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
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.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found 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.