Mayor stands by Little Italy statue process
Posted Jun 23, 2016 06:57:35 AM.
Last Updated Jun 23, 2016 07:28:19 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA — The mayor insists there’s nothing wrong with the temporary installation of a statue in Little Italy, before the public was consulted.
The statue celebrates the 150th anniversary of Italians immigrating to Ottawa. It was a gift from a small town in Italy.
The statue was placed in Piazza Dante, at Gladstone and Booth, for a photo opportunity with Mayor Jim Watson and the mayor of the Italian town, among others, June 10.
The unveiling was held to coincide with Italian Week. Public consultation was held after the statue was placed.
“From a protocol point of view, I think it’s appropriate,” Mayor Jim Watson told reporters after Wednesday’s city council meeting. “A fellow mayor is visiting, he presents a gift to a mayor, and then we determine where it should go.”
The statue is scheduled to be removed from Piazza Dante and placed into storage, Thursday, according to the Ottawa Sun.
Watson says public consultations will now determine the permanent home of the statue and that he’ll accept whatever conclusion is reached, whether it’s to install the statue back in Piazza Dante or elsewhere.
“I think it’s a beautiful sculpture and a kind gift from a foreign city,” Watson said.
