The Winnipeg School Division (WDS) has announced plans to rename the Wolseley School by the end of the year. The school is named after Col Garnet J Wolseley, who commanded the 1870 Red River Expedition against Louis Riel and the Métis resistance. After the conflict, Wolseley left militia members to garrison the province. CBC says that Métis elders have described that time as a “reign of terror.” WSD Superintendent Matt Henderson told CBC that the school board hopes to have a new name in place within the year. The Western Standard reports that the school division has already received over 155 submissions with ideas for a new name. The Manitoba Métis Federation has reportedly opposed the decision: MMF Minister of Housing and Métis Identity Will Goodon said that removing the name would mean that Wolseley’s actions “subtly slide from history and the issues […] become forgotten.” Henderson stated that the board invited MMF to be a part of the renaming process and that it will reach out again when potential alternative names are presented to the board.
