Policy with guidance to renaming places, buildings in Edmonton given initial approval
Edmonton’s Urban Planning Committee has given initial approval to a revised policy on naming buildings and places in the city, which includes rules around renaming them.
Recently, neighbourhoods and schools bearing names such as Grandin, Oliver and Knott have begun a process to adopt a new name. This follows the discovery of unmarked graves at former residential schools around the country and the darker side of the legacy those names represent.
Bishop Vital Grandin, for example, had a role in forming Canada’s residential school system.
“It’s not to condemn our ancestors for that, but it’s really to engage critically with it so we don’t repeat the past as well,” said Hunter Cardinal, a volunteer with the Uncover Oliver Initiative.
“It starts a conversation about what we care about the most and it also provides a moment to pause, reflect and see the diversity of peoples that we care about, that make up the communities.”
Cardinal, an Indigenous former Oliver resident, has been advocating for a change to the Oliver neighbourhood for years. Frank Oliver was a federal minister in the early 1900s who introduced restrictive immigration policies that targeted Black immigrants.
“At the time, Frank Oliver was celebrated as being a very tenacious businessman, he was the founder of the Edmonton Bulletin, which was huge in terms of having an English newspaper in western Canada,” said Cardinal.
“Unfortunately when we look at a lot of the policies he implemented… around when it is OK to displace Indigenous peoples that are living in proximity to a city, that’s when we start to see some pretty tragic impacts.”
The new policy around naming roads, areas and buildings highlights the importance of considering the Indigenous history of areas and the diverse, cultural makeup of communities.
“People need to know they can send that to the naming committee and they can look at it, and it’s not just dismissed,” said Coun. Bev Esslinger. “Other people don’t want the names changing, but they need to know that there’s a process that they too can speak to it.”
“We have to take everyone seriously and understand the rationale.”
The policy will not impact the ongoing discussions around the renaming of schools like Grandin and Oliver; that process is being handled by the school boards.
“This is not just a win for indigenous peoples and peoples who have been historically and are continuing to be marginalized, but this is really a win for all communities who call this place their home,” said Cardinal.
“This is about rediscovering who we are… we need a name that we can rally behind today, we need a name that reflects who we are and who we can be and that unification is so needed right now.”
Cardinal added that this is the “first step” of an ongoing journey around names and the impact they have on communities.
“That is the question and conversation that we need to be having… why are we naming things after people?” said Cardinal. “It may be a bit of a troubling conversation to have, in that we’re starting to reexamine those values that we perhaps may not have examined before.”
The policy change will go to city council for a full approval next week.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.