Calgary's James Short Park will be renamed due to Short's anti-Chinese racism

Calgary will rename James Short Park and parkade, located on the border of the city's Chinatown, because of itsnamesake's history of anti-Chinese racism.

The park,located at 115 FourthAvenue S.W.,directly across the street from Chinatown, is currently named after Short, a lawyer, school principal andalderman who played a key role in anti-Chinese bigotry in the city in the early 1900s.

"He was one of the leaders of the anti-Chinese movement," said Coun. Druh Farrell, who brought the motion forward after requests from the Chinese community.

"And the fact that the park and parkade are directly across the corner is frankly an affront to the neighbourhood of Chinatown."

Lawyer argued Chinese residents lower property values

As a lawyer for the Anti-Chinese League, hepetitioned city commissioners to prohibit Chinese Canadians from establishing thecurrent location of Chinatown, claiming thatChinese residents would lower the property values.

He instead pushed to segregate Chinese Calgarians as you would "an isolated hospital."

The motion also requests the mayor write the Calgary Board of Education to encourage the board to change the name of James Short Memorial School.

"This year Calgary Chinatown is celebrating its 110-year anniversary. Renaming the park and the parkade ... is the right approach," reads a letter signed by Grace Su, Terry Wong and other members of the Chinatown Business Improvement Area.

"Through research, documentation and recording this blight of history in the form of a permanent plaque is appropriate as this will ensure the history will not be forgotten and not be repeated. The selection of a new name through community engagement will allow the culture and contributions of Calgary's Chinese society to be honoured and revered respectfully."

The Calgary Community Chinatown Association also wrote in support of the motion.

A new name will be chosen with community input,with particular consideration of names recognizing historical Chinese Canadian contributions to Calgary.

The motion passed 14-1, with the sole vote against, Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart, voicing that she doesn't want the city to"fall into cancel culture."

Colley-Urquhart brought up a motion arising to revise the city's naming policy, to avoid names that are "divisive in nature" in future, and to develop a process to reevaluate requests to change current names, in consultation with the city's anti-racism committee once that committee is operational.

In 2017, Calgary voted to renameLangevin Bridge asReconciliation Bridge, replacing the name of one of the architects of the infamous residential school system.

• Reconciliation Bridge renamed as 'symbol of resilience' for residential school survivors