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North end monument approved by Âé¶čAV council

'This will be an iconic sign'

 

 

Âé¶čAV’s new North End monument has drawn praise from city council.

Five themes are reflected in the structure: land, water, heritage, community, and Âé¶čAV depicted on multiple bands stacked together. It will be placed along Highway 97 between Eillison Lake and Old Vernon Road.

“This is the concept of movement and transformation,” Stefan Johansson, parks and open space planner told council. “As one gets closer the monument begins to reveal itself in more detail.”

The monument will be an amber-gold colour and lit at night.

“It seems to be somewhat unique I haven’t seen that in other communities,” Councillor Luke Stack said. “From my perspective, this will be an iconic sign.

Staff told council the monument represents a “weaving together” comparing it to the make-up and meaning of weaving of a basket and presented a video explaining its symbolisms.

“It’s beautiful,” Coun. Loyal Wooldridge said. “It’s woven the cultures together beautifully and you’ve done an authentic job of integrating Indigenous Peoples into the design.”

The budget is estimated between $700,000 to $800,000, however, a more accurate cost will be available when council looks at the city budget in December.

Although he liked the monument Coun. Ron Cannan took issue with the budget and had other criticisms.

“The main component of an entrance sign is a welcome and this doesn’t even say welcome. But I think there is too much going on for a vehicle travelling at 90 to 100 km/h across that busy road already, there’s concern for fatalities.”

Cannan suggested the monument is better suited for an area such as Stuart Park.

“Put a QR code on it and somebody can click on it and watch the video that explains it. People driving by aren’t going to understand the symbolism and all the intricacies that you put into your video.” 

The monument was one of three shortlisted by a panel of private and public design professionals earlier this year. The winning submission received a 90 per cent consensus in a secret vote.

Council approved the monument with Cannan voting against it. Construction is expected to begin in 2025.



About the Author: Gary Barnes

Journalist and broadcaster for three decades.
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