Smithers Council has decided to keep the cenotaph in Veterans Peace Park beside the library after calls for it to be moved to a more prominent location.
The president of the Smithers Legion wrote to council urging them to move it closer to the highway. The letter suggested a move to Central Park would give it more exposure.
Council decided that wasn’t a good fit due to ongoing Central Park plans that include the proposed BV Arts and Culture Centre.
Councillor Shelly Browne agrees that the cenotaph should be moved to a more visible location.
“There’s no rush to move the cenotaph…it has to be undertaken with a lot of consultation, because it’s a deeply, deeply personal issue, especially for veterans,” says Browne.
She says moving it somewhere more prominent will allow people to think about the meaning of the cenotaph on a daily basis.
“As oppose to gathering at the foot of town once a year.”
Mayor Taylor Bachrach says the requirement to have an open space for Remembrance Day have made Central Park a poor fit.
“I’d be willing to consider a different location. Every location has its pros and cons,” says Bachrach.
He says there’s noise on the highway the same as with the train near Veterans Park.
“No matter what the plan for relocation was to be it would mean time and money.”
Bachrach says that with all the other projects on the go, moving the cenotaph hasn’t jumped to the top of the list.