Statue of Alexander Watson removed from St. Catharines city hall

The statue of Alexander Watson that stood on the front lawn of St. Catharines City Hall has been removed.

City council voted in favour of the removal towards the end of last year.

At the time, councillors voted 12-1 to remove the statue. The motion was brought forward by Mayor Mat Siscoe.

READ MORE: St. Catharines votes to remove controversial statue from city hall

“We now understand the North-West resistance was Indigenous people fighting for their rights, to maintain their rights, so we felt it was a good time to bring it down, as part of our path to Truth and Reconciliation.”

On Thursday, construction workers craned the statue off the front lawn of city hall.

The removal made good on Siscoe’s promise to have the statue gone by June 21 — Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Watson’s grave rests within the Victoria Lawn Cemetery and will serve as the statue’s new home.

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