The City of Prince George will begin the process of potentially renaming O’Grady Road following a request from Lheidli T’enneh Chief Dolleen Logan.
At Monday night’s (July 12) meeting, council responded to a letter sent by Chief Logan requesting the renaming of the College Heights area road, as it’s named after Bishop John Fergus O’Grady, who was a principal at Kamloops Indian Residential School where the remains of 215 children were found in unmarked graves.
O’Grady was the principal of Kamloops Indian Residential School from 1939 to 1952 and later opened Prince George College in 1960, eventually known as O’Grady Catholic High School.
“The recent discoveries of the remains of hundreds of children at residential schools in B.C. and Saskatchewan has heightened the awareness of the crimes committed at Catholic Church-run residential schools,” wrote Chief Logan.
“Young children died while in the care of priests and nuns at these schools. Others were tortured, abused and ill-treated. The fact that Bishop O’Grady who O’Grady Road is named for, played a key role in the administration of residential schools in B.C. while deaths and abuse of children occurred, is reason enough to change the name.”
O’Grady was the head of three residential schools throughout his career including Kamloops Indian Residential School, St. Mary’s Indian Residential School in Mission, and the Cariboo Indian Residential School.
The University of British Columbia is also currently reviewing the honorary degree it conferred to O’Grady in 1986, which it bestowed for “making education more accessible to local communities in the Interior and bringing native and white communities closer together." O’Grady died in 1998.
“Our members and other Indigenous citizens of Prince George are forced to relieve residential school trauma every time we shop at stores in College Heights where O’Grady road is located,” wrote Chief Logan. “If we are ever to begin a journey toward true reconciliation in Prince George, the name O’Grady Road must be changed.”
Mayor Lyn Hall said he spoke with Chief Logan about the Lheidli T’enenh’s position on the name change and suggested she send a letter of request so it could be directed to cityvadministration.
He then moved that administration follow up with the Lehidli T’enneh and report back to council with a process and next steps.
In terms of timelines, city manager Walter Babicz said a report including a suggested process, some options, factors to consider, impacts to residents and businesses, and what could be done to mitigate those impacts should council wish to proceed could be ready by August.
“We would then seek council’s direction to move forward or not to the next phase in that process,” Babicz said.
“I think on both sides we are going to have residents who are very much looking forward to this change and folks who live on O’Grady, who may not be opposed, but concerned and questioning what does that mean for me and my address,” Coun. Kyle Sampson said.
“It’s a good process to go through to make sure we keep everyone informed and we keep everyone up to date and in the loop.”
Coun. Susan Scott said she thinks this is an important step.
“I was in conversation with someone earlier today and I said this cannot be a token of appeasement this has to have meaning and I know that if staff undertakes this there is going to be a process that will inform us for any other eventualities.”
Mayor Hall added that the request is “part and parcel of reconciliation the entire province has been going through.”
The motion for staff to write the report was approved unanimously.
