Mile Zero

The Trans-​Canada Highway is a national road system that travels through all ten Provinces. Along with the Trans-​Siberian Highway and Australia’s Highway 1, the TCH is one of the world’s longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km (4,990 mi) from Victoria BC to St. Johns Newfoundland. The highway system is recognizable by its distinctive white-​on-​green Maple Leaf route markers.
The Victoria terminus of the Trans-​Canada Highway lies at the foot of Douglas Street and Dallas Road at Beacon Hill Park, and is marked by a «Mile Zero» monument. This is the official western end of the Trans-​Canada Highway.
Over the years, I have traveled on various sections of the TCH, primarily in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. Remember the movie Supersize Me? It’s about a guy who spends a 30 day period by only eating at McDonald’s. My Canada version of this goal would be to drive the entire length of the Trans-​Canada and only eat at Tim Horton’s.
I’m big on local-​flavour monuments such like this and I thank Gayle for indulging me as we walked down from Victoria’s Inner Harbour area and through Beacon Hill Park. As it turned out, it was a great walk as Beacon Hill Park is gorgeous, and it was a pleasant sunny and warm day. Another bonus is that the shoreline is only a short distance from the Mile Zero marker and it was great to walk down to the beach and enjoy the fresh breeze and the view. There’s also a walking trail and benches along the water.
A few feet away also stands the memorial to Terry Fox. At the age of 21, Terry Fox became a beloved inspiration to all Canadians because of his determination and his complete sense of giving. A native British Colombian, Terry lost his leg to cancer at age 18. Despite this, Terry decided to do an across-​Canada run to raise awareness and money for cancer research. He began in April, 1980, when he dipped his leg into the Atlantic Ocean in Newfoundland and began his run covering 26 miles a day. But sadly, Terry had to stop 5 months later, in Northern Ontario, having covered more than half the distance. His cancer had reappeared. He died the following year, in June of 1981, at the age of just 22.
Terry’s memorial is at Mile Zero, where his original Marathon of Hope was to end. His legacy is carried on annually as school children and people of all ages across Canada, and around the world, participate in The Terry Fox Memorial Run. There’s also a plaque here honoring Steve Fonyo, an amputee like Fox who recreated and finished Terry’s journey at Mile Zero.