WRDSB confirms new name for Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School

(Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener)

Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School in Waterloo officially has a new name.

The Waterloo Region District School Board announced on March 21 that the high school will now be known as Laurel Heights Secondary School (LHSS).

That decision was confirmed on Friday.

An Ad Hoc School Naming Review Committee was set up in 2021, with the school board acknowledging that the original name caused "ongoing pain and harm" to Indigenous communities.

Macdonald is considered one of the architects of Canada's residential school system.
"This process is a part of our commitment to making concrete changes in support of the Calls to Action outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission," WRDSB said in a media release.

The board consulted with the school community and Indigenous representatives when choosing the name.

More than 450 submissions were received over a four-week period and was then narrowed down.

The school board said Laurel Heights "connects to both the community neighbourhood and the natural world, through the connection to Laurel Creek. The name offers students an opportunity to learn about, connect with, and develop deep respect and relations for both the natural world and their neighbourhood."