Hundreds of thousands of individuals rush through Toronto’s Union Station daily. But this past Monday, many paused during the morning rush to look at the photographs featured at the ‘Points of Departure’ exhibit, spotlighting the work of 16 photojournalists in the path of everyday commuters.Among them, a deeply personal portrait by photojournalist Alex Franklin, taken in Norfolk County, Ont.Titled ‘I Love You Dearly’, it features her grandmother, Marj Watson, looking away smiling, surrounded by flowers setup at a barn.Franklin tells OMNI News she was teary eyed the first time she saw her work at Union Station, a dream come true, especially as someone who came from “a really small town.”“I can’t help it. I turned in the corner, looked at it, tears came out and I just let it happen,” she says. “This is a dream of mine and I know that it means a lot to my grandma.”Photograph entitled ‘I Love You Dearly’ by Alex Franklin, one of 16 on display at Toronto’s Union Station as part of the ‘Points of Departure’ exhibit. OMNI News/SuppliedThe photojournalist also wanted to showcase her grandmother’s resilience and strength. She shares that Watson, within six months, became a double amputee and lost her partner of 50 years.“When my grandfather passed away in 2019, the photographs that I took of him became so important to myself and my whole family, and I wanted to make sure I also documented my grandmother and have a moment where she feels beautiful and seen,” Franklin adds.“Every time I see that pic, I remember the moment of when I asked her, ‘Do you feel beautiful?’ She said, ‘I actually do.'”Across the country, photojournalist Ranz Bontogon from New Brunswick turned his lens on four temporary foreign workers in the commercial fishing and processing industry, moments after they shared stories of experiencing exploitation.“They were just grabbing some water, they were standing up, and there was this moment where the four of them were really close and they were hugging,” says Bontogon. “I took my camera and took a photograph of that moment instantly because it really shows camaraderie even in the harshest conditions.”He says he intentionally took the photographs with the workers’ backs turned, ensuring the workers are anonymous. Showing their identities may impact their immigration status, which Bontogon describes as “really precarious.”The photojournalist adds he wants commuters to see his work and remember that foreign workers are “people too” and have families in their home country that they are taking care of.“We need to treat them with respect,” says Bontogon.A group of Mexican temporary foreign workers talks about the exploitation at the fish plant on the Acadian Peninsula in this photograph by Ranz Bontogon as part of ‘Points of Departure’ exhibit at Union Station in Toronto. OMNI News/SuppliedWhy this exhibit now at Union StationOrganizers say with artificial intelligence and social media constantly evolving, it’s more important now than ever before to feature the work.“I think citizen journalism is great and helps democratize what we’re seeing, but I also think that trained photojournalists work from a strong ethical framework,” says Chris Donovan, curator of the exhibit.“We don’t always feel like we could trust the image itself in the age of AI manipulation, but what we can trust is the individuals who rely on that moral compass and ethical compass that kind of holds us together as an industry,” adds Donovan, who is also the photojournalism programs lead at the Globe and Mail Foundation.Artists and organizers hope commuters take something away from the diverse stories being told through these halls.“It’s the busiest building in Canada so it’s really fitting that we have stories from across the country being shared,” says Alexa Polenz, manager of brand and partnerships at Union Station. “People can engage with that, they can learn something.”Donovan adds, “I hope they come away with kind of a sense of national identity, and just the breadth of experience that people have in this country in all kinds of different environments from coast to coast to coast … just come away with a sense of our purpose and our kind of collective identity.”The exhibit ‘Points of Departure’ can be seen at Union Station until November 1st.