Winnipeg war monument now slated for spring unveiling at new Brookside Cemetery home

Manitoba·NewA prominent Winnipeg war monument is scheduled to be in place at its new location in time for the anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge next April. Manitoba Métis Federation pushes back timeline to coincide with next Vimy Ridge anniversaryIan Froese · CBC News · Posted: Nov 11, 2025 2:15 PM EST | Last Updated: 13 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A monument depicting the figure of a Canadian First World War soldier stood outside the former Bank of Montreal building at Portage and Main since 1923. The statue was removed to make way for construction to reopen the downtown intersection to pedestrian traffic. (Travis Golby/CBC)A prominent Winnipeg war monument is scheduled to be in place at its new location in time for the anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge next April.The monument, which depicts the figure of a Canadian First World War soldier, had stood outside the former Bank of Montreal building at Portage and Main since 1923.The Manitoba Métis Federation — which acquired the statue when it bought the former Bank of Montreal building in 2020 — confirmed this week it is still planning to move the statue to the Field of Honour in Brookside Cemetery, but it will now be unveiled by next spring.The federation said the firm contracted to lay the cement foundation for the monument wasn’t able to have it ready in time for Veterans’ Week (Nov. 5-11), the original plan.The statue was removed from its original spot to make way for construction work so the famous Portage and Main intersection could be reopened to pedestrians in June.The Métis Federation wants to hold a public ceremony for the statue in alignment with a historically significant time relevant to Canada’s war effort, and the next logical window for that occasion is the commemoration of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, spokesperson Kat Patenaude said.That April 1917 battle, one of the most successful Allied operations of the First World War, was the first time all four Canadian divisions fought together.The monument — originally erected in 1923, according to Heritage Winnipeg — honours the 231 Bank of Montreal employees across Canada who died in the First World War.Last year, a city report said the Métis Federation agreed to give the statue to the city as a gift, including covering the costs of relocation. The city owns Brookside Cemetery, which includes a Field of Honour dedicated to military veterans.There were fears on social media this summer the statue would be discarded, after a picture appeared to show it amongst debris, but the federation said it only looked that way because of the angle the photo was taken from. The statue was usually wrapped in protective coverings, but not at the time of that picture, the MMF said.ABOUT THE AUTHORIan Froese covers the Manitoba Legislature and provincial politics for CBC News in Winnipeg. He also serves as president of the legislature’s press gallery. You can reach him at ian.froese@cbc.ca. Twitter: @ianfroese