Welcome to Bawating? First Nations leader calls for Sault to be renamed
The area where the City of Sault Ste. Marie now sits was once known as Bawating, and a local Indigenous leader would like to see the city to go back to its original name.
Batchewana First Nation Chief Dean Sayers said such an action would go a long way toward undoing the area's colonial history.
Sayers said the name Bawating refers to the rapids in the St. Marys River. With regard to changing the name of Sault Ste. Marie to Bawating, he said Kitchener, Ont., used to be called Berlin, but was renamed in 1916 because of anti-German sentiment during the First World War.
"The people of that day didn't want to be associated any longer with some of the things that were happening over in Europe," he said. "I don't think there's much difference here. I don't think (anyone) wants to be embracing the colonial history in the area. So, let's turn the page and start fresh."
Sayers said there have been formal discussions on the matter, and he is open to speaking with Sault Ste. Marie city council.
"Just like decisions in my villages, we have to have the leadership onside -- a majority of them onside," he said. "So if any of those councillors, any of the senior people at the city, even the mayor, wants to have discussions, by all means, give me a call."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.