A monument at the centre of controversy was left exposed at Orillia’s Couchiching Beach Park. On Monday, park-goers were faced with the sight after the towering 16-foot Samuel de Champlain monument was found disrobed behind its construction fence. The bronze statue, one of Orillia’s most controversial landmarks, was intentionally covered with a tarp at its location and stored there for safekeeping, according to the city. Officials tell CTV News the tarp wasn’t removed by staff. An email from the city states that unknowns, referred to as “vandals or miscreants,” removed the covering. Despite steering around the closed-off fence, there were no reports of damage. Staff say they rewrapped the statue Monday once they were alerted. It remains unclear how anyone managed to get inside the area. The unplanned unveiling comes just weeks after the Champlain statue returned to Couchiching Beach Park following years of it being tucked away in storage. The monument was removed in 2017 for restoration. However, it quickly became the centre of debate after First Nations members and other community groups raised concerns about how Samuel de Champlain was portrayed. Instead of returning Champlain, the statue sat in storage. Council documents released in May stated that returning the statue to its original location was the most cost-effective option, as building a new foundation would have added extra expenses due to the monument’s size and weight. On May 21, just hours after it was reinstalled in the park and left covered, police were called to the site after an alleged act of vandalism. Days following its resurrection, a motion was passed to remove the bronze statue from Couchiching Beach Park and return it to secure storage. It was also noted that staff would be authorized to charge expenses related to the removal. It remains unclear when the statue will be removed.
