An outpouring of support from the community to keep the 15 murals in downtown Oshawa is paying off.
City council was considering a motion at their meeting Monday that recommended destroying 14 of the murals and only restoring one – “Ontario Regiment – 130 Years of Service.”
The recommendation to restore the Ontario Regiment mural was because of its heritage value.
The motion before city council to get rid of the majority of the artwork was from the Economic and Development Services Committee, where Councillor John Gray was the only member opposed to the recommendation.
The suggestion came from STEPS Mural Art, a public art and cultural planning consulting firm. They were hired by the city in 2023 to do a review of the murals and help them figure out what to do with them.
Once word got out about the plan, it sparked out an outcry from the community.
Although council decided to endorse the report from STEPS Mural Art, they excluded the parts that recommended tearing down 14 of the downtown murals. The report also contained recommendations for any future murals.
Councillors also requested staff come up with a plan to maintain the existing works of art and to still preserve the Ontario Regiment mural. Another part of the motion that passed was to add a QR code to all current and future murals so people can find out more information about them.
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