Division considers renaming Greenway School

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This article was published 30/05/2023 (885 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The West End’s Greenway School is among the latest namesakes to come into question as trustees in central Winnipeg investigate what historical figures and beliefs their buildings are honouring.

Board members in the Winnipeg School Division are currently reviewing the titles of two elementary buildings: Greenway, a nursery-to-Grade 6 building, and Champlain School in the St. John’s neighbourhood.

“Any school name that isn’t aligned with our values is one that we should look at working with the community (to discuss) so we can actually name our school after something that we’re really proud of,” said Jamie Dumont, vice-chairwoman of the board.

In September 2021, Dumont put forward a motion to proactively evaluate all schools named after people in WSD and look into each historical figure’s resumé.

The motion was approved. Since then, a community member brought forward concerns about memorializing former premier Thomas Greenway (1838-1908).

Greenway, who was born in England, grew up in what is now Ontario before moving to Manitoba as an adult and buying a farm. He organized the Rock Lake Colonization Company to encourage settlers to move to the Prairies.

During Greenway’s tenure (1888-1900), the Liberal politician abolished Manitoba’s English Protestant and French Catholic school boards into one secular mega-board in which only English could be taught.

The anti-francophone legislation sparked widespread backlash and prompted a political crisis dubbed “The Manitoba Schools Question.”

It took years for an intergovernmental agreement to be reached with Ottawa to allow for taxpayer-funded French instruction, as well as opportunities for limited religious instruction in public schools.

Grade 6 student Rahma Abdi said she and her classmates recently started learning about Greenway’s legacy as a political leader in Manitoba.

The 11-year-old indicated she has been assigned an essay to write about the former premier and his life. Prior to the assignment, Rahma said she had never questioned the title of her school.

Now, the middle school student is in favour of making a change because, as far as she is concerned, labels should be diverse and not only honour historical figures who are white men.

Asked about who she thinks schools should be named after, Rahma said: “Indigenous people who’ve changed Canada for the better.”

Grace Miranda, who has two young children attending Greenway, was unaware about who the school was named after when asked about the subject. Miranda, who is originally from the Philippines, moved to Canada 10 years ago.

The mother of two said she voted to keep the name intact in a vague survey sent out to families this spring because her children, who are in grades 3 and 5, love the school.

“My kids already know about it. They know they are in Greenway since their kindergarten,” she said. “If they change it or not, it’s the same (history), so I don’t know if there’s any issue about changing it or not.”

Families at the elementary school on Burnell Street expressed mixed opinions on the subject after dismissal Monday.

One caregiver, who declined to provide his name, said there are more important things to worry about and bemoaned the “nonstop work” ahead should the board continue looking into school names.

Another parent said she had no problem with renaming the school if others think the title is causing harm.

An internal board document states WSD’s French immersion advisory committee requested trustees consider renaming Greenway.

The single-track elementary school’s website does not currently acknowledge the former premier’s stance on French education nor integral role in the Manitoba Schools Question crisis.

“When you’re naming something after someone, you’re honouring them… What are we honouring here?” said Dumont, noting the stark contrast between Greenway’s desire to ban the French language in schools and WSD’s support for French programs.

The Ward 1 representative said this work takes time, but that’s a good thing because it requires meaningful community consultation.

Trustees plan to expand engagement with Greenway community members in 2023-24.

Only 78 of 336 individuals responded to a recent email poll about renaming the building this spring.

Similarly, there was poor participation in a winter renaming survey about Champlain. The nursery-to-Grade 6 building in St. John’s was named after Samuel de Champlain, a French explorer and colonizer who founded Quebec.

Following a two-year-long process, trustees voted to rename Weston’s Cecil Rhodes School to Keewatin Prairie Community School in 2022.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie