Brampton’s Dixie 407 Sports Park has a new name, one that honors the abolition of slavery.
Located south of Highway 407 at Dixie Road, the 100-acre green space, which has small and large soccer fields as well as cricket fields, is now known as Emancipation Park.
The new park name sign will be unveiled sometime this month.
“We are proud to be hosting Emancipation Day for the first time in Canada’s only Emancipation Park and one of only a few in North America,” Dewitt Lee III, founder of the Emancipation Month organization and one of the advocates key to renaming the park, told CP24 Monday morning.
“This is a very special space of healing, community and fellowship.”
Lee along with several others is also hosting a football tournament on Monday at the newly renamed park.
On July 8, Brampton City Council unanimously approved a motion to rename Dixie 407 Sports Park as Emancipation Park.
“As the first black woman elected to city council in Brampton’s history, I was proud to move the motion to create a recognition of Emancipation in October 2019. Recent events that have heightened our understanding of anti-black racism cannot to have was foreseen when I brought forward this initiative,” Coun. Charmaine Williams said in an Aug. 1 news release.
“However, I am very proud to say that Brampton is home to Emancipation Park. As far as I know, it is the first Emancipation park anywhere in Canada. I look forward to seeing more initiatives that increase our historical understanding of the roots of anti-black racism as we work to break down the barriers that impede human potential.”
Brampton City Council has also designated August 1st as Emancipation Day and August as Emancipation Month in that city. Several online events will be held throughout the month to celebrate Brampton’s diversity and honor this important holiday.
Virtual flag raisings will also be held today for Emancipation Day, as well as August 6 for Jamaican Independence Day, August 22 for Dominican Republic Restoration Day and August 31 for Trinidad and Tobago Independence Day. All flag raising ceremonies can be viewed online here.
“All over the world, we are witnessing a historic moment in time. People of all backgrounds are coming together to collectively confront systemic anti-black racism. Here in Brampton, honoring Emancipation Month and naming a city park Emancipation Park is a powerful way for us to acknowledge the past and reaffirm that we stand with Brampton’s black community,” said Mayor Patrick Brown.
In June 2020, the City Council also approved a Unit on Black African and Caribbean Social, Cultural and Economic Empowerment and Anti-Black Racism. Led by Senior Councilor Gwyneth Chapman, it aims to develop an action plan to eradicate systemic anti-black racism in Brampton by uplifting the social, cultural and economic standing of that city’s black community.
Community members can learn more and/or get involved by emailing
“Honoring Emancipation Month and renaming part of Brampton Emancipation Park are important steps forward for Brampton,” said Chapman.
“It’s important for people to know the history and understand that we had slavery in Canada. Moves like renaming the park give me great confidence that we will make tremendous progress in Brampton.”
