Toronto’s Young-Dundas Square is getting a new name.

Council voted yesterday to rename four major City of Toronto assets: Yonge-Dundas Square, Dundas and Dundas West subway stations and the Jane/Dundas Public Library. 

A committee selected the name “Sankofa Square” for Yonge-Dundas Square. The concept of Sankofa, originating in Ghana, refers to the act of reflecting on and reclaiming teachings from the past, which enables people to move forward together. 

The city says the new name reflects the City’s commitment to taking steps to right wrongs, confront anti-Black racism and build a more inclusive Toronto for all.

Henry Dundas was a Scottish politician from the 1770s to the early 1800s with connections to the slave trade.

Name selections for the other locations will launch next year. 

The City’s Recognition Review Community Advisory Committee was formed in 2021 to develop a shortlist of new names for Dundas Street and other City-owned assets bearing the Dundas name. The 20-member CAC brings together Black and Indigenous leaders and other Dundas Street residents and business owners. 

The City and TTC will work with Toronto Metropolitan University to rename Dundas Station, and with advice from the committee to rename Dundas West Station. The Jane/Dundas Public Library is proposed to be renamed by the Toronto Public Library Board in collaboration with the City.