Enough is Enough: Stop the Ideological Renaming of Toronto Schools

Toronto residents, taxpayers, and parents have had enough of elected officials forcing costly and divisive renaming initiatives upon us.

In an 11-7 vote, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has decided to unilaterally erase the names of Egerton Ryerson, Henry Dundas, and Canada’s founding father, Sir John A. Macdonald, from our schools—without public consultation or input from historians.

This reckless decision was made in an ideological vacuum, driven by far-left school trustees who claim these historical figures represent “systems of oppression” and that their names create “microaggressions” harmful to students.

What these activists fail to acknowledge is that, despite their flaws, these figures made significant contributions to Canada and modern society:

• Egerton Ryerson laid the foundation for our education system
• Henry Dundas was a vocal advocate for abolition
• Sir John A. Macdonald was the visionary who unified our nation as its first Prime Minister

Even the esteemed Canadian Institute for Historical Education condemned the TDSB’s decision in a scathing letter.

This shortsighted renaming is estimated to cost at least $180,000, and taxpayers will be footing the bill. Like the costly renaming of Yonge-Dundas Square, this is another example of putting ideology over financial prudence. If we can't trust our trustees, then the integrity of our school system is fundamentally compromised.

The 11 TDSB trustees who voted for this change are:

• Alexis Dawson (Ward 9 Davenport-Spadina-Fort York)
• Dan Maclean (Ward 2 Etobicoke Centre)
• Debbie King (Ward 7 Parkdale-High Park)
• Deborah Williams (Ward 10 Toronto-Centre)
• Farzana Rajwani (Ward 14 Don Valley East)
• Manna Wong (Ward 20 Scarborough-Agincourt)
• Matias de Dovitis (Ward 4 Humber River-Black Creek)
• Michelle Aarts (Ward 16 Beaches-East York)
• Neethan Shan (Ward 17 Scarborough Centre)
• Sara Ehrhardt (Ward 15 Toronto Danforth)
• Shelley Laskin (Ward 8 Eglinton-Lawrence-St. Paul's)

We encourage you to contact your local trustee and give them a piece of your mind: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Leadership/Trustees

Erasing history does not right past wrongs, nor does it foster reconciliation. Instead, it fuels division, breeds hostility, and further erodes public trust in our institutions. The largest school board in Canada should uphold academic integrity—not push a revisionist agenda to rewrite history.

We Demand the Following Actions:

1. TDSB immediately halt renaming Ryerson Community School, Dundas Junior Public School, and Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute

2. If the TDSB refuses to reverse course, we call on the Education Minister to use her provincial authority to overturn them

3. If the TDSB continues to ignore public outcry, we demand an immediate provincial investigation into how these renamings were authorized, identify any corruption in the process, make the findings public, and levy appropriate sanctions on TDSB trustees

Activists have no place in elected government, and school trustees are no exception. Torontonians will not stand by while ideological agendas are forced upon our children, leading to the erasure of Canada’s history and identity.

In the media:

1. Globe & Mail Toronto District School Board should reconsider the decision to rename three schools
2. National Post TDSB moving ahead to erase Sir John A. Macdonald, Ryerson and Dundas from Toronto schools
3. Toronto Star TDSB to rename three schools following controversial board decision
4. National Post TDSB follows the woke crowd by scrubbing historical figures from schools
5. Pierre Poilievre Erasing our history will never solve our problems
6. Toronto Star Now is the wrong time for the TDSB to scrub Canadian history
7. National Post The TDSB should read the room on renaming schools

"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped.” - George Orwell, 1984

SIGN THIS PETITION TODAY AND SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!