Sir John A. Macdonald statue removed from Regina's Victoria Park

The Sir John A. Macdonald statue wasremoved from Regina's Victoria Park on Wednesday morning.

The City of Regina said the removal of the statue was not publicized forsecurity reasons and to ensure the area could be kept safe for staff.

It said a public art collection curator was on site to make sure the statue was handled properly. The statuewas to bemoved into storage until it can be reinstalled in anew location, with additional context.

Regina's city council voted seven to four on March 31to remove the statue. Publicconsultation will be done over the next few months, including through an online survey on Be Heard Regina.

A recent report by city administrators said the statue overlooks the negative impacts Macdonald's policies and initiatives have had on Indigenous Peoples.

"These policies include use of day schools and residential schools as tools of assimilation, relocation of Indigenous Peoples away from traditional hunting and fishing areas to make room for European settlement, and an inadequate and often corrupt system for delivering rations to reserves," the report said.