Pickering

Mandamin family hopes Indigenous students will bring 'true selves to school' following building name change

Mandamin family hopes Indigenous students will bring 'true selves to school' following building name change

The daughter of a famous Anishnaabe water advocate from Wiikwemkoong said she is moved that a school in Pickering will be named in honour of her mother. Sir John A Macdonald Public School will soon be renamed the Biidassige Mandaamin Public School. From 2003 to 2017, Josephine Mandamin walked around the Great Lakes, bringing awareness to water and environmental issues – especially those in First Nations.

Pickering's Sir John A. Macdonald Public School to be renamed after female Indigenous leader

Pickering's Sir John A. Macdonald Public School to be renamed after female Indigenous leader

A Pickering, Ont. elementary school will soon bear the name of a female Indigenous leader from Manitoulin Island instead of that of the first prime minister of Canada. Sir John A. Macdonald Public School, located at 777 Balaton Ave., will be renamed Biidassige Mandamin Public School, according to the Durham District School Board. Trustees voted in favour of changing the name at a meeting on Monday.