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October 2, 2024

War Veteran Statue to be Relocated to Brookside Cemetery

The First World War Veteran statue in front of the Former Bank of Montreal (335 Main Street) is set to be relocated to Brookside Cemetery (3001 Notre Dame Ave.) to make way for the reopening of Portage and Main.

The statue has stood on the iconic corner for over 100 years, honouring the 230 Bank of Montreal (BMO) employees who lost their lives serving in the First World War. The statue was erected in 1923 and was sculpted by American sculptor James Earle Fraser, whose submission won the bank’s international design competition. The statue itself is nine feet tall and is modelled after BMO employee and Military Cross Recipient Captain Wynn Bagnall.

The Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF), who took ownership of the former Bank of Montreal a few years ago, and agreed to gift the statue to the city only once they were certain that it would be relocated to a new home. As a recently designated National Historic Site, Brookside Cemetery is a very appropriate location.

Brookside Cemetery was established in 1878 and is one of the oldest garden cemeteries in Western Canada. After the First World War, a large portion of the cemetery became a military Field of Honour to serve as a burial place for those lost in the war. Today, there are more than 10,000 veterans buried in the historic cemetery.

We are grateful that the MMF pushed for the protection and sensitive relocation of the statue, as this news came to light only a few weeks after the City of Winnipeg’s needless destruction of the historic shards at Air Canada Window Park. If it had not been for the MMF’s influence, we fear this monument could have met a similar fate.

Sources:

“Brookside Cemetery” City of Winnipeg, Services & Programs, Cemeteries.

“Brookside Cemetery National Historic Site” Government of Canada, Parks Canada, National Historic Site Designations, 14 November 2023

“Media Advisory: BMO Bank of Montreal Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Historic Winnipeg Branch” BMO News Releases, 21 May 2013

Rollasen, Kevin. “Statue if First World War soldier to stand among Brookside veterans” The Winnipeg Free Press, 30 September 2024

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 / Recent News

War Veteran Statue to be Relocated to Brookside Cemetery

The First World War Veteran statue in front of the Former Bank of Montreal (335 Main Street) is set to be relocated to Brookside Cemetery (3001 Notre Dame Ave.) to make way for the reopening of Portage and Main.

September 28, 2024

Year In Review: Heritage Winnipeg’s 2024 Annual General Meeting

Heritage Winnipeg’s 2024 Annual General Meeting was held on September 26, 2024 in Celebration Hall at the historic Millennium Centre. It was nice to gather with heritage supporters and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the engaging keynote presentation about Northwest Winnipeg by Kenneth Ingram. We would like to thank all our members, donors and volunteers over the…

September 27, 2024

A New Chapter for Portage Place Mall: an Update on SCO and True North’s Redevelopment Project

Heritage Winnipeg would like to congratulate True North on their confirmed purchase of Portage Place Mall. At a press conference on Friday, September 27th 2024, True North Real Estate Development announced that they plan to redevelop this 1.2 million square foot building for multi-use space, for residential, health care, and community support, in partnership with the Southern Chiefs Organization. This project is being supported by all three levels of government.

Welcoming Three New Heritage Winnipeg Board Members

Heritage Winnipeg is pleased to welcome three new members to our Board of Directors – Kenneth Ingram, Matthew Jacobi and Roland Sawatzky! With diverse backgrounds, experiences and specialties, they bring a wealth of knowledge to our organization. We are also excited for the fresh insights, energy and enthusiasm from our new board members, helping us…

September 24, 2024

Shards Discarded from Air Canada Window Park

Last week, the City of Winnipeg began demolition of Air Canada Window Park at 355 Portage Avenue to begin work on the park’s new design. The site was home to a number of shards from demolished historic buildings, which were thoughtlessly destroyed during the demolition process.

September 10, 2024

“Showcase Our Heritage” Art Contest Submissions and Winners

Over the past summer, Heritage Winnipeg hosted our first ever art contest! We invited artists of all backgrounds, skill levels, and styles to share a piece of visual artwork that engaged with Winnipeg’s built heritage. In response, we received 19 submissions!

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