Halton school board trustees select new name for Ryerson Public School

The Halton District School Board (HDSB) has revealed the new name for the now-former Ryerson Public School in Burlington.

School board trustees selected Makwendam Public School as the new name for the school, located at 565 Woodview Rd.

The name Makwendam, pronounced “muck-kwen-dum”, is the Indigenous word for “to remember” in the Anishinaabemowin language.

The school board says the trustees felt the name would honour the reason for renaming the school.

“There have been growing calls to remove Ryerson’s name from public buildings and institutions and the HDSB has received formal requests to remove Ryerson’s name from the school,” said the school board in a news release.

Egerton Ryerson was instrumental in the creation of Canada’s residential school system.

“The choice of Makwendam Public School speaks directly to the purpose of renaming Ryerson Public School – as we as a country search for the lost children on residential school lands, we must remember, we must learn and be better,” said HDSB Chair Andréa Grebenc.“The Halton District School Board is committed to Indigenous Perspectives and Awareness, as outlined in our Strategic Multi-Year Plan commitments. We look forward to hearing the results of the City of Burlington’s naming process for the adjacent park.”

The new name goes into effect immediately.

The naming process began in September to ensure the parents, guardians, students and members of the community had the opportunity to provide input.

In total, more than 1,200 names were submitted.