Public pushback couldn’t stop the vote, but it forced a harder conversation at the council table.
Lloydminster city council voted unanimously Monday to approve a $72,000 public art installation near the Bioclean Aquatic Centre, capping weeks of public debate over whether the money was well spent.
The project, selected by the city’s Public Art Advisory Committee, includes a metal tree sculpture and two decorative stone-and-metal benches by artist Paul Reimer. Installation is planned for fall 2026 during the aquatic centre’s annual shutdown.
Before the vote, several councillors addressed public criticism head-on.
Coun. Justin Vance said he spent the weekend reading through social media comments and wanted administration to set the record straight on where the money comes from.
“These are not dollars that otherwise would have went to potholes, sewer roads, infrastructure,” Vance said. “These dollars are already allocated to that reserve for the purpose of public art.”
Administration confirmed that was the case.
They then confirmed that voting against the project would not redirect the funds. The money would remain in the Public Art Reserve and roll over to the following year.
He also asked whether council had a cost breakdown showing how much of the $72,000 covers the tree sculpture versus each bench. Administration said it could provide that information but did not have it available Monday.
Councillor David Lopez said he came into the meeting unconvinced.
“I’m not an art guy,” Lopez said. “When it came out, I was pretty quiet. I don’t get this.”
That changed over the weekend. A prominent local business owner approached Lopez at a home improvement store and made the case for the installation’s economic value, explaining that people travel across Western Canada specifically to seek out works by certain artists.
“He goes, you’re going to have people coming into Arby’s or Tim Hortons going, where’s the flora and fauna, where do we find Bud Miller Park,” Lopez said. “I didn’t understand that.”
Lopez said it reframed the project entirely, comparing it to other community amenities.
“People that like hockey, we’ve got the arena. People that like mall concerts, we’ve got an event centre. Everyone in the community can appreciate and love different things.”
Councillor Michele Charles Gustafson offered context on what the pieces are meant to represent. She said the artist described the tree sculpture as a symbol of how people achieve more by working together, drawing on the imagery of prairie poplar stands.
She explained the wind-themed bench represents the prairie wind that carries seeds across the landscape. The water bench, she said, is meant to celebrate water’s essential role in sustaining life on the prairies.
“I really hope folks can find their way to see themselves in these pieces,” Charles Gustafson said.
Councillor Jim Taylor, a committee member, acknowledged the public process was harder to explain than expected.
“It wasn’t just a go-and-pick-stuff-off-the-shelf idea,” Taylor said. “That’s hard to encapsulate in written text.”
Councillor Jason Whiting suggested future proposals include more storytelling upfront.
“A little bit more of a dialogue as to what this is, other than just straight-up sculptures,” Whiting said.
Mayor Gerald Aalbers asked whether the finished installation would include a plaque or interpretive signage. Administration said the question is still being discussed and was not included in the $72,000 budget.
Aalbers also noted the budget includes a 15 per cent contingency, meaning the project could come in below the approved amount.
The sculptures replace a two-dimensional work called Ekecheria, by artist Laura Hale, which deteriorated and could not be reinstalled on the aquatic centre’s new exterior cladding.
The Public Art Advisory Committee received six proposals through a national call for submissions posted on arts procurement platform Akimbo. Three were shortlisted and presented to the committee before Reimer was selected.
The vote was the last requirement for the project to move forward, installation is expected this fall.
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