TORONTO.- At 12:30 pm on 3 November, 2008, we remember Canada in a new and permanent way: almost 200 years after the battle that essentially "made" Canada, artist Douglas Coupland will unveil his compelling sculpture, entitled "Monument to the War of 1812," at the corner of Fleet Street and Lake Shore Boulevard.

Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone will be in attendance, as will Rony Hirsch of Malibu Investments, the company responsible for ultimately driving the planning, selection and commissioning process in this case.

The monument itself comprises two giant toy soldiers seemingly one of which represents the 1813 Royal Newfoundland Regiment while the other is an American soldier from the 16th U.S. Infantry Regiment. The two would have fought against each other in 1813 when combined U.S. army and naval forces attacked York (now Toronto) from Lake Ontario, and overran Fort York.

The sculpture will be located near the Malibu at Harbourfront Condominium development south of Historic Fort York and a short distance from other major art installations such as the World War II 50th Anniversary Memorial. Rony Hirsch of Malibu Investments says, "This Coupland original not only enhances the neighbourhood, it also betters the city as a whole."

Not only is it important to the city - it's important to the country as a whole because, as Coupland wrote in his winning proposal: "Without Fort York, there would have been no Canada."