Toronto City Council voted 17-7 in favour of renaming Dundas Street, as well as other public amenities bearing the same name, on Wednesday.
Following public consultation, a new name will be chosen in April 2022. The change will include well-known city landmarks like Yonge-Dundas Square and Dundas subway station.
Last month, city of Toronto released a report recommending that Dundas Street be renamed due to its namesake’s ties to slavery.
The street is named after Scottish politician Henry Dundas, First Viscount Melville, who actively attempted to obstruct the abolition of slavery in the British Empire from 1791 to the end of his political career. He had virtually no connection to Toronto.
In June Mayor John Tory released a statement on the issue, mentioning that both he and the City Manager have agreed to start working on the process of renaming the street.
“An objective reading of the history, the significance of this street which crosses our city, the fact Mr. Dundas had virtually no connection to Toronto and most importantly, our strong commitment to equity, inclusion and reconciliation make this a unique and symbolically important change,” Tory said.
“This is a moment in time when it is important to make a statement to the entire community about including those who have been marginalized and recognizing the significant effect past history can have on present day lives.”
The renaming of Dundas will inevitably be an elongated and expensive process, since more than 730 street signs, two subway stations, three parks, a public library, 625 Bike Share stations and Green P lots, a police division, highway signage, and more will need to be relabeled as well. Costs are estimated to be around $5.1 and $6.3 million.
Last year, a petition was launched calling for the street’s name to be changed amid anti-racism protests in Toronto and globally. “We also believe that this process should be transparent and undertaken in partnership particularly with Black-lead organizations and historical societies, Indigenous groups and other community representatives that accurately reflect the rich cultural diversity of the city of Toronto, in order to create a long list of potential candidates,” stated the petition.
