At a special meeting held today, December 3, 2025, Huntsville councillors unanimously voted to rescind their decision to accept a public art donation of a bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi from the Indian Consulate General.
At its November meeting, the majority of councillors voted to accept the donation and add it to the municipality’s public art inventory. Opposition from members of the community was swift. Social media became inundated with comments opposing the move, and councillors received emails and phone calls from residents expressing their disdain.
Hutsville Mayor Nancy Alcock opened the special meeting called to reconsider council’s decision by stating that the council had accepted the gift as a piece of public art to celebrate diversity and embrace symbols of unity and peace. “What’s really important to note is that the denotation was championed by members of our community and was subject to our public art policy, which provides a process and criteria to evaluate every donation.”
Alcock said council has reviewed all of the comments it has received and said, “Our public art is part of the identity of Huntsville, which was pointed out on numerous occasions, and I recognize that a statue of an individual can mean different things to different people. Through this process, it has become absolutely clear that public art and monuments are two distinct things,” she said, adding that staff have already initiated a review of the municipality’s art donation policy. “And will ensure that this policy is reflective of a variety of circumstances, types of donations, and methods of consultation. It’s clear to me, based on the variety of feedback I have received, and all of council has received, on both the statue and more importantly the process, that Huntsville is not currently in a position to accept this donation. What we intended to be a celebration of diversity and peace has highlighted a need for further discussion and progress in celebrating the depth of identities and diversity in Huntsville. We are having this meeting so council can reconsider the vote on the Gandhi statue in light of the community’s thoughtful response.”
What councillors said
Councillor Bob Stone said his original vote to receive the donation was made with the best of intentions. “However, over the past week, it has been made perfectly clear that we made a mistake and should have gone to public consultation. I would like to personally, humbly apologize to the people of Huntsville for the consternation this has caused. I will not be voting to accept the statue today.”
Councillor Cory Clarke, who voted against the acceptance of the statue last month, thanked those in attendance at the meeting and everyone who reached out to him by email. “I stand by the comments that I made opposing this donation at the last meeting. Our residents have let us know clearly that a bad decision was made. Our residents are asking us to make better decisions. As a council, we need to show better leadership; we need to make better choices. I also want to say that I’m very glad this meeting was called, so the choice that was made can be reversed today.”
Councillor Scott Morrison said the main thing council “screwed up on” was the public consultation. “We did consult the BIA, the Chamber, and the arts groups and made an assumption that if the BIA wants it and the Chamber wants it, they’d be the most effective so this makes sense. We missed the mark on reaching out to the public, but the good thing is, this is how municipal government works. You always have a voice,” he said, adding that he’s had really engaging conversations. “I must say there have been some emails and comments that are offside, that I didn’t pay much attention to because that’s not what our town is all about, but there were a lot of really well-thought-out and really relevant comments that I had paid attention to. Our town is built, believe it or not, on a lot of immigration.” Morrison said there are Germans, Italians, and people from different places living in Huntsville who have made the community what it is, and it is no different now.
“The intention was good, the consultation process was poor. We’ve learned our lesson from that and that’s our job as councillors is to serve the people that have reached out to us, so I think this is the right decision to revisit it and to revisit the art policy going forward so that we don’t get in this situation again,” added Morrison.
Councillor Dione Schumacher agreed that council had made a mistake. She said the Town’s existing art policy was followed, so she is glad it is being reexamined. “Maybe we need to branch that out to what are all the gifts or donations because as we know a free dog is not a free dog, you know. There are the gifts that keep on giving so taxpayers have spoken and when it comes to certain gifts they don’t want to keep,” she said.
Schumacher did note that some of the comments on social media were untoward and spoke against them. “My father came to this town in 1953 as a German immigrant, and he was spit on, was as a kid on the playground beat up and he learned very quickly that Huntsville does not accept differences. My goal is that we as a community change that view. And that we are accepting of people who have made this town of Huntsville a great place to live and so that is my reason, that was my original reason for accepting, for creating inclusion and diversity in this community and I will continue to champion that as a councillor but I understand and have heard from the community that this gift is not accepted,” she said.
Deputy Mayor Dan Armour said council made a call on what it thought was correct at the time. “I’d like to thank actually the constituents of Huntsville for reaching out to us. The phone calls, the emails, etc. and giving us direction because we are elected by the constituents and we’re here to represent them and I just want to thank everybody,” said Armour, who also apologized for attending the meeting remotely, noting that he is out of town and had a trip already planned. He thanked everyone in the gallery and those who tuned into the meeting.
Councillor Helena Renwick said it was deeply disappointing that the conversation around the statue “has been marred by voices of racism and bigotry. Such negativity does not reflect the spirit of Huntsville nor the values of respect and inclusivity that we strive to uphold. Our community is stronger when we engage in dialogue and openness with empathy, and I remain committed to ensuring that the public art and civic spaces reflect unity rather than division,” she said.
“I am sincerely grateful to the donor for their generous gift of the Gandhi statue, and for the spirit of generosity it represents. While the statue, I believe, we will not accept it, and it will not be installed, I value the opportunity this process has given me to reflect on what public art means for Huntsville and I also want to thank the many citizens, many of whom are here today, who reached out to me directly and whose opinions that they expressed in a very respectful and thoughtful manner. I hope that we can continue to work together to bridge this divide and foster understanding through projects that unite and inspire. And if nothing else, this journey has taught me that accepting public art is never just about the art, it’s also about patience, perspective, and perhaps a few extra cups of coffee along the way to talk.”
Mayor Alcock closed the meeting by saying she appreciates all of the comments received from the community. “One thing about, that I absolutely love, about being a municipal politician, is the direct interaction we have with members of our community. And I know that there are those who think that we make decisions [and] we don’t care. Clearly, what we’re showing today is we absolutely care, and we do support hearing from the public. I can park some of the comments for all of the reasons that were mentioned, but many of them focused on process and the need for public consultation… It’s a constant learning process, and that’s why we’re here today.”
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I would like to thank councilor Cory Clarke for his diligence in voting against those WOKE councilors who think DEI should be at the top of everyone’s agenda.
Councilor Morrisons statement of ” We made a mistake. That’s how municipal government works. You always have a voice!” Really? Where was the consultation when your administration spent more than a million dollars of taxpayer money in the first nine months of taking office that wasn’t included in the 2023 budget. Or the $680,000.00 for public washrooms and the almost $300,000.00 to install them. It would appear that councilor Morrison and his cohorts became comfortable making decisions for us during their tenure instead of with us. Until now!
Councilor Renwick stated that she was disappointed with the decision to not accept the statue. Again, Really! In a town where I see signs all over stating “No Hate Here!”; she voted to display the statue of a man who supported Colonialism in order to elevate the Indian people’s status supported segregation and openly used derogatory language toward black South African people and referred to them as “Kaffir”. (Derogatory, offensive. Insulting name for South Africans. Oxford dictionary)
In my opinion, this latest foray into WOKEISM by those on our town council who feel the need to pander to special interest and ethnic groups just to show how “Inclusive” we are shows how woefully out of touch they are with their constituents.
Wow. Glad this storm is over. Hope that the review of process for public art acceptance/installation also promotes wider public engagement. I doubt this recent effort was kept a secret- but like many council decisions, we were just not paying attention and engaging through tuning into council meetings and agendas as the town publishes online for our information. More press releases about these things? So whatever new process is put into place, it is up to us all to pay attention rather than depend on social media commentary for news.
As for the “offside” reactions, and the deep anger about “immigration” Verna Hudel sees in the community, especially among “multigenerational” Muskokans, it does seem that there is a group of citizens that cannot simply be ignored. If they would come out from social media and internet, face to face, for the “extra cups of coffee” that Councillor Renwick invites, there may be some understanding reached.
Kudos to councillor Schumacher for standing up for inclusion and diversity, following in the footsteps of her father who endured Postwar ugliness to engage in community building.
Finally, respecting the history of a place is important because the ghosts’ voices and their footmarks are still here, and we should remember all the roots of this community, and not just pave them over.
Nancy Grant: Loved your piece. Thanks. Are you an old ‘townie’? I recognize the name though you can’t be sure anymore. But if not, then you have certainly acclimatized well. I do have one point though. Marshmallows! Swore them off about 70 some years ago. Along the road out from the government landing at Finlayson Dam on the Big East river.
They had just finished construction of the dam, a Department of Lands and Forests project. I had helped my grandfather square the logs for the spillways and still know how every axe scar gets on square timber. The water was well on its way to filling the valley.
My father and grandfather were interested in building a hunt camp up the valley near Beanpod Creek and had secured a lease on an acre of land for the purpose. I had begged to go in to help clear the point and prepare for the building. Eight year olds were expected to be contributors back then. Man we worked and there were enough mosquitoes and blackflies to go round! Over the years that camp became one of my favorite spots and I’ve been to a few.
The final evening of the camp-out, we had got a good big bonfire going, burning brush and debris well into the evening. And there were marshmallows to be roasted. Maybe too many. I ate them raw, semi-cooked. charred and I’m sure some were still burning with that deceptive blue aura.
The next morning I was a little blurry. But we made it down the river. Following the channel of the disappearing river as the water pushed back into the doomed forest. Doomed was also the way I was beginning to feel. We got everything loaded in the old International panel and headed out the road.
The truck had little in the way of an exhaust system and the floor was somewhat rusted away. It filled with exhaust fumes. An over sugared 8 year old and those fumes couldn’t co-exist. I walked a goodly portion of the mileage out to Tasso Lake, yakking most of the way. They didn’t want me in the truck ’cause I made them nervous. I didn’t want in the truck because I never knew when the next explosion might occur.
To this day I have not eaten marshmallows. People will offer cocoa. Would you like some of those little marshmallows on top? Gasp!! “No thanks.” I’d rather have a root canal.
I prefer my Huntsville straight up. As you suggest. Thanks again.
Thanks to Ruby and Peter Robinson. You are both on the correct path.
Everyone please look at all of the Canadian immigration done by the government and not the people. Canada now has serious problems and not correctly labelled as racism.
Professional jobs and all jobs are being lost by the multi generational Canadian. Our highways, roads even lakes are no longer safe due to poor untrained immigrant drivers. Even Algonquin Park is affected by it. Our wildlife is in danger. The list goes on and on.
There is even a new language, which multi generation Canadas either can not understand or barely understands. Immigrants call it English. We do not.
To trust the voted in politicians is over.
We want Canada back.
Anger is running deep. Canadians are known to be calm but for how long?
Thanks again Ruby for standing up and Peter for understanding.
I believe this to be the right decision.
I have every respect for folks from India and other countries as I encounter people from all over the world in my volunteer work.
If the statue somehow represented the mosaic of Canadian Ethnic culture it might have been better accepted.
Thanks to all the Council for their hard work.
Council made the right decision. Should not have gone this far.
Now. How about a statue of Trump outside of city hall with a basket of eggs and tomatoes at $5 a shot ! City debt would be payed off in a day
There is a lack of planning from this city council. Why is there public storage on the main road? Why is the Indian temple on the main road? Where is all the parking we need?
I don’t understand this sudden preoccupation with changing our quaint, delightful little town.
Did everyone vote to “change” our charm, and somehow I missed that conversation?
Sorry if you’re one of the people who hate our town, and need to change it. It’s not for everyone.
But if it’s not to your liking, why live here?
Why visit here?
Why try to change it?
Why not choose a different town, that fits what your ideal town looks like, instead?
There’s likely other towns in Ontario that would be a better fit for what many of you are looking for.
Huntsville is delightful the way it is.
Many people choose to come here for exactly the what it is now.
The fact that we’re not like every other town in Ontario is what makes us so special.
Huntsville, and Muskoka already have an established culture. If you enjoy it and want to partake in it, by all means, we’d be happy to teach you what it means to live here.
Huntsville is not a barren wasteland just waiting to be saved by city ideals.
City saviors need not apply.
Huntsville doesn’t need to be changed.
If you dont like it here, maybe you need to look inside yourself and honestly ask yourself if you can fit Huntsville, because Huntsville shouldn’t have to change to fit you.
If I wanted to live in a place like Brampton, I’d move to Brampton.
If I wanted to move to a place like Scarborough, I’d move to Scarborough.
There’s nothing wrong with those places, lots of people enjoy that way of life, as is their right.
They’re just vastly different places than Huntsville.
So I don’t live there.
I wouldn’t move to Richmond Hill and try to make it Huntsville.
I choose to live in Huntsville because the culture and the lifestyle fit my ideal.
What is the rush, this incessant need to homogenize every beautiful small town, and make it a mini-Toronto?
There’s so much more to Canada than Toronto.
I hope you realize there’s places in this province that don’t want to become a small version of a big city.
Thankfully the current residents of this town let everyone know that Huntsville is one of those places that doesn’t need rescuing.
As long as we can, we’ll stand firm and protect our beautiful Huntsville, Muskoka, Canadian culture.
The Muskoka culture and way of life is rich and vibrant already. It’s unique and precious. The history of this town is fascinating and guides many of our ideals and values today. It’s worth preserving.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to preserve our heritage and way of life.
Nothing against other countries, cultures, ways of life, but this is uniquely ours. Please respect it the way we respect others.
That’s a very important Canadian principle.
If someone, or a group, would like to start their own towns with their own values and traditions, historical icons, and ways of life, go ahead. Find a place where theres no people already living there and build your own town.
But Huntsville is already a town, with an established culture.
Its very disrespectful to go to another town, and not acknowledge and respecr that there’s already people living there, there’s already a unique culture there.
Sound familiar?
Ask indigenous people how their ancestors felt.
Ask Palestinians or Israelis, or Ukranians what it’s like to have their cultures, their ways of life helplessly changed by outside forces with no regard to the people and cultures already existing there.
Or, instead of learning from the past, and doing better now, maybe that’s perfect logic to justify a cultural annexation?
It would be fantastic to see more counselors, and all levels of government, start respecting the values of the people who already live in these places. Instead of arbitrarily deciding how us peasants will live in the name of “political correctness”, or “jumping on the political band wagon.”
Unless the conversation isn’t about the traditional, already established, beautiful culture of the town, and it actually is purely political? If it is, please let us all know what the intention is here. We deserve to know if our way of life is purposely under attack.
I beg you, please, don’t sacrifice our town to the political fad of the moment. Political parties, slogans, trends, charismatic leaders, all come and go. But once you let your heritage and culture be “changed”, you can never get it back again.
Otherwise, slow down.
Whats the rush?
Take a breath, leave the chaos and the noise of the city behind you.
Walk down main street and enjoy the art that reflects traditional MUSKOKA.
Don your flannel and “Muskoka Bear Wear.”
Have dinner in a private Muskoka room at Tall Trees.
Enjoy a paddle down the river.
Listen for a loon in the distance, the wind rushing through the bare branches of our deciduous forests.
Hike our pine covered trails, smelling the sweet sun warmed pine needles under foot.
Strap on some snowshoes and make your way through the forest, hand feeding chickadees along the way.
Grab a treat at the Nutty Chocolatier during the intermission of a show at the Algonquin Theatre.
Travel through time and wander through the buildings at the Heritage place.
Sip a hot chocolate by a bonfire, roast some marshmellows and listen to the stories of Muskoka from the old timers, yarns about sugaring in the spring or logging in the winter.
Stare at the stars and marvel at the beauty of the universe, and our tiny little place in it, in the 6′ we occupy between the hard granite of the Canadian shield, and the towering canopy of the Boreal forest.
Huntsville is incredible.
We want to share it, it adds to the richness of the unique Canadian experience!
And we’ve been sharing it, peacefully, with visitors and people brave enough to embrace our way of life, and who share our values and goals.
But we won’t give it away without resistance.
I hope that’s the lesson here. Peaceful, Canadian resistance will be used if necessary to protect our unique Muskokan identity, under the broader umbrella of a Canadian identity. That’s who we are, and who we have every right to be.
“Pack it in, pack it out. Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures.”
If you’re looking for Toronto, I’m happy to say- you won’t find it here…. yet.
The issue here is lack of public consultation by the town in this decision, which further points to a flaw in any town process or policy that involves decisions to allocate tax funds to an initiative. This is where the town dropped the ball. Kudos to them for reconvening and revisiting the ‘gift’ and their decision. The critical next step is to revisit process/policies and ensure that public consultation is embedded and practised with full transparency and that each decision is addressed based on its own merit.
In a time when politicians push agendas that are divisive, destructive, racist, and homophobic without any thought to public consultation it is crucial that our voice as the electorate continue to be present and heard.
This bronze statue, which Ciuncil keeps referring to as “art”, is actually a mass-produced statue, copies of which have been donated throughout the world. They’ve been described as a high return-on-investment instrument in India’s foreign-policy toolkit, an inexpensive way to keep India in the global public imagination as a moral superpower.
Council seems bent on foisting this bronze off as art, but in my estimation it’s political. Without the politics, who would be that enthralled with a statue of that rather questionable character? Some of his antics would be judged unacceptable today. Likely earn him a spot on a registry.
But why was the original question of acceptance kept so hush! hush! and among so few people? And howcum they all seemed so good at keeping a secret? Someone suggested this is the changing face of Huntsville. But the face of Huntsville has been changing since the first ‘farmer/settler arrived. And there are no statues to commemorate any of them or anyone. No indigenous. No English. No German. No Italian No Rosa Parks. No Martin Luther King. Well. Maybe just a painter.
Councillor Schumacher tells of her father’s problems on arriving in Huntsville. But bullies are bullies and need little reason to single someone out. I was just small and not a ‘townie’ and that could get one in trouble too. But it wasn’t ‘Huntsville’ that was the bully. I can remember meeting Det in town and playing on a lot of lacrosse teams with him. He must have recollections other than the bad ones.
And councillor Renwick, I’m pretty sure that not all the comments were racist or bigoted. Some surely were. But that’s to be expected. Some folk are just mean. Your statement “Our community is stronger when we engage in dialogue and openness with empathy…….” Bang on! Now if this ‘gift’ had been advertised with openness from the beginning………….?
Nope! I still wouldn’t want it.
This whole exercise is a cautionary tale to our Town Council. You, Council, are here because we elected you and so it is incumbent on you to ask us, the electorate, first, regardless of your supposed “art policy”.
I am truly disappointed in Council (as with the Pipeman decision)….By my calculation , at most only 2.5 to 5% of the population have spoken against the gifted statue. The primary reason seems to be that “Gandhi had no connection to Huntsville”….But neither did Shakespeare; so should we not present him as a world icon?…..Certainly in my opinion, this opinion is simply xenophobia….And yet council caved to this vociferous tiny minority, denying those with an interest in this statue a place in Huntsville. Perhaps unintended , this fury has given cover to the racistswho form a large underbelly of the town and the reputation of being a racist town….no leadership …no better angels….there is room for all kinds of recognition in the town I would chose from global icons to local heroes….it isn’t an either or……shameful that council has turned its back on the big world out there on behalf of the citizens of Huntsville…….Truly who says that Trump and his ilk couldn’t be elected here,,,,,,MHGA….Make Huntsvile Great Again!!!!!
I did read that a number of councillors commented on representing the people but not all of them. That’s just wrong. That’s their one and only job, they need to believe that every day.
Also some councillors alluded that the community isn’t ready for a gift such as this?
Wrong again, Huntsville community does not want gifts such as these period. Stop believing that being “inclusive” means all other people and opinions don’t matter. We do matter and if you don’t understand that now, you should have no place on town council.
Our town council will need to work hard to regain our communities faith and trust.