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Amid “a time of reconciliation,” council carefully picked the new name, which is intended to spur conversation, after meeting with Treaty 7 elders.

The vote late Monday to rename the bridge came after more than 30 minutes of passionate speeches from council members.

The name change is effective immediately and at a future date a plaque will be unveiled at Reconciliation Bridge that explains the history of the structure, the story of Langevin and the reasoning behind the new name.

“Some people are saying that this is about erasing history or changing history and I would say it’s exactly the opposite, it’s about writing a more inclusive history, a history that includes more people,” Mayor Naheed Nenshi told reporters Monday.

The only member of council who didn’t sign the notice of motion or vote in favour of the rename was Ward 3 Coun. Jim Stevenson, who said he wouldn’t support the “re-writing of history.”

“This is a part of our history and to eliminate this name that’s been with us over 100 years, I’m just not supportive and I won’t be voting in favour of this,” he told his colleagues Monday.

But councillors, including area Coun. Druh Farrell disagreed and praised the name change as an important.

“It’s not about rewriting history, it’s about telling our shared history, which we haven’t been doing,” Farrell said.