In early January 2024, as people gathered in North Vancouver to memorialize the 176 passengers who died on Flight PS752 on the fourth anniversary of the tragedy, they were promised again that a monument would be established in memory of the victims.
There are still, however, more questions than answers about what type of monument will be built and where it will be located in North Vancouver.
“No site has been selected yet, and no designer has been selected or hired,” stated City of North Vancouver spokesperson Amanda Gibbs in an email. “There are several factors and steps that need to be undertaken before we can outline a timeline for delivery. Several variables need to fall into place, including a council decision on a location, community fundraising, a call for qualified artists or designers, and fabrication and installation. The typical public art process takes 18-24 months.”
That timeline means that the fifth and possibly sixth anniversaries of the crash will come and go without a finalized memorial.
The planning for the memorial site involves three main groups: staff from the City of North Vancouver, the North Vancouver Recreation and Culture public arts program, and representatives from the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims, along with Vancouver Iranian community leaders who have formed a steering committee to collaborate with city staff.
In July 2022, during a council meeting, the mayor and council unanimously agreed to establish a memorial for the victims of Flight PS752. On Jan. 8, the provincial government, led by Premier David Eby, committed $100,000 towards the monument.
“The memorial design selection process will closely follow the city’s public art program and administration policy,” said Gibbs, adding that a five- to seven-member selection panel will lead the process.
The selection panel will review artist qualifications and produce a shortlist of artists who will submit design proposals. The panel will then review the proposals and take a vote to decide which will be the successful concept that will then move to the development phase.
The process also allows for the creation of an advisory committee that could provide guidance and information to the selection panel but would not have a vote in the artist selection process.
Mayor and council, however, will make the final decision on the location of the memorial.
“Staff are planning to bring forward a report with site recommendations for a council decision this spring,” she said.
All 176 passengers tragically lost their lives on Jan. 8, 2020, when Flight PS752 was shot down over Iran by two missiles fired by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Among them, 55 were Canadian citizens, and 30 were permanent residents. Seven of the victims resided in either North Vancouver or West Vancouver.
Furthermore, in July 2023, the Flight PS752 case was referred to the International Court of Justice. Additionally, in February 2024, the ICAO Council held a meeting regarding the case filed by the four affected countries (Canada, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Sweden) against the Islamic Republic regime for the downing of Flight PS752. The Islamic Republic was given until May 10 to provide its response.
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Hamid Jafari is a Vancouver-based New Canadian Media correspondent currently on a work experience placement with Glacier Media. This article was originally published on North Shore News.
A Vancouver B.C based journalist who writes about the Iranian community in Canada, art, culture and social media trends.
