Regina city council votes against renaming Dewdney Avenue

Regina city council has rejected an effort to rename a street that bears the moniker of a man who helped institute Canada's reserve system and establishIndian residential schools.

Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens and Ward 6 Coun. Dan LeBlancbrought a motion calling for a renaming of Dewdney Avenueto Regina city council, which opens every meeting with a land acknowledgement honouring the Indigenous people of Treaty 4 territory.

LeBlanc said it was "improper"in the 21st century to have a major street named after Lord Edgar Dewdney, who he described as a "settler-colonialist racist" in an interview in May.

On Wednesday, LeBlanc urged council to support the change in the spirit of truth and reconciliation.

Only threecouncillors votedin favour of the motion, while seven voted against.

Only Ward 9 Coun. Jason Mancinelli explained his opposition during the council meeting.

Mancinelli said he would have no problem supporting the change if it was a one-kilometre-long street or a simple bay, but that the size of Dewdney Avenue gavehim pause.

"It's the actual physical characteristics and the outcomes, and the number of addresses and the number of people put toa type of displacement in their everyday life that is going to cause me not to support [this]," said Mancinelli.

Regina rejects renaming street honouring man behind residential schools

9 days ago

Duration 3:11

Regina city council has said no to renaming an avenue that bears the name of Edgar Dewdney, who helped institute Canada's reserve system and establish residential schools. Community organizers have been advocating to change the name for years.

City manager Niki Anderson said administration's research pointed to little or no cost for residents.

Canada Post had informed the city that there would be no cost as a result of any change to the street's name. Saskatchewan Government Insurancesaid any requirement to update an address on an individual's licence would also come at no cost.

Anderson said businesses wouldhave to paya $100 fee for reissuing the title of their business.

Thecost for the city, such as replacing each street sign, would be negligible, she said.

"What we have learned so far is the financial cost wouldn't be the hurdle to stop it going ahead," said Anderson.

Earlier in the day, residentsin favour of the proposed change, as well as a potential move to revisit a homeless shelter,gathered in front of Regina city hall.

One woman handed out stickers with a buffalo and the text "Tatanga Ave" on it,a reference to a proposed name to replaceDewdney Avenue. Tatanga is the Nakota/Lakota word for buffalo.

Kale MacLellan, a community organizer, described renaming Dewdney Avenue as"very low-hanging fruit" for the city to show its efforts in reconciliation.

"We're standing across the street from what used to be the Court of Queen's Bench. It's now the Court of King's Bench. So this idea of a name change of something significant isn't that unfathomable. It's doable and it's easy," she said.

The city has even previously stripped the Dewdney name off civic assets.

In 2021 a pool and parkwererenamed Buffalo Meadows, afterJoely BigEagle-Kequahtoowayhelpedorganizeand submita petition requesting that the city remove the Dewdney name fromits property.

City council has also endorsedan Indigenous framework, adocument meantto be a concrete commitment to reconciliation by the city's government.

Dewdneyserved as commissioner of Indian Affairs and lieutenant governor of the North-West Territories,much of which is now part of the Prairie provinces, in the late 19th century.

He selected Regina as the capital before Saskatchewan became a province.

Dewdney alsowithheld food and rations from Indigenous communities, which resulted in starvation.