Monument to the War of 1812, also called Toy Soldiers, is a

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

war monument A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. Designed by Douglas Coupland and unveiled in 2008, the monument includes two Styrofoam sculptures over a stone plinth, and commemorates the successful defence of British North America against American forces in the War of 1812. The sculpture is situated near the intersection of Bathurst Street and Lake Shore Boulevard in the

Fort York neighbourhood Fort York, also known as Garrison, is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located west of Downtown Toronto, north of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, and east of Exhibition Place along the shores of Lake Ontario. While it is home to For ...

, south of the historic fort, and serves as the southeastern gateway marker to the Fort York neighbourhood.

History

The monument was commissioned by Malibu Investments, a real estate developer that was building a condominium adjacent to the site of the present monument at 600 Fleet Street. The monument was partly supported by the Percent for Public Art - Private Developer Program, an initiative of the municipal government of Toronto. Several artists were approached to submit proposals for a monument in 2005. Douglas Coupland's proposal was selected and he was commissioned to conceive and design the monument, who designed it using a 3D model in Vancouver. The monument was built by Heavy Industries, a company based in Calgary. The completed monument was shipped from Calgary on an open flatbed truck and erected at the site by crane. The cost for the monument was approximately C$500,000. The monument was unveiled in November 2008 near the intersection of Bathurst Street and Lake Shore Boulevard by

Joe Pantalone Joe Pantalone (born February 22, 1952) is a retired Canadian politician. He served as a former Toronto city councillor for Ward 19, one of two wards in Trinity—Spadina and as deputy mayor under David Miller from 2003 to 2010. He ran for mayor in ...

, the deputy mayor of Toronto. Military re-enactors from Fort York and Adrienne Clarkson, the former

governor general of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

, were also in attendance for the unveiling ceremony.

Design

The monument features a stone base, with a gold and silver soldier, each standing at a height of , atop the base. The structure is made out of styrofoam over a steel armature. The gold soldier depicts a member of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment Fencible Infantry, and stands erect and alert, grasping his rifle. The silver soldier lies toppled on the ground in front of the gold soldier, and depicts a soldier from the 16th U.S. Infantry Regiment. The pristine surface and colours make the sculptures appear as toy soldiers.

Symbolism and reception

The monument commemorates the successful defence of British North America against US invasion during the

. Coupland was motivated to create the statue after seeing, in his opinion, American "creeping revisionism" about the outcome of the war, with some Americans claiming that they had "won that," or that they "didn't lose". In designing the sculpture, Coupland wanted to evoke a "quick haiku moment" for those passing by to think about the War of 1812. The monument received more attention than usual when it was unveiled, as the design strongly emphasized Canadian victory against the United States during the war. Reception for the design included approving editorials from ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

''. However, the monument was criticized by '' Now'' for ignoring the role First Nations played in the defence of British North America.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Public art in Toronto 2008 establishments in Ontario 2008 sculptures Monuments and memorials in Toronto Outdoor sculptures in Toronto Sculptures of men in Ontario Statues in Ontario War monuments and memorials