No timelines have been set to bring forward a short list of new names for Chippewa Secondary School. The Near North District School Board explained that “updates will continue to be provided as the committee moves forward in the renaming process to apprise and update the school community.”

“The Chippewa Renaming Committee continues their work to enact the Board motion from December 13, 2022, to rename and rebrand Chippewa Secondary School,” the board said. “Given the importance of this issue, the Committee continues to be committed to ensuring that appropriate consultation occurs.”

The Renaming Committee posted a survey earlier this year for people to suggest possible names. That survey closed on March 30. On April 14, the committee announced it had “worked its way through a top 10” selection process, adding it would meet again to whittle that down to five potential names.

No date is set for that release.

See: Chippewa Renaming Committee gets homework extension

“Given the importance of this issue, the Committee continues to be committed to ensuring that appropriate consultation occurs,” the board said. “We recognize that further consultation will take additional time, but members feel that this component of the process is crucial to ensure that the selected name aligns with our own policies and the Committee's terms of reference.”

Renaming Committee meetings are not open to the public. Brett Hanson, communications coordinator for the Near North District School Board explained that “because the committee is not a committee of the board of trustees, it is not considered a Board committee under the Education Act and is not open to the public.”

All regular board meetings and board committee meetings can be attended by the public, in person or online via Zoom. The board is mandated by the Education Act to have these committees. The renaming committee is an ad-hoc committee, and as such, is not a board committee.

A similar committee was struck to name Maple View Public School, which will stand on the former W.J. Fricker property.

See: Near North unveils name of new elementary school

“There are a lot of things to consider,” said Erika Lougheed, the chairperson of the board. “If there is any delay, I know that this is a group of people who are making sure they’re doing what’s right and taking their time” to do so.

David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

David Briggs, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, BayToday.ca