Our new name ...

Whitby Minor Baseball Association

Press Release


For the past 25 years, the Whitby Minor Baseball Association Representative program has been known as the Whitby Chiefs.  While we are proud of our team and organizational successes over the years, and are not trying to erase our history, we do recognize that there is a community for whom the Chiefs name may be hurtful.
 
As such, and in accordance with the OBA’s policy on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, we have undergone a rebranding process throughout the 2021 calendar year.
 
In our search for a new name, we wanted as much input from our WMBA players and families as possible, and initially received just shy of 100 different name suggestions.  Through a very difficult process, this list was narrowed down to 5 finalists, and those finalists were put forward to a public vote.
 
We are proud to announce the results of that vote and that moving forward our Representative teams will be known as the Whitby Canadians.
 
Canadians was the name of the local OBA Senior team in the 1990s and earlier, so this name is a bit of a throwback to Whitby’s baseball past.  The name also allows us to continue using our current hat logo (the W with the maple leaf), which is representative of both Whitby and Canada, and is familiar to players within our association and across the province.
 
Whitby Minor Baseball thanks all of those that provided valuable input throughout this process.  We will proudly continue to compete as ‘Whitby’ for the 2021 schedule, and look forward to taking the field for the 2022 season as the Whitby Canadians.



 
Thank you.
 
On behalf of the WMBA,
Whitby Canadians Rep Program