3.17.2023 BISHOP GRANDIN RENAMING UPDATE

On Monday, March 13, the City of Winnipeg made important progress in its pledge to rename Bishop Grandin Boulevard.
 
Abinojii Mikanah is the proposed name for Bishop Grandin Boulevard. It is an Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) phrase that translates to "Children's Roadway," representing the journey of all children, including residential school survivors, towards reconciliation.
 
Awasisak Mēskanow is the proposed name for the Bishop Grandin Trail. It is an Ininimowin (Cree) phrase, also meaning "Children's Roadway." The names for these parallel paths were chosen to represent the unity between Ojibwe and Cree Nations.
 
On Monday, March 13, the City of Winnipeg's Executive Policy Committee voted 5-1 in favour of the proposed renaming.
 
The proposed names would contribute to the renewal of Indigenous languages targeted by residential schools. Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin was an architect of this school system on the Canadian prairies. According to the City of Winnipeg's Indigenous Relations Division, the names are intended to "honour Indigenous experience, culture, and history."
 
"What we are wanting to do is honour all the children, survivors that came before us, the children that never made it home."

• Elder Joan Winning, in her address to the Executive Policy Committee

 
What's Next?
On March 23, the city council will vote on the motion to rename the trail, to endorse the renaming of boulevard, and to prepare an estimate of the associated costs. The estimated costs would later be presented to the next budget review process for consideration. The Bishop Grandin Greenway is a charity distinct from the Bishop Grandin Trail. We continue to support the city's renaming process. As it advances, we are engaging with city officials to inform how we proceed.