Councillor suggests ‘rise of woke-ism’ might explain calls to rename Plantation Road

Councillor suggests ‘rise of woke-ism’ might explain calls to rename Plantation Road

A Council committee has recommended not to hold public consultation about changing the name of Plantation Road in the Oakridge neighbourhood— potentially slamming the door shut on a petition that first came forward in 2020.

On Wednesday, the Infrastructure and Corporate Services Committee (ICSC) considered a long-awaited staff report about modernizing London’s commemorative naming policy for streets, parks, and buildings.

Staff also recommended launching consultation about renaming the former Paul Haggis Park for art or artistry, Trooper Mark Wilson Park and Trooper Mark Wilson Place to honour Vimy Ridge, and Plantation Road renamed for a species of tree.

However, members of ICSC had other ideas.

First, their recommendation excluded consideration of new names for Plantation Road.

Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen read a dictionary definition of the word plantation that did not include an association with slavery, “This name has been part of London’s fabric, the street along with its name, for decades. The name Plantation Road now all of a sudden, I don’t know if it’s the rise of woke-ism or what it is, but we need to get rid of it? And the question is why?”

According to Coun. Steve Lehman who represents the neighbourhood, the 32 homes on Plantation Road were built between 1959 and 1960 on the site of a former tree plantation.

He said only two homes have expressed a strong desire to change the road’s name.

Coun. Elizabeth Peloza pointed committee members to several letters from organizations in the city seeking supporting a name change.

“Some in the community, they don’t feel comfortable walking their children of color down that street because their family does have an attachment in their family’s history rooted in slavery,” Peloza explained. “They would like to see it changed.”

Coun. Corrine Rahman questioned if the community consultation conducted by city staff was too narrow in scope.

“I don’t know that we’ve been broad enough and vast enough in our engagement around this topic to have a fulsome perspective of how it impacts (people) and who it impacts,” Rahman said.

She told colleagues, “I’m a direct descendant of people that worked on plantations in Guyana, South America. [That’s] where my family is from. My grandparents both grew up and worked on plantations most of their life. They started out as child laborers.”

Rahman would not support consultation to consider renaming Plantation Road, in part, because staff recommended it be renamed after a tree species.

“I want to see us name places of significance in this city after historical Black figures from our community and Indigenous persons in our community,” she explained. “I don’t know that renaming this after a tree will address what the original intention was—and I think that’s my concern.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis wanted no more delays renaming a short street in his ward still called Trooper Mark Wilson Place.

Lewis said he previously consulted with households about renaming it Peacekeeper Place.

The ICSC committee unanimously (5-0) recommended updating the commemorative naming policy, launching public consultation about new names for the former Trooper Mark Wilson Park in northwest London, and the former Paul Haggis Park in south London.

It also recommended (4-1, Hopkins opposed) a name change to Peacekeeper Place without requiring additional consultation with impacted households.

A municipal policy would pay each household a $100 inconvenience fee if their street name is changed.

Council will consider the recommendations on May 13.

In June 2022, fallen soldier Trooper Mark Wilson’s name was removed from the city website, a park, and a street after, “It was revealed he pleaded guilty at a court martial in 2004 to assaulting a woman at a base in Quebec.”

Then in November 2022, council voted to rename Paul Haggis Park after the disgraced Oscar-winning movie director was ordered to pay $10-million in damages to a woman who accused him of rape.