Man charged in toppling of Sir John A. Macdonald statue in Hamilton

A Toronto man has been charged in connection with the toppling of a Sir John A. Macdonald statue in Hamilton over the weekend.

Roughly 200 people attended the Indigenous Freedom Rally at Hamilton City Hall on Saturday following last month’s decision by city council to not remove the statue of Canada’s first prime minister from Gore Park.

Macdonald is considered to be one of the architects of Canada’s residential school system.

Demonstrators later moved to Gore Park where, police say, a woman was seen scaling the statue around 2:15 p.m. to tie ropes that were used to pull the statue to the ground.

“Once the statue was on the ground, further damage was caused using spray paint, a hammer, and a grinder. The damage is estimated to be in excess of $5,000,” said Hamilton police in a news release.

READ MORE: Sir John A MacDonald statue pulled down at Gore park

On Sunday, police released images of suspects wanted in connection with the incident.

Police say they received numerous tips which led to the arrest of 56-year-old Miguel Martin Avila-Valarde.

He faces one count of mischief over $5,000.

The investigation is ongoing and Hamilton Police anticipate laying further charges.

Anyone with information that can help with the investigation is asked to contact Det. Sgt. Dave Oleniuk at 905-546-3833.