The Town of The Blue Mountains is going to look at options to honour local Paralympic silver medalist Rod Crane.
At its committee of the whole meeting on Oct. 28, council received a delegation from Crane, Maureen Munden and artist Michael Pocock requesting the town consider a permanent monument at the Beaver Valley Community Centre recognizing Crane’s achievements representing Canada and the community.
Crane, who grew up in The Blue Mountains and played hockey locally, has earned silver medals playing on the Canadian para ice hockey team at the last two world championships in 2019 and 2021 and at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing.
“His achievements echoed the dedication and grit of all para athletes, leaving a profound impact on the hearts of those who witnessed his triumph. As we have all seen from the most recent 2022 Paralympics in Beijing, the dedication and grit of these athletes is inspiring,” Munden said in her presentation.
Pocock, a local artist, presented council with a miniature prototype for a possible monument that they asked be built at the local arena to honour Crane’s achievements and journey. He plans to volunteer his time to design and create the statue.
Crane told council he grew up locally and spent much of his childhood playing hockey at the arena.
“The community means a ton to me,” he said and added it was a true honour to represent the country and the community at the Paralympic games. “Without the support of the community, I don’t think that would have been possible.”
Muden said the proposed monument is an opportunity to not only recognize Crane’s achievements, but to bring attention to the paralympic movement.
“We also have the opportunity to showcase the paralympic movement and its contributions to the lives of people with physical disabilities. The hope is to shed light on the paralympic movement’s significance for empowering all individuals,” she said.
Muden said with council’s approval of the concept, they could begin a community-wide fundraising effort to help pay for the project.
Members of council enthusiastically supported the concept and voted unanimously to request a staff report about possible locations at the community centre property for the monument.
“I think it’s a phenomenal idea,” said Deputy Mayor Peter Bordignon.