Long council meeting ends without decision on Dewdney Avenue renaming

After a marathon session of council there is still no decision on whether to rename Dewdney Avenue.

Regina City Council spent the tail end of the meeting on Wednesday night listening to more than 14 delegations who spoke in favor of a motion to change the name of the well-known Regina street.

Most of the delegates sat through a long day listening to other council agenda items being dealt with before finally getting their chance to speak.

But by the time the delegations were done their presentations, it was already 10 p.m. While five councillors said they were willing to keep on going until a vote, two others who were there that day – meeting chair Landon Mohl and Jason Mancinelli – had already gone home.

The three that remained, Councillors Bob Hawkins, John Findura and Mayor Sandra Masters (appearing remotely), then said they were done for the night and would go home as well.

They didn’t return after a 15-minute break, after which City Clerk Jim Nicol declared the meeting adjourned due to lack of quorum.

The motion now returns to council for further discussion and debate at a meeting in August. That date is with the support of the movers, Councillors Dan LeBlanc and Coun. Andrew Stevens, so they could ensure their attendance for the vote.

The motion they put to the floor called for Dewdney Avenue to be renamed as soon as practicable, and directed administration to consult with relevant stakeholders and the Civic Naming Committee to propose a replacement name to council as soon as practicable.

It was a long discussion at council on the motion for the name change. Those delegations who presented on Wednesday were critical of the role Edgar Dewdney played in establishing residential schools.

Some pointed to Dewdney’s role in land speculation and in starving Indigenous people. Florence Stratton was particularly critical in her remarks to council.

“This is Dewdney’s legacy, policies rooted in white supremacy. This is not to mention his involvement in what we call corrupt practices,” Stratton said.

Others pointed to the importance of renaming the street as a move towards reconciliation.

“Renaming Dewdney Ave. is the least we could do on our path towards reconciliation,” Regina resident Shawn Koch told council.

After Councillor Hawkins indicated he would be making a motion to table the motion to a future meeting at the end of the presentations, Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway made it known she wanted councillors to stay to the end and pass the motion.

Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway has worked for years towards a name change to Dewdney Avenue. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)

“I don’t know how you could vote against it,” she told council.

When LeBlanc asked her what she thought if councillors went home before voting that night, BigEagle-Kequahtooway said she felt it would give council “some opportunity to forget what we just said.”

“I would like a vote, yes or no, so we can plan the next steps,” she said.

Because the meeting adjourned due to lack of quorum, several other items were also not dealt with, including a notice of motion on a new baseball facility to house the Regina Red Sox. That will need to be introduced at a future meeting.