August 28, 2025, 1:35pm
Toronto’s newly rechristened “Sankofa Square” officially launched with a day of programming that included speeches and cultural performances. While billed as a day of “decolonization” by firm d.PE (who won the lucrative six-figure contract to rebrand the square), the renaming was overshadowed by deep controversy. As the Globe & Mail described it, the event was ultimately “a party to celebrate a mistake.”
The decision to rename Toronto’s central square was made during the COVID pandemic, through a process that has since proven to be opaque and exclusionary. IntegrityTO’s review highlights several troubling findings:
- A deliberate circumvention of public consultation, ordered by Mayor Olivia Chow
- A 20-member naming committee selected primarily on identity markers, including members who did not reside in Toronto
- More than two years and $250,000 spent on meetings and external consultants
- A biased academic adjudication of Henry Dundas’ legacy
- City Council accepting an unscrutinized 14,000-name petition organized by the partisan group LeadNow
- A fiscal impact of $2.54 million, diverted from Section 37 community benefit funds
- Widespread alienation of Torontonians, who see civic pride and services eroding in the face of ideological renamings
Notably, the two politicians most responsible for this renaming, Mayor Olivia Chow and Councillor Chris Moise, failed to appear in person at the launch, opting instead to send pre-recorded messages.
IntegrityTO was on the ground during the opening, soliciting feedback from attendees and passersby. The overwhelming consensus: the renaming was costly, unnecessary, and a missed opportunity to celebrate Canadian heroes such as Gordon Lightfoot, Oscar Peterson, and Frederick Banting – who’s discovery of insulin saved over 300 million lives.
The unilateral renaming of Toronto’s landmark central square without any public consultation will remain a political liability for the mayor and the 19 councillors who voted in favour. Already, our coverage has garnered over 1.2 million views across social media in the past 48 hours. The vast majority of online commentators have rejected this renaming as tone-deaf, disrespectful, and ripe for correction when a new city council takes shape next fall.
