Although I have been encouraged by friends not to write about this, it is hard to ignore the recent controversy that has arisen following Huntsville Council’s decision to accept, as a gift, a bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi to be erected near the Town Hall. It has recently been revealed that discussions related to this gift have been taking place over a number of months between the Town and Indian officials.
Clearly, the gift is in recognition of the growing Indian community in Huntsville. Let me say at the outset that we are fortunate to have these people in our town. They are hardworking individuals, who contribute to life in Huntsville in a number of positive ways.
The racist remarks that have arisen as a result of council’s decision to erect the Gandhi statue are unacceptable, and comments of that nature will not be posted under this commentary.
However, questioning or opposing a decision made by council is neither racist nor bigoted. It only becomes racist when we attack people because we consider them inferior or don’t want them around, based on their race.
Councillor Bob Stone posted an online contribution on the Huntsville Doppler website regarding the many comments he has received and seen opposing the Gandhi statue. I believe he is a hard-working and well-intentioned member of Huntsville Council, and I agree with much of what he said, but not all of it.
Stone began his comment with “As a councillor you never know what decisions will draw great opposition or controversy…” I disagree with that because you damn well should know. After at least three years in office, if councillors don’t have their finger on the pulse of the community they serve, they should be ashamed of themselves.
Council should have known that their decision to embrace the Gandhi statue would raise a lot of concern. They should also have known that Huntsville is no different than other communities when it has in its midst people who spread hate and discontent. This decision of council was an invitation for them to raise their heads.
There was no public consultation on this matter, no transparency, and no significant base of support until the decision was carved in stone. That was a mistake. There are times when elected officials have to make hard decisions that their constituents might not like, but this was not one of those.
However well-intended they were, Huntsville Council has now set a precedent that may be hard to undo. I wonder, for example, if a gift of a statue of Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald were offered to the Town (and I could probably arrange that 😊), would the eight members of council who voted for the Gandhi statue vote in favour of accepting and erecting that “gift” of Sir John A.? Somehow, I doubt that all of them would.
There is no question that Mahatma Gandhi has a place in history as a global peacemaker. Like most other leaders, however, including Sir John A. MacDonald, he had his flaws. Gandhi is admired for his humanitarianism, but his record, too, is complex, especially regarding his views on women, race, and personal conduct.
Representatives of the Town of Huntsville, when recommending the gift be accepted, said that while no historical or traditional links exist between Gandhi and Huntsville, the gift reflects the Town’s expressed values, including openness, inclusion, and diversity.
There are hundreds of other leaders in Canada, and indeed in Muskoka, of whom the same can be said. The meat, however, is in the first sentence of the Town’s statement, where they acknowledge that there is no historical link between Gandhi and Huntsville. Council should have stopped there.
In my view, council must accept responsibility for the controversy that has erupted in Huntsville in relation to the Gandhi statue. It was not well thought out, it was horribly communicated, and it has set a precedent that will be hard to control. It has also opened a Pandora’s Box of protests that we could have done without.
There are very few of us who have not made dumb mistakes at some point in our lives. Certainly, I am one of those who have. But this one is owned entirely by Huntsville Council. It needs to be seriously rethought.
Councilor Stone, in his post, has said he would now support a review and potential reversal of council’s decision related to accepting and erecting the Gandhi statue. Good for him. Hopefully, he will get the support he needs to take another look at this.
Since council has formally accepted this gift, perhaps the best way forward may be to regift the bronze statue of Gandhi to the Hindu Temple on Main Street in Huntsville. Gandhi was also a Hindu, and they may appreciate having this monument on display in their temple.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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Well said Hugh! I don’t often agree with you politically but you are dead right on this issue !
Thank you !
Here is what I wrote to my councillor Bob Stone. I thought you and those who follow you might like to read it.
Hi Bob:
You are my representative on council so I want you to know that the signature with which I am sending this email to you has been my signature for years.
I grew up in India and Mahatma Gandhi is a hero of mine—warts and all. I am well aware of his eccentricities and some of his problematic religious beliefs but the reason I hold him in high regard is because of his actions. He was brave in standing up against some of the terrible injustices of British rule in India but he insisted that the methods of resistance to injustice he and his followers used must be non-violent. This is an attitude we desperately need to encourage in our world.
As a taxpaying resident of Huntsville raised in India under the auspices of the Anglican Church of Canada, a long time participant in Huntsville’s local community theatre, and now serving churches in Lake of Bays as a United Church minister, I urge you to persuade council to accept this gift from the General Consulate of India. I urge you to encourage a public debate to be held, hopefully engaging the arts, about where to place such a gift that has such worldwide significance and is such an indication of the shifting realities of the world we live in. I don’t think the best choice would be the Hindu temple because I vehemently oppose the idea that Gandhi belongs exclusively to Indians that are Hiindu. He belongs to the world.
As you pointed out in your Doppler comments, Gandhi’s teachings on non-violent action as a means to bring about social change were the inspiration for the civil rights movement in the United States and the hard-won revolutionary work of Nelson Mandela in South Africa, and of course our own efforts in Canada at Truth and Recoliliation with the original Indigenous peoples of this land.
By the way, I’d love to know why the Indian Consulate chose to gift Huntsville with this statue and I hope we will hear from the many Indian people who have become residents here.
Yours sincerely,
Meg Jordan (she,her)
There is no way to peace; peace is the way.
Mahatma Gandhi
I’m adding this here because it matters across the whole conversation: it’s important we don’t let personal bias decide which cultures or historical figures are “acceptable.” Whatever council decides today — statue or no statue — it should be based on fairness, not fear.
And I’ve seen enough of the anger and outrage bait to last a lifetime. A simple seating area with the statue outside the temple feels like a respectful, practical solution. It’s a steep hill, it would be beautiful, and it honours the reality that Huntsville is home to many people — including newer neighbours — who work here, own businesses here, and contribute to the life of this town every day.
Huntsville should be inclusive. And yes, it’s hard not to notice that the loudest voices turning this into a culture-war moment are the same ones who feed on grievance politics. That’s not who we are, and it’s certainly not what strengthens a community.
Accept it or not — I’ve spoken from my values and from the vision I want for Huntsville. I’d rather stand alone for fairness than join a crowd fueled by anger. I won’t bend to intimidation politics, and I won’t pretend this rage represents who we are. You can disagree, but I won’t pretend rage is leadership or that intimidation is community. I just hope more of the silent majority starts to see what this negativity is doing to Muskoka — and chooses something better.
And yes, I commend council for their initial decision — it took courage and decency to act in good faith. I’m disappointed one councillor couldn’t do the same. We need to find our way back to a more grounded, less reactive, more inclusive community. That’s the Huntsville worth standing up for.
Council needs to do the right thing and reverse this decision. If Huntsville needs a statue, there are numerous Canadian heroes and Canadians who have made important contributions to this country. Why not put up a statue of them?? My suggestion is to return the statue and say thanks, but no thanks, or regift it to the city of Brampton.
As a side note re: honouring “heroes”, Kathryn Henderson, I think in the country China, there are lots of statues and memorials and events honouring Canadian Dr Norman Bethune, who had some family connection to Muskoka. Many Chinese visitors have made the pilgrimage to the historic site here.Politically some may find Dr Bethune a problematic figure.
I too am disappointed in the council by making decisions that haven’t been brought to the publics attention. I would support a statue of Sir A Macdonald. Or Dr Hunt who the town is named after. I have said numerous times that the statue if we have to take it should the put inside the temple. No insurance for the town or maintenance fees and no vandalism. Council should know better than to do these big things that affect the whole town before checking with the voters. Im not a racist or homofob. I want things that represent Canada and Canadian values. I would like to know how many countries would accept a Canadian statue and display it in their downtown. Just curious.
In the context of that gracious ‘gift’ from the Consulate General of India that was intended to ‘strengthen cultural ties’ within our community of Huntsville, which now has become so fraught with controversy and with even elements of xenophobia, Lisa Brooks, you have summed up the current ‘situation’ so well.
On the other hand, yes, I agree, a statue of Huntsville’s ‘founder,’ a strong temperance advocate and prominent ‘developer,’ Captain George Hunt – that guy with the famous (or infamous!) ‘temperance clause’ inserted in property deeds when he was selling building lots to prospective buyers in the 1870s and early 1880s on the east and ‘dry’ side of the Muskoka River – is more historically appropriate on public land by the Civic Centre and Algonquin Theatre than a statue of the Indian non-violent ‘freedom fighter,’ Mohandas K. Gandhi. In the Huntsville context, Gandhi is certainly not a Tom Thomson, nor is he a Captain George Hunt!
The only distant historical connection Huntsville has had with India that I know of is a British career military officer who had served in India during the deadly Indian Mutiny of 1857 and its aftermath, a Major-General Sir Henry Stisted – and the first lieutenant governor of Ontario, 1867-68 – after whom our Stisted Township/Ward is named. Major-General Sir Henry Stisted has been identified as a ‘hero’ within a very dark chapter of British colonial history that involved atrocities committed on both sides during the siege and relief of Lucknow in 1857-58 – yet another story of the complicated and controversial historical record when Canada was part of the British Empire.
And no, we should not erase our history with its ‘warts & all’; nor should we deface or topple statues – they likewise are part of our history that inform and instruct, hopefully in the reasoned debates of today as we attempt to build and nurture bridges of goodwill between contributing ‘newcomers’ to our community, and what Stephen Harper once termed, the ‘old stock Canadians’ of our community. Finally, in the words if that Scottish ‘newcomer’ as a kid, and an ‘extraordinary Canadian’ of the 20th century, T.C. (Tommy) Douglas: ‘Courage my friends, ‘tis not too late to change the world.’
A well written article as usual Hugh., couldn’t agree more. I think when you immigrate to this country you are expected to adopt our Canadian customs, traditions and laws ,not the other way around. We all live in a unique place called Muskoka and we don’t want it changed !
Mike Stevens
As it is the Christmas gift/shopping season, I am struggling to find suitable items for family that I can afford and that they will find useful. (they can and do buy what they really like/need) But gifts are supposed to be thoughtful and express love, joy and friendship. As Mr Markle says ” don’t need it” – but we do benefit from looking at art even if not our cup of tea. Ghandi’s statue has promoted much interesting discussion and I know I will never look at his likeness the same way even though I continue to find his anti-violence activism admirable. So this statue is a gift of thoughtfulness. It is always difficult to know how to accept a gift that you cannot use or does not suit your “decor” but I find I think of the kindness of the giver and take joy in thinking about them. Gift certificates or cash solve a lot of Christmas list problems but do not feel the same.
I’m still at a loss for words that the council accepted this. How did they think that locals would be ok with it. Time to start embracing “OUR” past. Maybe a statue of a soldier for all those that fought for our country. I defiantly think there is more to this then just a “gift” to the community. And I also do not think it should be placed out front of the Temple on Main St. If you’re going to place it there, then all the opposition means nothing.
Hugh, your right on this one. The key is that “there is no historical link between Gandhi and Huntsville. Council should have stopped there.”
Perhaps that temple would be a best place for the statue, if only to prevent a bad precedent from being created.
I have not visited the temple to date although one of my friends has and said it was very nice.
I did try to buy the old Capital Cinema street sign to preserve it for history but despite my efforts, nobody involved in the sale and renovation of the old Capital Theater bothered to return any of my calls. I’d still be interested if it still exists.
Councilor Stone says “You never Know——“. Hugh Mackenzie says “you damn well should know”. Talking about what council should or shouldn’t know. About if you are a councilor representing the people of the town. I’m giving the point to Hugh. How can a council represent us if they have no idea how we feel? Our wishes may not always carry the day, but at least we should feel we have been considered. Don’t have to ask everyone, but a half dozen or so might be nice. That can be done in general conversation.
And how did this all come about with seemingly few people having any inkling? Were the group tasked to render an observation sworn to secrecy? Why would all these dealings so hush! hush! If the program had been a little more transparent, maybe council would have had a feeling for what the people think.
And something I would like to make clear to Dale Hayas. I may have an opinion different from yours. That doesn’t mean I am a ‘hater’. Your word. I have a lot of opinions and I’m sure they are different from a lot of people. Some of those people I won’t even know, such as yourself. But that don’t mean I hate you. I’m not ‘the donald’.
Nor do I ‘hate’ any councilors. Just not infatuated with some of their decisions. Hence, these comments on Doppler.
And I still don’t need this ‘gift’. Don’t hate it. Just don’t need it.
Personally I have known of Ghandi all my life, from my dearest friend Ethel Rogers Mulvaney a POW of Singapore and a nursing sister during WW2. I have his picture postcard on my wall and look at it everyday as a reminder of what humanity could be. Dispite his flaws he is an inspiration.
My friend lived with Ghandige in his home while she established Treasure Van, a charitable organization that she traveled acroosed Canada to support University Students. She had nothing but praise for the man she grew to love. I trust the decision made by council is a good one but reflect on the biases in the community as strong. We can only hope to change their minds.
Thank you for speaking up. As an immigrant from India, Gandhiji’s values of non violence as an Indian freedom fighter was a huge part of my educational experience. I admire him as I do anyone who challenges the status quo, and then goes on become a role model of a highly principled life.
If the Town of Huntsville was campaigning to create awareness of non violence, equality, non discrimination etc. a public forum should have been initiated on how best this can be done. Perhaps employing local artists and artisans to create figures who have modelled such noble values in their lifetime?
Nelson Mandela, Martin luther King, Mother Teresa and yes Mahatma Gandhi.
To be the recipient of such a gift should have been put to the good people of Huntsville first.
I have been waiting for your diplomatic commentary that expresses so well how so many long term and short term residents feel about this “gift”.
I can only add let us promote our heritage! I believe visitors come to Huntsville to experience that.
Thanks Hugh!
What we’re seeing around the Gandhi statue has very little to do with public art and far more to do with grievance politics steeping into our community and eroding the fairness, neighbourliness, and basic respect we should be valuing. Yes, Huntsville has always carried its share of prejudices, but that doesn’t mean we are meant to normalize them or let them dictate who belongs here.
Hugh, I respect your intention to calm the waters, and you’re right that transparency matters. But we also have to be honest: this situation didn’t become “controversial” on its own. A peaceful gift offered in goodwill was seized upon and turned into a cultural flashpoint. That behaviour — not the statue — is what should concern us.
I’m disappointed to see how quickly this discussion has turned into something quite different from what it claims to be. Many here are now suggesting that Gandhi, or the Indian community, or even the Hindu temple somehow “don’t fit” Huntsville. That’s the kind of thinking that divides small towns and erases the progress we’ve made over generations. Our newcomers contribute economically, socially, and culturally. They are part of us — not “guests” auditioning for approval.
I also want to commend council for behaving like the adults in the room throughout this. They accepted a peaceful gift in good faith, without bowing to fear, prejudice, or political theatrics. That deserves recognition.
I’d also like to offer a constructive solution. We could take the two parking spaces in front of the Hindu temple and create a small public space with benches, flower boxes, and the Gandhi statue. It would be inclusive, it wouldn’t conflict with any existing art, and it would mark the top of Main Street with a welcoming place to sit and reflect. Most importantly, it should not be seen as “regifting,” but as placing the statue where it will be most appreciated — a gesture of respect that acknowledges the contributions of a community helping shape Huntsville’s future. Anything less serves no one, least of all our community.
We can debate process without abandoning our values. We can disagree without slipping into fear of anything unfamiliar. We can be better neighbours than this — and Huntsville is at its best when we choose to be.
Thank you Hugh.
This is Canada. Let us celebrate Canada. Keep it Canada.🇨🇦 🇨🇦
Gandi was a racist, as stated in the article. Canadians do not accept statues of our historical leaders whose racist behaviour was accepted in their time. Neither should we accept statues of any racist individual from different cultures. What on earth were our leaders thinking?
I agree with Hugh, Council should have known, if they are in touch with the people of Huntsville. Now they know what the constituents feel something should be done..
Can someone please tell me where a statue representing our soldiers is erected? I know there is a cenotaph but a soldier? Lest we forget.
Well said Hugh. Nothing against Gandhi or our new citizens of Indian descent. My exposure to them is nothing but positive. But if we start putting up statues to the hundreds if not thousands of worthy people from around the world, we will soon run out of room, and the controversy will never end.
Good morning, Hugh,
You make good sense and raise thoughtful points. What mattered to me most in reading your editorial is that I know you to be open-minded and certainly not racist, just coming at things from a more conservative angle. So I listened.
As the progressive/liberal that I am, I found myself deeply embroiled in this controversy on the “pro” side. A gift was offered and formally accepted, and I’m very sensitive to the optics and ethics of backing out. I was also reacting to the wave of ugly rhetoric directed at some of our newer residents over the last couple of years. In hindsight, I think my desire to push back against that ugliness, and maybe even to atone for it in some way, shaped my initial position more than I realized.
I’ve watched both well-meaning critics and outright racists latch onto Gandhi’s documented but morally indefensible personal behaviours to argue against the statue. The racist comments, which have existed here since the first Indian families chose to make Huntsville their home, certainly made me dig in harder than I otherwise might have.
So thank you for a few things: for saying “no” in a reasoned way; for giving space to commenters who were thoughtful rather than reactionary; and for refusing to print the obviously racist submissions. That matters.
I do, however, differ with you on two points. First, I’m not convinced that Council needed to hold public consultations. We elect officials precisely to make these decisions on our behalf. Second, I disagree with your suggestion that council “should have known” that accepting the gift would give our local haters an opportunity to raise their heads. Should managing or accommodating hate and discontent ever be a Town goal?
I still believe that, since we have accepted the gift, we should honour that commitment and find it an appropriate home. The Hindu Temple seems like a logical option.
Does nobody remember the pipe man? How quickly we forget. If I am not mistaken, council at that time made the exact same mistake and paid dearly for it. They accepted the gift with almost no public input and ended up removing the statue after a year of painful division and argument. You would think that lesson would have been well learned. I agree with Hugh, any politican who thought this decsion was not going to be hugely controversial should consider whether they really belong in politics or not. The pipe man statue was created by a local artist and it depicted a local historical figure and yet it still generated an absolutely incredible amount of backlash and ridicule. For the record, I approved of the pipe man and I thought it was a really cool art installation. Ghandi – not at all.
I agree with Hugh’s alternative of donating it to the Hindu temple. I’m a huge fan of Ghandi and a supporter of the superb immigrants from India, but the statue is out of sync for Huntsville.
Well said Hugh. With all the turmoil in the world and like that which is incurring south of our border we don’t need this statue to become a wedge within our community. Council must swallow their pride and reverse THEIR decision.
I believe our town has lost it’s way in many areas.
Of course this was a dumb decision, a classic “own goal”. As you’ve stated, the first question that should’ve been asked when offered this “gift” would’ve been what did this person contribute to our community, or country for that matter. When the answer is nothing, then it’s a hard no at that point…end of discussion.
The bigger issue, as referenced, is that the council seems to lack a basic understanding of the community they serve and what will or will not fly with the people who pay their salaries.
Hear, hear. Thank you Hugh, for expressing succinctly what I can only assume many of us are thinking.
Your commentaries on local issues are my favourite. I think you do the community a great service when you comment on local issues. You fill a great void.
Next up – the exorbitant and constant increase in the municipal tax?
I take exception to council members wanting me to believe there is no politics involved with this ‘gift’. If not, what then? It may be art somewhere but for me, not in this town, or country, or continent. I’m not a certified art critic, but I know what I like. This bronze will never be art in my book.
A Faberge egg is art.
Venus de Milo is art
The Creation of Adam is art.
Islands, Canoe Lake, 1916 is art. If Tom Thompson had ever painted a bear, it may have well have been art too. But I don’t think he ever did, so like this bronze, Tom’s bear isn’t art.
There seemed to be the inference in one councilors comment that accepting this bronze may be a bit of penance or atonement. Since I have no intention of accepting guilt for the actions of a couple of jerks downtown that won’t fly. I still don’t want the bronze.
It was reported that a group was struck to advise on the acceptance of this ‘gift’. Council need only step out on the street and ask. We are your constituents, your general public, and you can bet your ass we have opinions. It’s a whole different world, out here, from the mutual admiration society of that council table.
I’m with Hugh. Council has dug us a hole. It will be real interesting to watch it get filled in.
As well, just to be clear: No Gandhi. No Indira Gandhi. No Nehru. Not Mandela. Or even Maggie Thatcher.
Very well said Hugh, like a few others in our community, you have said what most of us feel. I am one who has sent emails to the Council making that very suugestion of regifting the statue to our Hindu community and will be at the next Council meeting in support of that action.
Is the statue a piece of art? Yes it is, however it has far too many political and religious implications to be considered a generic piece of art symbolizing peace and non-violence, which I believe is where the controversy lies. And, I believe that’s something 8 of the 9 members of Council did not factor in to their decision.
I hope that the decision to install it in our town center is rescinded and that it’s given to a home where it can be appreciated by the majority.
Sincerely,
Moe Sabourin
Wouldn’t it be wiser to support events/special days to bring today’s cultures together in conversation first? Building understanding and appreciation, rather than plopping “any” statue down in the community?
With the “culture wars” (I still don’t have a clear idea as to what this is/was, other than a statement of what one tribe says to another????), and, having just gone through the statue removals or re-naming streets, etc. (e.g. as in places such as Kingston and Toronto) – the context of divisiveness and the triggering of historical memories of injustice seemed everywhere. Wasn’t that enough to call for caution, conversation, dialogue before erecting yet another statue? Again, “any” statue?
Statues have a place in museums, where full profiles, contexts, the human warts of character, behaviour historical context can be explored. Otherwise, in my view we run the risk of immortalizing very human people with a glorified status. I suggest that all of our “heroes” have weaknesses. Because they are carved in ?stone/whatever, this does not make them any better than they were.
I suggest that Memorials, such as War Memorials are viewed in a different light -partly because there are collective groups of individuals to be respected.
Thank you for reading.
I got the same cut and paste response from Bob Stone, as have many others. I have been very busy since Friday posting information about this statue which has generated a flurry of responses. I am not in favour of erecting this statue in our town and agree it should be resisted to the temple in town. Funny enough, council plans to erect this to coinside with the anniversary of the temples opening.
I hope they reconsider and i plan on sharing with others on social media to read your thoughtful article. 🩷