Three Wind Phones have now been installed in the Elk Valley by Elk Valley Hospice — offering quiet, reflective spaces for people to connect with lost loved ones through memory, emotion, and words carried on the wind.
A Wind Phone is a symbolic, unconnected telephone. There is no dial tone, no number to call. Instead, visitors are invited to pick up the receiver and speak to those they’ve lost — sharing love, grief, memories, or simply the sound of their voice. It’s a deeply personal experience, grounded in the power of speaking aloud what often stays unspoken.
The Wind Phone concept originated in Japan. In 2010, Itaru Sasaki built the first one in his garden in Otsuchi after the death of his beloved cousin. When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck the following year, taking more than 15,000 lives, Sasaki opened his Wind Phone to the public. It quickly became a place of pilgrimage for those struggling with grief. Over time, this simple idea — of a phone connected not by wire, but by wind — resonated around the world. It inspired Wind Phones in many countries, each one providing a gentle space for remembrance and healing.
In the Elk Valley, this vision has taken root in three locations: Boivin Peace Park in Elkford (just past the first grove of trees), Lions Park in Sparwood (at the southern end of the paved loop), and Annex Park in Fernie (near the duck pond). Each setting was thoughtfully chosen for its balance of accessibility, privacy, and natural beauty — places where visitors can pause, reflect, and speak freely.
The project was made possible through generous funding from the Columbia Basin Trust ReDi Grant program and StellerVista Credit Union. Elected officials and municipal staff from the City of Fernie, the District of Sparwood, and the District of Elkford offered key support and coordination. Local trail alliances helped identify appropriate sites that would serve both the public and the spirit of the project.
The design was envisioned by Erika Hornquist of eHQ Design, and the phones themselves were constructed by Sparwood Secondary School students DJ Williamson and Yeha Jang, under the mentorship of teachers Stephen Larsen and James Lund. Local contractor R & K Contracting Services handled installation. In Fernie, the rotary phone was kindly donated by residents Butch and Mike Coultry.
Each Wind Phone also features artwork by Fernie-based artist Erich Stoffels. His Tree of Life design was inspired by the mural he created for the Elk Valley Hospital’s hospice room, titled Whispering Winds — a visual connection that links both projects in purpose and feeling. Signage for the hospice room is currently in development and will be shared in the near future.
The Elk Valley’s Wind Phones are offered as quiet places of comfort — spaces where memory, loss, and love can be given voice, without judgment or interruption. In a world that often rushes past grief, they invite a pause. A breath. A conversation carried on the wind.
To learn more about the origins of this powerful idea, visit mywindphone.com.
May these Wind Phones serve our communities with gentleness and grace.
Photos: Elk Valley Hospice
