Burlington asks residents to help rename park named after architect of residential school system

The City of Burlington, Ont., is set to rename a park in the city’s north end that bears the handle of an architect of the residential school system.

Residents are being asked to help with a new name for Ryerson Park on Woodview Road at Rexway Drive – labelled after Egerton Ryerson.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward says the change is motivated by “growing calls” within the community, including from Indigenous residents, to remove Ryerson’s name from public spaces.

“Indigenous community members need to enjoy these spaces without a reminder of one of the architects of the residential school system and the legacy of harm it created for their people,” Meed Ward said in a release.

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“Renaming our city park is one step we can take toward reconciliation with local Indigenous residents.”

Residents can suggest a new name on the city’s website and it’s required to reflect “equity, diversity and inclusion,” according to a post from city staff.

Suggestions will be submitted to a committee that will report back in November on a potential new name.

The move comes just months after the statue of Egerton Ryerson was pulled down by demonstrators at the university bearing his name in Toronto.

The head of the statue later turned up at 1492 Land Back Lane in Caledonia.

The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line (1-866-925-4419) is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their residential school experience.