3 former Toronto mayors question Dundas Street renaming in letter to Chow, council

Three former Toronto mayors have asked the city to reconsider its decision to rename Dundas Street, questioning the "practicality" of the move and the research supporting it.

City council voted in 2021 to rename the street a major artery running east to west through the cityafter a petition signed by thousands of people in the summer of 2020 noted the powerful 18th century Scottish politician Henry Dundas acted to delay the abolition of the slave trade.

In a letter circulated to the current mayor and council last week, Art Eggleton, David Crombie and John Sewell call Dundas a "committed abolitionist," a view widely dismissed by historians on the subject.

Dundas, a key minister in the British government, amended a 1792 resolution to endorse gradual rather than immediate abolition of the slave trade. A city report, informed by staff interviews with 20 experts and a review of academic research, concludes his actions contributed to the perpetuation of enslavement.

The report says historians have suggested Dundas' endorsement for gradual abolition was motivated by a fear of radical change, while others have said his position preserved British economic interests and military capabilities in the West Indies.

"Whatever the motivation behind his amendment may have been, the consequences of Dundas' actions are clear,"the report says.

"Whether he is viewed cynically or as a pragmatist, his actions and those of the British government he served contributed to the perpetuation of the enslavement of human beings."

Dundas was 'doing the best he could,' mayors argue

In their letter, the former mayors suggest Dundas was "doing the best he could" under "challenging historical circumstances."

"It appears that Henry Dundas ... was a committed abolitionist who, when facing strong opposition and certain defeat, rather than give up his quest, advocated for interim measures that would ultimately lead to that result," the letter read.

They note before he was a politician, Dundas represented Joseph Knight, whose case affirmed the principle that any enslaved person could claim their freedom in Scotland though historians have cautioned against taking a lawyer's argument in court as representative of personal political beliefs.

The letter concludes by saying, "from a practical perspective," there are "more appropriate ways to spend $8.6 million," the latest estimate the city has provided for the renaming.

Andrew Lochhead, a PhD candidate at Toronto Metropolitan University and the author of the originalpetition to rename Dundas Street, said it's "disappointing" that three former mayorswith such influence would raise their objection two years after council made its decision.

"These folks have significant political capital and ... they're defending the reputation of someone who lived over 200 years ago, who by no stretch of the imagination could ever be described as someone interested in the abolition of slavery," Lochhead said.

Lochhead said raising concerns about the costs sends the wrongmessage to those impacted by Dundas's actions.

"We send a message thatBlack lives, that Indigenous lives, lives impacted by the legacies of people like Henry Dundas and the colonial violence that name represents, [and]those lived experiences are not worth less than one tenth of a percent of the city budget," he said.

A statement from Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's office says she supports council's 2021 decision, made in response to "community wishes."

"We expect updated information including name options and updated cost estimates, to come back for city council consideration," a statement from her office said.

City to release list of possible new names

The city has said it plans to release a short list of possible new names for the street this fall for public feedback. A community advisory committee will then pick the new name and present it to council, along with updated cost estimates, in early 2024.

The city has said a key component of the renaming is a transition plan to support residents and business. Staff, the city has said in a statement, have been directed to develop a cost-recovery program for businesses related to renaming, such as changes to signage and branding.

In addition to changing the name of the street, the renaming will also include removing theDundasname from other public infrastructure, including the TTC's Dundasand Dundas West subway stations and Yonge-Dundas Square, a central location in downtown Toronto. Other civic assets bearing the Dundas name include three parks, one Toronto Public Library branch and more than 730street signs.

Last week, Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy appeared to question the wisdom of the decision to rename the street.

When asked at a news conference if the province would be giving Toronto more money to cover the budget shortfall, Bethlenfalvy said, "we've been there for Toronto, we've put in billions of dollars to support Toronto ... and I would just ask the mayor to look at some things like renaming Dundas Street."

"Is that the priority that she wants to fund? And if they've got money to do that, then that's the will of council. So, that'ssomething I'll leave to the mayor and I'm sure we'll sit down at some point," he said.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of.You can read more stories here.