The Toronto city council has decided to continue its search for a collective name for a cluster of parks along the Don River, despite a previous attempt to call them the Wonscotonach Parklands.
In 2018, councillors agreed to name the green spaces, including Don Valley Brick Works Park, Todmorden Mills Park, and Riverdale Park East and West, but eight years later, city hall says there is no consensus on the accuracy, spelling, or interpretation of the name.
City council was unanimous in approving a plan to wait until the middle of next year for another Indigenous name, either historical or newly gifted, for the park system.
Councillor Paula Fletcher, who previously supported the Wonscotonach Parklands proposal, allowed the new proposal to go to a vote near the end of city council's proceedings, without any comment.
The progress update recommends council sign off on another year of the "Indigenous-led" naming process, followed by another report in mid-2027 with a chosen Anishinaabemowin name for the Lower Don parkland system and trail, along with an interpretive narrative for public use.
Discussions over the last year have centred on next steps for deciding on and lifting up a name, including consideration of more recent academic research and ceremonial considerations, according to the report.
Funding for "continued Indigenous engagement, research," and related work is to come out of parks and recreation's Indigenous place-keeping capital reserve, and the process is expected to include a visit by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation to the parkland system this summer.
The City of Toronto has ignored requests for clarification about the parks renaming fund, despite an appendix on its 2025 capital budget suggesting more than $1 million has been allocated to the division's "reconciliation and Indigenous place-making program" for 2026.
