The Toronto Transit Commission has been internally discussing the potential renaming of Pioneer Village subway station for at least a year, according to documents obtained by the Toronto Sun. This comes as the transit authority formalizes a new station naming policy developed through a racial equity lens.
Internal Emails Reveal Broader Renaming Plans
While public attention has focused on the renaming of Dundas station to Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) station, internal TTC communications indicate that Dundas West and Pioneer Village stations are also under consideration for rebranding. The discussions were revealed through emails obtained via a freedom-of-information request.
In February 2024, Laura Lehming, who handles wayfinding for the TTC, emailed Josh Colle, then in charge of customer experience, about budgeting for future station name changes. "If there are future name changes – Dundas West, Science Centre, Pioneer Village – he's asked if he can be brought in the conversation early so he can budget accordingly," Lehming wrote, referring to Chris Ronson of the City of Toronto.
The Pioneer Village Context
The potential renaming of Pioneer Village station follows the rebranding of its namesake attraction. Black Creek Pioneer Village has been rechristened as the Village at Black Creek, with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority stating that the word "pioneer" represents a "barrier to efforts related to reconciliation and engagement."
Previous signage changes related to the attraction's rebrand alone were estimated to cost the TTC $25,000. The Sun has reported that the Dundas station renaming could cost approximately $400,000.
New Racial Equity Policy Guides Future Changes
The TTC confirmed it finalized a new renaming policy in June 2025. The policy states that the transit authority "has reviewed its station naming process with a racial equity lens" and will prioritize renaming stations "tied to the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and colonization."
According to the policy, groups including the United Indigenous Council and the Black Transit Workers Association should be "engaged throughout" any renaming process. The TTC commits to conducting "thorough internal and external community engagement with Indigenous and Black communities" during future station naming processes.
The policy estimates that developing a new name or renaming an existing station will take six to 10 months. It recommends coordinating such changes with other system-wide wayfinding updates to minimize costs and the need for businesses to update their own maps and signs.
Despite these plans, TTC spokesman Stuart Green stated that "nothing is currently being planned" regarding future station name changes. However, internal emails from October 2024 show ongoing high-level discussions about the sequencing of changing station names at "Dundas, Dundas West and potentially Pioneer Village."
The debate over station renaming has proven contentious. When the TMU renaming was approved by the TTC board in May 2024, Councillor Dianne Saxe referred to the process to strip the Dundas name from city assets as "profoundly unpopular" and potentially "really damaging." Meanwhile, historical consultants have described 18th-century Scottish politician Henry Dundas as an author of "a shocking orgy of violence and racial hatred."
