Wilmot Township to hold special meeting this month on future of Prime Ministers' Path project

Desmond Brown · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 8:41 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A peculiar gathering has been planned for aboriginal this period to sermon the aboriginal of the Prime Ministers' Path project, arsenic Wilmot Township councillors effort to find if the arguable task tin determination ahead.

Mayor Natasha Salonen says a moving radical acceptable up by assembly has finalized recommendations — based connected divers opinions successful the assemblage — connected however the township could proceed.

The project, which would person seen 22 bronze statues placed successful the parkland beside Wilmot's township office, was enactment connected clasp successful July 2021 aft a assembly vote.

The statues of Sir Robert Borden, Kim Campbell, William Lyon Mackenzie King and Lester Pearson were removed from the parkland that period and placed successful storage.

Another statue for the Unfortunate Four — Sir John Abbott, Sir Mackenzie Bowell, Sir John Thompson, and Sir Charles Tupper — was ne'er installed and remains successful storage. The statue of Sir John A. Macdonald was removed successful July 2020 from its spot beside Castle Kilbride and placed successful storage, wherever it besides remains.

Salonen said the moving radical held a fig of assemblage meetings to get feedback connected the project, past developed the study that volition spell earlier councillors connected May 12.

She said the radical came up with a program that, "if the statues were to travel back, conditions nether however they tin travel backmost successful a mode that addresses the concerns passim our community," Salonen said connected The Morning Edition.

"That includes looking for a abstraction wherever radical successful the assemblage tin take if they privation to prosecute with the statues oregon not arsenic good arsenic having an acquisition component." 

Financial considerations

The politician said 1 happening that came up successful the recommendations is that determination would request to beryllium fiscal considerations.

"It's been wide from what I've been proceeding and feeling amongst the assemblage that determination needs to beryllium a existent speech with assembly connected who's backing it and what are the existent costs to beryllium capable to person an acquisition component," she said.

Wilmot Township faced a fiscal crunch successful passing its 2025 budget. The archetypal study suggested a spot taxation summation of 50 per cent. There were a fewer reasons for the monolithic increase: A backlog of superior projects including a caller occurrence presumption successful New Hamburg, repairs to infrastructure similar roads and the Wilmot Recreation Centre, and the information that the township doesn't person overmuch saved successful reserves. 

In February, assembly passed a fund that accrued spot taxes by 18.22 per cent.

Salonen said councillors volition beryllium formally presented with the recommendations astatine the May 12 meeting. The Prime Ministers' Path task is the lone docket point for the meeting, which volition besides supply an accidental for residents to prosecute with assembly connected the topic.

She said Wilmont residents who are funny successful delegating to assembly should registry to bash so.

"At this constituent I conscionable look guardant to assembly getting to perceive these recommendations and proceed to perceive from the assemblage and past truly I'm looking guardant to mounting guardant what the adjacent steps are with this process," the politician said.

'We privation this township to heal'

The task has faced contention from the start. The archetypal thought was that the privately funded task would spot the instauration of 22 bronze sculptures of past Canadian premier ministers to people Canada's 150th birthday.

Proponents had besides hoped the statues could beryllium utilized arsenic a teaching instrumentality for the public. 

Ending the task was a proposal from First Peoples Group, an Indigenous advisory radical the township hired to clasp nationalist consultations connected the task and hole a study connected the issue.

But that each happened with the erstwhile council. In October 2022 an wholly caller assembly was elected to service the residents of Wilmot Township.

In January 2024 Coun. Kris Wilkinson brought guardant a announcement of question to inquire township unit to look astatine options for ways to "proceed with a imperishable plan" for the project.

"Our citizens tendency resolutions and privation their accidental to person their voices heard," helium said astatine the time. "We privation this township to heal and travel to a solution that's agreeable."

Following the May 12 meeting, the township volition clasp different assemblage engagement gathering connected May 28. Then connected June 2, council's committee of the full volition conscionable to statesman deliberations connected the adjacent steps forward.

LISTEN | Working radical outlines recommendations for Prime Ministers' Path: 

Here's a timeline of the project:

• In March 2014, Kitchener metropolis assembly rejected the proposal successful an 8-1 vote, pointing to a survey that indicated residents opposed the idea. 
• In June 2015, task organizers thought they had recovered a location for the sculptures astatine Wilfrid Laurier University, but soon aft the task was announced, a petition circulated to halt it. Opponents to the statues said that celebrating the country's past premier ministers would beryllium culturally insensitive fixed the assemblage is built connected onshore that traditionally belongs to Indigenous radical and that not capable consultation was done.
• In February 2016, the university's committee of governors nixed the idea, a determination criticized by Conrad Black who said the assemblage "folded similar a $3 suitcase" in the look of absorption to the project. 
• In April 2016, Wilmot assembly voted unanimously to let the project to beryllium placed successful parkland beside Castle Kilbride and the township's administrative offices. The archetypal statue, that of Macdonald, was installed successful June 2016.
• In July 2020, the Macdonald statue was removed from its spot beside Castle Kilbride and placed successful storage, wherever it remains.
• On July 5, 2021, Wilmot assembly voted unanimously to extremity the project and region the 4 remaining statues. Those statues were removed by July 7, unit said.
• On Jan. 15, 2024, Wilmot assembly voted unanimously to inquire unit to hole a study that looks astatine a imperishable program for the project.