Assiniboine Park wants city to find new home for Ten Commandments monument
The Assiniboine Park Conservancy is asking the city to find a new home for a religious monument engraved with the Ten Commandments over concerns it could make the park less welcoming.
The monument was gifted to the city in 1965 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles and was placed in Assiniboine Park, where it stood for more than 50 years. It was removed in 2017 during the construction of The Leaf. The Conservancy said there was uncertainty about what to do with the monument, so it was put in storage where it has sat ever since.
While it notes the monument – engraved with the set of biblical principles that are central to Judaism and Christianity – is part of Winnipeg's history, the conservancy is wondering if the park is the best place for it.
“(Assiniboine Park Conservancy) has considered this matter very carefully, in light of recent debate about historical monuments, and believe that reinstalling the monument may make the park feel less welcoming for some members of our community,” the conservancy said in a submission to the city's Welcoming Winnipeg initiative.
Welcoming Winnipeg provides recommendations to the city for changes to historical markers and place names to ensure Indigenous perspectives are included.
The conservancy said it had approached the Fraternal Order of Eagles to see if they would want to move the monument to a new location, but those plans fell through.
Winnipeg philanthropist Gail Asper, chair of The Asper Foundation, has thrown her support behind the monument.
"I absolutely believe the Ten Commandments should be in the park. I think it's a wonderful opportunity to educate and inspire people about this 3,500-year-old code of moral behaviour," she told CTV News.
"We have the big huge statue of Moses in the park in the Leo Mol sculpture garden. So if you can have Moses in the park, why can't you have the 10 Commandments? Because that's why Moses is famous."
She believes there are lessons to be gleaned from the ancient tablets, regardless of religious background.
"When we look at our headlines and see the murders, the shoplifting, the attacks, I think we kind of need to have a reminder of the way we want to treat each other."
Visitors to Assiniboine Park had mixed reactions.
"It wouldn't be as welcoming," Gerry Loewen said of the monument. She and her husband come to the park religiously, but she said she isn't so sure the park is the place for religious items.
If the monument were to come back, Loewen said it shouldn't stand alone.
"It should also have sort of the other universal religions also included around it."
The fate of the monument now rests with city hall. A spokesperson for the city said Welcoming Winnipeg has made a recommendation which will be presented to the Executive Policy Committee in the coming months.
The conservancy was not available for an interview, but told CTV News in an email it will respect the outcome of the process and the wishes of the city and the Fraternal Order of Eagles to find a solution that respects the intent of the original donation and the current perspectives on monuments.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Hurricane Milton strengthens into a Category 5 storm. Florida orders evacuations
Florida's storm-battered Gulf Coast raced against a Category 5 hurricane Monday as workers sprinted to pick up heaps of appliances and other street debris left over from Helene two weeks ago and highways were clogged with people fleeing ahead of the storm.
'Selfish billionaire': Chip Wilson's mansion vandalized after political sign erected outside
Days after a political sign was erected outside Chip Wilson's Vancouver mansion, the waterfront property has been vandalized with graffiti.
Hurricane Milton has been upgraded to a Category 5 storm. What does that mean?
Hurricane Milton quickly intensified to a Category 5 storm on Monday, reaching the most dangerous rank on what's known as the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Canadians head for higher ground as threat of Hurricane Milton nears Florida's Gulf Coast
The contents of entire homes have been kicked to the curb in one south Tampa neighbourhood. Piles of garbage bags, broken trees and waterlogged furniture serve as reminders of how unforgiving nature can be.
Two people injured in apparent road rage incident, shooting in Toronto
Two people are in hospital after they were chased and shot at in what appears to be an act of road rage before eventually flipping their car while trying to escape, police say.
Sammy Basso, longest living survivor of rare rapid-aging disease progeria, dies at 28
Sammy Basso, who was the longest living survivor of the rare genetic disease progeria, has died at the age of 28, the Italian Progeria Association said on Sunday.
Senior charged after minivan set ablaze outside Vancouver City Hall
The day after a minivan was set ablaze outside Vancouver City Hall, a 78-year-old man has been criminally charged.
Canadian soldier wins compensation for cancer linked to burn pits after Veterans Affairs denied claim
A Canadian soldier who was exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits while serving in Afghanistan has been awarded full medical compensation for testicular cancer after Veterans Affairs initially denied his claim.
A Canadian woman was recently diagnosed with scurvy. Here are the factors tied to the disease
Scurvy is not just an archaic diagnosis of 18th-century seafarers and doctors should watch for possible cases, according to researchers following a recent case.