City council in Kingston, Ont., has voted to rename a municipal street, calling its name “outdated and derogatory.” Councillors voted 8-5 to rename Indian Road to Aki Road, which the city described as an Ojibwe term that means “earth/land/ground” in English. Councillors also voted to rename Indian Road Park to Odamino Park, which means “to play” in Ojibwe. Aki was one of the suggestions for the renaming, with the others being Binesi (large bird), Nookomis (grandmother) and Odamino. There are about 60 addresses on Indian Road. Residents would receive support and financial compensation when the name changes. According to the approved motion, the move would cost the city $46,250. This was the third attempt to change the name of the street. Area councillor Jeff McLaren conducted a door-to-door survey that found a majority of residents did not want the name changed, with 85 per cent of them rejecting all four of the proposed alternative Indigenous names. In a news release sent late Tuesday night, the City of Kingston said city staff conducted outreach to residents who live on the road and invited them to share comments and provide feedback in-person, online and over the phone and, as part of the process, identified several municipalities in Ontario and across Canada that have changed street names in efforts to advance Indigenous reconciliation. The city says next steps will involve the physical changes to street and park signs, providing all residents with a compensation pay and support with the next steps of changing street name documentation, and the establishment of a plaque in Strathcona Park commemorating the history of the area.
