Mayoral candidate Bradford pledges to rename and revamp Sankofa Square

Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford says he'll rename Sankofa Square — the Yonge and Dundas intersection — "Toronto Square" and clean it up if he's elected in October.

Calling the space "dirty and unsafe," Bradford unveiled his vision on Monday to establish a permanent police substation, expand outreach and mental health supports, and bring year-round programming to one of the country's busiest intersections. "Visitors from around the world step off the subway and this is one of the first things they see here in Toronto," he said. "It's dirty, it's unsafe, there's open drug use in the middle of the afternoon. Tourists avoid it, parents grab their kids by the hand and move quickly through the space."

Bradford was one of 22 city councillors who voted in favour of renaming the space Sankofa Square in December 2023 — a decision that sparked considerable controversy. A Liaison Strategies survey from January 2024 showed 71 percent of respondents opposed the change.

Under Bradford's plan, the cleanup, programming, and renaming would be financed entirely through a partnership with an iconic Canadian brand and supported by advertisers and businesses that profit from the corner. "Not one dollar of this lands on your property tax bill," Bradford said. The renaming would require a City Council vote, which Bradford committed to bring forward.

Between events and advertising, rotating tributes would honour prominent Canadians including Viola Desmond, Terry Fox, and Tom Longboat, selected by an independent, broadly representative panel rather than by the Mayor's office.