E. Patrick Shea, a Toronto-based lawyer, has been leading an effort to rescue war memorials. These memorials are placed at two Hudson’s Bay stores—one at the downtown Toronto location and the other at downtown Calgary. Shea argues most passionately on behalf of the Calgary location, which is slated to close by June 15. In the meantime, their Toronto store is still going strong.
The memorials honour Hudson’s Bay and Simpsons employees who laid down their lives in service to Canada during the Second World War. The downtown Toronto store features a memorial for Simpsons employees who died on active duty. At the Westbrook Calgary store, a bronze plaque memorializes scores of Hudson’s Bay employees who were lost in the war.
Shea is adamant about preserving these memorials on location. He believes they serve as vital reminders of the sacrifices made by young individuals who were often just 18 or 19 years old when they left home for the war. Shea has a personal connection to Hudson’s Bay; his mother worked for the company for 40 years. This background feeds his fierce desire to ensure that the memorials continue to be valuable resources to the community.
Shea said, “I can’t think of a more perfect location for the Toronto memorial than Simpsons tower at 401 Bay Street. He seeks to protect the memory of those listed on the plaques, noting that “most people just see names on a wall, but behind every one of those names is a story.”
Shea’s tenacity isn’t anything new. He recently achieved a similar victory saving a memorial at a decommissioned mill in Thorold, Ontario. His dedication to protecting community history and those who fought for their country during wartime is reflected in his experience.
In addition to winning public support for the memorials’ preservation—as he campaigns against demolition—Shea has received support from Republicans, Democrats and veterans. Anna Ng is Vice-President, Development for Cadillac Fairview. Preserving these artifacts, should they find themselves in their possession, is a personal priority for her. Tiffany Bourré, another advocate involved in the discussions, noted that any potential plans should “appropriately balance the interests and concerns of all stakeholders.”
The need to act is compounded by the recent announcement of the Calgary store’s impending shuttering. Shea recognizes that “the last sort of vestige of their memory are these plaques and they deserve to be in the public eye.” He admits that most descendants of those listed on the memorials are now in their 80s. In the video above, he makes the case to save these historic markers while we still can.
