[PHOTO] By the inukshuk, Battery Park, Toronto

[rfmcdonald]

Located in Battery Park, west of Bathurst Street and Coronation Park on the Toronto waterfront, is an inukshuk built to commemorate World Youth Day 2002.



A 14 June 2002 press release from the City of Toronto goes into detail about the process of construction and design.

The Toronto Inukshuk, the City of Toronto's legacy project to commemorate World Youth Day and the visit of Pope John Paul II in July, began its last stages of construction today with the placement of the critical granite pieces.

Councillor Joe Pantalone, co-chair of the Toronto Inukshuk project, said, "The Toronto Inukshuk will be a magnificent addition to Toronto's waterfront and a timeless reminder of when the world came to Toronto."

An Inuit stone structure, the word Inukshuk means, "that which acts in the capacity of a human." Found often in the arctic landscape, the Inukshuk serves as a guide to travellers on land and sea, providing comfort, advice and spatial orientation.

Located at Battery Park, the Toronto Inukshuk is one of the largest of its kind ever built in North America. The structure, including the base, stands 30 feet high with an arm span of 15 feet. Approximately 50 tonnes of mountain rose granite from Dryden, Ontario, is being used to create the Inukshuk. Kellypalik Qimirpik, the internationally acclaimed Inuit artist consulting on the project, selected the mountain rose stone as it is a similar colour to a type of stone found in his home of Cape Dorset.

The estimated cost for the project, including design, engineering, site preparation, materials and construction, is $200,000. City Council approved $50,000 for the City's share of the project. Fundraising efforts led by Councillor Pantalone and Tony Dionisio, Project Co-chair and Business Manager, Universal Workers Union, Local 183, were successful in reaching the financial goals set for this legacy project.

"Individuals and organizations responded with an unexpected level of generosity and community spirit. This spirit will be forever captured in stone," said Dionisio. "The workers and employers of Toronto's building industry have come together to lend their support to this initiative. They understand that a city is not just its infrastructure. The culture, the people and the very life of the city is what truly makes Toronto great."

The City of Toronto selected the Inukshuk design because for centuries, the Inukshuk structure has acted as a guardian to keep vigil over the land and remains a powerful symbol of safe harbour in an uncertain world. Enacted in 1984 by Pope John Paul II, World Youth Days reflect the same values of peace and friendship.

"Congratulations to the City of Toronto for taking the leadership to build this monument as a cultural symbol of Toronto, Canada and its original inhabitants," said Councillor Pantalone. "The Toronto Inukshuk will become a significant landmark, reinforcing our history as a place where people gather from around the world."