From Yonge-Dundas Square to Sankofa Square: new signage expected in Toronto by end of year

The City of Toronto says signage for Yonge-Dundas Square was decommissioned earlier this month and signage reflecting the site’s new name is expected to be installed by the end of the year.

An update on the renaming and rebranding of the downtown landmark is laid out in a document that was presented to city council at its meeting on Wednesday.

The faded outline of what had been the identifier for Toronto’s central square is all that remains after the lettering was removed back on May 13. Only a couple of small Yonge-Dundas indicators remain as the transformation to Sankofa Square begins to take place.

“Over the last few years, as these council decisions have wound their way through the system, I continue to hear from people that are very upset with this change,” said Coun. Stephen Holyday who submitted an administrative inquiry to city manager Paul Johnson.

Johnson says a vendor will be selected to make the new signage, with the design, fabrication and installation expected to cost between $105,000 and $200,000.

Other costs associated with the renaming — including branding, programming and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — are estimated to be between $300,000 and $600,000.

The document says the square will cover any costs beyond the $335,000 included in the 2024 budget through third-party financial partners and in-kind support.

The process to rename the square came about after a petition pointed out that Henry Dundas was involved in delaying the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Sankofa Square name was proposed after a committee involving Black and Indigenous leaders studied options to replace Dundas. Sankofa originates in Ghana and represents the act of reflecting on and reclaiming teachings from the past.

An initial council decision to change the name of the entire street was scaled back due to the cost.

“It shouldn’t be lost that the renaming of the square could detract from that success in the future and end up costing the city and taxpayers a lot of money to run the square in the future,” said Holyday

Money the mayor says won’t come from the taxpayer.

“Yes it costs something like $104,000 to change the name of the square and the sign but all of it is paid for by the owners of the buildings around it,” said Chow.

On Wednesday, council narrowly voted 11-10 to refer the matter to the Executive Committee for consideration.