Laura Hull –
A City of Toronto decision to rename a small downtown park has prompted pushback from local residents who say they were blindsided by the change.
The Sumach-Shuter Parkette was officially renamed Louis March Park on July 20 in honour of the late anti-violence advocate known for his work in Regent Park and across the city. The renaming ceremony, attended by Mayor Olivia Chow and Ward 13 (Toronto Centre) Councillor Chris Moise, was meant to be a celebration. But just across the grass, longtime Trefann Court residents quietly held signs in protest.
“It’s not about Louis March. We all respect him – he was a great man, who did great work” said Bill Eadie, a Trefann Court resident leading the pushback. “This is about the process. This is about a park we fought for being renamed without our say.”
“Why this park?” Eadie asked. “We have our own heroes. Parks are a finite resource.”
Earlier this year, Mothers of Peace, a Regent Park-based grassroots organization that worked closely with March, launched a petition to commemorate him. The group gathered more than 800 signatures, prompting Councillor Moise to fast-track the name change at City Council via a member’s motion – a legislative tool typically reserved for time-sensitive matters. The motion passed 22–1, bypassing the usual public consultation.
That decision, critics say, lit a firestorm in Trefann Court – a pocket of the Downtown East that borders but is separate from Regent Park. In the 1960s, Trefann residents successfully fought city plans to absorb their neighbourhood into a wider public housing redevelopment. Since then, the community has fought to maintain its unique identity.
“We fought for this park when it was a mess in the ’90s and early 2000s,” said resident Linda Dixon. “We cleaned it up. We worked with the city to redesign it. Now it feels like that history’s being erased.”
Many residents said they learned about the renaming after it had been approved.
“I sent Chris Moise multiple emails. No reply,” said Annemarie Boone, who has lived in the area for decades. “It’s not just a parkette. It’s part of our history.”
Councillor Moise did eventually host a meeting between Mothers of Peace and Trefann residents, but those in attendance said the damage was already done. “They didn’t even know where the park was,” Dixon said. “We were an afterthought.”
Despite the backlash, Moise defended the decision during the renaming ceremony. “Louis March is a national hero,” he told the bridge. “Space, and this park, can mean different things to different people.”
Mayor Chow echoed the sentiment. “This is a park where guns can be replaced by games and joy,” she said. “We dedicate ourselves to pick up where Louis March left off.”
Founder of the Zero Gun Violence Movement, Louis March was a fixture at community events and youth programs, often stepping in where institutions fell short. He died after a brief illness last July.
“If I hadn’t met Louis March, I probably wouldn’t be here today,” said Chauckie, a community member who works with Mothers of Peace. “He was always on the ground. He didn’t care which side of Shuter Street you lived on. Violence doesn’t care about boundaries, and neither did he.”
March’s son, Troy March, told attendees the renamed park is a space that reflects his father’s “spirit, a symbol of hope, peace and purpose.”
Despite the quiet protest, the renaming stands. A sign now marks the corner of Sumach and Shuter Streets as Louis March Park, nestled at the edge of two communities still navigating how to share the space – and the story behind it.
