Controversial monument to be moved, re-designed

A monument to the victims of communism will be moved from its originally planned location next to the Supreme Court of Canada to a “prominent” spot in Ottawa’s Garden of the Provinces and Territories.

Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly made the announcement about the controversial project in Ottawa on Thursday morning. The initial plan for the monument had come under fire for both its location and the monument’s size.

Joly said there was a lack of transparency in the original decision-making process for the location of the monument.

“My biggest concern was the fact that the process has been too political and too divisive, and there was a frustration toward the monument, while the idea of the monument itself was a good one,” Joly said.

“There are 8 million people (in Canada) who can trace their origins to countries where there were communist or totalitarianism regimes.”

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Throughout consultations with the National Capital Commission, local interest groups, international experts and the Conservative and NDP critics for Heritage, a consensus was reached that the monument site should be moved, Joly said.

The federal government will contribute $1.5 million to funding the project. Tribute to Liberty, the organization that spear-headed the project, will be matching that contribution to meet the total $3 million construction costs.

READ MORE: No public funding for Victims of Communism, Mother Canada monuments

The alternate site in the garden is situated along Confederation Blvd. across the street from the Supreme Court. A new design will be subject to consultation and the project as a whole subject to approval from the National Capital Commission, Joly said.

The details of the public consultation process are expected to be released in early 2016. Public consultations are expected to begin in September 2016, and the monument is expected to be completed in 2018.

Joly said she also consulted with Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson about the new location for the memorial. Watson was a vocal opponent of the previous plan.

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna attended the press conference and expressed her support for the new location afterwards.

“I think this reflects the will of Canadians, but also what I heard from residents of Ottawa Centre, who said ‘This location is not the location we want, and we also want to be part of the discussion surrounding the design,’” McKenna said.

WATCH: Design of victims of communism memorial to change to fit new site