Construction begins on Canada's new LGBTQ2+ National Monument

Artistic rendering of the "Thunderhead" design for the new LGBTQ2+ National Monument. (Government of Canada)

Construction officially began today on the Government of Canada’s LGBTQ2+ National Monument in downtown Ottawa.

The large monument will be located on the northeast side of Wellington Street by the Portage Bridge, next to the Ottawa River and close to the capital city’s Judicial Precinct.

The design of the monument, named “Thunderhead,” was chosen in 2022 following a design competition that chose a concept by a Winnipeg-based team, comprised of architectural design firm Public City, visual artists Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, and Albert McLeod, who is an Indigenous and Two-Spirited People subject-matter expert and advisor.

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According to the federal government’s description, the design draws on the symbolism of a thunderhead cloud, which “embodies the strength, activism, and hope of LGBTQ2+ communities.”

“It will be a lasting testimony to the courage and humanity of those who were harmed by the LGBT Purge, homophobic and transphobic laws and norms, and Canada’s colonial history.”

LGBTQ2+ National Monument Canada Thunderhead Ottawa

Artistic rendering of the “Thunderhead” design for the new LGBTQ2+ National Monument. (Government of Canada)

The “LGBT Purge” refers to the period when lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals of the Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Canadian federal public service were systematically discriminated against, harassed, and often fired. According to the LGBT Purge Fund, which was created in 2018 following a class action settlement between the federal government and the impacted individuals, the purge generally occurred in the period spanning from the 1950s to the 1990s.

The LGBT Purge Fund, a non-profit organization, has a mandate to manage the memorialization and reconciliation projects as outlined in the settlement. It is funding the construction cost of the $13 million memorial.

Artistic rendering of the “Thunderhead” design for the new LGBTQ2+ National Monument. (Government of Canada)

The federal government’s National Capital Commission finalized the memorial’s site in 2020.

The design of “Thunderhead” includes a sculpture that creates the imprint of a thunderhead cloud in mirrored titles, a pathway through a landscaped park that details the history of LGBTQ2+ Canadians, and a healing circle ringed with stones hand-picked by Two-Spirit Elders.

The monument within a new public park is also designed for large gatherings and performances. Construction is expected to reach completion in 2025.

In 2023, the federal government also chose the design for the National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan, which will be built just across from the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa — near the LGBTQ2+ National Monument.

Artistic rendering of the “Thunderhead” design for the new LGBTQ2+ National Monument. (Government of Canada)

Artistic rendering of the “Thunderhead” design for the new LGBTQ2+ National Monument. (Government of Canada)

Artistic rendering of the “Thunderhead” design for the new LGBTQ2+ National Monument. (Government of Canada)

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