Two more London public schools to be renamed because of links to historical racism, anti-Semitism

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Two more London public schools to be renamed because of links to historical racism, anti-Semitism

A committee recommends other schools named after people should also be reviewed for links to colonialism

Nov 29, 2022

The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) should immediately rename Sir John A Macdonald and F.D. Roosevelt public schools and review the names of 12 others that have ties to racism or colonialism or have no relevance to community members today, a committee has recommended.

The school name review committee is bringing its recommendations to the board of trustees on Tuesday. It comes after the board changed the name of Ryerson Public School to Old North Public School following consultation with the committee.

"Macdonald's history of racist and discriminatory politics exploits is inconsistent with Thames Valley's values and commitments in relation to human rights and equity," the committee wrote.

"F.D. Roosevelt's historical connection to racism and a controversial approach to Jewish refugees during the Holocaust is inconsistent with Thames Valley's values and commitments to human rights and equity. As an American historical figure, Roosevelt's legacy has limited relevance to the Thames Valley community."

The committee recommends reviewing the following school names because the person the school is named after doesn't have an explicit connection to Canada, their legacy is linked to colonialism or racism, or their life and work may have limited relevance to the community today:

Lord Elgin Public School
Lord Nelson Public School
Lord Roberts French Immersion Public School
Prince Charles Public School
Sir George Etienne Cartier Public School
Lord Dorchester Secondary School
Montcalm Secondary School
Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School
Princess Anne French Immersion Public School
St. George's Public School
McGillivray Central Public School
Victoria Public School

Oppression, discrimination, harm

Many school boards across Canada have undergone similar name reviews after increasing concern in recent years about schools named after historical figures who held racist beliefs. Ryerson University was renamed Toronto Metropolitan University because Egerton Ryerson was one of the architects of the country's residential school system.

Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A Macdonald, oversaw the forcible relocation of Indigenous people and the development of the residential school system.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/londo...tism-1.6666719