Several Quebec municipalities and organizations have stepped forward to offer a new home for a controversial statue of Samuel de Champlain currently in storage in Simcoe County, Ontario.
The nearly four-meter-tall bronze monument of the 17th-century explorer and Quebec City founder was removed from a park in Orillia, Ontario, in 2017 due to concerns over its colonial imagery.
Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac revealed that numerous offers were received after the city discussed the possibility of melting down the statue.
Over a dozen expressions of interest were received, primarily from Quebec municipalities and franco-Ontarian communities, according to McIsaac.
Among the interested parties are the municipalities of Champlain and Lévis in Quebec, both eager to provide a new home for the statue.
As the Orillia city council continues to deliberate the fate of the statue, it remains in storage for the time being.
