The Halton District School Board (HDSB) is the latest to announce it is renaming Ryerson Public School.
Trustees unanimously approved a motion Wednesday to rename the elementary school on Woodview Road in Burlington, Ont.
Ryerson Public School was named after Egerton Ryerson, who was instrumental in designing Canada’s residential school system.
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada concluded this assimilation amounted to the genocide of Indigenous People.
“As Trustees, we need to lead by example and have the courage to approach these difficult conversations,” said HDSB Chair Andréa Grebenc. “As years have gone by and truths have been uncovered, we have a responsibility, in collaboration with our staff and communities, to reevaluate past decisions and address accordingly.”
The board says the renaming process will begin in September to allow parents, guardians, students and community members to provide their input.
The process is expected to be completed by the end of November.
“The perspectives of the diverse communities of Halton must be valued and honoured. Indigenous students, staff and the broader community should be able to enter a school without being harmed by the HDSB upholding the name of a person that has contributed to genocide.”
Earlier this month, the Hamilton Public School Board voted unanimously to rename Ryerson Elementary School on Robinson Street in the wake of the discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.
A statue of Ryerson was also brought down by protestors in Toronto, and the namesake university is not going to bring it back.
Ryerson University is also investigating changing its name with a report due back in September.
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