The local leaders tasked with running Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square have resigned over how local councillors handled the recent plan to rename the downtown hub.
Both the chair and vice-chair of the Yonge-Dundas Square Board of Management have submitted their resignations, the board’s general manager said.
While both were “fully supportive” of the general move to rename the square, a spokesperson for the board said they had concerns over how the naming was handled.
During a marathon final sitting of the year, council opted to rename Yonge-Dundas Square, Jane/Dundas Library and two subway stations. As part of that decision, councillors opted to rename the downtown space Sankofa Square.
The name refers to a Ghanaian concept of reflecting on and reclaiming the past and was recommended by a naming advisory committee, the city said.
The process, however, members of the Yonge-Dundas Board of Management said was a problem.
The board said the chair and vice chair had “concerns around governance along with lack of public and board consultation by the City.”
The City of Toronto confirmed the resignation but refused to disclose the letter, citing privacy concerns.