Petition calls for changing Nathan Phillips Square to another Nathan

Torontosun.com
Jan. 4, 2023

Ryerson University. Dundas Street. Dozens of Ontario schools. They are all part of a renaming endeavor by many due to their questionable histories.

The latest enterprise is for Nathan Phillips Square to get a name-change -- and people are not entirely opposed to his replacement.

The unofficial “Petition to change the name of Nathan Phillips Square to Nathan Fillion Square” surfaced on Reddit.

No reason was given; it was simply a discussion page opened up on the Toronto subreddit and many are on board with a modern update -- though some Redditors had other suggestions.

“I support and encourage this,” one person commented.

Another added: “I wholeheartedly support this petition.”

However, many were unsure who Fillion is, with “Who?” being a common response.

Toronto City Hall at Nathan Phillips Square. Closures come one day after the province announced renewed lockdowns and restrictions on city businesses, including a return of indoor dining bans.

Fillion is an Edmonton-born actor who got his start on One Life to Live and is probably best known for his lead roles in Firefly, Castle and, currently, The Rookie.

His hometown even renamed City Hall to the Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavillion after another petition was launched -- and was fully supported by some of his The Suicide Squad co-stars including Margot Robbie, John Cena and Idris Elba.

Other suggestions include Nathan Fielder Square (after the comedian), Wilson Phillips Square, Eugene Levy Square (because, hello, Canadian icon).

Meanwhile, Nathan Phillips had his own defenders, with one person pointing out that he is Toronto’s first Jewish mayor, “ending an unbroken string of Protestant mayors,” when he served from 1955 to 1962.

“Phillips’s victory marked a turning point in Toronto history and its transformation from a Protestant, staunchly British and conservative city to a modern multicultural metropolis,” the Redditor added.

“Seems like it’s named after an actual badass, instead of a man who plays one on TV.”