Hometown Heroes: Wallacetown’s James Dunn living Paralympic dream he once watched on TV

CTV Windsor’s Travis Fortnum catches up with Paralympian James Dunn and his path to the Paralympics.

As a kid growing up in the small community of Wallacetown, James Dunn spent his winters like so many others in southwestern Ontario.

At the rink.

“I grew up playing pretty much every sport I could, but hockey was my favorite,” Dunn said. “All my friends were on the team, like, going to games and playing with them was so much fun.”

But at just 11 years old, that life was suddenly put on hold.

Pain and swelling in his knee led to a diagnosis of osteosarcoma — a form of bone cancer. Treatment would ultimately require the amputation of his right leg.

Even then, Dunn’s focus never wavered.

“Would I be able to play hockey? And that’s the only question I had,” he said.

Finding hockey again

While still in hospital, Dunn met fellow patient Tyler McGregor — now captain of Canada’s national Para ice hockey team.

McGregor had lost his own leg to cancer years earlier, and introduced Dunn to the sport.

“He asked me if I wanted to try out, sledge hockey, and I said, yeah, for sure,” Dunn said. “He got me out on the ice for the first time… and I’ve kind of fell back in love with, with hockey and just in a different form.”

The sport quickly became more than a replacement. It became a path.

Dunn joined the national team at just 15 years old. At 17, he became the youngest player in Hockey Canada history to compete at the Paralympics, making his debut at the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, where Canada won silver.

He returned for the 2022 Games in Beijing, earning another silver medal, and is now preparing for his third Paralympics in Milan.

Along the way, he’s also helped Canada capture gold at the 2024 world championships and has become one of the team’s top offensive contributors.

From watching Crosby to wearing the maple leaf

Long before he ever wore a Team Canada jersey himself, Dunn remembers watching one of the country’s most iconic hockey moments.

“I watch from Sidney Crosby scoring the golden goal and I always dreamed of one day, maybe one day like being able to represent Canada,” he said. “Flash forward to now… it’s such a dream come true.”

“And means so much like being able to put that maple leaf on… I’m very, very proud to be able to do that. Like really living out my younger self dream.”

A hometown behind him

Despite competing on the world stage, Dunn has never strayed far from home. He still lives just minutes from Wallacetown — by choice.

He says the sense of community that defined his childhood continues to shape him today.

When he left recently to join Team Canada, he saw firsthand how much his hometown was behind him.

“I seen they had my picture on the on like the building board signs,” he said. “It feels really special and really, really thank them a lot for doing that.”

After his first Paralympics, the town even held a parade in his honour.

“I remember after my first Paralympics, they had a parade for me when I got home, and that was I’m very grateful for that,” Dunn said. “Like, there’s such great people in that area.”

Still the same kid from Wallacetown

Now 24, Dunn is already a veteran on Team Canada. But in many ways, his dream remains the same as it was when he first stepped onto the ice as a child.

To play hockey.

To represent his country.

And to inspire the next generation — just like Crosby inspired him.

He still carries his hometown with him every time he competes.

And no matter how far hockey takes him, Wallacetown is never far behind.