Grandin neighbourhood in St. Albert being renamed The Gardens
CBC
One of St. Albert's oldest and largest neighbourhoods is getting a new name.
The south-side neighbourhood of Grandin is being renamed The Gardens.
It's the latest city to remove the name of Vital Grandin, the first Roman Catholic bishop in St. Albert and a proponent and architect of Canada's residential school system.
At an hours-long meeting Tuesday, city council heard multiple people speak for and against the move before voting 5-2 to change the name.
A second motion passed 6-1 approving the new name, The Gardens.
"I think if I had been asked on a plebiscite 15 years ago to rename Grandin, I probably would have said 'don't do it'. But I know better now, and I want to do better," St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron told the packed council chambers, before tearing up.
"I'm going to cast my vote today not in judgment of Bishop Grandin, but in the acknowledgement of the resulting harm. The decision that I'm going to make today is not about cancelling culture. It's about not celebrating the name Grandin and acknowledging and finding a deeper understanding."
It's not the first time the Grandin namesake has been removed. In recent years, an Edmonton school, an LRT station, several streets in Winnipeg and a Calgary school have all been renamed.
But in St. Albert, Grandin is also prevalent among the names of many businesses.
"We've got a long road ahead of us if we continue to judge every single person that has something named after them in St. Albert," said Coun. Shelley Biermanski, one of two dissenters.
"We're all responsible to look forward to a peaceful existence. Reconciliation is a worthy goal, which in my opinion won't be achieved by rewriting history."
Earlier in the evening, many long-time residents spoke of their love for Grandin, one of its oldest neighbourhoods in St. Albert.
Amanda Patrick spoke fondly of the tree-lined streets and friendly neighbours in the community, where she's raising her sons and her mom and brother live a few blocks away.
"The Grandin name does not align with the beauty of this community," Patrick said.
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