Bradford West Gwillimbury Council’s passage of a resolution, supporting the proposed Never Forgotten National Memorial in Cape Breton Island, has been making waves.
After hearing a presentation by Lt.-Col. Ferguson Mobbs (Ret.), town council unanimously endorsed the memorial – which would include a 24 metre-tall statue of “Mother Canada”, reaching out to Canada’s 114,000 war dead “wherever they may lie,” and mirroring the “Canada Bereft” statue at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France.
At the Bradford Legion on Wednesday, Mobbs thanked Mayor Rob Keffer and Deputy Mayor James Leduc for their support, and said that Tony Trigiani, the Toronto businessman who proposed the memorial, had been notified.
“He is so excited, and so pleased and in awe, that the Town of BWG has taken a step forward to support it,” said Mobbs.
The memorial initially had the support of the Conservative government of Stephen Harper, as well as a long list of distinguished patrons that included Major General Lewis MacKenzie. But vocal opposition – to placing the memorial in a park, to the size of the statue, to the design – and a change in government led to a withdrawal of the approvals.
Both the Bradford Legion and BWG Council have voiced their support for the memorial. “It will be a reminder to the residents of Canada, of the sacrifices that were made,” said Mayor Keffer, presenting Mobbs with a copy of Resolution 2019-275, passed unanimously on Aug. 6.
“We’re just following a path you have laid down for us,” the mayor said. “Councillors thought it was a great initiative, which is why it was unanimous.”
“This will touch the hearts and minds of everyone in Canada,” said Deputy Mayor Leduc, noting that although not every Canadian can make the pilgrimage to Vimy Ridge, a memorial in Cape Breton Island would be more accessible.
The town sent copies of its resolution to local MP Scot Davidson, MPP Caroline Mulroney, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and all members of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), asking for their support.
“We will do the best we can to push this to other councils,” said Leduc. “I think we’ll gain quick support for this project across Canada.”
The resolution has also been sent to the patrons of the Never Forgotten National Memorial and Foundation, said Mobbs. “This is how big it is.”
He called the Never Forgotten National Memorial “truly a noble cause. The town fathers have stepped forward, with the legion, to support this noble cause.”
Mobbs encouraged residents to check out the Never Forgotten National Memorial online, for more information on the project - and to learn what can be done to move it forward.
