Unexpected Finds

I make no secret of the fact that I’m a huge fan of playing tourist where I live.  I have spent countless hours seeking out the treasures within my home city and being delighted by what I find.

I have mentioned in previous posts that I bought a book called 150 Unusual Things To See In Ontario.  From this book, I identified 3 places in the Kitchener area I wanted to explore.

It’s about an hour’s drive from Toronto, and it didn’t take any effort on my part to convince fellow blogger, The Widow Badass, to accompany me on checking them out.  Each is within her home territory and – not a surprise – she had never visited any of them.

This post however is not about any of the 3 places we went out to find.  In the process of hunting down our targets, we discovered something completely unexpected.

It’s called the Prime Ministers Path.

Sir John A. MacDonald – Canada’s 1st Prime Minister 1867 to 1873 / 1878 to 1891

As we trudged through the snow against the sharp cold wind, we discovered 4 statues, although my subsequent research indicates that there are plans to add another 2 statues in 2018.  Eventually all 22 Prime Ministers (so far) will be commemorated.

These first 4 Prime Ministers were chosen rather strategically.  Sir John A. McDonald was obviously chosen since he was the first Prime Minister of the newly founded country in 1867.

Then came Sir Robert Borden, who was the Prime Minister when Canada celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1917.

Neither the Widow Badass or I guessed Sir Robert’s identity correctly.   Had we known this was a dedication to Prime Ministers, we would have guessed differently.

Robert Borden – Prime Minister from 1911 to 1920

William Lyon MacKenzie was chosen to be honoured since he has the record of the longest sitting Prime Minister – 22 years.

At first we were puzzled by the 2 empty chairs in which he was engaged in conversation – then I laughed at the possible answer.

Although MacKenzie steered the country through a period of great turbulence and change, he is probably most famous for his eccentricities, including the regular seances he conducted to confer with his dead mother and others.

William Lyon MacKenzie – Prime Minister from 1921 to 1926 / 1926 to 1930 /1935 to 1948.

Rounding out the first four Prime Ministers chosen for this project is Lester B. Pearson.  You may remember him from my post when I found his Toronto home when he was a student at the university.

Lester B. Pearson – Prime Minister from 1963 to 1968

He was chosen in the top 4 because he was Prime Minister when Canada turned 100 years old in 1967.

Symbols marking his many achievements – including his Nobel Peace Prize – adorn the platform, however we were both completely baffled as to why he is depicted in his stocking feet.  I can only assume that he had a reputation in Parliament for removing his shoes, although I can find nothing to support or refute that theory.

Each statue was beautifully depicted with many small details and symbols imbedded in the structure.  Given the frigid temperatures, we didn’t linger long to investigate all the nuances.

On the back of MacKenzie’s chair.

If I had to make an educated guess on the next batch of Prime Ministers to be honoured, I would put my money on Pierre Elliott Trudeau being one of them.

He is the 3rd longest sitting Prime Minister (after MacKenzie and McDonald) and is responsible for patriating Canada’s Constitution (1982) and establishing the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982).

Time will tell whether or not I’m correct.

Get out and explore around your own home town.  You never know what you might find!