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On December 13 a public meeting was held in ArtWord Theatre, Portland Street, to report on planned improvements to Victoria Memorial Square. This park bounded by Niagara, Portland and Wellington streets contains within its limits a military burying ground established in 1794 that is now the city’s oldest cemetery. In 2003 it was recognized by the National Historic Sites Board as part of the Fort York National Historic Site. Several people spoke, including Councillor Olivia Chow. An archaeologist, Dr. Ron Williamson, described his investigation of the ground to confirm how shallow some graves were and whether old plans showing where they were located were reliable. David Leinster, a consultant retained by the City to develop a landscaping plan, presented it and showed how earlier comments from the community and a project advisory committee had been taken into account. Michael McClelland, whose architectural practice specializes in heritage work, reported that the iron fence enclosing the monument in the centre of the square would be restored to its original size; also that a number of gravestones set in concrete around the base of the monument, where they suffered much deterioration, have been cut out and removed to safe storage. He showed conceptual schemes for their remounting in a more protective setting.
To date the City has set aside $350,000 for the first phase of this project, mostly from levies that were part of development agreements with the owners of new buildings in the area.. This modest budget will allow a start on the work of rehabilitating the park to be made in 2005. But because more money will be needed to realize the plan’s full extent, the Wellington Place Neighbourhood Association (contact Scott James: 416-2037384) and others will be undertaking fund raising among foundations and within the private sector.
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