As reported in eFlight last November, the City of Mississauga (Ontario) announced plans to commission a replica of the famed Avro CF-105 Arrow for mounting as a sculpture in Malton’s Paul Coffey Park alongside the existing static display of an Avro CF-100 Canuck. The idea of the city’s leaders was to pay tribute to the Arrow and draw more tourists and school visits to the city.

The announcement provoked much feedback, most of it negative, on social media. Hugo Reinoso, a Green Party candidate in the last federal election and previous city council candidate, tweeted that the city’s $2.2 million pledge “is as much a waste as the $1.1 billion wasted on the [original Arrow] project and an insult to the workers that lost their jobs.”

Another critic, Navarre Bailey, set up an online petition asking the city to instead spend the funds on Mississauga not-for-profits. He tweeted, “what will the replica do for society?”

In defense of the project, another city councillor, Carolyn Parrish, responded to those who suggested the funds could be better spent by saying that they don’t grasp the importance of the Arrow to Malton and the economic benefits such a monument could bring. “The Arrow will attract tourists, school trips and folks looking for a break from conferences taking place on the airport strip or the International Centre,” Parrish said.

Photo of the Avro CF-100 Canuck courtesy the of City of Mississauga