Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Prime Ministers Path?

The Prime Ministers Path is an educational, artistic collection of life-size bronze statues of Canadian Prime Ministers. The statues are displayed outdoors along a path in a park in Baden, Ontario, open to the public, free of charge, seven days a week.

The educational component, accessed through the Prime Ministers Path website www.primeministerspath.ca will focus on significant events (both positive and negative) in Canadian history during the term of each Prime Minister, as told from a variety of perspectives.

The Path is to be completed by 2067 with the installation of all Canadian Prime Ministers to that date.

2. Where is the Prime Ministers Path located?

In Baden, Ontario, on land adjacent to Castle Kilbride. The main entrance is on Wagler Avenue, north of the site. There is also access from the parking lot of the Wilmot Township Administration Office and via a footpath west of Tim Hortons on Snyder's Road West.

3. When did the Prime Ministers Path re-open?

Saturday September 12, 2026. 2pm.

4. What are the opening hours?

The Prime Ministers Path is open during daylight hours, seven days a week.

5. Is there an entry fee?

No. The Prime Ministers Path is open to the public free of charge.

6. Which Prime Minister statues are in place by Today?

The five statues that were in place in 2021 returned to the site on September 12, 2026.

They are, in the order they served (with dates as Prime Minister):

1 - Sir John A. Macdonald (1867 to 1873, 1878 to 1891)
8 - Sir Robert Borden (1911 to 1920)
10 - William Lyon Mackenzie King (1921 to 1930, 1935 to 1948)
14 - Lester B. Pearson (1963 to 1968)
19 - Kim Campbell (1993, June to November)

The newest installation is a group of four Prime Ministers titled The Unfortunate Four. The artist's title reflects his artistic interpretation of their brief and challenging periods in office.

They are:
3 - Sir John Abbott (1891 to 1892)
4 - Sir John Thompson (1892 to 1894)
5 - Sir Mackenzie Bowell (1894 to 1896)
6 - Sir Charles Tupper (1896, May to July)

7. Who owns the Prime Ministers Path?

Through a legal agreement with the Township of Wilmot, Createscape Waterloo Region, a registered Canadian charity fostering the arts in Waterloo Region, owns the Prime Ministers Path. Createscape rents the land from the Township.

8. Who is responsible for management and future development of the Prime Ministers Path?

The registered charity Createscape Waterloo Region, with the guidance of an Advisory Committee, will update and continue to develop educational resources, design and landscape the site, commission and oversee the installation of the remaining statues, plan events, and fundraise to cover the associated costs.

9. Who are the volunteer members of the Prime Ministers Path Advisory Committee?

Originally selected by Township of Wilmot as the Prime Ministers Path Community Steering Committee the following individuals, all volunteers, now make up Createscape's Prime Ministers Path Advisory Committee:

Ruth Abernethy, Donald Bourgeois, Dave Caputo, Lee Fitzpatrick, Steve Kalbfleisch, Pat Mighton, Alison Rodger, Carolyn Salonen (Chair), James Stewart.

10. How were the reinstallation costs be covered?

Wilmot Township Council approved a motion to cover up to $78,000 to reinstall the existing statues. The original installation costs were covered by donations from private donors. Council recognized the unfairness of asking these donors to pay the reinstallation charge resulting from the previous Council's decision to remove them.

Additional installation costs will be covered by sponsors and donors like you.

11. How will the ongoing costs be covered?

Through fundraising. The Advisory Committee is responsible for raising money to cover the ongoing costs of commissioning, installing, and maintaining the statues.

Private and corporate donations will be invited. Donor recognition paving stones will build the hardscaped path itself. The Township will continue to assist in groundskeeping.

12. Have the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission been considered in developing the Prime Ministers Path?

Yes. The Prime Ministers Path is located in Wilmot Township on the traditional territory of the Chonnonton, Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee and Mississauga peoples. We acknowledge the importance of the Dish with One Spoon Covenant and the shared responsibility it represents to care for this land and for one another. Wilmot Council stipulated that the project would continue in a spirit of reconciliation.

The Advisory Committee has invited representatives of First Nations communities to participate in discussions regarding site design and the development of educational resources.

Visitors to the Prime Ministers Path are encouraged to learn more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Final Report, particularly the 94 Calls to Action. Reconciliation is an ongoing journey that requires collective effort and personal reflection. We hope the Path encourages visitors to consider how they can contribute to understanding Canada's history and supporting reconciliation in ways that are meaningful to them.

The Path recognizes that Canada's history includes both achievements and difficult chapters, and that understanding the full story is essential to reconciliation.

The Path’s land acknowledgment is etched into a billion-year-old glacial erratic, a reddish-pink granite Grandfather stone (Mishoomis) honoring the Anishinaabe tradition of rocks as our oldest living ancestors and keepers of memory.

Resources:
https://nctr.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Executive_Summary_English_Web.pdf

Consider reading the book: https://21things.ca/you-may-not-know-about-the-indian-act

13. Why is it important to understand our history?

Understanding our history helps us understand who we are today. The policies and actions of past leaders helped shape the past and the present.

Today we see both the positive and negative, long-term impact of those policies, including the legacy of decisions that affected First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

With greater understanding of our past we are better equipped to shape the future we want. Choosing our leaders wisely is a critical skill and responsibility for all voting citizens.

14. Can statues of prime ministers help us understand our history?

Yes. Art and educational resources are tools that help the visitor explore Canadian history from 1867 to the present.

The statues serve as a lens through which we can examine the life and times of each prime minister and the ongoing consequences of their actions and policies.

QR codes are envisioned that will lead to online historical references and resources from a variety of perspectives.

In a spirit of reconciliation the Path will weave together Indigenous stories along with those of settlers who have arrived over centuries from around the world.

15. Does the Prime Ministers Path celebrate Canada's Prime Ministers?

No. While it is envisioned for each Prime Minister's bookmark portrait to be installed, the Prime Ministers Path is an educational project intended to encourage learning and reflection. It does not suggest that every decision made by every Prime Minister was positive or without consequences.

The Path presents the achievements, challenges, controversies and legacies of Canada's leaders within the historical context of their time.

Understanding both the accomplishments and the harms associated with past decisions is essential to understanding Canada's history.