Kingston has decided to change the name of Indian Road, a small residential street with just over 60 homes, following a heated discussion on Tuesday evening.
The proposal to rename the street, located close to Strathcona Park, was approved with an 8-5 vote. It will now be known as Aki Road, which means land and earth in Ojibway.
Council heard passionate views from residents both supporting and opposing the name change. Some expressed that Indian Road held personal significance and that renaming it would complicate things for current residents.
Others argued that the new name honors Kingston’s Indigenous community and is straightforward to pronounce and spell.
Shannon Beckstead, a Kingston local and Minegoziibe Anishinab member, disagreed with this perspective.
“This is a matter that feels like a very cut-and-dry example of both equity and decolonization. Unless you are an Indigenous person, you can only hypothesize how it feels for someone to call you an Indian,” she said.
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“It’s not a word most of us love, and it’s a word that none of us chose.”
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Name change sparks various speakers
Brandon Maracle started his speech by sharing his Indian Registration Number.
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Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories. Maracle, who hails from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and is the executive director of the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest, mentioned he memorized numbers in high school to show he wasn’t “too white to be Indian.” “I feel ashamed of that moment even here. And that’s what Indian means to me,” he said. “An Indian Registration number makes me no more Mohawk than drinking water makes me a fish.” The term ‘Indian’ is derogatory and harmful, Maracle added. “Changing the name of Indian Road won’t undo this history,” he said. “But keeping Indian and Indian Road asks Indigenous people in Kingston to continue seeing this history reflected on a public street name in an official capacity.” Story continues below Dennis Mahoney noted his family has lived on Indian Road since 1964 and asked council to think about its significance. “It’s part of who we’ve been our whole lives. It’s a place we cherish,” he said. “It’s home and it seems like it’s being pushed aside.” <p)Mahoney stated door-to-door surveys conducted by Coun. Jeff Mc Laren indicated most residents did not want a name change. Daniel Shipp, another resident of Indian Road, mentioned he joined Mc Laren during some surveys but claimed the results are being misrepresented. More on Politics More videos “Generally speaking, the responses were mixed,” Shipp said. “I think it’s actually accurate that last year when we came to council that 65 per cent of the street residents were in favour of a change.”<P Mc Laren asked Shipp if he even remembered working together. “I thought we were doing lots together, like helping people learn about Indigenous populations. I thought we were working together to help a community come around,” Shipp replied. “But [Mc Laren] was always very clear that his direction on this issue stemmed from what he saw was his authority coming from the people on the street.”Mc Laren maintained that data supports his stance while reinforcing his belief that changing the name would erase history shared by those living on the street.
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“I want you guys to consider for a moment what could be lost with this name change. If you’ve ever had sentimental value towards something in your past then you can feel what people are about to lose,” he stated. “It hurts.”Councillor Gregory Ridge emphasized that leaving the current name poses greater harm for Indigenous peoples while Councillor Brandon Tozzo agreed.
He referenced other Canadian towns which have renamed streets deemed harmful or outdated.
According to staff reports , municipalities like Greenstone in northern Ontario , Whitewater Township in Ottawa Valley , Oshawa , Winnipeg , Halifax , Kitchener have all reviewed their street names. In four cases , changes were made. Halifax and Kitchener are still conducting their reviews. In addition , along with renaming Indian Road as Aki Road , Indian Road Park will also be changed to Odamino Park. City officials from Kingston revealed those living on Indian Road will receive financial assistance for adjusting addresses along with other administrative changes. © 2026 , a divisionof Corus Entertainment Inc.Source link
