Grief often leaves words unspoken — things we wish we’d said, moments we long to relive.
Now, in the backyard of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library, there’s a place where those words can finally be released into the wind.
Last Friday, NOTL Community Palliative Care Services unveiled a “wind phone” — a vintage, disconnected telephone that gives people the space to speak to loved ones who have died. There’s no dial tone, no voice on the other end — only the soft, hollow sound of wind.
“This wind phone is our heartfelt gift to the community,” said Bonnie Bagnulo, the palliative care group’s executive director. “A place where healing and conversations can happen, even in silence.”
Wind phones are typically placed in quiet, natural settings, and the NOTL library’s backyard — beside the community garden and outdoor labyrinth — was chosen for its peacefulness. The unveiling was marked by a subdued, 15-minute ceremony, attended by about two dozen people.
The phone itself is a vintage-style candlestick model, selected for both aesthetic and durability after Bagnulo and her team considered a range of options — from plastic handsets to rotary and wall phones.
“We’ve chosen this one with weatherized veneer,” she said. “Hopefully, it will withstand the elements.”
The concept of the wind phone began in Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which left thousands dead and missing. A man who had lost a cousin built a disconnected phone booth on his property as a way to stay close to those who were gone. Others followed — visiting, picking up the receiver, and pouring their hearts out into the breeze.
Since then, the idea has spread across the world, offering people a quiet, symbolic outlet for grief. In Niagara, wind phones can now be found in Grimsby, St. Catharines, Lincoln, Fonthill — and now, Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Bagnulo said her organization began seriously considering installing one in 2023.
“We started thinking about it a couple years ago, right after COVID,” she said. “It took us a while to shop for the phone, shop for the location and show exactly what this would look like for our community.”
She contacted Niagara-on-the-Lake councillors to explore the idea and soon connected with Coun. Maria Mavridis, who helped bring the proposal forward. From there, Bagnulo worked with Lauren Kruitbosch, associate director in the office of the CAO, as well as Kevin Turcotte, the town’s manager of parks and recreation, and Debbie Krause, community engagement co-ordinator for the library. All supported installing the phone on library grounds.
NOTL Community Palliative Care Services has hosted other grief-related events before, including butterfly releases. But Bagnulo said the wind phone offers a different kind of comfort — one that’s always available.
“We hope it’s able to bring comfort, connection and a small measure of peace to those navigating a bereavement journey,” she said. “Our volunteers said a wind phone is connected to nowhere and everywhere, all at once.”
To learn more about wind phones or find other locations, visit mywindphone.com.
