Black leaders back councillor's bid to change ward's name

Members of Ottawa's Black community are lauding Rideau-Goulbourn Coun. ScottMoffatt's bid to rename the rural ward after he learned it's named in part after a British politician who ownedhundreds of slaves.

"I have to applaud him ... for having the conscience," said Sarah Onyango, a board member with Black History Ottawa.

"I really praise the councillor for going that step further in wanting tochange the name so that the place he represents is identified withsomething more positive."

We support it and realize that it takes a lot of courage.- Robin Browne, 613-819 Black Hub

Moffatt, a history enthusiastwho holds a degree in the subject from CarletonUniversity, has been digging into the stories behind the names oflocal roads, parks and neighbourhoods in Ward 21, and sharing them on ScottMoffatt's Twenty One Podcast.

In an episode titled ATroubling Discovery Calls for a Name Change in Rideau-Goulbourn,posted Oct. 31, Moffatt told listeners aboutthe disturbing past of Henry Goulburn (1784-1856), a British statesman and senior cabinet minister who was also the absentee owner of "one of the worst"plantations in Jamaica.(It's not immediately clear why the formerGoulbournTownship had a different spelling than its namesake.)

"We're talking about an individual who was a known slave owner atthe time," said Moffatt.

Gouburn never visited the plantation, but it gained notoriety in Britain for theespecially cruel treatment of itsslaves. Moffatt said Goulburn lost a re-election bid because of the disapproval of his constituents.

"This was a problem for him 200 years ago," Moffatt said. "It wasn't OK then, and it certainly isn't OK now."

'A past that they'd rather not know'

Still, Moffatt said not everyone in the ward is pleased that he's unearthed this aspect of its history.

"It was a past that they'd rather not know," he said.

Moffatt has asked residents to come up with alternatives to commemoratingGoulburn, who never set foot in Canada, either. But the councillor has decided against holding formal public consultations, drawing criticism from both sides of the debate.

Robin Browne, co-founder of the advocacy group 613-819 Black Hub, believes the time is right for ashameful wrong to be corrected.

"We support it and realize that it takes a lot of courage," Browne said.

"I would suggest probably part of the reason this is happening isbecause of the moment we're in in history with the death of GeorgeFloyd," Browne said, referring to the Black man whose killing by police in Minneapolis in May sparked protests around the world, including here in Ottawa.

Consultation on renaming Rideau-Goulbourn would have been an chance to educate, advocate says

4 years ago

Duration 1:15

Sarah Onyango, a board member with Black History Ottawa, says a formal discussion with constituents would have been an opportunity to talk about the history of the wards namesake, Henry Goulburn, and how the impact of slavery is still being felt today.

Browne agrees with Moffatt that there's no need for formal public consultations about the name change.

"Let's say they found out that the town was named after a formerNazi. Would they have a public conversation?" he asked. "I don'tthink so, and that's the same thing here."

Rideau-Goulbourn councillor pushes to rename ward after discovering namesakes racist history

4 years ago

Duration 1:17

Coun. Scott Moffatt, who represents the ward of Rideau-Goulbourn, says hes advocating for a name change after learning namesake Henry Goulburn, a British statesman who lived from 1784-1856, owned hundreds of slaves in Jamaica.

Onyango disagrees, and believes that no matter how divisive, the issue deserves and demands a public reckoning.

"Instances like this are teaching moments," she said. "Maybe some [residents]don't know any people that look like me, andhave never known a family whose family history involves enslavedAfrican people."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.