St. Albert’s naming committee has received an application to remove the name of the Grandin neighbourhood.
Spokesperson Cory Sinclair confirmed via email Oct. 8 administration is reviewing the application according to the city’s naming policy.
“In accordance with this policy, the naming committee is currently working with the sponsor, and other city departments as appropriate, to review applications for name removal based on the name removal criteria,” he wrote. “If the naming committee determines that this application for name removal meets the name removal criteria, the naming committee will cause affected community groups and equity-deserving groups to be notified and consulted.”
Outrage over the use of Bishop Vital Justin Grandin’s name increased after the reported discovery of the remains of 215 children on the grounds of Kamloops Indian Residential School in Tk’emlúps te Secwèpemc First Nation in British Columbia in June 2021, according to a document on the city’s website.
A Roman Catholic priest, Grandin, 1829-1902, was instrumental in establishing Canada’s Indian Residential School System (IRSS). Efforts to remove his name from assets have also surfaced in Morinville, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and elsewhere in the country.
It's unclear how much of the Grandin neighbourhood is considered by the application. The area south of the downtown core contains Grandin Road and Grandin Lane, Grandin Lakeside Village, Grandville Avenue and Place, and Grandora Crescent and Park.
In 2021, Catholic school boards in St. Albert and in Edmonton voted unanimously to remove Grandin’s name from schools.
“The City of St. Albert had two residential schools: The St. Albert Youville Residential School was in operation from 1873 to 1948 and the Edmonton Residential School (located at Poundmaker) was in operation from 1924 to 1968,” according to the St. Albert document, titled Addressing Public Concerns About Grandin Placenames. "Recovery work is currently underway for the St. Albert Youville Residential School.”
The Catholic school boards in St. Albert and Edmonton voted unanimously in 2021 to remove Grandin’s name from their schools. Vital Grandin School in St. Albert was renamed Holy Family on Sept. 27 of that year.
The Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools naming policy dictates schools should be named or renamed in honour of the Divinity (e.g. “Good Shepherd”), a Catholic tradition, a beatified or canonized person or group (typically a saint), or an outstanding Catholic figure.
Christ the King, Holy Redeemer, Jesus the Teacher, and Our Lady of Reconciliation were the other finalists.
Sinclair said the city’s consultation process would take several weeks, meaning council, which has final say, probably wouldn’t see a decision item until at least the New Year.