Dr. Marion Powell talks about single mothers in rural Ontario

An audio interview with Dr. Marion Powell talking about about single mothers in rural Ontario. The interview is accompanied by a slide show of historical images of Timmins, Ontario from the 1940s.

Duration: 2:12 minutes.

[Title card reads: Dr. Marion Powell talks about single mothers in rural Ontario] [A female interviewer begins talking. A blue background fades away to reveal a black and white aerial image of people walking on a wooden bridge over a water channel and mud, with a forest in the background.] Interviewer: I understood that you had been working with single mothers in Timmins and I was interested in having you talk about that. [An older woman begins talking. A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal a black and white image of rural buildings, a dirt road, and a railway track.] Powell: Well, it’s a long time ago. We went up there and there were no services at that time for young unmarried women. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal a black and white image of people walking towards a small brick building in a rural area with a railway track in the background.] And we had hoped to, I’ve been interested in establishing or getting some sort of home, that was when people got homes for getting unmarried mothers together at a time, got very little support from the church for it. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal a black and white image of people walking towards a small brick building in a rural area with a railway track in the background.] And it was interesting. The reasons were that these young women would be better off away from their own communities. They would be much better if they left town. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal a black and white image of machinery and trees in a rural landscape.] Nobody wanted them around and they’d be embarrassed to stay around. I got very little support for it. We had a few that stayed with us. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal a black and white image of industrial landscape with buildings and vegetation.] And we often made arrangements for those who wanted to come down to the city. But it was very disappointing again to see the attitude of people towards this woman who was considered to be a fallen sinful woman. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal a black and white image of an industrial scene with two buildings and a barren foreground.] Interviewer: When was this? Powell: We were there in 1948 to 1951, so it was a long time ago. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal a black and white image of a wide outdoor area with uneven terrain, a shed, machinery, tilled earth, and tall poles.] But it was also the time right after the war, when there were, there was quite a large group of young single people, men who came back from overseas, women who, I guess they’ve always gotten pregnant. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal a black and white image of a factory complex with a water tower, electric poles, and vintage cars.] But with no facilities whatsoever, and in a very judgmental type of society, very dominated by French Roman county churches. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal a black and white image of a forested area with a town in the background.] And so, there was this strong feeling of condemnation for these women. And because I was the only woman practicing in town, I saw quite a few of them. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal a black and white image of a mining structure and buildings.] And was, many felt there was a need for a service up there. But I didn’t get the support from the church. Went off somewhere else. In many ways it comes as a bit of a shock when people say to me that I’ve affected policy in this country. [Screen fades to blue.]