Music fans are calling for Yonge-Dundas Square to be renamed the Oscar Peterson Square in honour of the famous Canadian jazz musician.

Peterson, a former Mimico resident and global music icon, is being suggested by his fans to rename the popular downtown Square after Dundas is removed.

City council have said Dundas Street and other references to Dundas will  be removed due to his connections to the slave trade.

Plans are underway by City staff to rename all the references to Dundas, who had no connections to Canada.

Toronto city council voted in favour of renaming Dundas Street in a bid to promote inclusion of marginalized communities. After a lengthy debate on July 14, council voted 17-7 in favour of a motion to change the name of the street, a major artery running east-west through the city.

Council approved the renaming of Dundas Street due to its namesake’s connection to slavery. Council voted in favour of removing Henry Dundas’ name from the street as well as other civic assets such as Yonge-Dundas Square and Dundas subway station.

Councillor Michael Thompson said he will be the first to suggest that the Square be named after the world-famous jazz musician, who made Mississauga his home.

Thompson, in an interview, said the Square should be named after the Montreal-born musician.

The award-winning pianist lived in Amadeo Gardens in Mimico briefly in the 1980s and loved the area parks. He was honoured by the community in a portrait that hangs in a Lake Shore Village Wall of Legends, with others who helped to transform the area.

Peterson, who died in 2007 at the age of  82, was a Canadian jazz pianist, virtuoso and composer. Called the ‘King of inside swing,’ he released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy, and received numerous other awards and honours.

Born in the Caribbean, he is considered one of history’s great jazz pianists, who played thousands of concerts worldwide in a career lasting more than 60 years.

In 1997 he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award. His friend, politician and amateur pianist Bob Rae, said, “a one-handed Oscar was better than just about anyone with two hands.”

Yonge–Dundas Square is a one acre outdoor public and event space at the intersection of Yonge Street and Dundas Street.  The Square draws visitors from across the city and around the world, bringing a vibrant energy to the neighborhood.  The space has been host to thousands of events ranging from community festivals to product launches, international celebrations and more.