BISHOP Grandin Boulevard and the greenway that runs parallel to it — both of which are named after an architect of the residential school system — could have new titles before the end of the year.

The volunteer board that oversees the greenway’s operations issued a notice this week to inform community members of its ongoing support for the City of Winnipeg’s efforts to explore cutting ties with Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin (1829-1902) as a namesake for local landmarks.

The board indicated renaming consultations are underway and it anticipates a report with a recommendation on the subject will be brought forward to city council this fall.

“I don’t want people to think we’re sitting on our hands and letting this fall by the wayside,” said Derick Young, president of Bishop Grandin Greenway Inc.

“There is a great deal of concern among some people in the community about the name and I think most people, not just in St. Vital, recognize that we need to deal with, as a country, our history of the residential schools and the legacy of people who were involved.”

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded that Grandin, a Roman Catholic priest, “led the campaign for residential schooling.”

The commission’s final report outlines in detail Grandin’s idea to create boarding schools that would convert Indigenous children into Christians and his success in securing federal funding to make his pitch a reality.

The bishop once wrote, “To become civilized they should be taken with the consent of their parents and made to lead a life different from their parents and cause them to forget the customs, habits and language of their ancestors.”

Not long after the remains of 215 children were found in unmarked graves near a residential school site in Kamloops, outrage about the senseless death, abuse and intergenerational trauma caused by Grandin’s beliefs prompted demands to rename local landmarks.