Public discussion on controversial monument underway

Dr. Solomon Secord. (Source: Bruce County Museum/Ross Merritt)

The public discourse over a controversial monument in Kincardine has begun. A public survey is now available on the Municipality of Kincardine’s website about the future of the Dr. Solomon Secord monument in downtown Kincardine.

The monument was installed over 100 years ago, but was taken down during Kincardine’s downtown construction last spring.

Since its removal, some community members have suggested the statue shouldn’t return because some consider it racist.

Dr. Secord was a decorated physician in Kincardine for 50 years, but he also served as a surgeon for the Southern Army during the American Civil War, and the monument states that.

Other community members feel that not restoring the monument would tarnish Dr. Secord’s contributions to Kincardine and erase history.

Former MPP Dr. Laura Mae Lindo has been tasked with facilitating the public discussion around the future of the Dr. Secord monument.

Phase 1, which is underway, is a public survey. Community interviews and conversations will happen in April and May, with a final decision on the fate of Kincardine’s Secord monument in August 2024.

You can learn more by visiting Kincardine’s website.