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Winnipeg drivers are seeing the first visual signs of the renamed Abinojii Mikanah this week, as the city has begun the process of removing street signs that bear the name Bishop Grandin, due to his ties to Canada’s residential school system.
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Late last month, Winnipeg city council approved a street renaming bylaw that cleared the final hurdle for the former Bishop Grandin Boulevard to be renamed Abinojii Mikanah, which means ‘Children’s Way’ in Anishinaabemowi.
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Work started this week on changing street signs over, and as of Tuesday morning new overhead signs bearing the name Abinojii Mikanah were up at intersections at Dakota Street, St Mary’s Road and River Road. The city will eventually replace all signage along the route.
The new signs come more than one year after the name was changed. Winnipeg city council voted last March in favour of the move after years of advocates lobbying for the change. The move came after the city “reevaluated” the legacy of the street’s former namesake Vital-Justin Grandin, a Roman Catholic bishop who is considered one of the architects of the Canadian residential school system.
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Crews began by changing overhead signs and will then move on to street name signs. Motorists are being warned the work could lead to temporary lane and road closures.
There will be other changes in Winnipeg to remove the name Bishop Grandin, as the city has also changed the name of Bishop Grandin Trail, an active transportation path adjacent to the road, to Awasisak Mēskanôw, which means “Children’s Road” in Cree. The city said it is working with Indigenous Elders and knowledge keepers to create new interpretive signs that will be displayed along the path.
As well, the name of Grandin Street in St. Boniface has been changed to Tapweewin, which means “truth” in Michif, the ancestral language of The Red River Métis.
The city plans to host an official ceremony sometime in June to formally recognize the new names.
City officials said they are working to notify all impacted property and business owners, and Winnipeg Transit’s schedule and maps will reflect the new names as of June 16, when they release their new schedule.
— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
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