On Jul 21, 2016 Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34 Don Valley East) received, on behalf of the Mayor and City Council, a new public art sculpture donated by the Italian-Canadian community through the Peace Through Valour committee of Villa Charities.
The large bronze sculpture, called Peace Through Valour, presents a 3D printed bronze topographical map of the town of Ortona, where Canadian soldiers fought the fiercest battle in the Italian Campaign, and achieved one of the greatest victories of the Second World War. At each of the four corners of the map, a slightly less than life-size bronze statue of a Canadian soldier stands vigil.
This monument commemorates the more than 93,000 Canadian soldiers who took part in the Italian campaign of the Second World War. Several veterans of that campaign were at the dedication ceremony Jul 21, 2016 today and helped unveil the sculpture. The work was created by internationally known Canadian artist Ken Lum.
This work conveys the accomplishments of our Canadian veterans while also creatively illustrating the immense destruction of war.
Former senator Consiglio Di Nino led the Peace Through Valour committee. The sculpture is part of the City of Toronto's permanent Public Art and Monuments Collection
