Vern Fry is exactly right . The ridiculous decision this Mayor and Council made to destroy part of our community's history will always leave a blemish on them, in many people's eyes. Perhaps they might consider eating some crow and have the monument repaired and replaced. They then should consider stop listening to "consultants" that have zero affiliation with ,or real interest in, our town .

I totally agree with Vern Fry and the majority (despite what an outsider consultant might say) of Kincardinites that Dr. Secord's memory is an important part of our local history and should be remembered, similar to the Walker House (which the mayor congratulated the society on saving a part of Kincardine's history shortly after he voted to destroy Dr. Secord's monument), and also the Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band. What if someone thinks they feel threatened by the sound of bagpipes? Would the current council take the summer Saturday night parades off Queen Street, dismantle the Pipe Band and respectfully destroy all of their instruments? Hopefully in the next election we can elect a more responsible council and have the Secord monument replaced! Helen Chisholm

(I’ll take a screenshot of this quick, as I expect that the operators of the Record will delete it as they have done with other comments I have made on articles.) While I appreciate the author’s sentiments and those of others included here, I'd like to ask that the members of the local heritage community get together and come up with one consistent story about Secord’s involvement in the American Civil War that is backed up by some history. Similarly to the rewrite of perspective by the South in the years after the Civil War to portray the Confederacy in a favourable light and demonize the North, what we’re witnessing locally now is a continuing rewrite of the Doctor’s story to plug plot holes and portray his actions during that period in a more favorable light, and to demonize Council and its decision. Oddly, this rewriting contradicts what can be found in local heritage and historical material. What was once a description of enrolling/enlisting (recounted in his obituaries no less) in the Southern Army has now become a story of being forced to serve. What was once a tale of escape from Union prison after being captured at Gettysburg and returning to his unit in the South, has now become a story of being part of a “regular” exchange of medical personnel by the two conflicting parties. What was once “the monument was built through funds raised by local citizens …..” (Arts, Culture, and Heritage Report written in 2018), is now being replaced by suggestions that the monument was a gift of the family, and therefore his descendants have some legal claim to it. By way of delegation, a gentleman approached Council in 2018 with a straightforward claim and ask, i.e. that Secord served (as in at least provided services to) a racist and reprehensible cause and there should be no place on public property for a monument with a testament to that service. The scope of the issue was limited to only the monument. After a lot of time and work, I found it very hard not to come to the same conclusion. The author suggests that Council made this decision out of fear, not significant facts; by not listening to the majority of the people, not some hired consultant. Ultimately, I cast my vote in favor of demolishing the monument because of the voiced attitudes of the “majority of the people” that the author refers to, who have themselves cast aside “significant facts” over the course of time. Honestly, it’s my opinion that any fallout associated with a decision to maintain the status quo would have been far less. I can be reached at mhinchberger@kincardine.ca.

Vern Fry … this is an excellent letter. Despite our Mayor thinking the decision by himself and the 6 members of the council who decided to destroy the Secord Monument will fade in time he is so wrong. It will never fade. Our Deputy Mayor stated at the meeting when they made their emotional decision that they were making history. Well they certainly did but not in a honorable way but as a group who defied the wishes of the majority of the residents who voted them to represent them. They made the decision in an unprofessional manner to appease a few! They forgot that emotions are to be left outside the council chambers. Residents wanted this decision to be made by a referendum (vote by the residents) but this group decided not to listen to the residents and made the decision themselves and in the end they probably did not have the right to do so. Then there was a Secord family member whose call went unanswered and the monument was quickly destroyed before he could stop this travesty. That is the history these 7 individuals made and will never fade despite they have all moved on as if it never happened. They wanted to erase this part of Kincardine’s history but all they did was make it part of our history.

Counsellor Hinchberger actually believes the made up excuses for destroying the sundial monument. This will be etched in Kincardine history.

I made a much longer comment when I first read Vern’s letter. All I can say is that Mr. Hinchberger should realize that he is the one providing misinformation but the fact he can’t admit a mistake makes a less candidate to make a decision as a representative on council.