Oshawa firefighter memorial sparks debate over park location
· Toronto Sun
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A planned memorial to fallen firefighters appears to have garnered support in Oshawa, but not everyone is happy with its location.
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“I have nothing against the concept of putting a memorial up to fallen firefighters, but the Botanical Gardens is the crown jewel,” Hugh Nicholson told the Toronto Sun about the parks in the city east of Toronto. ”Instead of putting this statue in front of this firehall, which is literally a stone’s throw away from the Memory Gardens, (city council is) tearing up a good section of our Memory Garden and taking up the grass and putting down concrete and stone, erecting this monument.”
The firehall Nicholson mentioned is Fire Station 1, located across Oshawa Creek and up the hill from Memory Gardens.
Nicholson is the president of the Elgin Gardens Condominium and a Ward 4 resident. The five-storey Elgin condo building is just east of the park, which is also located in Ward 4.
An improvement on what’s there
“We are not tearing up the park,” Oshawa Ward 4 Councillor Rick Kerr said in response. “There is going to be a portion of it dedicated to the memorial. The park is big, and this is going to be over in one corner of the park. It is not like it is going to take up a big footprint.”
Nicholson questioned why the memorial must be in the park at all, saying it could be an eyesore for visitors and residents alike. Kerr said the location is out of the way and would improve what is currently there.
“This area is underutilized, and I think it will be a magnificent addition to an underutilized area, such that more people may actually visit it, and I think you will see better landscaping than it is now, a much more pleasing sight to the eye,” Kerr said.
The memorial will honour 14 firefighters who lost their lives in service to the city and will be located in the valley at the north end of the park near Adelaide Ave. W.
Nicholson said the best spot would be in front of Station 1 instead.
Some people on Oshawa social media appeared to agree. The condo president even created an AI rendering of what he believes the statue should look like in front of the firehall.
‘Makes total sense’
“There have been over 200 comments on there and the vast majority of people are saying the same thing: fully supportive of the fire service but at the same time they are asking why is the city doing this in this location where everyone knows it is a landmark location, instead of the firehall, where it makes total sense,” Nicholson said.
Ward 2 Councillor Jim Lee, a former Toronto firefighter who put forward the memorial idea, was told that more than 200 people supported Nicholson’s proposal. Lee also has a son who works for the Oshawa fire department.
“I don’t believe that, at all,” he said. Lee also questioned whether residents in the condo support Nicholson.
“I would ask if he is speaking on behalf of everybody in that condo, or if this is his own personal view,” Lee said.
In his travels around town, Lee said the public response has been positive.
“The impression I get is that it is long overdue, and they believe it is in the perfect location,” Lee said. “Hugh is the only negative person I have heard from. The only one.”
Down in the valley
The memorial will be placed in the valley at the north end of the park near Adelaide Ave. W.
Kerr said the monument will include two firefighters — one in traditional gear and one in modern gear — a podium, and a pair of memory walls similar to those at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. He said the surrounding area will also be landscaped.
“Once it is done, I think people will see a magnificent addition to the valley,” Kerr said.
The city approved the memorial in March. There is no artist’s rendering of the final design yet, and the exact size is still unknown.
“The families of firefighters who have lost a loved one are extremely appreciative of this. They are respectful of the fact we want to acknowledge the sacrifices men and women have made,” Kerr said.
The cost of the project is $600,000. Ground is expected to be broken this summer or in the fall.