Saint John turns to community to name, rename streets and spaces

Like many communities, the City of Saint John has place names that are now considered inappropriate. Consider the north end area long known as Indiantown, or the west side's Ludlow Street, named after a man who once made a legal ruling supporting slavery.

So, the City is taking steps to be more proactive about naming public places and streets, rather than reactive, by starting an inclusive Civic Commemoration Committee to help decide on appropriate names.

The committee will be made up of five people from different backgrounds, to represent the diverse groups of people that were not previously heard from or considered, said Kate Wilcott, Saint John's arts and culture coordinator.

"They will work on community engagement, researching the space, what it was used for and then they'll come up with a list of names and then make recommendations to council," she told Information Morning Saint John.

The first thing they'll work on is a name for the Fundy Quay project, a multi-million dollar commercial and residential space on the city's waterfront.

Phil Ouellette, the city's director of growth and community planning, said up until now, proposed names would go directly to council for approval.

This committee would add an extra step.

Once selected, committee members would advise council on names for public streets and spaces, as well as commemorative monuments and plaques on city property.

Ouellette said the city wants to be inclusive.

"There should be a little bit more effort towards identifying women as part of our history in commemorating women as well as Black, indigenous and people of colour," Ouellette told Information Morning Saint John.

"This is part of the mandate of the committee, is to come up with these stories and these parts of our history that need to come to the forefront."

The city has already decided to rename a north end neighbourhood that was called Indiantown, because it uses a derogatory word to note that the area was an important place for Indigenous peoples.

The committee will be part of the process to find a more appropriate name.

Ludlow Street, named after George Duncan Ludlow, will also change, given Ludlow's support for residential schools in the province, and a legal decision he gave that effectively endorsed slavery.

The University of New Brunswick has already removed his name from one of its buildings.

Saint John residents have until March 22 to apply for the committee, and the main criterion is knowledge and experience in diversity and community inclusion. 

Wilcott said the committee will likely also hold a public engagement session to hear the opinions of other residents.

The committee will also include two council members, for a total of seven committee members. The position is voluntary and unpaid, and the committee would meet at least twice a year.