TVDSB begins process to rename 12 more schools
The Thames Valley District School Board has begun a lengthy and potentially costly process to rename a dozen more schools.
That’s in addition to one school that has already been renamed, and two more in which the renaming process has already begun.
The 12 schools up for possible name changes are those that are named after individuals a board committee suggests have ties to colonialism and racism, and no longer fit the board’s current standards of human rights and diversity.
“So last night the trustees passed a motion to seek community input about whether to rename 12 schools that were identified from the school renaming committee in a report that came to the board,” said board superintendent Lynne Griffith-Jones.
According to school board administration, a public consultation process on whether to rename the 12 schools will cost $47,346.50.
Griffith-Jones said online opportunities and in-person engagements will begin in the fall of 2023 and run until spring of 2025.
“We could hear a variety of things. We could hear communities saying that they are happy with the names and they like it the way it is. Or we could hear our communities indicate that they’d like us to follow through with the renaming process,” she said.
Earlier this year, Ryerson was renamed Old North Public School. Just last month the board voted to get the ball rolling on renaming Sir John A. MacDonald and FD Roosevelt public schools.
Old North Parent Dan Cameron believes considering new names is a worthy exercise. “I think our Indigenous neighbours tell us that they’ve been affected by this,” said Cameron. “So it’s important that we listen to our different communities of Canada because people are hurt by names we have then we need to reconsider.”
The costs involved in the Ryerson renaming totalled $40,000.
The board said renaming each of the other 14 schools would be about the same, should name changes go ahead.
If all the names were changed, the total cost, including public consultation, is estimated at $647,346.50, based on current figures.
The 12 schools involved in the community input process include:
- Lord Elgin Public School
- Lord Nelson Public School
- Lord Roberts French Immersion Public School
- Prince Charles Public School
- Princess Anne French Immersion Public School
- St. George's Public School
- McGillivray Central Public School
- Victoria Public School
- Sir George Etienne Cartier Public School
- Lord Dorchester Secondary School
- Montcalm Secondary School
- Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trump rally shooting latest: Shooter was a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania, officials say
The shooting at former U.S. president Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania is being investigated as an attempted assassination of the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, law enforcement officials say.
'Horrific act': Shooting at Trump rally condemned by Trudeau, Poilievre
Canada's prime minister and other leaders condemned political violence following a shooting at a Republican rally Saturday, during what appears to have been an assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump.
Long list of U.S. presidents have been shot or shot at
Multiple presidents and presidential candidates in U.S. history have been shot or shot at.
Biden says he's grateful Trump is safe after rally shooting, denounces political violence
U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement Saturday he is grateful former President Donald Trump is safe after a shooting at his rally in Pennsylvania.
Eyewitnesses describe scene at Trump rally shooting: 'It's pure insanity'
Eyewitnesses described an awful scene following a shooting at former U.S. president Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Penn., in which one person was killed and two others injured in what’s being investigated as a possible assassination attempt.
Canada loses on penalties to Uruguay in Copa America 2024 third-place match
Luis Suárez tied the score two minutes into second-half stoppage time, and Uruguay beat Canada 4-3 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw on Saturday night to finish third in the Copa America.
Obituary Richard Simmons, fitness personality and TV host, dead at 76, per reports
Richard Simmons, the perennial 1980s workout personality who was defined by his uplifting spirit, died in his Los Angeles home, according to multiple reports. He was 76.
Former B.C. Realtor has licence cancelled, $130K in penalties for role in mortgage fraud
The provincial regulator responsible for policing B.C.'s real estate industry has ordered a former Realtor to pay $130,000 and cancelled her licence after determining that she committed a variety of professional misconduct.
Should you wait to buy or sell your home?
The Bank of Canada is expected to announce its key interest rate decision in less than two weeks. Last month, the bank lowered its key interest rate to 4.7 per cent, marking its first rate cut since March 2020.