725 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Toronto city council voted Thursday to rename Yonge-Dundas Square to Sankofa Square, and recommended a host of other landmarks be stripped of the Dundas name over connections to the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

 

The move comes over three years after council first received a petition raising concerns about the name at height of the Black Lives Matter protests catalyzed by the police killing of George Floyd in the U.S.

 

In a late council session Thursday night, councillors voted 19-2 to rename Yonge-Dundas Square. Coun. Jaye Robinson, who represents Ward 15, and Coun. Stephen Holyday, who represents Ward 2, voted against the move. 

 

Dundas Street and other similarly named landmarks are named after Henry Dundas, a Scottish politician active from the 1770s to the early 1800s, when the British parliament was debating slavery abolition motions.

 

Dundas introduced a motion to stall abolition, however there has been some debate about his intentions. While he has been criticized as attempting to prolong slavery, one descendent of Dundas, Bobby Dundas has argued against he was trying to be strategic with his "gradual abolition" motion.

 

 

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...ronto-1.7060097

 

 

 

On Thursday morning, Coun. Chris Moise tabled a motion recommending city council the square's name be changed to Sankofa Square by the second quarter of 2024.

 

"The concept of Sankofa, originating in Ghana, refers to the act of reflecting on and reclaiming teachings from the past which enables us to move forward together," the motion said.

 

The new name was decided upon unanimously by a renaming advisory committee that includes external experts, the it added.

 

Dundas Street won't be renamed for now

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 December 2023 - 03:33 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

 

[Nparker]

How does excluding the good things John A. MacDonald did for Canada create a culture of diversity, inclusion and respect?

[Tony]

Long standing history.

 

“The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones.”

― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

[dasmo]

John A Macdonald was working for the Monarchy. He was appointed Prime Minister of the Dominion of Canada by the new Governor General, and was knighted the same day. Governor General is the Queen's representative. 

[dasmo]

Last I checked we are still a "Constitutional" Monarchy with the King as our head of state. When do we cancel them? This even offends me as they are now re-colonizing us.