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
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man books $7,700 luxury villa on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he was charged more than $7,700 to book a luxury villa on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.