Months after it was taken down outside of Victoria City Hall, a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald is sparking new controversy over how much the process cost.
According to a document on the City of Victoria's website, the removal of the statue cost just over $30,000 to date.
Policing made up the bulk of the expenses at over $12,000.
The time city staff spent on the project amounted to a cost of more than $9,000.
Critics say it would have been much cheaper for the city to wait until a weekday to remove the statue instead of doing it on a Saturday morning.
"The $30,000 represents the annual tax payments to the City of Victoria for, I don't know, 10 family homes, 10 or 12," said John Treleaven, vice-chair of the group Grumpy Taxpayers of Greater Victoria. "Well, that's a decision worth taking carefully."
The statue was removed in the summer following a recommendation from City Family, a committee working on reconciliation. The group said the statue was a barrier to Indigenous participation at City Hall because of Macdonald's role in the creation of the residential school system.
It prompted protests and counter-protests from Victoria residents, who complained that they were only given a few days' notice before the statue was taken down.
Mayor Lisa Helps, who was part of the group, later apologized for a lack of public consultation.
The statue currently remains in storage until a decision is made as to where it should go.
