From the staff report requested at the September 14 Owen Sound Council meeting, to be presented September 28. [with some editing for accuracy].
Work started on the 10th Street bridge in October of 2019 and is slated for completion in the spring of 2021, with the bridge open to traffic in December 2020. As with other bridges in the City that are built and/or replaced the 10th Street Bridge needs a dedication.
The 9th Street Bridge was dedicated as the Tom Thomson Bridge, the 8th Street Bridge was dedicated as the Veterans Memorial Bridge and the 2nd Avenue East Bridge was dedicated as the Jubilee Bridge.
Staff met to discuss several possibilities both with internal and external stakeholders for a dedication of the 10th Street Bridge. The following names were considered:
Emancipation Bridge – because of the City’s long running Emancipation Festival celebrating emancipation and fact the Owen Sound was the most northerly terminus of the Underground Railroad. Given the current movement of “Black Lives Matter”, it was deemed an appropriate name for consideration.
Centennial Bridge – in celebration of the City’s 100 Year anniversary of being incorporated. On May 12, 1920, the Town of Owen Sound became the City of Owen Sound. This name was considered because of both the historical importance and because of COVID-19. The public gathering restrictions associated with the emergency orders would not allow for any significant celebration of Owen Sounds' 100 Year anniversary of being a City.
Reconciliation Bridge – in an effort to continue to recognize the negative impact residential schools had on Indigenous people across our nation and to help with the healing process the Reconciliation Bridge was included for consideration as one of the options.
Division Street Bridge – 10th Street was originally called Division Street and dedicating the bridge as Division Street Bridge would celebrate the historical name that was changed in 1909 when Mayor Harrison changed all the street names to numbers based on his experience living in New York.
Gitche Namewikwedong Bridge – in recognition of the Anishiaabe Three Fires Confederacy (Council of Three Fires). The Three Fires Confederacy consists of the Ojibway, the Odawa and the Potawatomi. In this Confederacy, the Ojibway were addressed as the “Older Brother”, the Odawa as the “Middle Brother” and the Potawatomi were addressed as the “Younger Brother”.Gitche Namewikwedong was the name of Owen Sound before contact by European settlers and means Great Sturgeon Bay in Anishinaabemowin.
Based on previous discussions that arose during a meeting regarding the Gitche Namewikwedong Reconciliation Garden, an idea was presented to dedicate the bridge in the language and the original name of the Indigenous people of the region. City representatives who attended the meeting where in favour of considering such a dedication.
On September 14, Susan Staves Schank made a formal request to Council to dedicate the 10th Street Bridge Gitche Namewikwedong. By dedicating the bridge in the ancestral name and language of the Three Fires Confederacy, the City would be making a significant gesture towards reconciliation and recognizing the historical impact the Three Fires Confederacy had on the region.
Recommendations: That in consideration of this report on the 10th Street Bridge Dedication, City Council move forward to the public consultation with the preferred dedication and:
1.That Notice be given of the preferred dedication; 2.That Council would receive any public comments at the October 19 meeting of Council, and 3.That following the October 19 meeting, Council would finalize their decision with respect to the dedication.
The bridge is projected to reopen for traffic late forth quarter 2020. Depending on Council’s desire event staff will plan a dedication ceremony. It is anticipated that such a ceremony will take place in the second quarter of 2021 when all work will be completed on the bridge project.
