Name of Kingston’s third river crossing could reflect Indigenous history

Thursday morning Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson announced on Global News Morning that a recommendation is going to city council to name the third bridge crossing now under construction to reflect the area’s Indigenous history.

When complete the $180-million structure will not only provide better access to and from downtown across the Cataraqui River, but it could also create a connection to the region’s Indigenous heritage, according to the mayor.

“We’re going to have a recommendation that when we come to name the third crossing that it’s going to have an Indigenous historical component to it. And we’re obviously going to want to do the right work on that but I think that will be a really good signal to the community as well.”

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The move is one of the recommendations identified as part of the “Your Stories, Our Histories” public engagement as the city tries to balance the historical narrative between the now-dominant settler culture and the people who first called this area home.

Guy Freedman is the president and senior partner of “First Peoples Group,” an Indigenous advisory firm out of Ottawa.

“Anytime that you can make someone to feel welcome and to feel at home, I think that’s a great thing. And what greater idea than to have Indigenous people from the area — whether it be Tyendinaga or Alderville — hear a word that speaks to them and means something to them and welcomes them into the Kingston-area family.”

And while it’s too early to know how the bridge’s name will be decided upon, one thing Freedman points out is that it doesn’t necessarily have to be named after a person.

“Well, it’s up to the community — the community is always right. And I think that the community of Kingston and the Islands with the neighbouring Indigenous communities a broad consultation will lead to that discussion and there will be some great ideas coming forward.”

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Mayor Paterson hopes “moving forward” will help bridge a gap that has been growing since before confederation between a less inclusive history and the heritage that was here first.