By Cheryl Jahn

City to look at changing O’Grady Road

Jul 15, 2021 | 3:46 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Mayor and Council recently received a letter from the Chief of the Lheidli T’ennen, which was discussed at Council Monday night. It seeks to have the name of O’Grady Road changed.

“O’Grady was a priest who was in charge of three residential schools and it’s, for every First Nation who attended school who drives by O’Grady, it’s a constant reminder,” explains Chief Logan.

The letter reads: “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 BC while deaths and abuse of children occurred, is reason enough to change the name.”

“His name is synonymous with crimes against indigenous children. Our members and other indigenous citizens of Prince George are forced to relive residential school trauma every time we shop at the stores in the College Heights area where O’Grady Road is located.”

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Council has sent the request to Administration to report on a process.

“We have a process in place for renaming facilities and name recognition. So it’ll be part of that,” explains mayor Lyn Hall. “But we want to be very certain that the process we follow is tight and around consultation.”

As was noted at Council Monday night, a name change would impact several residences along O’Grady. But Chief Logan says the gesture would be significant.

“It’s huge for our First Nations to see the name gone and the City respecting that. Respecting the First Nations and their communities, saying ‘We understand what you went through. This is our part to remove a little bit of the pain.'”

It’s expected the report will come back before Council in August.

by Cheryl Jahn

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City to look at changing O’Grady Road

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