On June 29, 2023, the City of Brampton announced a naming rights agreement with Metrolinx to rename the Brampton GO Station to “Brampton Innovation District GO” for a 10-year period. This was Metrolinx’s second naming rights agreement, after renaming Oshawa GO Station for Durham College in 2022. The name change took effect in September, with new signs installed.
The Brampton Innovation District is a city-led project in Downtown Brampton to support higher education and entrepreneurship. It includes co-working spaces such as BHive and the Brampton Enterprise Centre incubator, the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, as well as partnerships with Sheridan College, Toronto Metropolitan University, and Algoma University. Rogers has committed to relocating its Brampton offices to the downtown core, while the city is planning the Brampton Centre for Innovation, which will include a new central library. There are a lot of interesting things happening in Downtown Brampton, though without the exposure more established tech hubs enjoy.
In this context, the deal to rename Brampton GO Station makes some sense. As the June 29, 2023 press release from the City of Brampton says:
Through increased awareness of the Brampton Innovation District, this partnership with Metrolinx will further enhance Brampton’s position as an innovation and technology event destination to host tech sector events and international delegations, and enhance Brampton’s unique ability to attract highly skilled tech talent from both Toronto and Waterloo.
Unlike “Durham College Oshawa GO,” at least “Brampton Innovation District GO” is at the place it is named for. Having the name show up on maps, signage, and announced by GO Transit staff will raise awareness of the district’s current and future potential, especially once some of the built infrastructure, such as the Centre for Innovation, the new downtown transit hub, and the new Rogers campus, is constructed.
But at the same time, I still feel uneasy about renaming stations and transit lines. The new, longer names are harder to fit on maps and signage. They can lead to confusion, and in this case speak more to the city’s ambitions than what most travelers are actually looking for. It’s also interesting that the only two naming rights deals made by Metrolinx so far are with public-sector organizations: a provincially funded college, and a municipality.
I also note that VIA Rail, which also uses the station, still refers to it simply as “Brampton,” just as it still simply refers to “Oshawa.”
Sean Marshall 