Roadkill crow sculpture on Ottawa pathway ‘taking off’ Thursday

Artist Gerald Beaulieu removes his "When the Rubber Meets the Road" sculpture from the NCC pathway on Thursday. (Tyler Fleming/CTV News Ottawa)

A sculpture of a dead crow along Ottawa’s LeBreton Flats pathway will be flying away Thursday.

The National Capital Commission (NCC) says on social media the five-metre-long sculpture is being removed when its rental with the federal agency concludes.

The NCC is inviting the public to “say goodbye before he goes.”

“Bye buddy, thank you for visiting! After two years along the LeBreton Flats pathway, the capital’s favourite crow is taking off to its next perch,” the NCC said on Instagram.

“Its departure is a reminder to reflect on how we move, and what we leave behind.”

Prince Edward Island-based artist Gerald Beaulieu was in Ottawa Thursday morning to pack up ‘Cooper’ and take the sculpture back to PEI.

“It would be nice to find a place in Charlottetown for him because the main park there, Victoria Park, is home to about 5,000 crows that roost there every night,” Beaulieu told CTV News Ottawa.

“So that place was a big inspiration in doing this and that’s where he was showing originally.”

The “When the Rubber Meets the Road” sculpture, made entirely of recycled rubber tires, became a subject of heavy discussion and criticism from residents when it was installed near the Pimisi LRT station in 2023.

“I got a lot of feedback. He at first was quite controversial and he went viral. There was a little bit of a media storm. I talked to almost every media outlet in Canada, and then, over time I think, he became a fixture in Ottawa,” says Beaulieu.

“I noticed he was pinned on Google Maps when I was trying to remember where to go. And people have been driving by, biking by running by walking all morning and kind of sad to see him go.”

The piece uses 50 to 60 tires. The sculpture is meant to symbolize roadkill and “the collision between humans and the natural world.”

Beaulieu reflected on the purpose of his sculpture.

“I just wanted to do a commentary about risk and reward and, kind of relate it to our situation with the planet and climate change,” Beaulieu said Thursday. “So, crows will eat roadkill, they’ll clean up the mess of our commuter culture, and sometimes they become victims of that. And I find that’s the let’s see position we’re in now about, relating to the climate crisis and what are the risks of our current continuing with our current situation over the rewards.”

The NCC previously told CTV News Ottawa that it rented artwork at a cost of $14,022 in its first year. It later extended its rental at a cost of $7,253 for one more year with rates recommended by CARFAC (Canadian Artists’ Representation) for fair compensation of artists.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Tyler Fleming

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App