City recognizes renaming of Rooster Town Park and unveiling of historical marker

Released: August 23, 2022 at 5:06 p.m.

Winnipeg, MB – Tonight, the City of Winnipeg recognized the renaming of Rooster Town Park as the commemorative name for the park located at Pan Am Pool (25 Poseidon Bay). Councillor John Orlikow was joined in recognizing Rooster Town Park and unveiling an historical marker with the support of former residents of Rooster Town.

The request to rename the park to Rooster Town Park was approved by City Council through the Welcoming Winnipeg: Reconciling our History Policy. Rooster Town Park is named in recognition of the predominantly Métis community that settled in the area now known as Grant Park.

In addition to approving the renaming request, Welcoming Winnipeg’s Committee of Community Members also recommended an educational component to the renaming in the form of a new historical marker acknowledging the name “Pakan Town” (Michif/Anishinaabe), which was the name the residents used to call the area.

"As a lifelong resident of River Heights, I was not aware of the stories and the Indigenous history of this area until meeting and learning from the families of Rooster Town," said Councillor John Orlikow, River Heights – Fort Garry. "Naming this park after the Rooster Town community is an important step in helping educate our residents, but we are certainly not done telling their story. I look forward to working with these families in the future so we can continue those learnings and teachings."

"The renaming of Rooster Town Park means a lot to my dad's family, including his brother and his sisters,” said Darrell Sais, family member of Rooster Town residents. “I'm sure this will mean a great deal to the other families that were removed from their homes in 1960.”

The Welcoming Winnipeg: Reconciling Our History Policy was developed to guide the City in making decisions regarding requests to create new, add to, or remove/rename historical markers and place names and resolve the absence of Indigenous perspectives, experiences and contributions in the stories remembered and commemorated. For more information, see: winnipeg.ca/welcomingwinnipeg.

News

Was this information helpful?

How can we make this web page better?

Information collected will be used to improve our website. Do not use this form to submit a request for service or information because it will not be forwarded to departments for response. To submit a request for service or information, contact 311.

This form is not intended to collect personal information; however, any personal information you choose to include in your comments is collected by the City of Winnipeg under the authority of section 36(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purpose of improving our website and will not be used or disclosed for any other purposes, except as authorized by law. Contact the Corporate Access and Privacy Officer by mail (City Clerk’s Department, Susan A. Thompson Building, 510 Main Street, Winnipeg MB, R3B 1B9) or by telephone (311) if you have any questions about the collection of this information.