Chimo is officially home.
The Cochrane Board of Trade unveiled its new polar bear statue on Friday afternoon with the community and local dignitaries. This new Chimo made in BC replaced the old one that was about 50-years-old and starting to wear down.
Timiskiming-Cochrane MPP John Vanthof says this is a great thing for the town. “I spend a lot of time in Toronto and there are only a few things in this area that people recognize throughout the province, one of them being the polar bear in Cochrane.”
Board of Trade President Jamie Mageau says this is a long time coming. “The original statue was first put up in 1970 and it had been through a couple of rebuilds and er finally decided enough was enough.” Mageau says the board decided to start over and try something new. “We came up with Dan Richie, a local Cochrane person, to make a massive bear and that’s what we’ve done today.”
Mageau says this new Chimo is designed to last for more than 100 years. He adds that Detour Gold has been the secret donor behind the Chimo project, covering all the shipping costs from BC to Ontario.