A recent decision by Saskatoon’s Public School Division has some Calgarians wondering if it's time for Western Canada High School to follow suit and drop the Native inspired name of their sports teams.
In Saskatoon, several community members objected to Bedford Road Collegiate’s use of the name Redmen, claiming the name of the sports teams, and the look of the school’s mascot, perpetuated a derogatory term for, and a view of, First Nations People.
On Tuesday, members of Saskatoon’s public school board agreed with the opponents to the name Redmen, and, with an 8-2 vote, Trustees determined the team name must be changed.
In Calgary, Western Canada High School sports teams share the Redmen name.
CTV Calgary attempted to contact the principal of Western Canada High School, Kim Hackman, but he directed our calls and in-person interview requests to the Communications and Media Relations division of the Calgary Board of Education.
The CBE and the Trustee for Ward 8 & 9 , Judy Hehr, have not responded to CTV Calgary’s requests.
Amitoj Rehill and Gurkhan Manhas, students at Western Canada High School, do not feel the name Redmen and the Redmen logo carry negative connotation.
“There’s something about First Nations in there,” said Rehill. “We have a chief on the wall, a logo of the chief, so I’m thinking it has something to do with that.”
“I don’t think we’re using it as a derogatory term. We’re painting a guy’s body red, it’s not directed in any negative way. He doesn’t look bad so I don’t feel it’s a derogatory thing.”
Manhas believes the Redmen logo is part of the school’s history and should be part of the school’s future.
“It has been our mascot for the last 80 years,” said Manhas, a member of the school's leadership program. “We’ve talked about changing it and I don’t think we should.”
Karim Juma, a parent of a Western Canada student, does not see an issue with the Redmen name.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” said Juma. “It’s just a mascot, it has no political attachment to it.”
The Calgary Board of Education says a review into Western Canada High School's team name and logo began in late 2013.
In a statement released on the evening of March 5, 2014, the CBE says:
"The CBE is committed to supporting changes to ensure that schools and the CBE system respect and reflect the diversity of our students, our communities and our city, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit people. Area directors and principals have been encouraged to review school names, mascots and logos to ensure they are fully respectful of all the cultures that make up the Calgary community."
