Prime Ministers Path is coming back to Wilmot
- Lee Griffi
- Jul 31
- 3 min read
Council approves new plan unanimously
By Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Following years of arguments, vandalism and controversy, the Prime Ministers Path is be reinstalled in Baden.
At its July 28 meeting, Wilmot Township council adopted a resolution that will see nine statues return to the grounds of Castle Kilbride.
“This was not a decision made lightly,” said Mayor Natasha Salonen. “The future of the Prime Ministers Path has been a subject of deep reflection in our community. While perspectives differ, council has listened carefully. The path forward represents a balanced response to the feedback we heard – rooted in education, inclusion and fiscal responsibility.”
Council’s decision includes:
Reinstalling the statues at the current site, including the four currently in storage, with no further tax dollars committed beyond standard park maintenance plus storage costs. Council requested that staff report back with the estimated costs of reinstalling the statues at a future meeting.
Relocating the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald to a more discreet area of the park, accessible by personal choice rather than public prominence.
Creating a volunteer-led committee to oversee the project’s future direction and develop inclusive, historically grounded educational content. Council requested that the committee also consider the inclusion of a community garden as part of the project with input from local Indigenous groups.
Securing all future funding through private donations, partnerships, or grants with no municipal dollars allocated to programming or expansion.
Considering a new name for the path in consultation with the community to better reflect its renewed purpose.
About a dozen delegations were made before members of council had their say on the motion to bring the statues back. Coun. Kris Wilkinson said he had a recent conversation with a resident that stuck with him.
“He said in the U.S., if you ask kids what they want to be, they want to be president. In Canada, you rarely ever hear a child say they want to grow up and be prime minister. That’s sad. It’s a shame because leadership matters. Government matters.”
He added our young people should be inspired to participate in the political process.
“Not turned off, not made cynical and not left to inherit a culture that avoids its own history. We’re not just reinstalling statues, we are restarting a conversation, one that acknowledges Canada’s complexity, honours the diversity of views in our community and gives space to nuance.”
Coun. Lillianne Dunstall mentioned several injustices by past prime ministers and governments but doesn’t want society to hide from them.
“Removing statues does not undo injustices, but removing the opportunity to discuss them and face them head-on does. Real understanding begins when we stop trying to clean up history and start facing it and asking … why and how.”
She added history does not repeat itself by accident.
”It repeats because we forget, we rewrite, or we don’t want to face the fact history is human and it is shaped by the fears, beliefs and flat decisions. When we judge the past only through today’s lens, we risk losing an opportunity to learn. Removing statues does not undo injustices.”
The township went through a long public engagement process led by LURA Consulting, which gathered input from hundreds of residents through surveys, open houses, email and community tea circles.
“In many ways, this issue became larger than the path itself,” added Salonen. “The process showed us how communities wrestle with questions of history, memory and identity. As elected leaders, it’s not our role to rewrite history, but to ensure it is presented thoughtfully so we learn from it.”
The Prime Ministers Path and the new volunteer committee will regularly report to council to assess public engagement, long-term sustainability and alignment with council’s direction.
Wilmot Township now concludes a chapter that began more than a decade ago.
“The approach moving forward honours the input of residents, respects past investments and reinforces council’s role in providing clear, responsible and transparent leadership,” said a township news release.
“This has been going on for multiple years now and for council to come to a final decision after some great community engagement, it is exciting for everyone to be able to move forward,” said Salonen, adding she wasn’t certain how the vote would go but was pleasantly surprised it was unanimous.
She said its time to let the committee in charge take over.
“The new committee that is to be formed will have the opportunity to bring forward what they envision, taking the spirit of what LURA’s work found and making this a successful opportunity for learning and reconciliation.”
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