A $100 million project to create a marble memorial in the backyard of the Commons of Canada will not include a blue marble floor, instead replacing the blue carpet and carpeting with a $50 million white marble.
A committee of city council members unanimously approved the project Tuesday night after spending four months looking into the design and the environmental impact.
The project is being billed as a way to honour the 250 people killed during the Second World War and to remember the sacrifice of Canadian soldiers who served overseas.
The city is also using the $100,000,000 to help fund an exhibition of its marble collections.
The project is expected to be completed in 2019.
The committee said it wanted to create something to remember those who died in war, including First World War veterans, as well as those who fought during the First World Bank Crisis in 1974 and the First Battle of Vimy Ridge in Afghanistan in 2006.
“The committee was very, very impressed with the design that was presented to us,” said Coun.
Joe Fassbender, who was chair of the committee.
“The committee wants to remember these people as well.
This is something that you can be a part of and say thank you to.””
This is not just a big marble memorial.
This is something that you can be a part of and say thank you to.”
Construction of the memorial was originally scheduled to begin in 2019, but city officials have said the work is going ahead as planned and will take about a year to complete.