City administration is recommending that Saskatoon pause submissions for naming city infrastructure on a temporary basis.

The recommendation comes after there were calls made last year to rename McPherson Avenue and John A. Macdonald Road.

The report says “Methods to recognize and celebrate the histories, cultures and identities of Indigenous peoples, and other diverse communities in Saskatoon, through the Civic Naming Program are expected to result in changes to both the policy and program administration associated with Civic Naming.”

The pause would allow City staff to focus on the renaming of John A. Macdonald road along with creating a more in-depth Legacy Review project.

That project would include options on how the City can respond to naming requests in the future on the basis of historical context to create safe, welcoming spaces through partnerships with the Indigenous community.

The City’s planning development and community services committee will debate the recommendation this morning (mon).  The City says they currently have enough names on hand to name parks, streets and other infrastructure in the meantime.

Macdonald was Canada’s first prime minister and approved the establishment of the residential school system, which housed Indigenous children taken from their families from the 1870s to the 1990s.