New elementary school named after Brian Mulroney breaks board policy
The OCDSB's newest school will be named after the former PM, despite 2021 rules against politically partisan school names.
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Ottawa's largest school board is naming its newest elementary school after former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, sidestepping a policy it introduced four years ago that explicitly prohibits naming schools after individuals or political figures.
The school, opening near Mer Bleue in the east end, will be the first public school in Ontario to bear Mulroney's name. He served as prime minister from 1984 to 1993 and died in 2024.
Education Minister Paul Calandra released a statement calling Mulroney "one of the most consequential leaders in modern Canadian history," citing his record on the economy, French language, environment, and human rights. But the move contradicts the OCDSB's own naming policy. Updated in 2023, the policy says recommended names should honour local features, streets, or Indigenous significance—and should explicitly avoid names of individuals or families and anything of a politically partisan nature.
The board was placed under provincial supervision last June after years of governance concerns. The provincially appointed supervisor, Bob Plamondon, is an auditor and author of books on Canadian political history.
Multironey's legacy includes free trade with the United States, the introduction of the GST, and the privatization of Crown corporations including Petro Canada and Air Canada. He faced criticism for failing to bring Quebec into the constitutional fold through the Meech Lake and Charlottetown accords.