Statues of prime ministers set to return to Baden park after Wilmot council votes to restart project
The statues will be reinstalled with an educational component
After years of public debate, Wilmot Township council has voted to reinstall statues of prime ministers in a park in Baden and continue with the art and education project.
In a unanimous vote at its meeting Monday night, council voted to reinstall all nine statues of the Prime Ministers Path project at the current site beside Castle Kilbride in Baden. The Sir John A. Macdonald statue will not return to its spot in front of the township's offices. Instead, it will be moved and displayed less prominently in a more discrete section of the park.
"This was not a decision made lightly," Mayor Natasha Salonen said in a media release. "The path forward represents a balanced response to the feedback we heard — rooted in education, inclusion, and fiscal responsibility."
A troubled history
The statues have been a source of controversy in Wilmot Township for years. The initial idea was that the project would see the creation of 22 bronze sculptures of past Canadian prime ministers to mark Canada's 150th birthday in 2017.
In 2020, the Sir John A. Macdonald statue was removed after it was vandalized with red paint. In 2021, council voted to suspend the project and the statues were removed and placed into storage.
In 2022, an entirely new council was elected and they voted to restart community consultations on the project.
As part of Monday night's decision, council said no further tax dollars would be used for the project beyond park maintenance and storage costs. Future funding will be secured through private donations, partnerships or grants.
Along with the return of the statues, council will create a volunteer-led committee to oversee the project's future. They will develop historical content to add context to the statues.
The committee will also seek out input from local Indigenous groups.
"We're not just reinstalling statues, we're restarting a conversation," Ward 2 Coun. Kris Wilkinson, who brought the motion forward, said during the meeting. "This motion doesn't shy away from hard truths. It explicitly directs that the educational component accompanying these statues include the good, the bad, and the ugly."
Ward 3 Coun. Harvir Sidhu says the decision to reinstall the statues was not easy.
"The question of the Prime Ministers Path statues has been one of the most polarizing issues in recent memory of Wilmot," he said. "Many of the decisions made by our past leaders have caused pain, especially to Indigenous people. That truth cannot and should not be ignored."
'An unprecedented sense of pride'
Council heard from several people during the meeting on Monday night, both for and against the project.
Wilmot resident Dennis Mighton said the project represents a great opportunity for the township.
"Bringing back the existing statues and starting over to rebuild the Prime Ministers Path offers Wilmot Township an opportunity to contribute to society, a project well beyond the usual scope of a small rural community, and to instill among Wilmot residents an unprecedented sense of pride," he said.
But Andrea Berwick, also a resident of Wilmot, said the statues are a harmful reminder of Canada's colonial history.
"Just because something doesn't harm you doesn't mean it's harmless. Those most impacted by these monuments should not have to keep re-explaining their pain just to be heard. If we are truly committed to reconciliation, we must stop placing the burden on marginalized voices and start listening," she said.
Council has asked township staff to report back with the estimated costs of the project. A new name for the path will also be considered with consultation from the community.
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