Indigenous leaders laud renaming of Bishop Grandin Boulevard to Abinojii Mikanah at official ceremony

A busy expressway, atrail and a side street in Winnipeg that for years bore the name of a former residential school proponent haveofficially been given new names thathonour the experiences of children who attended those schools.

The new names for what were previously called Bishop Grandin Boulevard, Bishop Grandin Trail and Grandin Streetwere officially recognized by Winnipeg city council at a ceremony inJules H. Mager Park, just off the trail,on Friday,coincidingwith National Indigenous Peoples Day.

"We're committed to doing what we can to advance reconciliation and honour the truths that have been denied or ignored for too long," saidWinnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham, flanked by councillors Sherri Rollins, Matt Allard, Janice Lukes, Brian Mayes and Vivian Santos.

"[The new names] reflect the rich history and culture of Indigenous peoples and the reclaiming of Indigenous language."

Bishop Grandin Boulevard is now called Abinojii Mikanah, which translates to"the children's way/road" in Anishinaabemowin.

Bishop Grandin Trail received the name Awasisak Mskanw "the children's road" in Ininimowin, or Cree. GrandinStreet, whichruns for a single block from Tach Avenue to St. Joseph Street in the north St. Boniface area, is nowTaapweewin, which means "truth" in Michif.

The man they were previously named after, Bishop Vital-JustinGrandin, pushed the federal government to finance the construction of residential schools in the late 1800s. That system, whichtheTruth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada labelleda "cultural genocide," saw childrenremoved from their families, stripped of their communities and deprived of their Indigenous identities.

Former mayor Brian Bowman pledged to support renaming Winnipeg's Bishop Grandin Boulevard following calls from the community.In June 2021, the city's executive policy committee voted to change the name.

The city solicited feedback from Indigenous people and groups and members of the city'sCommittee of Community Membersto come up with new names honouring Indigenous culture.

The city's Indigenous relations division invited representatives from Indigenous governments and community-based organizations to form an Indigenous knowledge naming circle.

In March of 2023, city council endorsed the renamings and in April this year, council formally approved the changes.

The first Abinojii Mikanahsigns went up last month.

Elders who helped in the naming process, including Betty Ross, Frank Beaulieu and Joan Winning, attended the ceremony on Friday.

Ross, fromPimicikamak First Nation, recalled the "trauma after trauma" of going through four different residential schools growing up.

"They told me, 'You hush up, your language is filthy, you don't matter,'" she said.

Ross said the new names are meant to signify the power and sacredness of first languages and serve as a means of revitalizing Indigenous voices.

Elder Dennis White Bird, a former Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs grand chief, saidthatthespirit name given to him shortly after birth White Thunderbird was changed by an Indian agent. White Bird, the name of his great-grandfather, was recorded in its place, he said.

"The Indian agent said, 'There's no such thing as a white thunderbird, you'll be White Bird,'" he said at the renaming event.

"That's a little history as to what happened in terms of name changes, and the name change I suppose was meant to control the people."

Jennifer Wood, the intergovernmental and community relations liaison with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, is a third-generation residential school survivor.

"We're at a pivotal time in our history," said Wood, fromNeyaashiinigmiing First Nation in Ontario. "Everyone is looking at truth now. It's about naming the main arteries in our cities under the First Nations name, and I think it's going to resonate across Canada."

Andrew Carrier, the Manitoba Mtis Federation's vice-president for the Winnipeg region, said the renaming ceremony was part of reclaiming history.

"The Michif language was born here," he said. "We were in a dark age, but we have emerged and the future is so bright."

Chief Trevor Prince of Sandy Bay OjibwayNation said the impacts of suppressing First Nationsculture and identity live on for families.

"There was a time where our people got punished for speaking the language, and there's people that raise kids not teaching them the language because of the fear of what happened to them in residential school," he said.

"Today, we're renaming one of the biggest streets in Winnipeg, and to me I am very, very proud that it's being renamed to something in our language."

Gillingham said the renaming is "more than a symbolic gesture."

"It is a step, an important step, for our entire community, our city, our province, our nation, toward reconciliation, acknowledging past injustices and honouring the resilience and strength of Indigenous communities," he said.