The Town of Newmarket will be honouring people of colour in future street names with a policy update meant to ensure they get proper recognition.
The street-naming policy will be changed to ensure that Black, Indigenous and other people of colour can get on the names list. The motion by the town’s committee of the whole May 8 will also see 10 names recommended by the Newmarket African Caribbean Canadian Association (NACCA) added to the street name reserve list.
“It is long overdue,” Newmarket Councillor Christina Bisanz said.
An adjustment to the street-naming policy is one of the recommendation in the town’s dismantling anti-Black racism plan. NACCA has previously said it could not find any streets in town named after Black community members in Newmarket.
Names being added to the reserve list include Mazo de La Roche Public School custodian Charlie Phillips, and local area industrialist and freedom seeker Henry Hisson. Some recommended names will go beyond direct Newmarket connections, including famed South African activist Nelson Mandela and the African term Ubuntu, meaning “I am because you are.”
Councillor Trevor Morrison said it is positive to see recommendations from anti-Black racism efforts already making their way to council for approval.
“This is just a good step, to make sure we acknowledge just the steps the town is taking,” Councillor Trevor Morrison said.
The town’s street name reserve list is a database intended for future street names, utilized as new subdivisions and roads are made. A staff report said an internal name group works with a property owner to assign street names, which are required to be from the existing reserve list.
However, Mayor John Taylor asked council to research and find Indigenous names to add to the street reserve list, which became part of the resolution.
“We need to follow through,” Taylor said, "we should be actively trying to add some names to the list … Particularly when it comes to Indigenous people, we need to step up.”
