City renaming committee needs return its focus to Indigenous place names, Winnipeg councillor says
A committee created to increase the use of Indigenous place names needs to get back to its original purpose, according to one Winnipeg councillor.
Last month, Mayor Scott Gillingham called for a review of the Welcoming Winnipeg policy.
But Coun. Sherri Rollins says the mayor's original plan didn't address a key concern — the saddling of the Welcoming Winnipeg committee with non-Indigenous renaming requests.
"When you make equal, Indigenous and non indigenous perspectives and you say you're going to amend the Welcoming Winnipeg policy ... that is an erosion of the purpose," Rollins said in an interview.
"Welcoming Winnipeg is very much about resolving the absence of Indigenous perspectives, experiences and contributions. That is the purpose of Welcoming Winnipeg."
On Thursday, city council approved a motion to overhaul the Welcoming Winnipeg policy, after a report commissioned by the mayor's office found committee members and city staff were frustrated and confused about whether the work of the committee aligned with its core purpose.
Rollins brought forward a motion to amend the motion calling for the review, to have city staff look look for ways of speeding up the renaming process "either inside or outside the Welcoming Winnipeg process."
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Gillingham told reporters he wants a clearer policy for the Welcoming Winnipeg committee.
He says the group has been overwhelmed with requests, many of which are non-Indigenous.
"I believe there's a way to remove the competition and allow for the both with the recognition that some groups, when it comes to naming, are … overrepresented at this point," he said.
"We've got to find a way to acknowledge that, but find a path for both."
Mary LeMaitre, a committee member who spoke as a delegation to council on Thursday, said she thinks the mayor wants to be inclusive.
"He wants to make Indigenous history, culture, and language visible and part of our community, which it should be," she said.
Erin Millions, another committee member who appeared alongside LeMaitre, said some of the committee's recommendations were not included in the report Gillingham commissioned. The new motion approved by council on Thursday calls for a response document from the Welcoming Winnipeg committee to be included with the policy review.
City staff will prepare a report looking at ways of speeding up the work, by finding a separate process for non-Indigenous renaming applications.
They will also look at what funding the Welcoming Winnipeg committee needs.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
11 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Sir John A. Macdonald statue back in view at Queen's Park after five years boarded up
TORONTO - The Sir John A. Macdonald statue outside the Ontario legislature is back in full view after spending the past five years in a box. The statue of Canada's first prime minister has been under hoarding since 2020, when it was vandalized with pink paint. The monument was one of many that were targeted across the country amid anti-racism protests and as Canadians grappled with the history of residential schools. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Macdonald is considered an architect of the country's notorious residential school system, which took Indigenous children from their families in an effort to assimilate them. Progressive Conservative and Liberal members of a non-partisan board of the legislative assembly agreed earlier this month on a motion to remove the hoarding after the statue is cleaned. Speaker Donna Skelly says she recognizes the sensitivities surrounding Macdonald and welcomes Ontarians to come and share their views peacefully. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
Ottawa Citizen
an hour ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Adam: Protests are supposed to make us uncomfortable. We don't need more rules restricting them
As city staff proceed with plans to draft an anti-protest bylaw — euphemistically called a 'vulnerable infrastructure bylaw' — then report back to council, it is important to examine how, lately, the City of Ottawa has been finding different ways to row back bedrock democratic principles of public engagement, free speech and the right to protest that are guaranteed to all citizens. Article content Article content The gradual, but steady erosion of basic rights under the guise of security or good governance should trouble all residents. Article content Article content Remember the Ottawa Police Services Board, which includes three city councillors? In violation of citizens' right to free speech, the board has given itself the power to censure what residents say. Those who wish to speak before the board, must first submit their remarks in writing ahead of time — all in the name of good governance, we are told. The policy is designed to silence critics and if the board doesn't like what's on your mind, you won't be heard. Article content Then you have the new security measures that turn city hall, the seat of local government, into something of a prohibited zone where visitors have to go through airport-like security checks, including metal detectors. Article content Ban protests while upholding them? Article content But the biggest anti-democratic hurdle council wants to impose on the city is the 'vulnerable social infrastructure bylaw,' or if you like, the bubble bylaw. The idea is to ban protests within 80 metres of 'social infrastructure' such as schools, places of worship, hospitals and long-term care facilities, because some people find them rather uncomfortable. City staff have nine months to craft this seemingly oxymoronic bylaw that, in the same breath, bans protests and upholds the right to protest. Article content Article content What is lost on our city council is that protests are indeed supposed to make people uncomfortable. If a society is comfortable in what it does, what policies governments adopt, what values underpin laws no matter how bad, nothing changes. Injustice, discrimination and marginalization become entrenched because the majority does not feel the agony of those on the margins. But when society is forced to look at itself, engage in self-reflection and be forced out of its comfort zone, that's when change occurs. Article content Article content The fight for civil rights everywhere was uncomfortable for many, who saw it as an affront. So was the fight for self-determination by countries around the world. Think of gay rights, Indigenous rights, and many others which could never have been won without unrelenting, uncomfortable and sometimes contentious protest. When labour unions go on protest, sometimes blocking streets or forcing road closures and delaying traffic, it is destructive to people's lives, but we live with it because we see the higher purpose. When people are denied their rights, whatever they may be, their only option is the fundamental right to protest. And it doesn't matter if others find it uncomfortable.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
In the news today: World leaders, former PMs and protestors expected ahead of G7
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed… Groups planning protests for G7 summit in Alberta Protests during the upcoming G7 leaders summit in Kananaskis, Alta., may be starkly different than demonstrations happening this week against immigration crackdowns in the United States. A University of Toronto research group that has been monitoring the meetings of world leaders since 1998 says its analysis shows Canadian protests are more peaceful and smaller. But similar to the recent demonstrations in Los Angeles, they're likely to be against the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. 'The Los Angeles protests will add another (issue) the protesters going there already care about, but it won't do anything much more than that,' said John Kirton, director of the G7 Research Group. Former PMs speaking at conference ahead of G7 Two former Canadian prime ministers and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith are among the notable names set to speak at a conference today ahead of next week's G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis. The conference is hosted by the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy and its G7 research group and will feature a series of panels about past summits and international affairs. Former prime minister Jean Chrétien will speak about past summits hosted in Canada alongside his former deputy prime minister and finance minister John Manley. Former prime minister Joe Clark is to give the closing keynote speech and offer his thoughts on the day's discussions. Smith faces raucous town hall on coal policy Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and three of her ministers got an earful on Wednesday night from southern Alberta locals at a rowdy, hours-long town hall to discuss the province's coal policy. About 500 people, dressed in cowboy hats, belt buckles, and jeans, packed a community hall in Fort Macleod, Alta., for an event marked by heckling, competing applause and placards. 'If we are not prepared to look and find middle-ground solutions to allow for industries to proceed while reducing our environmental footprint, you're going to find that different industries become the next on the hit list,' Smith said through a chorus of protesting voices and verbal jabs. 'Banning industries is just not something we are going to do.' $30B in new investments needed for mineral demand A newly released report estimates Canada will need at least $30 billion in new capital investments by 2040 if it wants to meet domestic demand for the critical minerals key to a green economy transition. But the Canadian Climate Institute's report says cutting back on environmental safeguards and Indigenous consultation to speed up those projects is likely to backfire. The report released Thursday says those cutbacks can lead to delays later on, due to community opposition or litigation. The think tank's latest report comes as the federal government, along with Ontario and British Columbia, face major pushback from First Nations and environmental groups to legislation intended to speed up mining project approvals. N.L. hydrogen companies behind in land bills Newfoundland and Labrador is owed millions of dollars in fees from green energy companies, underlining growing doubts about whether promises of major projects and multi-billion dollar investments will pan out. Six companies are vying to create new operations in the province that would use wind energy to produce hydrogen for exports overseas. Figures obtained by The Canadian Press reveal some owe a collective total of $13.7 million in fees due in 2024 for the use of Crown land. Russell Williams, an associate political science professor at Memorial University in St. John's, N.L., said he's not surprised the companies have land fees outstanding. 'I think it highlights the extent to which the public should be skeptical about megaprojects, and about governments getting very carried away, very early, with the idea that there are huge benefits from these kinds of natural resource developments,' Williams said in a recent interview. However, the province insists the money will be collected. Kendrick Lamar to perform in Toronto tonight Kendrick Lamar is set to perform in Toronto tonight in his first swing through Drake's hometown since the pair started feuding last year. The American rapper stops in the city for two nights on his Grand National Tour with SZA, and some Drake fans say they plan to congregate outside the Rogers Centre. An Instagram post shared across social media promises a so-called 'OVO Takeover' near the venue, referring to Drake's brand, October's Very Own. The post says Drake fans want to 'show Kendrick whose city this is,' but that there will be 'no hate, no drama — just pure Toronto energy.' A spokesperson for Drake did not respond to a request for comment. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025
