Plaque for “The Walk that Changed the World” approved by town council

A plaque will be erected in front of the Front Road North home that formerly housed the late Senator Eugene Whelan, his wife Elizabeth and their family to remember “The Walk that Changed the World.”

The Whelan home was the site of a visit from Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev and ambassador Alexsander Yaklovlev and it is believed to have been the site of the walk. Pouget said a plaque was originally approved by town council in 2016, adding she called for an upset limit of $15,000 to accommodate costs of the plaque.

In an e-mail from 2016 shared with the River Town Times, Pouget stated “it is alleged during this walk in the Whelans’ backyard, Alexsander Yaklovlev convinced Mikhail Gorbachev the importance of ‘perestroika,’ which means restructuring and ‘glasnost,’ meaning openness or transparency. In 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev became president of the Soviet Union and his idea for restructuring and openness, that was planted in the Premier’s mind at the Whelans’ Amherstburg residence, resulted in massive change throughout the Soviet Union.”

How to fund the project was debated by town council, with options being to take the funding from a reserve or asking the next council to discuss it during the 2027 budget deliberations. 

“We’ve been waiting on this since 2016. I’d prefer to do it tonight,” Pouget said during the Sept. 28 meeting.

Osborne suggested the new capital reserve if it were approved by the current council, which council ultimately decided, but she wanted to know if whether it would be on public or private property. Osborne later suggested it could also come from the contingency reserve should the plaque go up on private property.

Heritage planner Adam Coates said administration still has to have conversations with the property owner, but Pouget later said the agreement a decade ago was to put it on a public easement in front of the home. 

Councillor Molly Allaire noted the report estimated the cost at $7,500 and questioned why there is an upset limit of $15,000. Pouget said there are many numbers in the report and she “didn’t want it to get caught up” because the project has already been waiting for ten years.

“It’ll probably come in at much, much less,” said Pouget. “I just want to make sure it’s covered.”

Councillor Don McArthur wanted the current council to move the issue forward.

“Councillor Pouget brought this up in 2016 and I thank her for bringing it up again tonight,” he said at Monday night’s meeting. “It’s time we honour our history. We want to build a walkable community. This is essential to that, giving people destinations to go to on their walks. If we don’t take action tonight, it could be another eight years and I don’t the next mayor wants Councillor Pouget to be a delegate demanding it be done when we could just as easily do it tonight.”

Councillor Linden Crain said it is “a great idea” but had questions over funding sources. He didn’t believe it was time sensitive to have to deal with it outside the budget cycle.

“I would prefer that it would be in the 2027 budget,” he said.

Councillor Molly Allaire said she loved Pouget’s motion and said the new council could change the current council’s motion. She wanted to move ahead with the project but suggested bringing it forward at the Oct.13 meeting.

Councillor Peter Courtney said the plaque should go on public property but supported the motion that called for staff to do its due diligence and have the funding come from the necessary reserve.

“I’m going to support the motion tonight because it’s important,” said Mayor Michael Prue.

Prue said if it were sent to the new council, the current council can’t tell the mayor and new council what to do. He said it is “a historical event this is monumental, not just to Amherstburg but probably the entire the world.”

“This really changed the world,” said Prue. 

Prue wanted it in a public place so everyone could see it and know what happened at the site.

Town council unanimously passed the motion. Pouget said Paul Hertel, a historian and former high school teacher who has since passed away, and Kirk Walstedt, now the deputy mayor of Lakeshore, recommended in consultation with the Whelan family that it go on public property. Dr. Lloyd Brown-John also contributed towards the tribute, Pouget added.

Prue thanked Pouget for following up with the 2016 motion and making sure it got done.

Plaque for “The Walk that Changed the World” approved by town council

By Ron Giofu