Sir John A. Macdonald statue removed from Kingston, Ont. park
A statue of Sir John A. Macdonald has been removed from its pedestal in a downtown Kingston, Ont. park.
Dozens of people gathered in City Park to watch crews take down the statue of Canada's first prime minister in his hometown. The statue came down around 9 a.m. Friday.
Kingston city council voted this week to remove the 125-year-old statue from the park and place it into storage, then put it up in Cataraqui Cemetery, where Macdonald is buried.
On Friday morning, about 75 people gathered to watch city crews work to remove the statue starting around 6 a.m. The crowd included people for and against the statue's removal.
Indigenous groups gathered for a drum circle in the park. Among them was Lisa Cadue, who has been at the park for a sacred fire and ceremony near the statue.
"Now all First Nations people can walk by here and say the city of Kingston did right by our people."
Nearby, a small group holding Canadian flags and playing bagpipes briefly blocked the work.
They moved after police on site spoke with them.
Kingston resident John Ryder-Burbidge said he felt "betrayed" by the council's decision.
"I think this is a triumph of woke social activism over democracy."
Council voted to remove the statue because of Macdonald's role as an architect of Canada's residential school system, which took Indigenous children from their families.
The statue was erected in 1895.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Canada Post’s newest stamp features special cookies for Islamic holiday
Canada Post’s newest specialty stamps feature “melt-in-your-mouth” desserts to mark two Islamic festivals, the crown corporation announced Thursday.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6 per cent in January as Quebec strikes end
Canada's real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December, Statistics Canada said Thursday.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.