Durham District School Board trustees have voted on the new name for a secondary school in northern Oshawa: Cedar Valley Secondary School. The name honours the Indigenous relationship with the nearby Cedar Valley Conservation Area and white cedar plants. “[Cedars’] ability to endure harsh conditions, regenerate and remain evergreen year-round has contributed to their association with strength, resilience, protection and continuity,” said DDSB Superintendent of Education Kandis Thompson. “One of four sacred medicines of the Anishinaabe people, the cedar is an important plant relative that has many practical and medicinal uses, providing protection, healing, grounding and spiritual connection. Cedar Valley honours these teachings and acknowledges the enduring relationship between Indigenous peoples and the land on which the school stands.”
