Statues depicting Canada’s former prime ministers have returned to public display in Wilmot Township, according to CTV News, following a multi-year hiatus marked by political debate and vandalism. Four new bronze sculptures, known collectively as “The Unfortunate Four,” were unveiled Saturday at Castle Kilbride in Baden, Ontario. The installation marks a new chapter for the contested Prime Ministers Path project, which is now managed by a local community group rather than municipal government.
Transfer to Createscape Waterloo Region
Wilmot council voted on Monday night to hand custody of nine municipal statues over to Createscape Waterloo Region, according to reporting by CBC News. The township entered into a 20-year agreement allowing the local group to use municipal parkland beside the township offices for the display. The municipality is covering the $78,000 reinstallation cost.
Wilmot Mayor Natasha Salonen told CBC News that shifting responsibility to a local organization helps remove the public art collection from the political arena. Township CAO Jeff Willmer noted to councillors that Createscape has a demonstrated commitment to the project dating back to its initial 2016 installation.
“As a municipality, we really don’t have the kind of resources internally to put true justice on a project like this,” Salonen told CBC News. “By leasing the property and the statues to Createscape, and future statues for Createscape to acquire, that removes it from the political realm.”
Unveiling ‘The Unfortunate Four’
Sculpted by British Columbia artist Nathan Scott, the newly added statues represent a turbulent five-year period in late 19th-century Canadian politics, according to CTV News. The sculptures depict Sir John Abbott, Sir John Thompson, Sir Mackenzie Bowell, and Sir Charles Tupper.
“They all knew each other. They’re all in the same cabinet. And so I have created a conversation with these guys,” Scott told CTV News regarding the grouping.
The broader Prime Ministers Path project originally began in 2013 as a private fundraising initiative aimed at celebrating the 150th Confederation anniversary with 22 bronze sculptures. Early proposals faced rejections from Kitchener councillors in 2014 and Wilfrid Laurier University in 2016. After relocating to Castle Kilbride later that year, the site experienced ongoing friction. The statue of Sir John A. Macdonald was removed in July 2020 following red paint protests regarding residential schools, and the remaining statues were placed in storage in 2021.
Educational Focus and Future Plans
Createscape Waterloo Region chair Don Bourgeois told CTV News that the sculptures serve as foundational pieces for an expanded educational program designed to provide context on Canada’s political history. According to Bourgeois, individual statues feature detailed design elements intended to highlight both positive and negative aspects of each leader’s legacy.
“The fundamental part is to educate Canadians about Canada’s history, how we got here, why we got where we are,” Bourgeois told CTV News. “Not just for the sake of understanding that, but rather what is the dialogue we should be having going forward?”
Organizers stress that community consultation recommendations guided the shift toward a holistic educational framework. While all supporting educational resources remain in development, the newly installed collection is open to the public on the grounds of Castle Kilbride.
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