December 2023
Re: “Sneaky renaming of Dundas Square to Sankofa Square is revisionist madness” (Joe Warmington, Toronto Sun, 15 Dec.):
Oy Vey!! In a decision that could have been ripped from a headline from satirical news outlets like The Onion or The Babylon Bee, Toronto City Council voted to change the name of Yonge-Dundas Square to Sankofa Square, because council subscribes to the mistaken belief that Henry Dundas delayed the abolition of slavery in the British Empire for nefarious reasons, rather than for practical reasons. The motion, tabled by Councillor Chris Moise, makes note that “The concept of Sankofa, originating in Ghana, refers to the act of reflecting on and reclaiming teachings from the past, which enables us to move forward together.”
OK, firstly, Toronto City Council is choosing to condemn Henry Dundas by using a name originating from Ghana, a country that was a major contributor to the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Secondly, despite the motion pointing out that the word ‘Sankofa” reflects on “teachings from the past,” it’s painfully clear that Councillor Moise, Mayor Chow and all the councillors who voted for this name (Councillors Jaye Robinson and Stephen Holyday were the only two who voted against it), haven’t learnt anything from the past, including the actual reasons why events happened the way they did. How long before we have to change the name of “Sankofa Square” to something else because it “celebrates” a former slave-trading country? Newstalk 1010 morning man John Moore joked that the name “Yonge-Dundas Square” is like calling your dog “Dog,” but maybe just calling it “Square” is the only safe name we can use, unless squares are offensive too.
This is either yet another example of a pointlessly expensive, virtue-signaling exercise by the woke, Marxist, social-justice crowd on Toronto Council, or a first-class example of trolling, something like Poland holding the COP 23 in Upper Silesia, near one of the many active coal mines in this coal mining city. “Oh, so you don’t like the Dundas name? Well, get a load of this one then!”
I’d like to propose a motion that we re-name Toronto City Hall to Irony-Free Hall.
Sources: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/dundas-square-rename-toronto-1.7060097#:~:text=%22The%20concept%20of%20Sankofa%2C%20originating,together%2C%22%20the%20motion%20said, https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-sneaky-renaming-of-dundas-square-to-sankofa-square-is-revisionist-madness, https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/polands-katowice-cop-next-coal-country-hosting-un-climate-talks.
