Saint John, N.B., city council scraps 'offensive' Indiantown neighbourhood name
An "outdated and offensive" name for a north-end neighbourhood in Saint John, N.B., will soon be replaced following a vote Monday night by city council.
The newly elected council voted unanimously to change the name of the neighbourhood formerly known as Indiantown. The move came after council for the first time began its meeting with a land acknowledgment.
"Last night was a historic night for Saint John to begin with," Mayor Donna Reardon said in an interview Tuesday.
She said renaming the neighbourhood is important because the previous language is no longer appropriate. "It's not how the Indigenous community would identify themselves," she said.
The densely packed neighbourhood is in one of the oldest parts of the city, bordered by the Saint John River and Shamrock Park. It's a significant area for the city's Indigenous populations, as it was once an important portage route and a place of commerce, Reardon said. The city plans to consult with Indigenous groups and leaders on a new name for the area.
"You want to capture the history and you want do it respectfully," she said.
The move to rename the neighbourhood was recommended in a report to council outlining the history of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its calls to action aimed at municipal and local governments. It says the name was raised as an issue during consultations with Indigenous groups.
"The terminology is outdated and offensive," the report says, urging the city to stop using it in its records and communications.
The report says the neighbourhood was named for a trading house built in 1779, which a century later had steamer wharfs, several large sawmills and a population of 1,500.
The Indiantown name can still be found in Google Maps, the Canadian Geographical Names Database and a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation information portal, and the report recommends the city manager take steps to have the name removed from those sources as soon as possible.
Reardon said she has been told the Google Maps change "can happen relatively quickly."
By contrast, the discussions about a new name will likely take a while, because the city is aiming to be careful and thoughtful, she said. In the meantime, people might keep using the old name, Reardon said, but she noted that in her experience, it's not the most common name for the area. "Most people refer to that area as 'the old North End,"' she said.
Monday's council meeting was the first to be held since provincewide municipal elections took place in May.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2021.
-- By Sarah Smellie in St. John's, N.L.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Florida deputies who fatally shot U.S. airman burst into wrong apartment, attorney says
Deputies responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex burst into the wrong unit and fatally shot a Black U.S. Air Force airman who was home alone when they saw he was armed with a gun, an attorney for the man's family said Wednesday.
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.