By Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wilmot Township is launching what it hopes will be a new and improved public consultation into the controversial Prime Minister’s Path.
The project began back in 2013 when a group of citizens raised money to honour Canada’s political history by erecting statues of some of Canada’s top elected officials. Council voted in the summer of 2021 to remove the four remaining statues located on public land in Baden, but a new process has been implemented and will shape what happens to the statues going forward.
The township issued a request for proposal which was awarded to Land Use Research Associates Inc. (LURA).
“LURA bring a wealth of experience to this engagement process, including a highly qualified team to lead and support the township with this project,” a news release from the township said.
Coun. Kris Wilkinson said while he wasn’t totally in favour of the approved process, it was a decision made by council.
“Personally, I was hoping for something slightly different, but this was a council decision to move forward with a working group. I respect that. The consultant hired is well versed with the issues and has a good plan for consultation. I think the most important thing is that they really focus on getting as much involvement as possible,” Wilkinson said.
He added all sides need to be heard from, but the process needs to be focused on Wilmot citizens only, meaning no interest groups and no outsiders.
“This is ultimately not an Indigenous issue but rather a question of does the town want the statues or not. If yes, then how? If no, then what do we do with them?”
First Peoples Group, hired by the township in 2021, advised council to consider immediately removing existing statues related to the Prime Minister’s Path and to discontinue any future expansion or investment in it as it existed. When council voted in favour, Wilkinson, who delegated as a private citizen in favour of keeping the display, said he decided to run in the 2022 election.
“The final decision will remain with council, but I hope (the new consultant) produces an extensive report that provides more depth than the previously engaged advisor who did not do a thorough consultation with the public. They seemed to focus on special-interest groups, went to schools and gave biased presentations, then asked for feedback and really focused on the media reports of the time,” he said.
He added First Peoples Group was not impartial in any way and the result was what they wanted it to be, not what the public wanted.
The Gazette also reached out to Coun. Lillianne Dunstall who admitted she would rather look ahead than regurgitate the past.
“I don’t want to go down that road,” she said. “A lot of people were hurt, it divided the community and the township was painted with a brush of colonialism. That’s done now. By far, the number one thing when I knocked on doors (during the 2022 election) was this. People in New Hamburg felt they weren’t heard.”
She added the issue is so contentious, the end result needs to come from the public and said it is a learning opportunity.
“I personally believe we missed an amazing opportunity to educate Canadians and show you can actually disagree on something but come to a rational consensus. I think we could have used those statues. Now whether they come back or not, I don’t know.”
Like Wilkinson, Dunstall agreed many people felt they weren’t heard during the first public consultation but added there will be plenty of chances this time around.
“We are coming at this from all angles so we can give everyone an opportunity to be heard. In my personal opinion, a referendum would be the way to go, but that’s just me.”
Dunstall also said the report from First People’s Group was worth less than the money the township paid for it. This time around, she hopes it will be a positive experience where people on any side of the argument can remain calm and come to a consensus. She added if anyone wants to have their say, now is the time.
“Residents told every single councillor they did not have an opportunity to have their voices heard without fear of being labelled. However it turns out, they want to be heard. We are going to have constituents on both sides – those who want the statues and those who don’t,” Dunstall said.
The township is creating a working group to ensure broad and fair representation in the Prime Minister’s Path discussion. This group will form part of the overall engagement process.
The township will also develop a community engagement plan based on the findings of the working group and include visioning and value discussions with the objective of providing council with information that can support members in moving forward with next steps for the Prime Minister’s Path.
The township said the engagement phase will be completed in 2025 followed by recommendations, though no detailed timeline has been released. The first community meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 4:30-8 p.m. at the Wilmot Recreation Centre.
More information is available at www.wilmot.ca/en/living-here/prime-ministers-path-public-engagement.aspx.
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