The City of St. John’s is getting out of the “risky” business of naming streets after people.

Council approved the change to its Street Naming Policy this week, after discussion with staff, lawyers and management.

It means the city will no longer accept requests to name a street after a person, whether they’re living or dead.

In a memo to council, staff said doing so carries a number of risks, including questionable history, politics, and a lack of, or not enough of one group versus another.

Four names submitted before the changes can still be considered as per the old policy, but council can still reject.

The move will eliminate risking egg-on-the-face when more, less-flattering history is exposed after the fact.

But Councillor Ophelia Ravencroft wonders about streets already named.

“The question for me is whether there are streets or other things that we might want to reconsider that are existing in the city,” said Ravencroft.

“I’d also like to point out that the First Voice coalition, has been for increased Indigenization of place names and street names. I’d love to see a further update to this policy in the future to try and create some kind of an Indigenous first lense on the names that we’re selecting to reflect the fact that we live on Indigenous land.”

The city says the Street Naming Committee will consult with the Inclusion Advisory Committee prior to adding names to its Reserved Street Names Inventory.

“The policy revisions are expected to increase inclusivity by encouraging names that celebrate shared experiences, local geography, and cultural themes rather than specific individuals,” said the memo to council.