Wilmot council to consider cost of reinstalling Prime Ministers Path
Posted Aug 25, 2025 06:55:02 AM.
Last Updated Aug 25, 2025 03:48:45 PM.
The controversial saga surrounding the Prime Ministers Path in Wilmot Township is nearing an end as council considers the cost for the reinstallation of the statues.
On Monday evening, Wilmot council could approve a $78,000 spend on creating concrete pads to install the statues of nine former prime ministers on the path near Castle Kilbride in Baden.
The statues of former Prime Ministers were commissioned by a Kitchener resident back in 2013 as part of a project to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary and installed in 2016. Then, in 2020, the statue of Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, was removed following backlash for being racist and oppressing people.
All of the statues were removed in 2021, and the controversial project has been in limbo. Since that time, Wilmot Township has spent more than $220,000 on legal fees, the cost of storing the statues, and community engagement, though staff say the cost was partially covered by federal funds.
The projected $78,000 spend being considered by council includes six $10,000 concrete pads and a contingency fund of $18,000 to account for any repairs that need to be made to the statues themselves.
According to staff, after council approve the cost of reinstallation, there will be no more public dollars spent on this project aside from the cost of regular maintenance, which is already baked into the township’s budget.
Soon, a group of volunteers will be formed to create a new name for the sit and to steer how the path could be used for educational purposes.
