A Toronto lawyer, E. Patrick Shea, is advocating for the preservation of war memorials at two Hudson’s Bay stores. These displays commemorate Bay and Simpsons workers who died in the Second World War. The memorials consist of lists of staff members who made the ultimate sacrifice during the war. The display in downtown Toronto includes a list of Simpsons employees, a defunct department store that the Bay purchased in 1978. In Calgary, a bronze plaque bears the names of Hudson’s Bay employees who died in the war. Most of these individuals were 18 or 19 years old when they left for the war, and now, the people who knew them are mostly gone.
Shea believes that these memorials should not become an afterthought as Hudson’s Bay closes stores, sells off assets, and looks for new businesses to assume its leases. He wants to ensure that these memorials remain in the public eye and not forgotten. Hudson’s Bay will be auctioning off over 1,700 pieces of art and 2,700 artifacts, and Shea is concerned about the fate of the war memorials. While the company states that they are working with advisers to ensure the artifacts are auctioned off in a way that balances the interests of all stakeholders, Shea hopes to preserve the memorials in their current locations.
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, which owns the property where the downtown Toronto Hudson’s Bay store is located, did not respond to requests for comment. Shea, who has a personal connection to Hudson’s Bay through his mother’s 40-year employment with the company, hopes to see the memorials remain in the communities where they are currently situated. He believes that the Simpsons tower at 401 Bay Street in Toronto and the Military Museums in Calgary would be ideal locations for the memorials. Shea has experience in rescuing memorials, having previously saved one at a decommissioned mill in Thorold, Ontario, honoring Ontario Paper Company employees lost in the First World War.
The memorials at the Hudson’s Bay stores hold significant cultural and historical value, commemorating employees who made sacrifices during wartime. Shea wants to ensure that these memorials are not overlooked or discarded as Hudson’s Bay goes through changes and restructures. He hopes to work with the company and other stakeholders to find a solution that preserves the memorials and honors the individuals they represent. By advocating for the memorials to remain in the public eye and suggesting potential new locations for them, Shea aims to ensure that the sacrifices of these individuals are remembered and respected for generations to come. He believes that these memorials are valuable reminders of the human stories behind the names on the plaques and deserve to be preserved for future generations to honor and remember.
