Majority of Winnipeggers in favour of renaming Bishop Grandin Boulevard: survey

WINNIPEG — The majority of Winnipeggers are in favour of renaming Bishop Grandin Boulevard, according to a new poll by Probe Research.

The survey’s findings show 55 per cent of Winnipeggers support changing the boulevard’s name, with 28 per cent of respondents in favour of keeping the name while also educating the public on Grandin’s role in the creation of the residential school system.

Seventeen per cent of people believed the name should go unchanged.

Support for road renaming is highest among women, younger adults, core area residents, and Indigenous people.

Men are twice as likely as women to want the name to stay as it is.

Winnipeg residents who live in the southeast part of the city split by Bishop Grandin Boulevard, are more likely to favour the compromise, keeping the name with an educational campaign around Grandin’s support of residential schools.

The road’s namesake, Bishop Vital Justin Grandin, was known for advocating on behalf of Métis people and defending French-language rights in western Canada, but also for being a supporter of the residential school system.

Mayor Brian Bowman is bringing forward a motion at Wednesday’s executive policy committee meeting to officially change the name of the street.

In 2018,  Councillor Brian Mayes (St. Vital) brought forward a motion to install a new marker to an existing plaque acknowledging Grandin’s involvement with residential schools. That motion is now being considered by the committee in charge of the renaming process in Winnipeg, with a decision expected in the next few months.

Mayes said he is open to changing the street’s name. However, if the road is renamed, Mayes said it should be done with Indigenous consultation.

Probe polled 600 random adults between June 2 and 11 for the survey.

With files from CTV’s Charles Lefebvre, Jon Hendricks and Josh Crabb