City to replace name of slain trooper on street and park following assault revelation

Following an emotional debate, London city council voted 14 to one in favour of removing the name of slain trooper Mark Wilson from all amenities across the city. The move follows revelations that Wilson pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman 18 years ago in Quebec.

Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen was the lone opponent of the motion. 

"I will say to the survivor, we applaud your bravery in coming forward, and for providing other survivors with hope and inspiration," said London Mayor Ed Holder at Tuesday's council meeting.

Coun. Shawn Lewis said that he is friends with the Wilson family, but still supported the motion. 

"Trooper Wilson gave some honourable service to the country, but he also did something that was wrong," said Lewis. "And we have to balance both of those things out."

The City of London will be removing Wilson's name from the city's website, a street sign near Trafalgar and Hale, and a park in the northwest end of the city. Council also directed city staff to figure out whether Wilson's name appeared anywhere else, and if so, to remove it. 

Coun. Maureen Cassidy, who got teary while she had the floor, put an amendment forward for a review by staff to figure out if other amenities named after people need to be renamed, too. 

"In naming places after notable individuals, we cannot possibly know what will eventually surface from each one's past," said Cassidy. "We have to stop dealing with these situations in this manner."

"In placing people on high pedestals, we put expectations on them that nobody can live up to," she added. "We are all flawed and imperfect." 

Council debated Cassidy's proposed amendment until she finally withdrew it, deciding to raise it at the Community and Protective Services Committee instead, feeling it was more appropriate.

A letter with the motion requesting the change had been signed by Holder, Coun. Lewis, Coun. Elizabeth Peloza and Coun. Josh Morgan. 

"As you know, this Council made a commitment to creating a safe London for women and girls, which made London the first city in all of Canada to make this a strategic priority," the letter read, adding that they "have an obligation, morally and otherwise, to honour that commitment at all times." 

Members of the community and London residents will be consulted when renaming all affected amenities.