'It's horrific': Some Indigenous residents outraged after Dewdney Avenue name change rejected

Some residents in Regina have expressed their frustration over the rejection of renaming Dewdney Avenue by city council Wednesday.

Some within the Indigenous community said they feel this is a step backwards in the reconciliation process.

"It feels like it's turning their back on the Indigenous community,” said Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway, the co-founder of the Buffalo People Arts Institute.

A name change for the avenue that runs from one side of Regina to the other, east to west, was shot down by council 7-3.

"Discovering Dewdney's legacy, it's horrific. For some reason, Regina wants to hold onto this legacy,” said BigEagle-Kequahtooway.

BigEagle-Kequahtooway has been fighting to have the roadway be re-named for the last eight years and feels indifferent about council’s decision.

"We have a letter from reconciliation Regina. We have support over 600 signatures from this community. So I'm not sure who the mayor and council are listening to in terms of their idea of what reconciliation looks like," she said.

Mayor Sandra Masters believes money that could have went into re-naming a street could be better utilized in other areas.

"Fundamentally, I think that I can't get there in to renaming a street thinking that's going to solve the problems. I think if you invest in youth programs or you, I don't know, knock down the burnt out properties, that's a way better spent money I think in terms of uplifting and having an impact on how people feel about their city," she said.

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Bushwakker Brewpub has been operating in Regina along Dewdney Avenue since the early 1990’s. An employee with the pub agreed now is not the time to invest in changing the name.

"The additional expense at this time would make things even more difficult. So I think if a decision was made for a name change and enough time was given where we could prepare and allocate resources to accommodate that change, then that would be, you know, much easier for us to deal with,” said Grant Frew, Bar and Marketing Manager with Bushwakker Brewpub.

BigEagle-Kequahtooway said she will not stop fighting to have the roadway be renamed. She recommends there be a cost benefit analysis be done as well as an educational campaign, another step towards reconciliation.