Although the city received 1,002 messages calling for the John A Macdonald statue to be removed, the city council voted to keep the monument in Gore Park.
The motion to remove the statue of Canada’s first prime minister was brought forward by Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann on Thursday.
Sadly, #HamOnt, THIS is the news coming out of ECS Committee and not a resounding act of compassion and humanity to remove the SJAM statue and place it into storage to honour the needs of Indigenous communities while the recovery of indigenous children occurs site by site. https://t.co/zoqNBNTOXj
— Nrinder Nann (@NrinderWard3) July 8, 2021
However, the motion was outvoted three to two in favour of keeping the statue in the city park.
Nann and Councillor Brad Clark of Ward 9 voted to removed the statue while Councillors Sam Merulla of Ward 4, Tom Jackson of Ward 6, and Esther Paul’s of Ward 7 were opposed.
A city review of the names of landmarks, parks, and streets was also brought forward on Thursday.
The review will is pending council approval and will determine the opportunities to honour the Indigenous communities.
There has been loud calls to remove the John A Macdonald statue for a while in Hamilton.
Recently, the monument was covered in red string while Indigenous groups were gathering outside city hall.
Macdonald was a key figure in the establishment of the residential school system in Canada.
Lead image courtesy Google Maps
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