Ottawa Parkway Named After First Prime Minister to Get New Indigenous Name by Fall

A view of the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway (formerly the Ottawa River Parkway) and the Ottawa skyline. (David P. Lewis/Photos.com)

The Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway in Ottawa, named for Canada’s first prime minister, is set to get a new indigenous name by fall 2023, this time based on a a First Nations “naming and engagement exercise.”

The board of directors of the National Capital Commission (NCC), a Crown corporation, unanimously voted on Jan. 19 to rename the parkway, “reflecting the longstanding and important relationship of the Algonquin Nation to the Ottawa River along which the Parkway runs.”

The new name will be announced at a ceremony on Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

This is the third time the parkway, a four-lane scenic roadway, will be renamed. It was renamed in honour of Macdonald just over 10 years ago, while previously it was called the Ottawa River Parkway. The cost to change the four major signs along the roadway was $60,000 in 2012, according to the NCC.

The request for a new name was initiated in June 2021 by three Ottawa city councillors, who requested that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau embark on an indigenous-led process to rename the parkway.

The letter followed news that suspected unmarked graves had been detected at a former residential school site in Kamloops, B.C. Macdonald was prime minister in the 1880s when the residential school system began, and the NCC said allowing indigenous involvement to rename the thoroughfare is consistent with the NCC toponymy policy—to reflect “integrity, inclusiveness, and relevance.”

Toponymy is the study of place names.

Consultation

Last April, the NCC introduced an updated toponymy policy, whose stated purpose was to “provide a more transparent decision-making process for naming and renaming NCC-managed assets.”

The commission also announced at the time the formation of the Advisory Committee on Toponymy (ACT), which includes experts in local and national history as well as members of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation and the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation.

In its Jan. 19 news release, the NCC said that the indigenous naming and engagement exercise is aligned with the updated toponymy policy and also “consistent with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action related to language, culture and commemoration.”

The board of directors will consult with indigenous partners to determine a new name for the parkway, and “include opportunities for the gathering of oral histories,” the NCC said in its news release.

A new name will be proposed by June.

The NCC said the renaming process will follow the advice of the ACT and would honour “the profound significance of the river, shoreline and landscape to Indigenous peoples—specifically the Algonquin Nation—who had formally requested the NCC consider renaming the Parkway.”

The NCC said many other places in the National Capital Region still bear the names of Canada’s first prime minister.

“Indigenous languages and place names carry stories, cultural references and the possibility for a deeper connection to the landscape and history that shapes our region. The NCC is committed to recognizing and highlighting Indigenous culture and heritage, particularly the Algonquin Nation as the host nation of the National Capital Region,” said Tobi Nussbaum, CEO of the NCC, in the news release.

The NCC is responsible for urban parks, conservation areas, parkways and pathways, gardens, official residences, and heritage residences in the National Capital Region.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.