Owen Sound Council has chosen a name for the reconstructed 10th Street Bridge.
Council voted unanimously Monday night (Oct 19th) to call it Gitche Namewikwedong Bridge which means Great Sturgeon Bay was the name of Owen Sound and the bay before contact between settlers and Indigenous ancestors.
The name, which is in the Anishinaabemowin language is in honour of the community’s indigenous history on traditional Saugeen Ojibway territory.
The city had been considering a few different names, and was taking suggestions from residents (Other suggestions were Emancipation Bridge, Centennial Bridge, Reconciliation Bridge, Division Street Bridge).
Director of Public Works and Engineering Dennis Kefalas says the City had a period of time during which people could comment on the options. Kefalas told Council in a report Monday night (Oct 19th) 72 residents and institutions commented and 52 of them were in favour of Gitche Namewikwedong. Kefalas says those in favour of it were “extremely passionate and indicated our City Council showed great leadership in choosing this as a dedication and that it would be a significant gesture towards truth and reconciliation and restore a relationship of respect and friendship with the indigenous people of our region.”
The bridge is set to be dedicated on June 21st, National Indigenous People’s Day.
Back on September 14th, Susan Staves of the Chippewas of Nawash at Neyaashiinigmiing made a formal request to council to dedicate the new 10th Street Bridge as Gitche Namewikwedong.
The reconstruction of the bridge is scheduled to wrap up in the first half of December.
