Non-profit launches petition to stop TDSB’s renaming of Macdonald, Dundas & Ryerson schools

A new petition is calling on the Toronto District School Board to reverse its decision to rename three schools named after Sir John A Macdonald, Egerton Ryerson, and Henry Dundas.

The Right Honourable Sir John Alexander Macdonald - Source: ourcommons.ca

Author: Noah Jarvis

A new petition is calling on the Toronto District School Board to reverse its decision to rename three schools named after Sir John A Macdonald, Egerton Ryerson, and Henry Dundas.

The petition follows the TDSB’s approval of a committee recommendation to rename Dundas Junior Public School, Ryerson Community School, and the Sir John A Macdonald Collegiate Institute. The decision passed in an 11-7 vote, with three trustees abstaining.

The 11 trustees who voted for the policy are Alexis Dawson, Dan Maclean, Debbie King, Deborah Williams, Farzana Rajwani, Manna Wong, Matias de Dovitis, Michelle Aarts, Neethan Shan, Sara Ehrhardt, and Shelley Laskin.

Daniel Tate of IntegrityTO launched a petition on change.org accusing the TDSB of a “reckless decision” that was “made without public consultation.” The petition calls on the school board to halt the renaming process immediately.

If the TDSB refuses, the petition calls for the Minister of Education Jill Dunlop to intervene and reverse the renaming policy and conduct an investigation into the legitimacy of the policy process.

“If the TDSB continues to ignore public outcry, we demand an immediate provincial investigation into how these renamings were authorized, identify any corruption in the process, make the findings public, and levy appropriate sanctions on TDSB trustees,” reads the petition.

True North reached out to Minister Dunlop for comment, but no response was given.

Tate, a lifelong Toronto resident, previously led a campaign against the renaming of Yonge-Dundas Square to Sankofa Square. His petition on that issue garnered over 30,000 signatures.

In June 2024, Tate presented the petition to Toronto City Council, where he faced a hostile response from councillors. Councillor Chirs Moise even accused him of racism.

Since then he started a nonprofit called IntegrityTO and has turned his attention to the TDSB’s effort to rename Dundas Junior Public School, Ryerson Community School, and the Sir John A Macdonald Collegiate Institute.

In a comment to True North, Tate said that the board is renaming the three schools to appease left-wing activists and is not responding to the demands of average Torontonians.

“Our local institutions from city council to TDSB and beyond have become hijacked by activists who believe Canada is an oppressive country, and utilize their power to shape the nature of institutions in their world view – which does not align with the average resident who wants their leaders to focus on delivering the core services they need,” said Tate.

Tate said that Macdonald, Ryerson, and Dundas are not villains of history and if the TDSB had consulted historians, not sociologists, the board would have received a clearer view of the legacies of these men.

“The TDSB failed to consult historians on the legacy of these three men. If they did they would have learned that despite their flaws, they were men of the time, and contributed greatly to modern day Canada,” said Tate.

“Henry Dundas in particular was a vocal advocate for abolition, and Macdonald founded our country and built the trans-national railway. The activists make it seem like they were Pol Pot which is disingenuous. We should never accept historical revisionism, and when it’s a school that’s perpetuating it, it’s even more Orwellian.”

Tate’s petition was started on Sunday, Feb. 23 and has already amassed 630 signatures as of the publication of this article.