St. Albert to rename Grandin neighbourhood The Gardens as citizens decry, defend change

The City of St. Albert has not yet decided whether or not to rename the Grandin neighbourhood, currently named for a man with residential school connections.

The Gardens will be the new name of a St. Albert neighbourhood after the city’s council voted to change it on Tuesday evening from that of a controversial historical figure.

St. Albert city hall was packed Tuesday with citizens weighing in on the city’s desire to rename one its oldest neighbourhoods.

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City council approved a name change for its Grandin neighbourhood and other municipal assets named after Bishop Vital Grandin, a man who historians consider to be one of the architects of the residential school system in Alberta.

The city will change the name of the neighbourhood to The Gardens in September.

In 2021, Grandin’s order, The Oblates of Mary Immaculate, apologized for the “enduring harm caused by colonization and the part our religious order played in it through the residential school system.”

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That same year, the City of Edmonton removed Grandin from the name of the Government Centre LRT station. A mural of Grandin inside the station was also removed, and both Edmonton Catholic Schools and the St. Albert Roman Catholic Separate School Division voted to rename schools bearing the name.

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A memo from March 7 shows St. Albert received a request for the name change in July 2024, which complied with the city’s naming policy to remove a name where it refers to a historical person known for discriminatory actions, including committing or perpetuating acts of racism or harm.

A public survey ran in February and council voted against holding a plebiscite earlier this month.

In a report based on the online survey, residents in support of the name change cited motivations like reconciliation, inclusivity and a desire to reflect current values; respondents against the change cited reasons including personal and historical ties, as well as the costs and complexity of the change.

On Tuesday, there were multiple rounds of public speakers who shared sometimes strong feelings on the decision, with at least one derogatory slur used, and several speakers threatening lawsuits and calling for a plebiscite.

One man opposed to the name change accused St. Albert council of prioritizing the “small group of activists” that submitted the name change application, which had 50 signatures.

“This trend of cancel-culture governance threatens our community’s identity and aims to erase our shared history,” he said. “While some activists claim the Grandin name dishonors them due to cultural genocide, I must ask, does changing the name really accomplish their goal by erasing our history?

“Are you not doing exactly what they claim was done to them?”

Another dissenter pointed out that history is full of “imperfect people,” saying Grandin’s legacy is not all bad.

“Yes, Bishop Grandin is recorded as saying things that are offensive and totally unacceptable today. Yes, the consequences of some of his words brought about horrible injustices to many children and their families – yet the whole truth is that he also advocated for bringing education and health care to this community,” she said.

Others who attended told St. Albert council to stop delaying and change the name to protect marginalized communities and commit to reconciliation, including a man from Edmonton’s Wîhkwêntôwin neighbourhood, formerly known as Oliver.

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“This is the result of a successful renaming process to address the legacy of Frank Oliver, a journalist and politician who held positions that negatively impacted the lives of Indigenous peoples and immigrants,” the man said.

“An outcome of this renaming process was not a rewrite of history, but rather a deeper uncovering of who Frank Oliver was.”

A woman in support of the change pointed out that renaming the area would not remove learning opportunities, arguing it could actually expand them.

“We are learning more, listening, thinking and reflecting on the truth of Canada’s treatment of Indigenous peoples. We are listening to Indigenous voices and finding ways to build trust and move forward in the spirit of reconciliation,” she said. “St. Albert knows better now we are learning, we are listening and we are responding.”

Council voted in favour of the name change, with two councillors opposed. The new name is expected to be decided later Tuesday night after the renaming process has been discussed.

The name change will take place in September.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Connor Hogg