The city is calling for the return of the Champlain Monument to its familiar home at Couchiching Beach Park.
On Monday night, city council will debate a report from the council representatives of the Champlain Monument Working Group as part of their regular meeting at city hall.
The Working Group acknowledges the “final decision regarding the future of the monument resides with Parks Canada.”
Mayor Steve Clarke and Coun. Tim Lauer, the council's members of the working group, were asked to report back to council in the spring of 2019. In that report, the duo says the monument should return to the park.
“The City of Orillia supports the reinstallation of the Champlain Monument in its original form,” notes the report.
It goes on to seek approval for the mayor and Coun. Lauer to be authorized to work with representatives from The Chippewas of Rama First Nation and HuronWendat Nation to:
- Create an accompanying narrative that would more accurately reflect the complete history and context of the Champlain Monument; and
- Explore additional strategies that would assist the community in helping move the national issue of reconciliation forward in a meaningful way.
Once council makes a decision Monday, a copy of the report will be forwarded to Parks Canada “to assist in their decision-making process related to the future” of the monument.
The iconic statue, crafted by Vernon March, was unveiled in the park on the edge of Lake Couchiching in 1925.
The monument was removed by Parks Canada in 2017 to be refurbished. The stone plinth that held the massive bronze monument was broken down, removed and, eventually, replaced.
However, the removal of the statue sparked a public conversation about the monument and its portrayal of Indigenous Peoples.
As a result of that outcry, Parks Canada, the owner of the monument and the small parcel of land on which it resides, put the brakes on the project.
It was determined consultation was needed “to ensure that we look at a path forward for the monument that is both respectful and representative of the city’s shared history with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people,” said Jacqueline Sozcka, the city’s manager of culture.
The city, in partnership with Parks Canada, initiated an online survey and also held a series of public workshops during recent months. The survey received the most responses of any survey the city has ever conducted.
Accordiing to the report before council Monday, the “primary mandate" of the Working Group "was to pursue inclusive public consultations and report back to council and Parks Canada on an appropriate path forward for the Champlain Monument that is respectful and representative of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives.”
The report concludes that “based on the outcome of the recently completed Parks Canada/City of Orillia consultation process, the City of Orillia supports the reinstallation of the Champlain Monument in its original form.”
The Working Group was comprised of:
- Parks Canada (Co-Chair) (2 representatives);
- City of Orillia (Co-Chair) (2 representatives) ;
- Chippewas of Rama First Nation (2 representatives);
- Huron-Wendat Nation (2 representatives);
- Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (2 representatives)
- Citizen at Large - City of Orillia resident:
- Citizen at Large - City of Orillia resident
