Committee set to discuss changing city's first Michif-named street
City administration is looking to rename a new Saskatoon street after the word was revealed to have different meanings.
Council will mull over the recommendation to rename Shakamohtaa Street after feedback received at City Hall said the Michif word had “different meanings for speakers of the different Michif language dialects.”
The word shakamohtaa is a Michif word or concept that embodies the spirit of coming together or connection.
Originally vetted by an Indigenous Elder, the word was added to the city’s Names Master List along with numerous other Indigenous language submissions in January 2020. It was then used on a street in Brighton in early 2021.
The report before the city’s standing committee on planning, development and community services says several discussions have happened with representatives from Métis Nation-Saskatchewan to rename the street. Administration is recommending to continue working with the Métis community to identify an appropriate name.
There is one other Michif word on the Names Master List: “waahkoomiqayhk,” signifying the concept of “kinship,” the administration report said.
A letter from Métis Nation-Saskatchewan CEO Richard Quintal wrote a letter to council asking the first Métis heritage names street be called “Michif.”
“As a first name, this word goes to the heart of Métis culture. For many it is used interchangeably with the word Métis and we speak of Michif language, Michif culture and Michif people,” Quintal said in his letter.
“We will be pleased to see a street carry this proud name and would look forward to participating in any openings related to it.”
Mayor Charlie Clark celebrated the naming of the street when it was first announced in April 2021.
“While it is long overdue, I am glad we will see the Michif language reflected on this street in Brighton. Imagine the impact for kids growing up in this neighbourhood, living on or near Shakamohtaa Street. They will feel a greater connection to these roots and the beauty of the Michif language," Clark said at the time.
The committee is set to discuss the street name change at its meeting on Monday at 9:30 a.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
For more than two decades, the unknown victim was nicknamed "Midtown Jane Doe" because she was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. But this week, investigators finally revealed her identity.