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WINNIPEG — A planned monument to commemorate Chief Peguis and the first treaty signed in Manitoba has been delayed again.
The structure, originally planned for 2024 then pushed back one year, is now expected to be completed in the latter part of 2026.
Bill Shead, co-chair of the group planning the memorial, says there have been several legal, administrative and other issues over the past year, and efforts to obtain charitable status from Revenue Canada are ongoing.
He says work on the bronze statue is well underway, but more time is needed for fundraising and construction of the monument’s large plinth or foundation.
The monument is to be built on the northwest section of the Manitoba legislature grounds.
It is to pay tribute to a gathering in 1817, when Chief Peguis and four other chiefs signed the first treaty in what is now Manitoba and helped early Scottish settlers survive the harsh climate.
“The monument project has presented the volunteer board of directors of The Friends of the Peguis Selkirk Treaty Inc. with some unexpected challenges which have led to several delays in co-ordinating all the work by various parties involved,” Shead wrote in an email.
“The statue is expected to be completed late this fall. However, work on the other elements of the monument project — the plinth and landscaping — only will begin in 2026 with hoped-for completion in the later part of 2026.”
The Manitoba government has committed $500,000 to the project, which Shead said is still budgeted at $1 million. There are no current plans to ask the province for more money, he added.
The monument’s design was revealed in 2023. It was created by Wayne Stranger, owner of Stranger Bronzeworks art foundry at Peguis First Nation.
Aside from the statue, the monument is to feature large stones and inscribed medallions representing the chiefs who signed the 1817 treaty as well as Thomas Douglas, known as Lord Selkirk.
The monument would be the first on Manitoba’s legislature grounds to honour the contributions of First Nations people.
The scenic grounds already feature statues honouring a variety of people, including Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, Queen Elizabeth II and Métis leader Louis Riel.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025
Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
