone with this extraordinary woman before meeting her at the bookstore on Wednesday. The experience, just ahead of Canada Day and in the political context of 2025, made me think about what it means to be Canadian, beyond the clichés and lazy shortcuts, like the fact that we're nice and polite and maybe a little bit boring at times but good eggs, you know?
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Yes. But also no. Being a Canadian also means going through life with determination, gratitude and joy, no matter what the universe throws at you. The Brits have stiff upper lips. We can have joyful hearts.
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To say I am in awe of Sims's courage and tireless advocacy would be a fine understatement. She inspires me to add my voice to those who demand better for people who live with disabilities, whether these be visible or not.
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And goodness knows we have work to do in this city, where even something as basic as, say, providing accessible, clean and free public toilets is all but impossible, for reasons I will never understand. How can we have half a billion dollars to spend on Lansdowne 2.0 and virtually nothing to ensure people have equal access to public events such as Canada Day ceremonies regardless of ability, or can pee without having to buy coffee they don't want at McDonald's? And don't get me started on problems such as crumbling sidewalks, which make it difficult for those who use mobility devices. And so on.
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It's common to call activists such as Diane Sims 'happy warriors,' and while I don't disagree, I want to suggest an amendment. It's not so much that she's happy. It's that she's joyful and grateful. Or as she says, quoting my favourite Benedictine monk, the great David Steindl-Rast, she's joyful because she has gratitude in her heart.
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Diane Sims is someone who is open about her connection to the Divine. I do not wish to take anything away from that, simply to add that you don't need religious belief to experience gratitude and joy and live a purposeful, satisfying and happy life — in spite of any challenges that may be in your way.
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Every time she faces a new difficulty, Sims reacts with renewed determination. And jokes — she has a wicked sense of humour. Every time she goes in for a medical procedure, which is distressingly often, she thanks doctors and nurses for what they do to help her. I tried to thank her for our phone conversation, and she insisted on thanking me. What she preaches, she lives to the fullest.