We Didn’t Know What the Monument Meant Until Someone Said It Should Be Removed
In July 2016, I, along with thousands of smartphone users across Canada, became captivated by an appbased game called Pokémon Go, built upon Google mapping and location-service technology. Users must venture to specific locations in order to progress to new levels. Public spaces are designated locations where users can “level up,” which means landmarks, monuments, memorials and sites of historical significance become destinations for players on a regular basis. I lived in Halifax at the time of the game’s release and can attest to the short distances I had to walk between monuments—the city is rife with them. I often looked around and wondered if other players in the vicinity were taking any opportunity to engage with and learn from these objects.
By August, this question began to be addressed when CBC News wrote about Pokémon Go players (mostly adults) disrespectfully sitting and even lying on Winnipeg’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) monument. When players were confronted by a concerned MMIW family member, they appeared to be unaware of what the monument represents. As the family member recounted, “They just said, ‘We This indifference, juxtaposed with impassioned and zealous protests over recent monument removals, lends itself to ask a larger question: what role are monuments playing in our current society?
