Grandin, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in St. Albert, is now officially known as The Gardens, following months of council debates, information sessions and some public backlash.
An application was submitted to the city in fall 2024, requesting the name Grandin be removed from all municipal assets. The neighbourhood's namesake, Bishop Vital Grandin, was identified in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as having been instrumental in the creation of residential schools.
The renaming was debated and approved in March 2025, with only councillors Sheena Hughes and Shelley Biermanski opposed. At a prior meeting it had been debated whether to bring the matter to a plebiscite for the upcoming election. That motion was defeated, with only Biermanski and Hughes in favour.
Similarly to how she felt following the meeting, St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron said her thoughts on the renaming, as well as the process itself, haven't changed much.
"I'm still very proud of council and of our community for recognizing that sometimes a little bit of pain, or a little bit of inconvenience is OK when it does some greater good," Heron said. "I'm excited about the change and I'm looking forward to putting this behind us."
She said she loves the new name and feels it represents the neighbourhood and the city as a whole very well.
"The Gardens really goes to our brand as the botanical arts community, so I think it fits really well," she said. She acknowledges there will be a period of adjustment, or even healing for some as they get used to the new name, perhaps referring to it as Grandin by habit.
"I might be one of those," she said. "I grew up here. It's always been Grandin to me. And when I was a kid, Grandin did not mean Bishop Grandin, it meant a neighbourhood in St. Albert. The entire process allowed for a lot of education, which is a good thing. But yeah, I think it's going to take a while."
As for some of the neighbourhood residents, the seeming reaction to the name change was one of anger, if going by city council meetings in March. According to Heron, though, there hasn't been much negative reaction following the vote in March, aside from a couple of individuals who tried to go through the Subdivision Appeal Board, but were blocked.
"I haven't had a single email all summer, even leading up to Sept. 1, complaining or angry; it has been very quiet," she said. "I think in the end, if you live on Grandora Crescent this doesn't really affect you, right?"
Following the vote, the process of the renaming itself came into question. There was a council motion to suspend the city's renaming policy, which was narrowly defeated with Biermanski, Hughes, and Coun. Ken MacKay in favour.
Heron said if she could do something differently during the renaming, or if she were to offer advice to a future council going through a similar debate, she said she would have separated the act of renaming Grandin and choosing a new name.
"I think there was some confusion when we were asking people for the new name, that the decision had already been made to remove the name, which was not the case," she said.
Residents react to the change
Residents do have some things to do as part of the transition. An information package was sent out to residents living on affected streets, with information on how to go about changing the address on their driver's licences and a list of other places they might need to change their addresses.
The city's managing director Diane McMordie told the Gazette in August the city had already changed the addresses for residents on affected streets in the city's system for tax and utility accounts, or recreation memberships.
Among residents living on Garden Road and in The Gardens, reaction was mixed.
One resident, Pat Wig, who does not live on one of the affected addresses, said she felt bad for the other residents who would have work to do because of the changes. But she's still pleased the city made the change.
"Using that name was a blemish on the city and in light of truth and reconciliation and everything else that is being done, I think it is a wonderful change the city is doing," Wig said.
Bob Pavelich, who lives on one of the affected addresses, wasn't as enthusiastic about the change.
"I think it's a bunch of waste of money that could be better spent," Pavelich said. "Change a school [name], get rid of a statue, but Grandin Road? It can be Grandin whoever."
He said he wouldn't be changing his address.
Another resident who lives on an affected address, Norma Forsyth, said the process of changing her address with different services has been difficult, but she is going along with it.
"History is there forever and ever," Forsyth said. "But somebody thought [the name] should be changed. I can't do anything about it."
Heron mentioned she was proud of the community for embracing and working through this little bit of pain. She also recalled the day of the vote and how proud she was of St. Albert residents.
"When I got into that gallery, I was worried that we'd be facing an angry crowd of people that were against the renaming. And I looked up and half the gallery was filled with orange shirts," she said. "It'll be one of my favourite memories of my time on council."
