Parents of young Winnipeg boy killed at crosswalk want Varennes Avenue renamed in his honour

The parents of an 8-year-old boy who was killed at a St. Vital crosswalk are hoping to have their child honoured in Winnipeg.

They’re asking for a street to be honourarily re-named after their late son.

Surafiel Musse Tesfamariam was hit by a vehicle last February as he tried to cross St. Anne’s Road and Varennes Avenue using the crosswalk.

Tesfamariam was the third person to be killed at that intersection since 1981. His parents, Adiam and Musse Weldeyohannes, have asked the city to rename Varennes after their son, Surafiel, and call it Surafiel Way.

“Surafiel was an excellent student who excelled in mathematics and was loved by his teachers and his peers,” reads the report.

“As his mother describes him, Surafiel loved living in Winnipeg and was the biggest fan of the Winnipeg Jets.”

That request heads to Riel Community Committee on Monday. City administrators recommend the honourary name change happens for 10 years.

Several streets in Winnipeg have been given honourary names, including Israel Asper Way in front of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.