Historical Treasure, Banting's Homesite, Threatened with Bulldozers!

This story should be quite troubling for all of us who care about history. A Canadian friend of mine says there are rumors floating about that the homesite may go for subdivisions. This is horrible news. The home of the great Sir Frederick Banting is a national treasure to Canada and ought to be saved. It's a TRAVESTY.

Full story here, excerpt below.

Family fights historical society to save home of insulin discoverer Banting at 16:31 on November 14, 2005, EST.

TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario Historical Society has broken the trust placed in it by the family of Sir Frederick Banting, the Canadian doctor who discovered insulin, by allowing his birthplace to fall into disrepair, his great nephew said Monday.

Nov. 14, Banting's birthday, is celebrated globally as World Diabetes Day in honour of his discovery, for which he was awarded the Nobel prize in medicine in 1923.

But Banting's great-nephew Bob Banting accused the society of failing to maintain the 40-hectare homestead near Alliston, Ont., about an hour's drive northwest of Toronto, which the family donated to the society in 1999.

"The OHS has broken its word (and) neglected to provide even minimal maintenance to the property over the past six years," Banting told a news conference at the Ontario legislature.

"They've allowed the buildings to deteriorate beyond repair and have abandoned them to possible vandalism."...{{MORE}}