Regina councillors push to rename Dewdney Avenue

A call to rename one of Regina’s longest and most recognizable roads is headed to City Hall.

Ward 3 Councillor Andrew Stevens and Ward 6 Councillor Dan LeBlanc have issued a notice of a motion they intend to bring forward at Wednesday’s council meeting to rename Dewdney Avenue.

The road is named after Edgar Dewdney, and the councillors say his legacy is a harmful one for Indigenous people.

The notice described him as “a historical figure who was directly responsible for the development and administration of harmful policies towards Indigenous peoples, including establishing and providing oversight for residential schools.”

Dewdney, who was born in 1835, held many political roles including acting as Indian commissioner for the North-West Territories between 1879 and 1888 at the request of John A. Macdonald, presiding over a starvation crisis as buffalo herds declined. Dewdney insisted on making Wascana – which would later be renamed to Regina – the capital of the North-West Territories.

Because naming a street after an individual is an act honouring them, both Stevens and LeBlanc said they want to see the name changed “as soon as possible.”

The name Buffalo Avenue has been proposed as a potential new name for Dewdney Avenue.

In 2021, council voted to remove Dewdney’s name from what are now called Buffalo Meadows Park and Buffalo Meadows Pool.

Last year, council unanimously agreed to develop an Indigenous framework as a commitment to reconciliation. According to the notice, that framework is not yet developed, but it involves centering Indigenous values and priorities in the city’s practices, policies, and procedures.

Stevens and LeBlanc added that honouring Edgar Dewdney is “inconsistent” with a commitment to reconciliation.

Changing the names of Regina streets named for controversial figures has been an ongoing discussion in the city for several years.

Back in 2018, Regina city administrators reviewed recommendations made by the Civic Naming Committee based on a public consultation and online survey, in a bid to consider new guidelines around naming and renaming of streets.