Calgary Board of Education renames Langevin School as Riverside School effective immediately
A school in northeast Calgary, which bore the name of an architect of Canada's residential school system for decades, has a new name.
In a letter to parents sent Tuesday morning, the Calgary Board of Education announced a motion had been passed to rename Langevin School as Riverside School.
The school was originally known as Riverside Junior High School before it adopted the Langevin name in 1936.
According to CBE officials, the board of trustees has heard numerous concerns from students, staff and community members regarding the Langevin name and work has been underway to revise the school's name and the tragic discovery of the remains of 215 residential school students in Kamloops, B.C. "emphasized the importance of reconciliation and the need to demonstrate our commitment to the students we serve."
The City of Calgary previously changed the name of the Langevin Bridge to the Reconciliation Bridge to remove ties to Hector-Louis Langevin, a father of Confederation, who oversaw the system where thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed into residential schools.
The passing of the motion followed Mayor Nenshi's declaration in Monday's council meeting calling on the CBE to change the name of Langevin School and for the Calgary Catholic School District to rename Bishop Grandin High School.
As recently as March, the CBE refused to hear a trustee’s motion on changing Langevin’s name saying it wasn't an "emergent item."
"The Board is currently focusing attention on finalizing a process including criteria by which schools, including Langevin School, may be considered for renaming," the CBE said at the time. "The board recognizes the significant nature of this work and are approaching this work thoughtfully, while remaining committed to respectful dialogue that honours the traditions of schools and the interests of all concerned stakeholders."
The Calgary Catholic School District, in a letter to parents sent Tuesday, announced any decision on the possible renaming of Bishop Grandin High School would be part of a process involving the community.
"The Calgary Catholic School District takes all Indigenous matters seriously and are deeply saddened by the discovery in Kamloops," said Dr. Bryan Szumlas, CCSD chief superintendent. "As Catholics, we are deeply sorry for the residential school movement of the past. We are committed to the education recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Calls to Action report.
"When it comes to the possible renaming of a CCSD school(s), the Board of Trustees will be considering feedback from stakeholders such as parents, staff, students, Catholic Bishops and Elders in our Indigenous community.
"It is easy to be distracted on other issues like changing names of schools, but we are staying strong, in devoting this week to prayer for the loss of the Indigenous children. On Friday, we encourage you to join us as we pause for 215 seconds of silent prayers in memory of the children."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.