As Toronto's mayoral race heats up alongside the summer weather, one prospective candidate is reopening a contentious chapter in the city's recent history. Mayoral hopeful and city councillor Brad Bradford made a pitch to rename and refurbish downtown Sankofa Square, while accusing Mayor Olivia Chow of misleading council back in 2023 when the original name change was pushed through.
The space at the heart of the dispute, formerly known as Yonge-Dundas Square, has only carried the Sankofa name for a few years. The renaming process began in 2021 under then-Mayor John Tory and continued through to a final vote in 2023 under Chow, marking a significant shift for one of the city's best-known public gathering places.
The change was driven by the legacy of the square's former namesake. The name was altered because of Henry Dundas's connections to the Atlantic slave trade, a link that prompted years of debate over whether such a prominent civic space should continue to bear his name.
Bradford himself voted in favour of the change at the time, but now says he regrets it. He accused the mayor of misleading council and of not doing enough consultation before the vote, and argued it is time to restore the prominence that used to be the hallmark of the gathering space. He framed his proposal as one that would bring Torontonians together rather than fuel what he called divisive and unhelpful conversations.
Renaming the square is only one part of Bradford's plan, which also includes beefing up safety by installing a small police station on the site. The idea drew mixed reactions, with one resident acknowledging the square does not always feel safe but worrying that a police presence would make it less welcoming, while visiting tourists said they had sat down for a drink without any bother and felt safe.
Mayor Chow's office pushed back on the proposal, saying in a statement that she is focused on making Toronto safer and more affordable rather than on renaming things. The exchange sets up the square, and what it should be called, as an early flashpoint in a mayoral contest still taking shape across the city.