A park named for a London movie director who was successfully sued for sexual assault will soon have a new name.
London City Council voted 15-0 to approve decisions of the Civic Works Committee at their meeting on Tuesday, which included re-naming the park.
Last month, the committee also unanimously voted to re-name the park. The motion was pushed by Councillor Elizabeth Peloza, whose ward includes the park. Looking ahead, Peloza said further review on how staff will pick a new name for the park will come in the new year.
"Staff will do some engagement with local residents, telling them what's happening, why the name is gone, and that we're looking to rename it," said Peloza. "Staff will then go through its renaming process and bring back a new name for the park."
Peloza said community members have spoken to her about avoiding naming public spaces after individuals, as it may need to be changed in the future.
The city is currently doing a review on how it decides to name city facilities and streets after council voted to remove Trooper Mark Wilson's name from a city park and street this year when past assault allegations involving him came to light. A report on the naming process is expected to come back to council in the new year.
"The city hasn't reviewed its naming policy for several decades," said Peloza. "Traditionally we just look at things [such as] is this name already in use? Or are two names too similar that it would confuse potentially residents and first-responders? Whereas now, [the review] is going back with different lenses and considerations of how we name things. It's going to be a separate issue of looking at things we've already named and how to fix historical issues."
Over the next several days, Peloza said city staff will remove all physical signage with Haggis' name at the park located 2875 Bateman Trail. The name will also be removed from the city's website, however its address will remain online should residents need to search for it.
Peloza's motion was supported community organizations including the Dad's Club London and the London Abused Women’s Centre.
“[We] are pleased with the outcome from the committee meeting last night, a unanimous decision to rename Haggis Park is exactly what we want to see, it is exactly what women and girls in our community need to see,” Jennifer Dunn, the executive director of the London Abused Women's Centre, said when the committee voted to recommend to council that the name be changed.“Women in our community deserve to feel protected by the City of London and by the decisions makers in our City.”
The south-end park was named after Haggis over a decade ago. Haggis was born and raised in London, but later pursued his career in Hollywood and became a well-known screenwriter, film producer, and director.
Since 2017, multiple women have come forward to accuse Haggis of sexual assault and misconduct. Earlier this year, a New York jury found him liable for rape and he was ordered to pay a total of $7.5 million in compensatory damages to the victim, and an additional $2.5 million in punitive damages.
-With files from Ruby Sweeney
