PETERS – Statues, reconciliation and Canada Day 2021

Posted on June 12, 2021 in Local Voices, Page One, Peters // 0 Comments

(Image: CFJC Today)

WE’VE SAID BEFORE that societies don’t erect statues of people they want to simply remember; they erect statues of people they want to celebrate, to venerate, to hold up as an example of a person of great character or achievement.

So when the statue of Egerton Ryerson on the campus of the Toronto university bearing his name came tumbling down last Sunday, it was probably just, even if it wasn’t done in a way the authorities might have approved.

Ryerson was an architect of early public school systems in Canada, and also conceived the most racist and segregationist elements of the country’s residential school system.

Canada Day

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ArmchairMayor.ca is a forum about Kamloops and the world. It has more than one million views. Mel Rothenburger is the former Editor of The Daily News in Kamloops, B.C. (retiring in 2012), and past mayor of Kamloops (1999-2005). At ArmchairMayor.ca he is the publisher, editor, news editor, city editor, reporter, webmaster, and just about anything else you can think of. He is grateful for the contributions of several local columnists. This blog doesn't require a subscription but gratefully accepts donations to help defray costs.