
Quiet removal of Regina's John A. Macdonald statue motivated by security concerns: documents
CBC
The contentious future of a statue of Sir. John A. Macdonald that used to stand in Regina's Victoria Park was decided by a 7-4 city council vote earlier this year.
Just two weeks later, in the early hours of a snow-covered April morning, the statue was removed quickly and quietly. The removal came with little fanfare and no communication until after the job was done. It was all part of a plan by City of Regina staff members, according to a cache of internal emails released under Saskatchewan's freedom of information legislation. The documents were first reported on by the Regina Leader-Post. Many of the emails were completely redacted, but the documents still provide some insight into the plan created by city staff. The secretive nature of the statue's removal was the result of security concerns, according to email exchanges between Mark Sylvestre, a co-ordinator for cultural development with the city, and Todd Gall of the Regina Police Service. The emails are dated March 31, the day councillors approved the removal of the statue.More Related News