City Hits Roadblock In Renaming Indiantown

Saint John council’s plans to rename the Indiantown neighbourhood in the old north end have hit a roadblock.

Mélanie Tompkins, general counsel for the city, provided an update on the process to councillors on Monday night.

Tompkins said staff have taken “all the steps it could” to advance the unanimous recommendation from council.

“However, we discovered that the process in place by the province of New Brunswick to rename a geographical area is currently undergoing a revamping exercise,” said Tompkins.

“For that reason, they have advised that they cannot process the city’s request to rename this area under the old process. We have to wait for the province to complete the consultation to put in place the new process, at which point we will then push forward for the renaming.”

The Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture confirmed that it is reviewing its toponymy evaluation process in collaboration with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.

Spokesperson Erika Jutras said the review was initiated to bring the process in line with public expectations on inclusivity and engagement.

“The goal of this review is to ensure that there is a transparent process for naming or renaming geographic features that is representative of all New Brunswickers, including First Nations and other descendent communities,” said Jutras.

Jutras said the province is engaging with those communities and could not provide a timeline for when the review would be completed.

Meanwhile, Tompkins said city staff are in the process of developing learning opportunities for council and staff to learn more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and its calls to action.

Staff are also working on a report that would provide details about concrete ways the city could foster reconciliation, she said.