Mayor Steve Clarke is sensing there is an open mind on all sides to return the Champlain Mounument to Couchiching Beach Park that tells an accurate story of our history.
Councillor Tim Lauer will represent the City of Orillia on a committee in partnership with Parks Canada, Indigenous groups and others to determine the future of the monument and to work toward developing something that is respectful to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous representatives.
Parks Canada removed the statue from Couchiching Beach last year for restoration and it was to return this summer, but was delayed due to growing concern about the history that the monument portrays.
Clarke says history can be told with the Champlain Monument in place, though he adds it is too early to say if that's the situation the committee will end up with, or what the interpretive piece will be that tells a more accurate history.
The mayor says the Champlain Monument was established nearly 100 years ago in order to indicate the relationships between the English and French were strong, and while there is consideration of Indigenous people, Clarke concedes it is maybe not be at the same level as the French-English indication.
In April, the Grand Chief of the Huron-Wendat Nation fired off a letter to Clarke in which he called the Champlain Monument “degrading and preposterous” and said it should not be returned to Couchiching Beach Park.
In the letter, the Grand Chief said the onument failed to accurately reflect history and he urged officials to find alternatives to the statue.
