The Peter Fidler monument is located at Elk's Park in Meadow Lake. (photo/ Meadow Lake and District Museum and Historical Society)

By Kenneth Cheung

ELK'S PARK

Council rejects museum’s request to relocate Peter Fidler monument

Jul 29, 2025 | 5:10 PM

The City of Meadow Lake council has decided to keep the Peter Fidler monument in Elk’s Park, turning down a request from the local museum to move it to a more visible spot in front of its building.

Meadow Lake and District Museum and Historical Society asked council to relocate the monument, saying it is “the first piece of history that Meadow Lake has and we feel that moving it will give it more visibility to our city and to people vacationing and touring.”

Mayor Merlin Seymour said councillors “had quite a discussion over it” during the July 28 meeting but ultimately chose to leave the monument where it’s been for the past 70 years.

“The biggest reason why… It’s quite a heavy unit and just the process of moving it and it’s old. If it goes to get moved and it gets broken, then we don’t have it. If it gets damaged then there’s going to be costs involved to try and repair it and stuff like that,” he said.

The monument, erected in 1955, commemorates Peter Fidler — a British surveyor, mapmaker and fur trader who explored the region in 1799 and established Bolsover House near what is now Meadow Lake.

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A city report recommended leaving the monument in place, saying Elk’s Park was chosen decades ago for its historical connection to Fidler’s travels.

“This is a Federal Plaque and part of the system of Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC) commemorations, managed by Parks Canada. With the cooperation of the City, and with discussions with the Board about the best location for the plaque—historically, geographically, etc., Elk’s Park was selected,” it stated.

The report also noted that having heritage sites in multiple locations encourages visitors to explore the community. It suggested improving visibility by trimming trees around the monument and creating a map highlighting all historic sites in Meadow Lake .

Although Parks Canada said it would have no issue if the city and museum chose to move the monument, council ultimately sided with administration’s recommendation to keep it in Elk’s Park.

Seymour said council didn’t have a clear idea of what relocation might cost.

“I asked the delegation that was there… I asked if they had inquired into what the cost to move it would be. They hadn’t really looked into the cost of it… so it’s hard to say what it would be.”

The museum is located on the corner of Highway 4 and 9th Avenue.

The museum is located on the corner of Highway 4 and 9th Avenue in Meadow Lake. (Google Map)

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