Oliver plaque in Edmonton covered with red paint again

A plaque honouring Frank Oliver outside the Hotel Macdonald has been vandalized with red paint for the second time in a year.

It is believed the memorial was doused with paint earlier this month, but the City of Edmonton was only made aware Wednesday morning.

In a statement to Postmedia, Edmonton Police Service spokesman Scott Pattison said the hotel hadn't notified police of the vandalism.

This is the second time the downtown plaque has been vandalized within the last year and also adds to the recent rash of vandalism on statues commemorating historical figures.

On Tuesday, the statue of Emily Murphy in Emily Murphy Park was found splashed with red paint with the word “racist” written across it. The Edmonton Arts Council had the statue cleaned within two hours with a $1,200 price tag. About a month ago, a statue of Winston Churchill near city hall was defaced with red paint as well.

Oliver, for whom a neighbourhood and several facilities in Edmonton are named, was an Edmonton-based federal member of parliament and minister from 1904 to 1917 and led the removal of Indigenous people from their land through the Oliver Act. Last summer, the Oliver Community League announced plans to begin a renaming process for the neighbourhood in collaboration with the city.

City of Edmonton spokeswoman Mary-ann Thurber said the city is reviewing its naming and monument policies to develop strategies and next steps for memorials or site names given to people whose ideas or actions no longer reflect societal values.