Thousands of neighbours and visitors like the statue of Queen Victoria

Re: Statue must come down, activist says — Oct. 18

Shame on the Record for its banner headline repeating the demand the iconic statue of Queen Victoria in Victoria Park should be removed.

The story quoted a supporter of this action. No one bothered to ask what the thousands of neighbours and visitors to the park thought of this one-sided, malicious proposal.

I can tell you most of the public enjoy this heritage public art that has graced the park for 110 years.

In my opinion, this is the inevitable consequence of the vandalism and illadvised removal of the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald from Wilmot’s Castle Kilbride.

In addition, Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School in Waterloo will be losing its name.

Subsequently, the great educator Egerton Ryerson’s statue was vandalized and removed.

Activists, in the anonymity of night, poured paint on the Queen Victoria statue twice.

I know of no non-Indigenous person who is not shocked and embarrassed by the revelations from the residential schools. We should apologize, compensate, educate and, yes, reconcile. Don’t wipe out our (mostly) wonderful Canadian (and yes, colonial) history. Harold Russell Kitchener