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The submission seeking to change the name of the Traffic Bridge includes about 20 letters, some handwritten by students.

“Renaming the Traffic Bridge would bring us a step closer to righting the wrongs that were committed against the First Nations people,” one of the letters reads.

City council’s planning, development and community services committee is expected to consider the requests at its Monday meeting. City council must approve all renaming requests, and anyone who might be affected by renaming must be consulted.

Victoria Park is named for Queen Victoria, once the longest reigning British monarch (1819 to 1901). Victoria Avenue, which connects to the Traffic Bridge, is also named for Queen Victoria.

The Traffic Bridge opened in 1907 and was known by various names, including the Victoria Bridge, until it was officially given its current name 100 years after it opened. The name was intended to acknowledge the bridge’s status as Saskatoon’s first river crossing for private vehicles. The original bridge was condemned in 2010 and is currently being rebuilt as part of the massive infrastructure project that also includes the new north bridge.

Elliott’s four-page letter includes an explanation of the history of the Traffic Bridge and its significance to Saskatoon.

It notes a statue commemorating the 1882 meeting between John Lake, considered the founder of Saskatoon, and Chief Whitecap of the Dakota First Nation is located in the roundabout at the north end of the Traffic Bridge. That statue was completed in 2008.