We demand Dundas Street, TTC Stations and Yonge & Dundas Square retain the name Dundas unless the city can afford a robust public vote about the necessity of a new name. And if that vote concludes that a new name is necessary then a vote on the new name should follow.
The future planned renaming of Dundas Street and the present renaming of Dundas TTC stations, and Yonge & Dundas Square by Toronto City Council is a matter of great concern for residents. Toronto is an old and beautiful city. Like all major cities in the world, its history is complex and rich, full of drama, tragedy and triumph. Street names are not just points on a map, but are integral parts of our city’s history and identity. They tell the stories of bygone eras and the many different people who shaped them. Street names elicit inquiry and curiosity, inviting residents and visitors into the past to learn and contemplate the present. Removing Dundas would mean erasing a part of our collective memory. Making the decision to do so should be done with tremendous care and public consultation.
Not only that – but the claims made by activists and council members regarding Henry Dundas’ position on the slave trade in particular are in dispute. In fact – other jurisdictions with Dundas Streets have declined to make a change in light of this. There is compelling evidence that Henry Dundas was an abolitionist. History is replete with complicated people whose moral failings often balanced out their virtues but we find it Orwellian that government officials would choose historical erasure over embracing human complexity. Regardless of his approach to abolition, his personal character or today’s moral conventions it is asinine to make such significant changes based only on the demands of activists.
Let us be clear: nothing in this petition is a defence of Henry Dundas. His legacy is for academics – not bureaucrats or activists – to debate. This isn’t about a man. This petition is a defence of preserving the complicated nature of history as it intersects with the identity of our city. No human being – even our greatest heroes – passed through this life without blemish. This petition is a call to be vigilant against activism at City Hall that seeks to upend and spend rather than treat citizens as mature, thoughtful adults who can handle the complexities and ambiguities of history.
The new name, “Sankofa” is a Ghanaian word originating with the Akan people. It has no historical or cultural significance to Toronto. It is, rather, an attempt to purposefully alienate every Torontonian’s connection to our city’s roots and to remake Toronto in an image manufactured by activists. It is a direct attack on the history of one of the most iconic areas of our city. It is utterly wrongheaded.
If we are severing our past to re-make the present, it’s important to note that the Akan peoples were themselves avid slave traders. When slavery declined in the West due to abolition in the 19th century, it actually increased among the Akan. This isn’t to suggest the word itself is tied to slavery but it does demonstrate history is murky when we selectively indict the past to push agendas in the present.
The cost to taxpayers for renaming all things “Dundas” is estimated to be a whopping 13 MILLION DOLLARS at a time when the city has a financial crisis. The decision to allocate resources to fix an issue that didn’t exist in order to fashion a vision for the city that the citizenry wasn’t consulted about is negligent and misguided. Toronto has a population of 2.1 million (6 million in the GTA). None of us were consulted about the new name, nor were we invited to vote on it. Overturning the name of a major public space at the behest of activists is no way to run a city that has any respect for public unity and diverse points of view.
Most of all: Dundas Street and Yonge & Dundas sq. have been synonymous with wonderful, memorable events, concerts, businesses and city milestones. The name Dundas itself has evolved away from its namesake to mean something completely new: a street where Torontonians live, work and enjoy city life. We don’t believe that it’s right to simply erase a name that is intimately tied to personal stories, experiences and memories of the people of Toronto. We are deeply concerned about the encroachment of ideology into public spaces and the erasure of Canadian heritage. Let’s preserve our city’s history and identity by keeping the names as they are. The tough conversations and reflections that these names evoke should be embraced as an artifact of civic duty.
We encourage people to learn about history, not to obfuscate it. We demand our politicians be more responsible with tax payer money. Please sign this petition to voice your opposition to the proposed change and tell us your fondest memories of Dundas locations in the comments! The original petition to change the name had 14,000 signatures – let’s blow that out of the water.