Toronto is planning on renaming Yonge-Dundas Square and two TTC stations

The City's controversial plan to rename the entirety of Dundas Street appears to be set aside for now, as a new motion before city council on Thursday proposes to just rename Yonge-Dundas Square and two TTC stations. 

The motion, placed before council by Coun. Chris Moise and backed by Mayor Olivia Chow, asks that the TTC board rename Dundas subway station by the end of 2024, with "TMU Station" (Toronto Metropolitan University) being the current frontrunner. 

On Wednesday, Moise told reporters that TMU has agreed to fund the $1.7 million cost of renaming the TTC's Dundas subway station.

The proposal also asks council to direct the Yonge-Dundas Square Board to rename the outdoor public and event space, adopting a new name chosen by the Recognition Review Community Advisory Committee by June 2024.

Toronto might rename the TTC's Dundas subway station🤔 https://t.co/7aRXVGoXcq #Toronto #TTC #DundasStation

— blogTO (@blogTO) December 14, 2023

According to Moise's motion, the committee has unanimously recommended that the iconic square be renamed "Sankofa Square," which is a concept that originated in Ghana and refers to the "act of reflecting on and reclaiming teachings from the past which enables us to move forward together." 

Other proposals in the motion include renaming Dundas West subway station with input from an advisory committee by 2025, and renaming the Jane/Dundas Library by the second or third quarter of 2024.

If passed, other work on the process of renaming Dundas Street as a whole would pause.

Cost to rename Dundas Street has now doubled to nearly $13 million as public support wanes 😳 https://t.co/qMEbjFaAgO #Toronto #Dundas #Street #Rename

— blogTO (@blogTO) December 13, 2023

Just recently, a response to an administrative inquiry submitted by Coun. Stephen Holyday revealed that the anticipated cost to rename Dundas Street in 2023 has significantly surpassed initial estimates, with most recent figures standing in between $11.3 to $12.7 million. 

This most recent proposal comes roughly two years after city council voted to rename Dundas Street, following renewed global awareness surrounding anti-Black racism.

The street is named after controversial Scottish politician Henry Dundas, who reportedly helped delay the abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the 1790s.