‘Balanced’ working group recommended for Prime Ministers Path

A report coming to Wilmot Township council Monday night recommends creating a working group with “balanced representation” to determine next steps for the Prime Ministers Path statues currently in storage.

Council passed a motion in January requesting staff report back on the status of the project and provide options for next steps, including a possible referendum.

Coun. Kris Wilkinson said the handling of the Prime Ministers Path by the township’s former council was the No. 1 issue when he was campaigning in the last election and said constituents want the opportunity to have their voices heard.

The statue of Canada’s first prime minister Sir John A. Macdonald was removed in 2020 after it was repeatedly doused with red paint.

In July 2021, the remaining statues on display outside Castle Kilbride in Baden were placed in storage at the recommendation of the First People’s Group, a consulting firm hired to undertake community engagement at the time.

A referendum is estimated to cost between $116,000 and $163,0000 and would likely require a temporary, contract position, according to the report by the township’s CAO, Sharon Chambers, which weighs the merits of a vote on the matter in accordance with the Municipal Elections Act.

“If less than 50 per cent of the eligible voters in the township vote on the question, the results are not binding,” the report says, noting that the municipal election turnout for the Township of Wilmot was 40.35 per cent in 2022 and 37.8 per cent in 2018. If “yes” receives more than half of the votes, the municipality must implement the result in a timely manner, whereas if “no” receives more than half of the votes, the municipality can’t implement the matter in question until four years have passed.

Chambers recommends more community engagement, aligning with the township’s strategic planning process, and “engaging an experienced firm that specializes in creating inclusive engagement plans for diverse communities” to make recommendations regarding the creation, terms of reference and mandate for a working group. This option is expected to cost between $45,000 and $60,000, which could be offset by a $45,000 grant approved last spring, the report says.

The township is in possession of nine former prime ministers statues, according to the report. Four statues were placed directly into storage without being installed.

Storage is costing the township $661.44 a month, in total $23,252 since 2020.

Wilmot Township is in possession of nine former prime ministers statues, according to the report. Four statues were placed directly into storage without being installed