Should Kincardine reinstall the monument to a Confederate Army surgeon?

The Dr. Solomon Secord monument in downtown Kincardine, May 2018 (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

A report on whether a controversial monument should return to Kincardine’s downtown comes before town council tonight.

A monument honouring Dr. Solomon Secord stood outside of Kincardine’s library in the heart of downtown for more than 110 years. The beloved doctor served Kincardine for more than 50 years, but he also spent time as a surgeon for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War in the mid 1800’s.

Dr. Solomon Secord (Source: Bruce County Museum and Archives)

Secord’s monument was removed in the Spring of 2023 to make room for a major downtown reconstruction project, impacting Kincardine’s Queen Street. Secord’s connection to the Civil War, and service under an army pushing for the continuation of slavery, has made its return to Kincardine’s downtown a controversial decision.

Kincardine council hired an outside consultant, Laura Mae Lindo to engage the community in late 2023. Her report, including a public survey of 475 residents will come before council tonight. Lindo does not make any recommendations on whether the monument should stay or go, but will focus on the division the monument’s fate has created in the community. Her report shows that while there have been many well reasoned arguments in the Secord monument debate, some of the comments have bordered on outright racism.

The report suggests that whatever Kincardine council decides to do with the monument, that they should consider doing their best to try and bridge the divide that the impending decision has had on the community. Kincardine council is expected to decide on whether to return the Secord monument to downtown or not in August.