Sankofa Square

[Frankfooter]

There's many historic and beautiful buildings in that area, but many are covered with aluminum siding, signage, or boarded up. There was the Empress Hotel at Yonge and Gould where Salad King used to be before the buiding burned down. Last time I was there, it was nothing more than a food truck lot. It will likely be a condo at some point. There's also an old CIBC branch at Yonge and Queen with giant columns in front of it next to the HomeSense. One of the entrances has been boarded up for years maybe decades now, but naturally, there's a condo behind it.

I miss the old Salad King, the new one doesn't have the same vibe.
There is some history there but really, Toronto isn't old enough to have very much. Not like Montreal or Quebec City.
But yeah, Sankofa Square needs a major overhaul, same with that entire neighbourhood.

 

[explorerzip]

I miss the old Salad King, the new one doesn't have the same vibe.
There is some history there but really, Toronto isn't old enough to have very much. Not like Montreal or Quebec City.
But yeah, Sankofa Square needs a major overhaul, same with that entire neighbourhood.

The old Salad King was a literal hole in the wall with almost no seating. It had a certain charm to it though. I ike the new Salad King because you can see the street below. It also replaced a scummy dive bar, which I think was called O'Reilys. The ground floor entrance had the ambiance of a dank back alley as far as I can remember.

Toronto is not nearly as old as Montreal or QC, but the historical buildings are there. You'd have to do a Google Street View and pay close attention to the building's architecture.

If the argument is that Toronto doesn't have very much history, then why giving the square a name that has nothing to do with it? Would it not make more sense to give the square and name that tells the history of the area like John Simcoe Square? Bettter yet, find a person of color (I think that's a stupid term BTW) to name the square after since white British people are apparently all bad. I'm sure we could find a such a connection in Toronto's history if we tried harder.

 

[Anbarandy]

Well as a taxpayer, I’ll put “this price in scale”.

City of Toronto property taxes from ALL 500 units in my entire condominium building don’t cover the cost of this small “civic expenditure”.

FFS, I pay $5,300 a year and that money is squandered on renaming anything?!?

Is your math off or is your definition of "civic expenditure" off or are both your math and definition of "civic expenditure" off?

You're descending into the swamp of 'Skoobishness' and 'Mitchiness'.

 

[Insidious Von]

Do you accept Sankofa a prominent players in the North Atlantic slave trade, to replace Henry Dundas?

Olivia Chow has governed reasonably well up to this point. She's just ripped a massive fart with Sankofa.

 

[Frankfooter]

Do you accept Sankofa a prominent players in the North Atlantic slave trade, to replace Henry Dundas?

Olivia Chow has governed reasonably well up to this point. She's just ripped a massive fart with Sankofa.

Chow seems to be a deal maker. I'm way more offended by naming a stadium after the crack head but I expect it was part of the deal to get DoFo to cover the expenses of the Gardiner. I'd be more interested in what this deal was about and what support/influence she gained with it.

 

[explorerzip]

Chow seems to be a deal maker. I'm way more offended by naming a stadium after the crack head but I expect it was part of the deal to get DoFo to cover the expenses of the Gardiner. I'd be more interested in what this deal was about and what support/influence she gained with it.

We won't know if the deal was a good one until all the details are ironed out and if the feds come to the table. I'm not optimistic as we've seen so many of these announcements before that get watered down by the time they get implemented or when the government changes.

Centennial Park Stadium is nothing to write home about as it's almost 50 years old and showing its age. I live in that area and didn't even know it was called Centennial Stadium. My bet is that most people don't even know its name even during big events like Rib Fest. The name change is likely meaningless to most people. There's probably some dilapated sign covered in ivy somewhere near the stadium.

What I find stupid is that council chose to look past the negative aspects of Rob Ford, but cannot look past them for Dundas even though there is disagreement about his legacy.

Come to think about it, we could remove the name entirely from Dundas Square and no one would be the wiser. It would just be a square without a name. Then there can be no complaints about the negative connotations about a specific name because there wouldn't be one. Hell, let No Frills sponsor it and call it No Name Square and paint it yellow

I'm not 100% about this, but Nathan Philips Square has no sign on the property yet people just know what it's called.

 

[Conil]

How about Hakuna Matata ?

 

[Frankfooter]

We won't know if the deal was a good one until all the details are ironed out and if the feds come to the table. I'm not optimistic as we've seen so many of these announcements before that get watered down by the time they get implemented or when the government changes.

Centennial Park Stadium is nothing to write home about as it's almost 50 years old and showing its age. I live in that area and didn't even know it was called Centennial Stadium. My bet is that most people don't even know its name even during big events like Rib Fest. The name change is likely meaningless to most people. There's probably some dilapated sign covered in ivy somewhere near the stadium.

What I find stupid is that council chose to look past the negative aspects of Rob Ford, but cannot look past them for Dundas even though there is disagreement about his legacy.

Come to think about it, we could remove the name entirely from Dundas Square and no one would be the wiser. It would just be a square without a name. Then there can be no complaints about the negative connotations about a specific name because there wouldn't be one. Hell, let No Frills sponsor it and call it No Name Square and paint it yellow

I'm not 100% about this, but Nathan Philips Square has no sign on the property yet people just know what it's called.

Agreed, who knows what happens. Maybe DoFo is going to try to get it named for his brother and then announce a big spa/ferris wheel/casino palace to be built there in his brothers name. Maybe Chow will get it named and then declare it unsafe and have it torn down once DoFo starts paying for the Gardiner.

Or maybe it becomes unfunded and home for crackheads.

 

[explorerzip]

Agreed, who knows what happens. Maybe DoFo is going to try to get it named for his brother and then announce a big spa/ferris wheel/casino palace to be built there in his brothers name. Maybe Chow will get it named and then declare it unsafe and have it torn down once DoFo starts paying for the Gardiner.

Or maybe it becomes unfunded and home for crackheads.

Centennial Park is going to be completely redeisnged soon so a spa, ferris wheel, etc. wouldn't surprise me. THat would be fitting since the ski hill was a dump decades ago.

 

[basketcase]

Do you accept Sankofa a prominent players in the North Atlantic slave trade, ...

Um. Do you think Sankofa was a person or people?

But maybe all the sources saying it means learning from the past is a lie.

 

[Insidious Von]

Um. Do you think Sankofa was a person or people?

But maybe all the sources saying it means learning from the past is a lie.

Sankofa was the name the Akan tribe gave to themselves. They controlled the upper lake district of Ghana and used it to conquer other tribes. They would then sell them to the British and got very rich. If this is enacted Olivia Chow will never be able to live it down.

After reading his bio, Henry Dundas was an abolitionist but he was not a decisive one. That's why the abolition of slavery by the UK goes to William Wilberforce and not him.

 

[Skoob]

Chow seems to be a deal maker. I'm way more offended by naming a stadium after the crack head but I expect it was part of the deal to get DoFo to cover the expenses of the Gardiner. I'd be more interested in what this deal was about and what support/influence she gained with it.

At least Rob Ford was a Canadian who was a public servant for the city. Not some place that most people can't point out on a map that has nothing to do with Canada. Were there no Canadians in our history that the square could have been named after? Or would that not have sent out a strong enough virtue signal?

 

[Frankfooter]

At least Rob Ford was a Canadian who was a public servant for the city. Not some place that most people can't point out on a map that has nothing to do with Canada. Were there no Canadians in our history that the square could have been named after? Or would that not have sent out a strong enough virtue signal?

Maybe they can call it crackhead gardens for him.

 

[explorerzip]

Sankofa was the name the Akan tribe gave to themselves. They controlled the upper lake district of Ghana and used it to conquer other tribes. They would then sell them to the British and got very rich. If this is enacted Olivia Chow will never be able to live it down.

After reading his bio, Henry Dundas was an abolitionist but he was not a decisive one. That's why the abolition of slavery by the UK goes to William Wilberforce and not him.

It seems people cannot or will not look past headlines and think more carefully. It's all or nothing at all. Not being a decisve enough abolitinist, anti-racist, etc. is a standard that nobody can meet.

 

[Insidious Von]

It seems people cannot or will not look past headlines and think more carefully. It's all or nothing at all. Not being a decisve enough abolitinist, anti-racist, etc. is a standard that nobody can meet.

Dundas must have felt that his status as a member of The House of Farts (Lords) was enough to give the new abolitionist movement gravitas. By then William Wilberforce had already become leader of the cause. The Slave Owners and the East India Company demanded compensation to go along with it. They had agreed to it in 1807 but full abolition did not happen until 1833, Wilberforce died in 1833.

 

[silentkisser]

I have not read all the posts in this thread. But I will say this: I am not a fan of renaming things for the most part. There are places that should be re-named (for example, there as a place in Texas called Ni**er Rock, and that is just...well, horrifying), but I think we should re-think this stuff when it comes to people with complicated pasts. Sir John A. MacDonald was a horrible person for a number of reasons, but he helped create Canada. Egerton Ryerson did some great work to promote public education. I think you keep the names BUT you also point out the horrific things they did. There are few historic figures who come out looking like angels when viewed from a 2023 lens. You can celebrate what they helped to accomplish without turning a blind eye to the horrific abuse their actions allowed or emboldened.

My fear is that we vilify these historic figures in such a way that we ignore them, the good and the bad. I love Canada. I know we are far from perfect, and for that reason we need to examine our past so we can fix the future.

 

[Frankfooter]

I have not read all the posts in this thread. But I will say this: I am not a fan of renaming things for the most part. There are places that should be re-named (for example, there as a place in Texas called Ni**er Rock, and that is just...well, horrifying), but I think we should re-think this stuff when it comes to people with complicated pasts. Sir John A. MacDonald was a horrible person for a number of reasons, but he helped create Canada. Egerton Ryerson did some great work to promote public education. I think you keep the names BUT you also point out the horrific things they did. There are few historic figures who come out looking like angels when viewed from a 2023 lens. You can celebrate what they helped to accomplish without turning a blind eye to the horrific abuse their actions allowed or emboldened.

My fear is that we vilify these historic figures in such a way that we ignore them, the good and the bad. I love Canada. I know we are far from perfect, and for that reason we need to examine our past so we can fix the future.

I agree for the most part, same with taking the 'n' word out of old books/plays. Its important to remember the history and why those people and words are not in favour. But I'm also not bothered by other people being more offended and wanting them gone.

 

[Skoob]

Maybe they can call it crackhead gardens for him.

or Red Square for you.

 

[Skoob]

I have not read all the posts in this thread. But I will say this: I am not a fan of renaming things for the most part. There are places that should be re-named (for example, there as a place in Texas called Ni**er Rock, and that is just...well, horrifying), but I think we should re-think this stuff when it comes to people with complicated pasts. Sir John A. MacDonald was a horrible person for a number of reasons, but he helped create Canada. Egerton Ryerson did some great work to promote public education. I think you keep the names BUT you also point out the horrific things they did. There are few historic figures who come out looking like angels when viewed from a 2023 lens. You can celebrate what they helped to accomplish without turning a blind eye to the horrific abuse their actions allowed or emboldened.

My fear is that we vilify these historic figures in such a way that we ignore them, the good and the bad. I love Canada. I know we are far from perfect, and for that reason we need to examine our past so we can fix the future.

Whitewashing history never works as much as our left-leaning virtue-signaling Marxists would want you to believe.

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-24/china-world-history-erasure-youth-censorship

 

[Conil]

Why can't they call it "peace" square or something normal?

Sign the Petition

STOP the Renaming of Dundas in Toronto

www.change.org