​Proponents of Henderson plaque prompted move to Davidson Centre, says Kirkconnell

To the Editor:
RE: “Get Real: Paul Henderson plaque should remain at the Davidson Centre”

The Paul Henderson Memorial was a 2017 Kincardine Canada Day initiative that was led by Keith Davidson and myself. The placement of the memorial at the Kincardine hospital was done for historical purposes and was supported by Paul and his family at the time. 

The memorial was recently moved from its place near the main hospital entrance to accommodate the construction of the new CT scanner building, to a place that saw little to no foot traffic.

The hospital board is currently going through the final application process with the province for the redevelopment of the hospital that will see further building expansion to the south and east. It is expected that the redevelopment construction will not commence until 2024-25 and take several years to complete.

With the above in mind, Keith and I discussed best options for the placement of the monument, best for the historical aspects, best for high foot traffic and best for the Henderson family. The Davidson Centre was thought to be the most logical place as it is Kincardine’s sports centre and witnesses tremendous foot traffic. Once Paul concurred with the suggestion, an appeal was made to the Municipality of Kincardine for the move and there was agreement to do so.

I suspect the monument’s placement will be up for discussion once the hospital redevelopment construction is complete. Wherever the monument is, the municipality should be encouraged to install roadside historical signs pointing to its location.

Regards,
Brad M. Kirkconnell
Kincardine