Statue of Edward Cornwallis not going anywhere yet, says Halifax mayor

It could be months before Halifax makes a decision on the fate of the city's controversialstatue of Edward Cornwallis, according to Mayor Mike Savage.

He made the statement at Halifax City Hall after protesters interrupted the regular council meeting Tuesdaymorning.

Protesters at the meeting said the statue must be removed before Mi'kmaqHistory Month in October if there is to be reconciliation.

Savage doesn't think that's possible.

He said acommittee being set up to study theissue has not yet been named and may not meet for the first time until September.

Committee in the works

The panel will be tasked with makingrecommendations on how to handle municipal infrastructure named after Cornwallis,a military officer who founded Halifax for the British in 1749. The same year, he issued the so-called scalping proclamation, offering a cash bounty to anyone who killed aMi'kmaq person.

Savage said members of the Mi'kmaqcommunitywill be included on thepanel. He has said any timeline for recommendations and decisions will be determined by the committee.

"This expert panel has a very difficult job and you're going to have people on it who have very different points of view. I hope people can come into it with an open heart and an open mind and see if there's anything we can agree on," Savage saidTuesday.

"At the end of the day, it's a big task and council will have to decide."

'They need to do better right now'

Rebecca Moore, who was among the protesters at city hall, saidthe municipality needs to remove the statue from thedowntown park where it is located. The city has a long history of ignoring recommendations about truth and reconciliation, she said.

"I don't expect this to be any different," said Moore."I don't think this city cares about Aboriginal people. They need to do better right now."

• 'Offensive and disgraceful': Protesters cheer as City of Halifax shrouds Cornwallis statue

About 150 people gathered around the statue over the weekend demanding that it be removed. Municipalcrews draped a black clothover the statue as a sign of good faith amid threats from some protesters to tear the monumentdown.

Troubled meeting

Protesters gathered again Tuesday in the public gallery during a council meeting. One woman holding a sign about racism voluntarilyleft after being told no signs are allowed in council chambers.

A short time later, council began discussing neighbourhood signs, at which point several people in the galleryinterrupted the proceedings with some shouting, "Ignorant!"They demanded counciltake decisive action and remove the statue ofCornwallis.

Councillorstook a break from their discussions and cleared the public gallery.When the meeting resumed, Savage said the public was welcome back but cautioned against disruptions, saying there was a time and a place for protest.

Afterward, Savage said he and other councillors are doing their best to represent everyone in the municipality.

"I don't have the lived experience of being a Mi'kmaq, I don't have the lived experience of beingsomebody who's come here from another country and doesn't speak the language. I don't have the lived experience of an African-Nova Scotian," he said.

"But we all have a responsibility to try to understand and help become a really inclusive [municipality]."