The City of Saskatoon is asking for input on a name for the new North Commuter Parkway.
The naming of the new bridge will be based on the city’s response to recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call to action to commemorate Aboriginal peoples’ history and contributions to Canada.
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Officials said it can be a name that acknowledges an Aboriginal historical event or figure or a word or concept that embodies the spirit of the community, coming together or connection.
“It’s open to anyone’s suggestion to recognize and honour an individual or any form of Aboriginal commitment to the community,” Ward 1 Coun. Darren Hill told Global News.
“The sky’s pretty much the limit in terms of what people can submit for their suggestions to name that bridge.”
Hill said there has been a downside to the nomination process.
“It’s unfortunate that this has sparked some racist comments on social media,” Hill stated.
Hill said he has had to delete some comments from his council Facebook page “because they were just completely inappropriate.”
He said despite the few deleted comments, most people support the initiative.
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First Nation and Métis elders will be guiding the cultural protocol for the naming project and they, along with residential school survivors, will determine a shortlist of four names.
Community feedback on the four names will then be considered before a final recommendation is made to city council.
The Central Urban Métis Federation Inc. (CUMFI), Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC), Office of the Treaty Commissioner (OTC) and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) are working with the city on the naming project.
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