Red paint back on Queen Victoria Statue in Kitchener
Nine days after city crews cleaned the latest dumping of paint off the Queen Victoria statue in Kitchener, the base of the monument is once again covered in red.
The new paint could be seen on the statue on Wednesday May 25. It’s unclear when it was put there, but the statue was paint-free on Victoria Day, Monday May 23.
In an email, a spokesperson for the City of Kitchener said the statue will be "cleaned within a few days per the city's normal practice."
The city previously told CTV News the last time it cleaned paint off the statue on May 16, it cost $5,000.
On Wednesday, the city highlighted that staff plan to bring a report to council in June "looking to continue a community dialogue about the Queen Victoria statue and the impact of colonial statues in public places."
This is the fourth time the controversial statue in Victoria Park has been vandalized in the past year.
Some people in the park on Wednesday said it may be time to take it down.
“I think there's a lot for us to answer for in the way Indigenous peoples have been treated in the past and I think this is part of that story and it’s a reminder,” said one person. “I don't find [the paint] offensive, but I think it's going to be a perpetual problem. Honestly I think it’s time for that statue to come down.”
“I think all of the statues are frankly an eyesore and we should get rid of them all,” said another person in the park. “No one really asked for them.”
On May 5, following an incident that coincided with the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, the city said it said it would not remove the paint “for the time being.”
Eleven days later, the paint was cleaned off and the city promised a report was coming to council in June “to begin a community dialogue about the Queen Victoria statue which emphasizes voices of the local Indigenous communities.”
Multiple calls have been made to remove the statue and rename the park due to its connection to Canada’s colonialist past, particularly in the wake of hundreds of unmarked graves being found at former residential schools across the county last summer.
"We're idolizing these colonial figures that built this country off of the backs and blood of Indigenous people and Black folks as well," Amy Smoke, co-founder of Land Back Camp and a member of Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan from the Six Nations of the Grand River told CTV News on Monday.
Smoke said they didn’t know any Indigenous people who had been consulted nor notified before the paint was removed on May 16.
"We get told on social media just like everybody else,” Smoke said. “So I don't know why they talk about advising or consulting with Indigenous people, when we're reacting to it just like everybody else is."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW What Canada is doing about the toxic forever chemicals in drinking water
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Here's why experts don't think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai's downpour
Scientists say it's highly unlikely cloud seeding is responsible for the heavy rains that have caused flooding in the United Arab Emirates this month, and that climate change is the more likely culprit.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.