The process to rename a Hamilton school bearing the name of a residential school system architect has begun.
Trustees with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) are now accepting suggestions for new names from the community over a five-week period.
“So far, we have engaged Indigenous knowledge keepers to understand how the land has shaped human and natural activity on the school site, and to suggest potential names,” the HWDSB said in a release late Monday.
Submissions are being accepted until March 21 either through emails, an online survey or a group consultation in the weeks ahead.
The decision to alter the elementary facility’s name was made during a board meeting last June in light of Egerton Ryerson’s connections to Canada’s residential school system.
The HWDSB board is also reviewing other schools named after potentially controversial individuals in consultation with Hamilton’s Indigenous communities.
Other institutions named after Ryerson have been under pressure to change their names, including Ryerson University in Toronto.
The latter’s board of governors voted in favour of removing references to Ryerson in August following public consultations and feedback from more than 11,000 community members.
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.