The Prince Edward Heritage Advisory Committee is acknowledging a working group recommendation to remove the Sir John A. Macdonald statue from Downtown Picton, but with some conditions.
Following a lengthy discussion on Wednesday PEHAC is recommending to council that the statue be moved into storage for now and then potentially moved to a new location after more public engagement on what should be done with it, or where it could be located in the future.
While the committee said it “acknowledged the difficult work done by the working group” some members had concerns about how the group reached its conclusion to remove the statue, noting that the decision didn’t seem to fall in line with various public input on the issue.
A Quinte News poll last month found that most people who responded didn’t agree.
The committee says the public consultation, and a decision on a permanent removal or relocation, should happen no later than September of 2022 and that a legal opinion should be sought before the statue is initially moved because of commitments already made to the artist and other groups involved.
If the statue can’t be removed for one reason or another, the committee says it supports the working group’s second option to modify the statue in its existing location.
PEHAC also recommends developing a public arts policy for The County by the end of next year which affirms a commitment ot anti-racist attitudes and to inclusiveness of marginalized people in the community.
County council will make its decision on the issue at a meeting on November 17.
