Toronto to honour Nelson Mandela with a street dedication

City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:

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News Release:  June 19, 2014

Toronto to honour Nelson Mandela with a street dedication

The City of Toronto is inviting the public to have its say on which city street should be selected to honour former South African President Nelson Mandela for his life-long achievements.

"Nelson Mandela is recognized around the world for his heroism, dedication and commitment to his country, and his love for people of every race and creed," said Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly. "The naming of a street after Nelson Mandela is a positive way for Toronto to honour the legacy of this great man."

A Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Mandela was jailed for his protests against South Africa's apartheid policies and spent 27 years in prison. After being released, he became the country's first black president. His government focused on dismantling apartheid by tackling institutionalized racism, poverty and inequality, and fostered racial reconciliation. Mandela died last year.

The City is seeking public input on five potential street locations with connections to Mandela that could be chosen for the ceremonial street designation. They include:

• Queen Street West from Yonge Street to University Avenue:

During Mandela's first visit to Toronto in 1990, his then wife, Winnie Mandela, led a march from City Hall, located on Queen Street West, to Queen's Park. 

• Shuter Street, from River Street to Parliament Street:

In 2001, Nelson Mandela attended the re-naming celebration of a school in his honour. Nelson Mandela Park Public School is located on Shuter Street. 

• Gerrard Street East, from Jarvis Street to Yonge Street:

In 2001, Nelson Mandela received an honorary doctorate from Ryerson University.  In his acceptance speech, he celebrated children, youth education and the pursuit of universal peace.

• Bathurst Street, from College Street to Herrick Street:

In 1990, during his first visit to Toronto, Mandela spoke to students at Central Technical Secondary School at Harbord Street and Bathurst Street about the poor treatment of black students in South Africa.

• University Avenue, from Front Street West to College Street:

During his visit in 1990, a march was held on University Avenue, from Toronto City Hall to Queen's Park where Mandela gave a speech to a crowd of several thousand people.

The ceremonial street naming would see the installation of additional signage honouring Mandela along the selected street. The official street name would remain the same and building addresses would not change.

More information about participating in the street selection process is available at http://www.toronto.ca/mandela.

You can also find the news release on the City's website: http://bit.ly/1vZ0hCg

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

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Media contact:  Steve Johnston, Strategic Communications, 416-392-4391, sjohnsto@toronto.ca