Hello,

I want to take a moment to tell you about my ten year old son’s reaction to learning about Governor Edward Cornwallis (Governor of Nova Scotia from 1749 - 1752).  He was appalled that the Cornwallis River and Cornwallis Street are named after a man that issued a scalping proclamation, thus placing a bounty on the Mi’kmaq people.  He wanted to know why we just don’t change the name.

I shared his words with a group of NSCC students, most of whom had no knowledge of Cornwallis, and they asked the same question.  Why hasn’t it been changed?  Not finding an answer that justified leaving the name as is, we decided to take action to show our compassion.

Governor Cornwallis's place is in the history books.  Honoring his name in streets and a river is not what Nova Scotian's want today.  We believe in our ability to have compassion and to show hope for our future.

We are adding our voices to the conversation started by Nova Scotia's First Nations, and we are listening to their words.

It's time for all Nova Scotian's to join in.

Children of our province need not feel ashamed of a place name, whether it be a river or a street. Let's send the right message to our youth.  It’s time to rename. 

Many thanks,

Caiden's Mom, Richelle

 

  

Resources you may wish to review:

Edward Cornwallis - Public Engagement Project, by Rania Hilani   (4min video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZSGSe1sTxA

 

Dr. Daniel Paul’s website

http://www.danielnpaul.com/GovernorEdwardCornwallis.html