Asking twice for a memorial donation

St. James

In my June 10 column “Saving an outdoor St. James museum,” I wrote about St. James people from various walks of life remembered on park bench plaques on the St. James side of Assiniboine Park.

One of these benches remembered a wellknown artist, my uncle Tom Bjarnason (1925-2009).

On May 22, I was informed by the Assiniboine Park Conservancy that I had 20 days to come up with $6,000 to replace the worn out bench. I was promised a tax receipt for this fundraising project. I declined to pay or raise any funds for the bench replacement. In 2009, we had paid $1,500 for the bench. Although I had been made aware of the 10 year guarantee for the bench, I decided that the time had come to challenge this policy. Most of these benches are purchased to remember a loved one who is no longer with us. It is both wrong and problematic to approach the person’s family a decade or two down road for a second payment.

I soon discovered that there is a lot more to this story than the fate of Uncle Tom’s bench. On June 15, the city removed all the park benches on the St. James side of Assiniboine Park. Had all of these benches worn out at the same time? The new benches were installed just prior to Canada Day. Diana Lee Palmerton, the Walsh girls, and the Scarth family are remembered in the new benches. The Evelyn and Ronald Scarth bench now also remembers their daughter Joanne, who passed away in 2025. The outdoor St. James museum located right across the street from the Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce office has been greatly diminished.

George and Connie Waters, Murray Davidson, Eileen Shakespeare, Gerry Porteous, my uncle Tom Bjarnason, Marj and Sam Chambers, Stewart C. Millet, and Grant Laycock are now remembered with dozens of other people at the Mayor’s Grove at the south side of the Park. The Mayor’s Grove is a random selection of plaques on a post in the south side of the park. It is a poor substitute for the remembrance of these people on the St. James side of the park. Diana Lee Palmerton and the Walsh girls are remembered on both a St. James park bench and the Mayor’s Grove. I found no remembrances for Rob Mackie and Joan Montieth in the Mayor’s grove.

How should the city handle park benches?

1. The City should have one price for all new park benches. The current price of a park bench ranges from $2,000 to $7,500, depending on which the park the bench is to be located.

2. There needs to be an explanation of the role of Assinboine Park Conservancy. If the Conservatory is at arms length from City Council, why are two city councillors on the Conservancy board?

3. All price adjustments for benches should require the approval of council.

The City, which owns Assiniboine Park, should be grateful for the contribution of these benches. The maintenance and eventual replacement of these benches should be covered by the city. These benches should remember history close to where it happened.

I await the comments of the candidates for city council.