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Crews preparing to remove controversial Cornwallis statue from Halifax park

Crews have put up scaffolding around Edward Cornwallis statue in Halifax, one day after council voted to temporarily remove the statue of the controversial figure. Reynold Gregor/ Global News

Crews have begun efforts to take down the statue of Edward Cornwallis from a Halifax park, one day after council voted to temporarily remove it. 

Scaffolding was being put up on Wednesday morning around the controversial statue.

READ MORE: Edward Cornwallis considered: The man behind Halifax’s divisive debate

Cornwallis is a disputed character seen by some as a brave leader who founded Halifax but by others as the commander of a bloody and barbaric extermination campaign against Mi’kmaq inhabitants.

Reynold Gregor/ Global News

The statue has been the site of various protests, and the call to remove it has grown in recent years.

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A staff report suggested the statue could be taken down and stored at a cost of about $25,000. It also said it is concerned about rising tensions around the statue, citing a planned protest Sunday that could result in “damage to the statue, conflicts among protesters and counter-protesters and personal injury.”

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WATCH: Halifax council votes to temporarily remove Edward Cornwallis statue

Click to play video: 'Halifax council votes to temporarily remove Edward Cornwallis statue'
Halifax council votes to temporarily remove Edward Cornwallis statue

On Tuesday, council voted 12-4 to temporarily place the statue in storage until a decision is made on its long-term fate.

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On Facebook, organizers with the protest said the event was still going on, but as a rally to celebrate council’s decision.

— With a file from The Canadian Press

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