An online petition has been launched to condemn a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) decision to rename three schools associated with controversial historical figures.
Ryerson Community School, Dundas Junior Public School and Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute are searching for new names after an 11-7 vote by school board trustees.
The online petition, started by Integrity TO, demands that the TDSB immediately stop the renaming of the schools. It is currently aiming for 1,500 signatures.
The petition claims the renamings will cost taxpayers $180,000 and that the decision was finalized "in an ideological vacuum, driven by far-left school trustees."
It further mentions that if TDSB "refuses to reverse course," the minister of education, Jill Dunlop, will be called upon. It also threatens to demand a provincial investigation into "how these renamings were authorized, identify any corruption in the process, make the findings public, and levy appropriate sanctions on TDSB trustees."
Name changes to TDSB schools and other institutions named after historical figures have happened in recent years, in acknowledgement of their oppression of minority groups.
For example, Egerton Ryerson, who helped lay the groundwork for Ontario's current school system, also influenced the development of residential schools for Indigenous children.
The founding father of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald has been condemned by critics for his treatment of Indigenous communities, the implementation of the Chinese head tax and prohibiting people of Chinese heritage from voting.
In the case of Henry Dundas, the Scottish politician delayed the abolition of the slave trade, according to the City of Toronto, which recently changed the name of Yonge-Dundas Square to Sankofa Square.
TorontoToday reached out to TDSB for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication.
