The mayor of Lunenburg, N.S., says council is now contemplating “alternate options” after going through backlash for renaming the city’s Cornwallis Street after the queen.
Town council introduced in January the road that honoured a colonial governor who issued a bounty on the scalps of Mi’kmaq individuals could be modified following suggestions from an anti-racism committee.
Last week council voted to rename the roadway Queen Street, the primary selection amongst 342 respondents to a city survey, receiving 35 per cent of votes.
Margie Knickle, a resident who was a member of the anti-racism committee, says she’s extraordinarily dissatisfied by the selection to exchange one colonial avenue identify with one other.
The different avenue identify choices on the record had been tied to Mi’kmaq tradition, together with E’se’katik, which is the unique Mi’kmaq identify for Lunenburg and means “place of clams.”
Knickle says the transfer to pick “Queen” reveals how out of contact the city is about what reconciliation means.
Lunenburg Mayor Jamie Myra stated in an announcement Monday council has heard the issues put ahead by residents in regards to the identify selection, and they’re engaged on potential alternate choices “on which we can all agree.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Dec. 5, 2023.
