Photo courtesy of Rory Gardiner
Ottawa has suffered through two natural disasters within 7 months, and the effects are still present. The tornado tore through Ottawa on September 21, 2018 and affected most of the capital and regions of Quebec. The tornado damaged more than 170, 000 households, leaving long lasting effects on the communities. Dunrobin, an Ottawa neighbourhood, was primarily affected by the tornado. As if the damage from the tornado wasn't devastating enough, this past April Ottawa was also victim to the flood which rose above the water levels of the flood in 2017. By April 25th, the city of Ottawa declared a state of emergency and received assistance from the Province of Ontario and the Canadian Armed Forces. Hundreds of residents are currently repairing their homes as a result of both natural disasters, and few are moving back in.
Local country music artist Rory Gardiner is one of many who lost his house to the tornado in September. Gardiner coped with the devastating loss of his home with humour. The following day, he uploaded a comedic video regarding the tornado which resulted in 10k views within two days. This lead to Gardiner speaking at a TEDx Talk event. His advice: "when life gives you trees…build a tree house!"
Gardiner will be featured at Fringe Festival (Ottawa’s largest theatre festival) with his own one hour show, Tornado Troubles, and will be a story of the entire disaster. His stand up comedy performance will be a story arc of the entire event and the aftermath of the tornado. As a CCMA nominated artist, Rory's show will conclude with a musical performance.
Gardiner will be performing in June 13, 17, 19, 21 and 22 and Fringe Festival.
Though Ottawa has been hit by two disasters, humour and positivity can still be found amongst Canadians. Celebrate Ottawa’s resiliency with Rory Gardiner at the Fringe Festival this June, 2019!