Calls to Action for the City of Edmonton
In response to community feedback, the Oliver Community League Board of Directors has approved a motion in opposition to the community’s current name of “Oliver.” The motion reads as follows:
The Oliver Community League Board of Directors opposes the name “Oliver” for our community because its namesake, Frank Oliver, spearheaded many harmful policies that directly targeted Indigenous communities, people of colour, newcomers, and people with disabilities. This namesake does not reflect the spirit of diversity and inclusion that our community represents.
We at the Oliver Community League have three calls to action for the City of Edmonton as follows.
1. Let the Community Decide
The City of Edmonton is to initiate an inclusive co-creation process to discover a new community name for the district currently known as “Oliver”
This process must be Indigenous-led, involving all communities that Frank Oliver impacted including, but not limited to, the Black communities, the newcomer communities, and people with disabilities.
This process must involve as many residents of Oliver as possible.
This process must reach out to Oliver residents in many modalities - ensuring those that cannot access technology are included.
2. Implement the Chosen Name
The City of Edmonton must change the name of present-day “Oliver” to the recommendation brought forward by the aforementioned co-creation process.
3. Implement the Generational Renewal, Celebration, or Renaming of Community Names
Directed by Indigenous ways of knowing and being this process will be the first cycle of a new way of place naming. Every generation, defined as every 30 years, our community will engage in a process of reflection, discussion, and either a name renewal celebration or a renaming process to ensure our community’s name reflects the values, hopes, and identities of future generations.