Quebec municipalities express interest in Samuel de Champlain statue from Ontario

A conceptual illustration of a statue of Samuel de Champlain, proposed to be installed at a city park in Orillia, Ont., is shown in this undated handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - City of Orillia (Mandatory Credit)

ORILLIA — A handful of Quebec municipalities and organizations are offering to take a controversial statue of Samuel de Champlain from an Ontario city in Simcoe County.

The nearly four-metre-tall bronze monument of the 17th Century explorer and founder of Quebec City was removed from a park in Orillia, Ont., and placed in storage in 2017 following debate over its colonial imagery.

Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac says a wave of offers poured in after the city recently raised the possibility of melting the statue down.

McIsaac says he received more than a dozen expressions of interest, mostly from Quebec municipalities and franco-Ontarian communities.

The municipalities of Champlain and Lévis, both in Quebec, are among those hoping to give the statue a new home.

But for now, the statue stays in storage as city council continues to debate its future.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2026.

The Canadian Press