Statue of Queen Elizabeth repaired and reinstalled after vandalism
WINNIPEG — A bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth II that was toppled and damaged by protesters two years ago was put back in its place on the grounds of the Manitoba legislature on Friday after a lengthy set of repairs.
The statue, almost three metres high, landed face first when it was hauled to the ground on Canada Day in 2021 by demonstrators following the discovery of suspected unmarked graves at a former residential school in Kamloops.
“The face was pushed in, the arm was scraped, and the whole base was totally crooked, too,” Charles Brunet, owner of Brunet Monuments, said as he and a crew of workers reinstalled the statue. The repair, done in conjunction with a Saskatchewan company contracted by Brunet, also involved sandblasting and giving the statue a new protective coating.
“I’m so elated. I’m so excited. She is up, she is looking good. She’s solid, too,” he said. “I won’t be called again, I hope.”
Brunet worked on installing the statue decades ago. It was originally in a less-prominent spot near the Manitoba Museum and was moved to its current position — a garden beside the lieutenant-governor’s house on the east side of the legislature — in 2010. “We’re so happy that she’s back in her home,” he said.
The statue is now also more secure. More rods connect the statue to its large base and also more rods link the base to the monument’s concrete foundation.
The statue was created in 1968 by artist Leo Mol. It was one of two monuments toppled by protesters in 2021 over the deaths of children at residential schools.
The second — a larger statue of Queen Victoria that stood prominently near the main entrance to the legislature grounds — had its head removed and was damaged beyond repair.