Directed and Written by Nadine Valcin

Produced by OYA Media Group for Citytv/Rogers

What is the history behind the names of the streets and public spaces that surround us and what should we do when they are related to figures from the past that we now find problematic? 

What’s In A Name? examines the history behind the names of some streets and public spaces in the city (and province) and the opposing perspectives that provoked lively debates on how to address it.

The murder of George Floyd at the hands of police and the demonstrations that followed sparked an ongoing debate about the prevalence of anti-Black racism in our society. It brought to the fore the way names of some of our streets, spaces and institutions commemorate historical figures that created, embraced or promoted actions that were detrimental to Indigenous and racialized communities. 

Dundas Street (in Toronto and the surrounding suburbs), Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), Negro Creek Road in Grey County are prominent examples of names that have been the subject of public debate, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. Behind those names is the glaring erasure of the Indigenous ones that were used long before settlers made it to the so-called New World.