FORT FRANCES, Ont. – Colonization Road is no more in Fort Frances.
Town council on Monday voted to change the name of Colonization Road East to Agamiing to honour Anishinaabe people in the areas and Colonization Road West to Sunset Road as a nod to both the region and the Sunset Country Métis community in the area.
“Tonight council took a step toward building a more inclusive Fort Frances. We did that by replacing symbols of systemic racism with signposts of our commitment to reconciliation, and of the vital role Indigenous people will play in our path forward as a community,” said Coun. Douglas Judson.
The name changed barely passed, by a slim one-vote margin.
That was disappointing, said Judson, in a release issued on Monday night.
“This has been a long and difficult process. It is not the one I wanted when I brought this forward in November. It exposed an undercurrent of racism and bigotry in our community, and I am disappointed that this was only a 4-3 vote,” Judson said.
“But what I hope this experience tells council is that there is an appetite for social change in this community, and that we, as leaders, have to direct these discussions toward a vision. It isn’t good enough to shy away from equity issues because they might offend the prejudices or privileges of others. I hope we can do better in the future.”
Three of the signs for the former Colonization Road will be donated to museums, including the Fort Frances Museum, the Manitou Mounds Interpretive Centre and the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg.
Fort Frances’ move follows a similar recent move in Dryden, Ont., which recently renamed its Colonization Avenue Boozhoo and Memorial. Other communities in the Northwest, including Kenora, have previously renamed local Colonization Roads.
