durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday,February 3, 2022 | 4 P: 905.430.4300 E: info@whitby.ca whitby.ca What You Need To Know This Week: Whitby's Plan To Reopen Facilities As the Ontario government eases public health measures, the Town is beginning to reopen its facilities starting with the following: Residents no longer need to book appointments to visit Town Hall or the Garden Street Branch The Whitby Civic Recreation Complex Health Club and Anne Ottenbrite Pool at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre are open at 50 per cent capacity Public skating and shinny programs are open at 50 per cent capacity at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre, McKinney Centre and Luther Vipond Memorial Arena For more information on what's open, visit whitby.ca/COVID Register For The Mayor's Telephone Town Hall Do you have a question or comment you'd like to share with Mayor Don Mitchell? Don't miss out on your chance to chat with the Mayor on February 22 from 7 to 8 p.m. during a Telephone Town Hall Meeting. Register with your cell phone or landline number at whitby.ca/TelephoneTownHall Share Your Feedback on Whitby's Proposed 2022 Budget The Town's proposed 2022 Budget is now available online at connectwhitby.ca/Budget. Residents can share their feedback on the budget through a variety of ways: 2022 Virtual Budget Forum | Open now through February 9 connectwhitby.ca/Budget Virtual Budget Public Meeting | February 7 at 7 p.m. whitby.ca/LiveStream Virtual Special Council Meeting for final approval of the proposed 2022 Budget | February 17 at 7 p.m. whitby.ca/LiveStream Residents who wish to speak virtually at either meeting must register with the Town Clerk by noon the day of the meeting. Forms are available at whitby.ca/Delegation. For comments or questions about the budget, contact the Financial Services Department at treasury@whitby.ca or by phone at 905.430.4300 x1952 The Town of Whitby will begin looking into renaming Dundas Street, but it could be years away, if it happens at all. Council debated the issue at length on Monday, Jan. 17, after Whitby's Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee (DIAC) recommended that Dundas Street be renamed. The DIAC felt that the street's name, after Henry Dundas, was discriminatory and racist. Henry Dundas was a British Minister of the Crown in the 1790s who was believed to have delayed the end of the Transatlantic slave trade. Brianna Nelson, the vice-chair of the DIAC committee, made a plea with council to change the name of Dundas Street. "I personally would like to see Dundas Street changed based on my lived experiences as a Black woman who has been in Whitby for over 10 years. I understand that we historically have named streets after those who have created change in our community and those we choose to honour, but I ask, what are we honouring by keeping this name? I question whether the Town of Whitby is truly committed to equity and diversity because if you were, you would see the need to rectify this issue." However, Mayor Don Mitchell, during the committee meeting, sprung to the defence of Henry Dundas, questioning the historical legitimacy of whether Dundas delayed the end of the slave trade. He made it clear council was not endorsing the renaming of Dundas Street in its motion. The mayor has also expressed this point of view in print. Council ended up endorsing a proposal to get a report back from staff that identifies a process to begin community engagement. This process will include consultation with the advisory committees and stakeholders on renaming Dundas Street through the Town of Whitby and highlighting its public and private sector cost implications. Such a process is suggested to take until the rest of 2022. That was a frustrating result for some observers. "As a Black woman, I am tired of having to scream at the top of my lungs to be heard, and I'm tired of my experiences needing to be co-signed by others who don't look like me and have more power than me to be valued," said Brianna Nelson. Greg Frankson, a Black businessperson and writer in Whitby who was one of the first to push for the renaming of Dundas Street after it was renamed in Toronto last August, expressed his thoughts the day after the vote. Frankson noted Jan. 17, was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, celebrated in honour of the famous Black American civil rights leader, and said he was very disappointed the town hadn't taken action to rename the street. "On Martin Luther King Day, the Town of Whitby could not rouse itself to rename a street named after the politician most responsible for the extension of the trans-Atlantic slave trade," he said. "It is appalling, disgusting and reprehensible that they would act in that fashion on Martin Luther King Day." DUNDAS STREET RENAMING ISSUE TO BE STUDIED BY STAFF Greg Frankson has spoken in favour of renaming Dundas Street in Whitby. Jason Liebregts/Metroland TIM KELLY tkelly@durhamregion.com COUNCIL