The NCC board of directors on Thursday gave staff the go-ahead to begin construction on the victims of communism memorial, almost a decade after its initial proposal.
The memorial, called Victims of Communism — Canada, a Land of Refuge, will be located at the Garden of the Provinces and Territories and will cost $2 million.
Previous designs for the monument had been presented to the board, but had fallen short of universal accessibility standards, as well as the amount of green space. This final design implemented much more green into the design and is more accessible to all who visit.
The next steps in the construction of the monument are to negotiate the contract with the artist in regards to fabrication and installation. Then comes the tendering of the project, and construction is set to begin this summer and should be completed by next summer.
“Being from the region, I would say that it’s been evident that this has been a challenging project over time,” said board member Tanya Gracie. “I think we’ve come out of this with a really great tribute that we can be proud of in the region.”
The monument will be made out of four different materials, limestone, granite, bronze and concrete, and will feature two four-metre tall bronze archs.
The maintenance costs of the monument were also presented at the meeting, with the largest cost being general maintenance, followed by the annual cleaning of the bronze. Estimates are at around $19,000 at the beginning of the life cycle to $475,000 at the end.
The proposal for a monument to the victims of communism was first made in 2010 at its initial location the Garden of Provinces and Territories. It was then moved to an area near Booth Street, which was instead designated for the Holocaust memorial that opened last year. It was then moved to an area next to the Supreme Court of Canada, and then to its ultimate location, — and ironically, the first — the Garden of Provinces and Territories.
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