Process to change racist Nova Scotia place names nears completion

Four racist place names in Shelburne County will be changed early in 2022. 

In an interview at Province House on Thursday, Service Nova Scotia Minister Colton LeBlanc said the process that began in 2018 to change the place names that include a racial slur is in its final stages.

The places in the Municipality of Barrington that will be getting a new name are ones that include the word "negro" or "squaw," which have been called racist by Black and Indigenous communities. 

Community groups in Shelburne County were consulted this summer about possible new names for the four places.

"We've got a list from residents," LeBlanc said.

The next step in the process is to present the names to all of the county for feedback. 

After background work with the Municipality of Barrington and local politicians, the process will be complete. 

"And that's the final decision for the names," said LeBlanc. "The change will be announced early in the new calendar year." 

Process should be changed, says former minister

The process to change the four names began in 2018, when a local man issued a complaint to the Nova Scotia government about place names including a racial slur, after being called the same slur in a coffee shop.

When changing a place name, the province follows national guidelines published by the Geographic Names Board of Canada.

There is a detailed process to change a place name that could include getting letters from local politicians and municipal governments, creating a petition or holding a plebiscite in the affected community.

However, the process can't be initiated by the government. It must be set in motion by a complaint from a citizen.

Liberal MLA Patricia Arab, the former minister of Service Nova Scotia, said she thinks this process needs to change. 

She said the "most frustrating part" is that it is based on complaints.

"So the way the system is set up is [the government] can take a look at the map of Nova Scotia and know, generally speaking, what would be terminology that wouldn't be appropriate ... but we can't activate anything to do with those unless a specific community member brings it to our attention."

Arab believes the provincial government should be able to change derogatory place names without needing a citizen to speak up.

She said she hoped to change the process while she was minister, but could not.

"Let's not wait for a marginalized person whose voice doesn't always feel like it could be heard or feels safe enough to use it, be the ones that alerts [us]," she said.

LeBlanc doesn't necessarily feel the same way. 

"I think when we're talking about derogatory names, there's a role for the application-based process," LeBlanc said. 

He said when a name is harmful to a community, it is important to consult them.

"That's why through this process here, we've ensured that consultation has taken place at a local level with the Black Loyalist Historical Society and at a provincial level to make sure that we're doing the best decision here." 

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.