NEW TECUMSETH, ONTARIO – The Honourable Helena Guergis, Minister of State for the Status of Women and Member of Parliament for Simcoe-Grey, on behalf of the honourable Jim Prentice, Canada’s Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, today unveiled a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque commemorating Sir Frederick Banting as a person of national historic significance at his place of birth.
“Since 2004, I, along with many in our community have been a vocal supporter for the preservation of the Banting Homestead. Having hosted a news conference in 2004 with my provincial and municipal counterparts, we took the plight of the homestead to the public. Recently, I have written to the Historic Sites and Monument Board of Canada and asked they recognize the Banting Homestead. I am honoured to be here today to commemorate Sir Frederick Banting as a person of national historic significance,” said M.P. Guergis.
Sir Frederick Banting was born in 1891 in Alliston, Ontario at the property now known as Banting Homestead. In 1916, Sir Frederick Banting graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School and served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps during World War I. After the war, Banting completed his training as an orthopaedic surgeon and established a general practice in London, Ontario. In May of 1921, under the supervision of Professor John Macleod, Banting began research on diabetes at the University of Toronto with his assistant, graduate student Charles Best.
“Great Uncle Fred was painfully aware that insulin is not a cure for diabetes," said Bob Banting. "Much more work needs to done to eliminate this disease worldwide. It is my fond hope that future activities carried out here, where Sir Frederick Grant Banting was born, will help eliminate this enormous threat to our health.”
“I am proud to welcome Sir Frederick Banting to Canada’s family of national historic sites, people and events,” declared Minister Prentice. “This designation will help to ensure that his important contributions, which helped thousands of Canadians cope with diabetes, are appreciated and remembered by future generations.”
After a few months of intense research, Banting and Best, with the assistance of chemist James Collip, were able to extract and purify an anti-diabetic substance from the pancreas, which is now known as insulin. The drug was hailed as one of the most significant advances in medicine at the time and immediately began to extend the lives of millions of diabetics worldwide. The discovery led to many awards, notably the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1923 for Banting and Macleod as the discoverers of insulin, and a knighthood for Banting bestowed in 1934 by King George V. Sir Frederick Banting died in the crash of a military aircraft in Newfoundland, on February 21, 1941.
Parks Canada manages a nation-wide network of national historic sites that commemorate persons, places and events that have shaped Canada’s history and which offer visitors the opportunity for real and inspiring discovery. Parks Canada works to ensure that Canada’s historic and natural heritage is presented and protected for the enjoyment, education, appreciation and inspired discovery of all Canadians, today and in the future.
