Kincardine council faces a monumental decision on what to do with the second Secord Monument.
Facilitator Dr. Laura Mae Lindo presented her public engagement report to council this week on the community's feelings toward the monument that was once outside the local library.
The report summarized 475 survey responses, nearly 30 community conversations, correspondence with town staff, historical data and more. Opinions were varied on what to do with the monument erected by friends and patients of Dr. Solomon Secord, the town physician who also chose to fight with the South in the American Civil War.
Dr. Lindo said council faced a great challenge implementing a pathway for community healing in its decision on the monument.
"At the moment we're at a place where some of the work towards inclusion is being questioned. As leaders in the community, you can find ways to express why this work is so important and you can use the tools you have available to do that work. You can also choose to not do that, to not believe that work is important. But whatever way you go, people will be looking to you as leaders of community, and the stakes are actually quite high."
Ultimately, the report did not offer any recommendation on the matter, but rather gave council a number of things to consider when making the decision. That included key themes that arose from the survey, including the need for community healing, the need to center black voices, and the challenge of honouring ancestors in the Municipality.
Dr. Lindo's report covered a number of concerns raised, including accusations that her report might be biased and those that saw the monuments removal as a reflection of the "woke ideology."
All of council thanked Dr. Lindo for the comprehensive analysis during question period, with Deputy Mayor Andrea Clarke saying it provided her with new perspectives.
"What appeared, perhaps, at first glance, as hurtful and harmful comments, was less so done with intent as I read through the report. I understood the basis of those who have placed a significance on the preservation of history, who have signified that for them preserving history not only has been important for the community that they know, but equally important for a part of their identification and how they identify themselves," she said.
"I equally took form that another perspective, one from voices saying 'We're not trying to cancel your history, nor could we. We're not trying to eradicate your history, nor could we.' But understand that when you seek to preserve your history in a certain framework without proper context... you may be successful in preserving that legacy, but at the cost of another group having to relive the trauma of their own legacy."
Illustrating what a divisive topic it has become, the Municipality had to turn off comments on social media posts regarding the monument this week due to a number hateful responses.
Council accepted the report at Wednesday's meeting, and you can read it in its entirety on the Municipality's website.
Mayor Ken Craig suggested that Council would decide the monument's fate in September.