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Yonge-Dundas Square and Dundas Station will soon be wiped off the map — at least in name.
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Toronto city council approved a motion to rename Yonge-Dundas Square and also asked that the TTC enter a deal with Toronto Metropolitan University — formerly Ryerson — to rename Dundas Station as “TMU Station.”
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The same motion asked that a new name be chosen for Yonge-Dundas Square by the end of the second quarter next year, CP24 reported.
Moise said a committee selected “Sankofa Square” this week after narrowing its choices to four names over the past few months. Sankofa originates in Ghana and refers to “the act of reflecting on and reclaiming teachings from the past which enables us to move forward together.”
In a statement, Chow said, “Adopting the name Sankofa Square recognizes the need to reflect on and reclaim teachings from the past, and enables us to move forward together.”
She added: “The City of Toronto remains committed to confronting anti-Black racism, advancing truth, reconciliation and justice, and building a more inclusive and equitable city. The City of Toronto is committed to acknowledging the impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery, while focusing on mitigating costs and impacts on residents and businesses.”
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Also included in the motion was a directive that the Toronto Public Library Board rename the Jane-Dundas library branch in 2024 and that the TTC rename Dundas West Station by 2025.
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The motion would direct the city manager to pause work on the previous process to rename all of Dundas St. until city council provides further direction on the issue.
None of the changes will come cheap and the issue has been controversial from the start.
The most recent estimate pegged the cost at as much as $12.7 million.
Proponents of the name change say that Dundas, a Scottish politician who held enormous sway in the British parliament in the late 1700s and early 1800s, delayed the abolition of slavery because he amended a bill to make the abolition gradual rather than immediate.
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