Nova Scotia

Take down Cornwallis statue, activists urge

Demonstrators marking the aboriginal day of action in Halifax called for the removal of a statue of the city's founder.

Demonstrators marking the aboriginal day of action in Halifax called for the removal of a statue of the city's founder.

A handful of protesters gathered in Cornwallis Park, near the train station in downtown Halifax, Thursday and decorated the statue with a one-cent price tag.

Ashley Julian, one of the organizers, said the sign reflects the amount of money Edward Cornwallis was willing to pay for each Mi'kmaq person killed.

"He is behind the whole 1749 scalping proclamation and we feel that we're here to educate more than protest," Julian said.

In Sydney, about 30 people gathered to protest a plan to build a wind hydro project at Lake Uist near Loch Lomond.

The second day of action, co-ordinated by the Assembly of First Nations, is meant to highlight outstanding concerns between aboriginal people and the federal government.