Mississauga may rename Duke of York Boulevard
A motion presented to city council says the street name is inappropriate given sexual violence allegations against its namesake
Earlier this week, the TTC began putting up signage at Dundas station signalling the transition to its new name, TMU station. The rebrand will help the 80 per cent of Toronto Metropolitan University students, staff and faculty who are commuters find their way around the area, according to a media release, but it’s also part of a larger renaming effort through which the city is distancing itself from problematic figures. Yonge-Dundas Square was recently renamed to Sankofa Square, eliminating the homage to Scottish politician Henry Dundas, who played a role in delaying the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.
Now, Mississauga’s city council is also considering renaming one of its streets. As reported by CTV, Councillor Alvin Tedjo presented a motion advocating to rename Duke of York Boulevard following allegations that its namesake, the former Prince Andrew, Duke of York, committed sexual assault in connection with Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation.
Now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, he was recently stripped of his royal title for the same reason.
“The association of a prominent public roadway with an individual whose conduct has been widely criticized undermines the city’s reputation and may cause distress or offence to survivors, residents and visitors,” wrote Tedjo in the motion.
If it’s approved, Mississauga would immediately remove Duke of York Boulevard and begin the process of determining a new name.
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
