Item - 2022.AA16.8

The Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Committee received the item for information.

I am bringing to your attention an initiative I have been working on with the Indigenous Affairs Office and members of the Mississauga Credit First Nation (MCFN) with respect to naming opportunities in my ward that honour Indigenous Peoples.

Ongoing discussions with traditional knowledge keepers and Councillors of the MCFN have been very fruitful and I anticipate their recommendations on names will be forthcoming in the near future.

I am aiming to bring these names forward to the May 18 meeting of the Aboriginal Affairs Committee in order to meet the deadlines for City Council in June.

As the City Councillor for Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth which is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by Coxwell Avenue, on the north by Taylor Creek and the Don River and on the west by the Don River I am deeply committed to contribute to the City's broader efforts in advancing truth and reconciliation.

I recognize that naming streets, parks, buildings and assets is a small gesture and it does not fulfill the deeper need for reconciliation. I sincerely hope this Indigenous Naming initiative will be considered as a meaningful and respectful recognition of the rich Indigenous history in Toronto Danforth and beyond.