A colourful drawing that spent 25 years sealed in a Mississauga time capsule has left a city councillor with a question to answer, one the young artist wrote on the page: "Where am I?"
Ward 5 Coun. Natalie Hart used Wednesday's city council meeting to ask for help finding the person who drew it as an elementary school student in 2000.
Sealed when the centre opened
The capsule was filled and closed in June 2000, when the Frank McKechnie Community Centre and Library opened in the Hurontario Street and Eglinton Avenue area, at the turn of the millennium. It was opened in late November as part of the centre's 25th anniversary celebrations.
Among the items inside was a drawing by a local elementary school student who did not sign it. In large block letters, it reads: "Reading can take u on a big adventure." In the middle, the artist added a smaller question: "Where am I?"
Hart told council she was using the meeting's live stream to reach the artist, a current or former resident, and said she would post the drawing on social media. She asked her council colleagues to share it on their own accounts.
I think it's an interesting story about where are you 25 years later and where have the reading adventures taken him or her?
— Natalie Hart, Ward 5 councillor
Hart said she hopes the artist can be acknowledged when the drawing goes back into the capsule, which is meant to be opened again in another 25 years.
About the centre
The community centre and library is named after Frank McKechnie, who represented Ward 5 on Mississauga council for almost 39 years until his death in office in 1997. In 2022, it was recognized as the first municipal facility in Canada to earn an international certification for energy efficiency.
Hart said she would like to hear from the artist, whether they still live in Mississauga or have since moved away.
