National Victims of Communism Memorial | Completed

[passwordisnt123]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I think a reasonable case could me made for a commemoration of the Bengal Famine. Although exporting food and/or cash crops while people are starving has been the policy of many countries throughout history, including the Republic of India.

I really suggest you read about the British East India company and the British imperial period in the Indian subcontinent. The 25-50 million dead due to famine alone weren't caused by "Republic of India" policy, mostly due to the fact that there was no Republic of India before 1950. It was knowingly forced upon the population. As an aside, those figures don't even count the other mass killings perpetrated by the British because I wanted to keep the historical analogy as close as possible to the case of Holodomor in the Ukraine since lots of people have mentioned it in this thread. So that's why I just focused on the government-imposed and exacerbated famines and not the total figure dead. If we lumped everyone in, the figure would be even higher.

[passwordisnt123]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I think that broke monuments in Ottawa was the peacekeeping monument. It is massively oversized compared to its historical importance. Before peacekeeping, most monuments (except war, which indirectly or directly involved pretty much 100% of the country's population) were statue-sized, after that, too many monuments are oversized. I think the VoC could have been a few life-sized statues, arranged in front of some sort of display explanatory display, and I think that is true of many of the recently-built monuments.

I agree with this description of the peacekeeping monument. I think that's very well-said. This is particularly the case since Canada's role in peacekeeping is mostly a national myth. You ask most Canadians and they think we rank #1 or certainly near the top. At least that's always what I was taught in elementary and high school. In actual fact, we rank 59th in the world in peacekeeping and haven't really made any significant or monumental (no pun intended) contribution to peacekeeping in living memory.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by passwordisnt123

I really suggest you read about the British East India company and the British imperial period in the Indian subcontinent. The 25-50 million dead due to famine alone weren't caused by "Republic of India" policy, mostly due to the fact that there was no Republic of India before 1950. It was knowingly forced upon the population. As an aside, those figures don't even count the other mass killings perpetrated by the British because I wanted to keep the historical analogy as close as possible to the case of Holodomor in the Ukraine since lots of people have mentioned it in this thread. So that's why I just focused on the government-imposed and exacerbated famines and not the total figure dead. If we lumped everyone in, the figure would be even higher.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but you have to put it in context. Famines caused by a combination of poor government policy and crop failures were pretty common throughout the world until well into the 20th century. Some 7 million people died in the Deccan Famine of 1630–32, long before the British showed up. During the period of British rule in India, well over 100M people died from famine in China.

The 1943 famine was different I think because it was a direct result of destroying crops and boats before the advancing Japanese army.

Likewise, I think the Ukraine famine was different because there was no crop failure, Ukraine has some of the best agriculture land in the world and there had never been a famine in Ukraine before (despite many famines all over the Russian Empire throughout its history). And there was no famine in the Polish-controlled sections of Ukraine. The famine was a direct result of authorities physically removing food. Whether just or not, we tend to treat direct action by the state differently than indirect action. For example, dozens die every year as a result of the Government's inability to curb gang violence. The public outcry is pretty muted, but if police went into a neighbourhood and started summarily executing people there would be a huge outcry.

[jitterbug]

A tastefully done memorial with a good story to back it up -- a great improvement over the original design.

Hopefully it will at the same time update that area which has been largely forgotten since 1962 when John Diefenbaker opened the now-neglected Garden of the Provinces.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by jitterbug

A tastefully done memorial with a good story to back it up -- a great improvement over the original design.

Hopefully it will at the same time update that area which has been largely forgotten since 1962 when John Diefenbaker opened the now-neglected Garden of the Provinces.

Absent some initiative to animate the Garden of the Provinces, it won't.

[danishh]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Absent some initiative to animate the Garden of the Provinces, it won't.

there is work going on in the garden plaza as well (the paved area with benches and the fountain sculpture). No idea what since i dont see anything on the NCC site.

[danishh]

Pomerleau is digging up the site today.

[danishh]

I figured out what's happening at the Great Lakes fountain:
http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/projects/great-lakes-fountain

The NCC is installing lights to mimic the flow of water. I'm not seeing a reference to actually getting the water flowing again.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by danishh

I figured out what's happening at the Great Lakes fountain:
http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/projects/great-lakes-fountain

The NCC is installing lights to mimic the flow of water. I'm not seeing a reference to actually getting the water flowing again.

It says the water elements will be disassembled. So, no water.

[rocketphish]

Tips sought after sign vandalized at Memorial to the Victims of Communism construction site

Megan Gillis, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Jul 09, 2020 • Last Updated 1 hour ago • 1 minute read



Police are looking for tips after a sign announcing the Memorial to the Victims of Communism was vandalized on Canada Day.

The signage was on a construction fence at the site at the Garden of the Provinces and Territories at the intersection of Wellington and Bay streets.

On Monday, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress shared a picture of the sign with spray painted hammer and sickles and the words “communism will win.” The sign had been removed and the incident reported to police.

The congress said it was “saddened by the disgraceful act of vandalism” at what will be a “a national place of mourning, reflection, contemplation, and remembrance, honouring the millions of innocent victims murdered by Communist regimes throughout the world.”

Construction on the $3-million monument began late last year.

Ottawa police ask that anyone with information call the central criminal investigations unit at 613-236-1222 ext. 5166.

Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppers.ca.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...cm/b2d7ea1f-041f-446c-99e3-057ae52bbc5e/

[JayBuoy]

Based

[zzptichka]

It appears any activity has stopped on the site. Is it because they are investigating the crime of the century from the previous post?

[caboose]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

It appears any activity has stopped on the site. Is it because they are investigating the crime of the century from the previous post?

I doubt it is related. If they're worried about it getting vandalized once built, they can install cameras like at the National Holocaust Monument beside it.

[The Conductor]

Originally Posted by caboose

I doubt it is related. If they're worried about it getting vandalized once built, they can install cameras like at the National Holocaust Monument beside it.

Exactly

[zzptichka]

The place looks abandonned.

[OTownandDown]

Is that a webcam?

Looks to me the third pour is complete and they're waiting for concrete curing?

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

Is that a webcam?

Looks to me the third pour is complete and they're waiting for concrete curing?

No, I snapped it passing by. I don't think I've seen any activity there since spring.

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

No, I snapped it passing by. I don't think I've seen any activity there since spring.

Maybe the contractor isn't going to remobilize to the site until the sculpture is ready?

[rocketphish]

$4M more needed to finish the Memorial to the Victims of Communism: federal budget

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Apr 19, 2021 • 45 minutes ago • 1 minute read

The federal budget proposes to spend additional $4 million on the Memorial to the Victims of Communism under construction west of Parliament Hill as the project absorbs the financial blow caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The budget offered no reason for the additional money needed by Canadian Heritage, other than it’s to support the completion of the memorial in the Garden of Provinces and Territories off Wellington Street.

The last information released publicly about the cost of the project had construction costing $3 million, split equally between the federal government and the organization Tribute to Liberty, which has been fundraising for its portion. On top of that, Canadian Heritage contributed $500,000 in design costs.

Now, it appears the project requires a major financial boost to get the job done.

A winter newsletter produced by Tribute to Liberty included a letter from Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault who noted that the project was “facing unforeseen challenges” because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letter said a subcontractor for the artwork installation didn’t reopen after the first lockdown in spring 2020.

The design of the memorial is led by Toronto architect Paul Raff. Michael A. Ormston-Holloway, Brett Hoornaert and Luke Kairys are also on the project design team.

The concept is called Arc of Memory and it will be made up of 4,000 bronze rods set on 365 steel fins.

The memorial dates back to 2007 but the project really started forging ahead in 2010. There was controversy over the initial location for the project in the judicial precinct off Wellington Street under the previous federal Conservative government. Under the subsequent Liberal government, the location was changed to the land first considered for the memorial in the Garden of Provinces and Territories.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...-the-victims-of-communism-federal-budget

[FutureWickedCity]

Oh for the love of god. I can think of about a thousand things off the top of my head that I would rather put $4M of taxpayer money into. Cancel this boondoggle, stat