Winnipeg’s Dalhousie School gets new name

A school bus drops off children on Dalhousie Drive on Sept. 5, 2024. (Michelle Gerwing/CTV News Winnipeg)

A Winnipeg school is getting a new name after the dark legacy of its namesake came to light.

On Wednesday, the Pembina Trails School Division announced Dalhousie School will be renamed Aniibiminan School.

In a news release, the school division explained Aniibiminan is the Anishinaabemowin word for summer berries and represents the idea of “living in good relationship with the land, where food, like the highbush cranberry, connects people to place, community, and culture.”

Pembina Trails superintendent Shelley Amos said the name, which was chosen in consultation with language and knowledge keepers, reflects the division’s commitment to honouring Indigenous languages and cultures.

“Aniibiminan captures a deep sense of connection to the land on which the school lies and the adjacent forest, which the school regularly uses for outdoor education and land-based learning,” she said in a news release.

“It speaks to the values of reconciliation and inclusion we strive to uphold across our division.”

Originally, Dalhousie School was named after the street on which it is located, Dalhousie Drive, which is named for Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

According to a University of Dalhousie report, Lord Dalhousie held views and brought in policies that negatively impacted Black Canadians during his time as governor.

“In light of this history and desiring to reflect the school’s diverse K–5 community—where students and staff come from around the world and speak more than 35 languages—school and divisional administration sought a more inclusive, locally meaningful name that aligns with the school’s motto, ‘Our differences make us stronger,’” the division said.

The school division will be implementing the name, including updating signage, communications and materials, in the coming months.