New name approved for Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary

Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School in Waterloo will soon don a new name.

Following a lengthy renaming process, trustees with the WRDSB approved Laurel Heights as the new name.

“It reflects the neighbourhood, Laurelwood, in which the school is located,” said superintendent Criss Hill at a Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday. “The school happens to exist on a high point within that neighbourhood, so it anchors the school within its neighbourhood, geographically.”

The other two shortlisted names were Headwaters Secondary School and Northwestern Secondary School.

The renaming is meant to serve as an act of reconciliation, as the former name was considered harmful due to the role its namesake (Sir John A. Macdonald) played in Canada's residential school system.

“A survey was put out to the community to suggest names which had to be linked to honouring truth and reconciliation,” Hill added. “The renaming of the site in and of itself is an act of truth and reconciliation.”

In late 2021, a renaming committee began the consultation process, and in January, asked community members to submit suggestions. 450 responses were collected and narrowed down to 120 names that met a specific renaming criteria and policy. In February, the committee sought feedback from the school's staff and students, and received over 70% participation with just shy of 1,300 responses.

“Additional names for consideration were significant to Indigenous communities,” added Hill. “The committee felt that it did not have the requisite time to engage in a fulsome consultation, in a good way, with those Indigenous communities, while honouring the timelines of the process.”

The board did not indicate when the new name will officially take affect. The renaming will require changes to signage, team uniforms, and other school-branded items.