Brad Bradford Proposes Renaming Sankofa Square to Toronto Square
Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford announced on Monday his plan to rename Sankofa Square to 'Toronto Square' if elected in October. The Beaches-East York councillor criticized the current state of the square, once a bustling hub often compared to New York's Times Square.
"For a generation, this was the epicentre of the city, this was the Canadian version of Times Square, but today it is a very different experience as it is dirty, it is unsafe, there is open drug use in the middle of the day and tourists are avoiding it," Bradford told the Toronto Sun.
Safety and Cleanliness Concerns
Bradford emphasized that the square, which sees 100,000 people daily, has become a place he would not take his children. He blamed Mayor Olivia Chow for conditioning residents to accept the deterioration. "Mayor Chow has conditioned us to accept this. We have been told this is how it is, but I don't accept that," he said.
His plan includes cleaning and maintaining the site, establishing a police substation, directing people to outreach and mental-health support, and restoring cultural and musical vibrancy. "We will restore the vibrancy and prominence that used to be the hallmark of the civic gathering space," Bradford said. He aims to fill the square with commerce, culture, food, retail, and music.
Criticism of Renaming Process
Bradford was among 19 of 21 councillors who voted for the original renaming from Yonge-Dundas Square to Sankofa Square in 2023. He now says he was misled. "If you followed the announcement at the time, Mayor Chow walked it onto the floor of council that day, didn't give anyone a heads up and told everybody that she had worked with the community, that she has worked with the Yonge-Dundas board and the BIA and everyone was on board. But she misled council and she misled Torontonians because in the days that followed, half of the board resigned because she hadn't worked with them."
During the renaming, council faced scrutiny over lack of consultation, and two board members resigned. Bradford said the square's disheveled state and disingenuous tactics prompted his change of stance.
Corporate Sponsorship and Funding
Bradford said his plan would come at no cost to taxpayers, funded by a yet-to-be-determined corporate sponsor. He noted that corporate sponsorship was lined up but fell through after the name change. "Partnership and corporate sponsorship moved away once the intersection of Yonge and Dundas and Sankofa Square moved in the direction it has," he said. "There was corporate sponsorship lined up and then that came off the table when the mayor took us in this direction."
