As a debate heats up over a war memorial planned for the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, a community meeting is being called to try and cool things down.
Gord Rideout says he can’t shake the feeling that the statue seems wrong for the Green Cove location.
“The statue itself, to my estimation, is totally out of place,” says the Ingonish, N.S. resident. “Everything else that’s been presented to me is fine.”
Many people have spoken out against the six-storey, $25 million- statue, which is set to sit atop a piece of coastline known for its rugged natural beauty.
Not everyone is against the war memorial, however, and the debate has been raging for months. The MP for the area, Mark Eyking, has called a community meeting to discuss the matter this weekend.
“Hopefully it opens up a dialogue that lets people know that most of the community is looking forward to such a monument,” says Donald Jardine of the Ingonish Development Society.
Eyking says the meeting will offer community members a chance to clear the air. He says, if people on both sides can have their say in the same room, hopefully it will eliminate any misconceptions that may exist.
One major misconception, according to one area councillor, is that the community is divided. Coun. Larry Dauphinee says any bickering over the memorial is being blown out of proportion.
“I know we’ve been hearing a lot of negative stuff in the media and whatnot, but what I’m hearing is very, very positive,” says Dauphinee.
“I’ll be quite shocked if, after that meeting, Mark doesn’t have a very good understanding that this is really wanted in the northern Cape Breton area.”
The meeting is set for Saturday morning at the North Ingonish Fire Hall. Public consultation is expected this spring, but some say it should have happened long ago.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald
