The leader of a British Columbia group planning a monument in honour of U.S. draft dodgers who fled to Canada says the controversial statue may not be located in the city of Nelson after all.

Isaac Romano and his group, called Our Way Home, had been planning to erect the monument in Nelson, B.C., during a July 2006 two-day festival in honour of U.S. conscientious objectors.

Roughly 125,000 Americans crossed the border into Canada during the 1960s and 1970s because of their opposition to the Vietnam War. Many settled in the Nelson area.

The proposed monument.
The proposed monument.

The planned statue depicts a Canadian reaching out to help a two U.S. draft dodgers.

The plan got the attention of FOX-TV News in the U.S. and has come under fire from Americans, veterans groups and some Canadian politicians.

On Monday night, Blair Suffredine, Liberal member for the provincial riding of Nelson, and Jim Gouk, Tory MP for federal B.C. riding of Southern Interior, both said they opposed the monument, calling it inappropriate and offensive to many Americans.

Jerry Newberry, with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the oldest veterans' advocacy group in the U.S., said his organization was shocked by the idea.

"We're astounded and saddened and appalled...to think that someone would build a memorial and pay tribute to a group of people who saw fit to cut and run," said Newberry.

As a result of the criticism, the city of Nelson, afraid of alienating U.S. tourists, has distanced itself from the proposal.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Romano said the group plans to go ahead with the statue, but may have to find another place to put it.

"The Our Way Home National Reunion organizing group will be looking broadly for the appropriate setting for the peace monument," said Romano.

"It may or may not be located in Nelson."

Nelson Mayor Dave Elliott, who says the proposed monument is dividing the community, says the city has no official role in deciding whether the group goes ahead with the project or not.