Latest news with #Council
CBC
4 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
Statues of prime ministers set to return to Baden park after Wilmot council votes to restart project
Social Sharing After years of public debate, Wilmot Township council has voted to reinstall statues of prime ministers in a park in Baden and continue with the art and education project. In a unanimous vote at its meeting Monday night, council voted to reinstall all nine statues of the Prime Ministers Path project at the current site beside Castle Kilbride in Baden. The Sir John A. Macdonald statue will not return to its spot in front of the township's offices. Instead, it will be moved and displayed less prominently in a more discrete section of the park. "This was not a decision made lightly," Mayor Natasha Salonen said in a media release. "The path forward represents a balanced response to the feedback we heard — rooted in education, inclusion, and fiscal responsibility." A troubled history The statues have been a source of controversy in Wilmot Township for years. The initial idea was that the project would see the creation of 22 bronze sculptures of past Canadian prime ministers to mark Canada's 150th birthday in 2017. In 2020, the Sir John A. Macdonald statue was removed after it was vandalized with red paint. In 2021, council voted to suspend the project and the statues were removed and placed into storage. In 2022, an entirely new council was elected and they voted to restart community consultations on the project. As part of Monday night's decision, council said no further tax dollars would be used for the project beyond park maintenance and storage costs. Future funding will be secured through private donations, partnerships or grants. Along with the return of the statues, council will create a volunteer-led committee to oversee the project's future. They will develop historical content to add context to the statues. The committee will also seek out input from local Indigenous groups. "We're not just reinstalling statues, we're restarting a conversation," Ward 2 Coun. Kris Wilkinson, who brought the motion forward, said during the meeting. "This motion doesn't shy away from hard truths. It explicitly directs that the educational component accompanying these statues include the good, the bad, and the ugly." Ward 3 Coun. Harvir Sidhu says the decision to reinstall the statues was not easy. "The question of the Prime Ministers Path statues has been one of the most polarizing issues in recent memory of Wilmot," he said. "Many of the decisions made by our past leaders have caused pain, especially to Indigenous people. That truth cannot and should not be ignored." 'An unprecedented sense of pride' Council heard from several people during the meeting on Monday night, both for and against the project. Wilmot resident Dennis Mighton said the project represents a great opportunity for the township. "Bringing back the existing statues and starting over to rebuild the Prime Ministers Path offers Wilmot Township an opportunity to contribute to society, a project well beyond the usual scope of a small rural community, and to instill among Wilmot residents an unprecedented sense of pride," he said. But Andrea Berwick, also a resident of Wilmot, said the statues are a harmful reminder of Canada's colonial history. "Just because something doesn't harm you doesn't mean it's harmless. Those most impacted by these monuments should not have to keep re-explaining their pain just to be heard. If we are truly committed to reconciliation, we must stop placing the burden on marginalized voices and start listening," she said. Council has asked township staff to report back with the estimated costs of the project. A new name for the path will also be considered with consultation from the community.
CTV News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Wilmot to reinstall statues along the Prime Ministers Path
A decision has finally been made about the future of the Prime Ministers Path in Baden. Wilmot Township announced, at a meeting on July 28, its plan to return all of the statues to Castle Kilbride, including the one of Sir John A. Macdonald which sparked the controversy which led to their removal. Council said the unanimous decision followed a 'comprehensive and community-led engagement process,' which involved surveys, open houses and tea circles. That feedback, they added, was 'often complex but overwhelmingly pointed to a shared desire for respectful dialogue, greater transparency, and more meaningful public involvement in shaping historical narratives.' The township said all of this informed their final plan. 'This was not a decision made lightly,' Mayor Natasha Salonen explained in a media release. '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.' She also acknowledged the greater impact it had in the community. 'In many ways, this issue became larger than the path itself,' Salonen said. '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 that we may all learn from it.' While the plan won't make everyone happy, council said they tried to find the right balance. 'This process was never about reaching unanimous agreement,' they explained in the release. 'It was about listening to a wide range of voices and arriving at a balanced, principled outcome. Council's unanimous decision reflects a meaningful way forward: one that honours past investments, responds to public input, and is not beholden to any one ideology or perspective.' Returning the statues According to council's plan, statues of the former Prime Ministers will be reinstalled near Castle Kilbride, along with four others that were sitting in storage. Township staff were instructed to put together an estimate of the cost to do this, which will be addressed at a future meeting. Council said their decision meant no further tax dollars would be spent on the project, excluding standard park maintenance and storage fees. 'Reinstalling the statues without additional taxpayer funding allows us to preserve past investments while reframing the project with greater community oversight and sensitivity,' they stated. A pond and the base of a statue The former site of a controversial statue of Sir John A. Macdonald, which was removed after a council vote. (Dan Lauckner / CTV Kitchener) Sir John A. Macdonald The statue of Sir John A. Macdonald will also return to the Prime Ministers Path. Council acknowledged the concerns around his role in the residential school system and its impact on Indigenous peoples. They said Macdonald's statue will be moved from its previous position near township offices and the main street to a more 'discreet' area of the park. Council described the location as 'accessible by personal choice rather than public prominence.' Sir John A. MacDonald statue with paint A statue of former Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald after red paint was poured on it. (Source: Ron Taves) Volunteer committee A volunteer-led committee will also be created to oversee the Prime Ministers Path. Members would be tasked with guiding the development of 'inclusive, historically grounded educational content.' Council said it should focus on political history, leadership and governance, with the goal of 'understanding Canada's democratic institutions and the individuals who have shaped them.' The committee would be required to keep council informed, through a formal reporting process, of the project's long-term sustainability and public engagement efforts. They would work independently and without municipal funds. Council's plan also included two recommendations for the committee. One was that they consider adding a community garden to the Prime Ministers Path, with input from local Indigenous groups. The other suggestion was to change the name of the Prime Minister Path, through community consultation, to 'better reflect its purpose.' Further funding Another concern expressed by the community was the cost of the Prime Ministers Path. Council said no further municipal funds would be spent on programming or expansion of the project. Instead, they would seek out private donations, partnerships or grants going forward. If they could not be secured, council said the project would not be expanded. 'The township has been clear that future development of the [Prime Ministers] Path is contingent on external financial support,' they stated. History of the Prime Ministers Path Council's decision marked the end of an almost decade-long debate in Wilmot Township. The original plan was to create 22 statues of Canada's former Prime Ministers to honour the country's 150 years of confederation. The project, however, failed to find a permanent home. In 2016, Wilmot council unanimously approved the installation at Castle Kilbride. The decision was made without public consultation. Les Armstrong, who mayor at that time, said they didn't seek out community feedback as the township would not be required to pay for the project but was, instead, only offering a place put the statues.
NZ Herald
6 hours ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Opinion: Why cancelling regional councils would be a very bad idea
Imagine what would happen if regional councils were no more. For a start, we could expect more environmental degradation. Regional councils are responsible for controlling discharges of contaminants to air, land and water, and the taking and diversion of water. They identify and monitor contaminated land, and control land for the purpose of soil conservation. They manage the use of land in the coastal marine area. And they are involved in waste minimisation. Neither district councils, nor the national Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), are positioned to take on those roles. They simply do not have the capacity, capability or mandate. We might also expect increased dysfunction in infrastructure and growth planning. Regional councils have many development functions. They have a vital role in the provision of public transport and land transport planning more broadly. Some are involved in community infrastructure like stadiums and parks. Councils are involved in waste minimisation. Photo / Western Bay of Plenty Regional Council They have strategies for regional economic growth and are heavily engaged in spatial planning, urban expansion and infrastructure alignment. This regional level has been vital to bring councils together to spatially plan metropolitan areas across district boundaries. And what about people's health and safety? Regional councils make bylaws for navigation safety, appoint harbourmasters, and respond to emergencies like oil spills. They are a core part of civil defence emergency management groups, which combine councils, emergency services and other organisations. They are responsible for ensuring the safety of dams under the Building Act. As catchment authorities, they actively manage rivers to prevent flooding and erosion to protect infrastructure and property. We have seen how important this function is in the wake of devastating flooding over the last couple of years. In this context, the Cabinet has confirmed an important role for regional councils in the new resource management system. In many respects, the new system has been designed specifically around regional councils, which will be responsible for setting environmental limits, identifying protected areas and undertaking regional-level spatial planning. Axing regional councils now, therefore, makes absolutely no sense. Regional councils actively manage rivers to prevent flooding and erosion to protect infrastructure and property. Photo / Taranaki Regional Council That said, our system of local government is not perfect. Reform is needed. But it must be more nuanced than just putting regional councils on the chopping block. New Zealand is highly governed. We have 11 regional councils and 67 city, district and unitary councils. Governance is also inconsistent. The Auckland Council governs 1.7 million people, while 77 councils are responsible for the rest of the country. Auckland is a unitary council, combining both regional and city functions in one entity, as are Marlborough, Nelson, Gisborne and Tasman. Therein lies a possible way ahead. Amalgamating regional, city and district councils at a regional scale makes sense as a starting proposition, especially when some councils have such small populations that they lack an adequate rating base to properly undertake all statutory functions. Amalgamation would minimise the loss of institutional knowledge and retain the broader catchment-based boundaries so vital to environmental management. This was one option put forward in an independent panel's 2023 report on The Future for Local Government. A rethink of the structure, functions and features of the EPA needs to happen at the same time and in a complementary way. Institutional reform needs to be free from knee-jerk and haphazard policy shifts that have so far characterised this Government's approach to resource management reform. Local Government Minister Simon Watts seems to be aware of the need for care, and such voices need to be heard.
Saudi Gazette
8 hours ago
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi Economic and Development Affairs Council reviews Vision 2030 progress, economic outlook
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The Council of Economic and Development Affairs held a virtual meeting to assess the Kingdom's economic performance and track progress on key programs supporting Saudi Vision 2030. The session began with a review of the July 2025 Economic Report presented by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, offering an in-depth analysis of global economic trends, associated risks, and the performance of the Saudi economy. The report included forecasts for the second half of 2025 and the coming year. The Council noted a continued positive trajectory for the Kingdom's economy, marking four consecutive quarters of growth, driven by the resilience of non-oil sectors. A key highlight was the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) reaching its highest level in three Council also discussed the Q1 performance report on Vision 2030 implementation, submitted by the Strategic Management Office, which evaluated progress on executive programs, strategic goals, and the execution status of national and sector-specific report reaffirmed ongoing momentum across Vision 2030's three main pillars: a vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious meeting reviewed the Q1 public sector performance report presented by the National Center for Performance Measurement (Adaa).The report highlighted improvements in government entity performance, driven by targeted support to ministries and public agencies in achieving their strategic also included an evaluation of national strategies and a forward-looking assessment of institutional development addition, the Project Management Office briefed the Council on the progress of assigned tasks and decisions from report covered execution outcomes, agency compliance, and provided statistics on achievement levels across participating government Council's agenda included a series of organizational and strategic matters, notably the regulatory arrangements for the Events Committee, updates to the organizational structure of the Ministry of Economy and Planning, and the Asir Region Development also reviewed reports on accelerating capital project procedures, the quarterly executive summary of GDP and national accounts data, and monthly indices for consumer and wholesale session concluded with the Council issuing the necessary resolutions and recommendations to support continued national progress and institutional performance.
See - Sada Elbalad
8 hours ago
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
MCE Condemns Terrorist Attack on Catholic Church in Congo
Mohamed Mandour The Muslim Council of Elders, chaired by Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, on Monday strongly condemned the deadly terrorist attack on a Catholic church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which left several civilians dead and many others wounded. In an official statement, the Council denounced the assault as a "heinous and cowardly act" and described the targeting of places of worship as a 'horrific crime that contradicts the teachings of all religions and violates universal human, moral, and spiritual values.' The Council extended its heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Congo, as well as to the families of the victims, offering prayers for the recovery of those injured and for strength and solace to the bereaved. 'This attack is a painful reminder of the urgent need for global unity against terrorism in all its forms,' the statement added. The incident marks another tragic blow to the ongoing struggle for peace and security in the central African nation. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results Arts & Culture Lebanese Media: Fayrouz Collapses after Death of Ziad Rahbani
