Residents on several Stittsville streets received letters today with options for new road names.
The City of Ottawa said back in January that six streets (Bell Street, Goulbourn Street, Elm Crescent, Long Meadow Way, Meadowland Drive, and Walker Road) need to be renamed because they sound too much like other streets in Ottawa.
Pizza deliveries and ambulance drivers keep getting mixed up, so after more than 15 years after amalgamation, the City figures it’s time to clear up the confusion.
Letters were hand-delivered delivered today and several residents shared them with StittsvilleCentral.ca.
“We invite you to choose from two suggested replacement names, which have been screened and meet the required criteria. These names relate to the existing nature theme that is currently present in the area,” said the letter, signed by Rebecca Anderson of the City’s building code services branch.
UPDATE, JUNE 28: City extends street naming process to August 12
UPDATE, JUNE 27: Here’s how the City evaluated over 200 suggestions to come up with the shortlist.
Here’s a partial list of the options. Residents have been asked to email the City before June 30 with their preferred name.
ELM CRESCENT:
- Mitig Crescent – means tree in the Algonquin language
- Sugar Shack Crescent – a reference to a Canadian tradition meaning a building where sap from a sugar bush is boiled down to make maple syrup
LONG MEADOW WAY:
- Bromia Way – scientific name for the Northern Blue Jay
- Campground Way – the area was the former sight of a Methodist children’s camp
- Foliage Way – general reference to Canadian flora
- Outcrops Way – several glacially scoured outcrops of Precambrian gneiss are exposed in the area
- Pibòn Way – (note the accent on the “o”) means winter in the Algonquin language
MEADOWLAND DRIVE:
- Groundhog Way – Native Canadian Fauna
- Moose Way – Native Canadian Fauna
- Plantain Way – Native Canadian Flora
BELL STREET:
- Bobcat Way – Native Canadian Fauna
- Wabigon Way – means flower in the Algonquin language
GOULBOURN STREET:
- Boxty Way – Irish dish
- Kitizi Way – means notable person or elder in the Algonquin language
Meanwhile, WALKER ROAD is being renamed Henry Walker Road. No vote required.
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I spoke this evening with Phil Rocco from Long Meadow Way who called the names “ridiculous and unnecessary”. Many of the peopl eon his street signed a petition earlier this year telling the city not to change their street’s name.
He also says the city’s didn’t do enough to communicate or consult with residents. He says one week to respond is too short, given that it’s the end of the school year and people are starting to head away on vacation.
Rocco’s comments are typical of reaction I’ve seen today on social mediahere and here. What do you think of the names? Add a comment below or email feedback@stittsvillecentral.ca.
More to come…
I can’t believe they’re changing Goulbourn St. *IN* Goulbourn.
From the City: The other one is in Sandy Hill, but spelled “Goulburn”. Both are named Sir Henry Goulburn, Undersecretary of State in the British Government who signed the Ghent Treaty. Stittsville is formerly part of Goulbourn Township, now amalgamated into the City of Ottawa. Goulburn Avenue downtown is home to the Embassy of Mali.
(Probably more addresses on the one downtown too.)
THANK YOU
I think that these potential name changes are very disappointing and not reflective of our town’s history at all. I submitted an affidavit to City Hall making recommendations for Elm Street to be named after the first Reeve of Stittsville, Silas Bradley, who I admit is my grandfather, so I have a stake in the name. I also think that Bell Street could be updated to William Bell or Willy Bell Street to reflect the history of the Bell Family in Stittsville. I also think that Goulbourn Street could be changed to Goulbourn Township Street in order to keep our historical connection with our original township. I fail to understand why our history needs to be erased with meaningless new names that don’t have any connection to our Stittsville Village history? I am wondering what can be done to change City Hall’s mind. I never even received a response from them after I spending hours working on historical research to justify new street names that reflect our local heritage. Very sad and feeling disrespected…
The Methodist Camp was north of the TC Trail and wasn’t just for children. They should have been taking suggestions from residents. If the point is to have a name suitable for emergency response then the name should be short and it should be very apparent how it should be pronounced – unlike a number of the options above. I agree the names should relate more to the history of the area. Ellen’s suggestions make more sense and others she has proposed should be considered. They also should be making the criteria apparent e.g. number of houses, length of time the street has been called the old name, cost to residents to change all their addresses with Canada Post, etc. I live in Glen Cairn but was very upset when they were considering renaming my road. The City is doing a great job of wiping out the natural environment, putting incompatible development in neighbourhoods, and now attacking the street names which reflect nature and the history of the area and have meaning to residents. Also, perhaps the location of the emergency response dispatcher is the problem – one Ottawa ambulance driver told me he had been dispatched from Hamilton.
Hi, I also think that the Walker Road name should be retained in some format given the long history of the Walker Family in Stittsville. I believe the Goulbourn Township Historical Society submitted a proposal to retain the name given the historical significance of the Walker Family. However their recommendation has not been considered by the City either. I guess that the bureaucrats at City Hall don’t care about what Stittsville residents want or our local history.
I have a number of concerns about the process that is being followed in terms of the proposed name changes to – 1) Elm Crescent, 2) Long Meadow Way, 3) Meadowland Drive, 4) Bell Street and 5) Goulbourn Street, 6) Walker Street, Stittsville, and have a number of questions I would like answered.
1) Who in Stittsville recommended the street names listed in the documents FILE D11-99-WARD6?
2) What were the results of the online voting process which took place between January-February 2016? What were the results of the ‘Ottawa Street Name Change Nomination Form’ which was online during this time period via the City of Ottawa’s website?
3) In what way has the City of Ottawa consulted with the people of Stittsville?
4) How many people submitted signed nominations making recommendations for street name changes witnessed by a Notary Public at City of Ottawa offices, and what is the City of Ottawa’s response to these signed nominations?
5) In what way has a democratic process been followed in order to ensure that citizens have had the opportunity to engage in debate about the potential street name changes in Stittsville?
Great questions Ellen.
We’re working on a follow-up article that dives into the process used to come up with the shortlist of names. Watch for that Sunday or Monday.
You mentioned an “online voting process” in the winter of this year – can you provide some more info about that? I don’t remember seeing it.
Most of these names are dull and unimaginative – or just plain silly. Tell me, since some of these existing Stittsville names have been around longer or at least as long as similar street names in the urban core, why is it always Stittsville that has to accept changes. Ask people in Ottawa to take on some of these silly proposed names and see how THEY react.
All of these comments and questions must get sent to the City, and a telephone call to ‘Rebecca’, and all stops should be put in place to make sure the name changes don’t happen until all the questions are answered, especially: Who in Stittsville recommended the street names listed in the documents FILE D11-99-WARD6? And…What were the results of the poll/voting process. And…why were the letters from Ellen and the Historical Society not responded to? Giving a one week response time is an old City tactic to get there own way. Nobody can possibly write a letter, post it, and have it delivered, opened and read by City staff in one week. Is it not hypocritical that the City is doing everything it can to remove the nature, flora, fauna and now want to name the streets after what they have successfully removed?
Especially if Canada Post is on strike lol
Ridiculous choice of names that have nothing to do with the area, – in some case ignoring the heritage (Bell, Goulbourn) and guaranteeing that people trying to find their way inside Stittsville get lost. And speaking of “way” – what’s with all this “Way” nonsense? And “Boxty”? “Plantain”? Puhlease!
If you feel you must change the names, add a second name as you did with “Stittsville Main Street” or “Holly Acres Road”.
When I met with Shad in February, he assured me he would provide us (the residents) with the complete list of proposed names that had passed the “vetting” process, so that we (the residents) could discuss them before choosing which one(s) we preferred.
That has not happened, nor will it (if we don’t rise up in arms).
The City has discounted most (if not all) of our suggestions without even consulting us.
And are forcing us to vote on some ridiculous names (Mitig, really?) that they have chosen themselves.
And will then pat themselves on the back for their “public consultation” process.
Hopefully, residents will not let them get away with this.
Thanks for all the comments & discussion on the street names!
Here’s a new article about how the city vetted the names that ended up on the shortlist: https://stittsvillecentral.ca/stittsville-street-name-suggestions-criteria-voting-ottawa/
Hi Glen,
There was a link to the online vote with the City of Ottawa in a news article posted on 960.news.ca in January 2016 but the news article, “Six streets in Stittsville need new names,” no longer exists. I do not know how widely this information was circulated to the residents of Stittsville. Thanks for the great investigative journalism.
Hi Ellen.
All residents on the streets received letters back in January, and it was included at least once in the councillor’s weekly newsletter.
We covered it too back on January 25: https://stittsvillecentral.ca/where-the-streets-have-new-names/
Given that they received over 200 names and they consider that very high for a street name consultation, it’s probably fair to say that the information was circulated reasonably well.
I wish Stittsville and Ottawa had stayed separate. Since it has become Ottawa crime has gone up, and small businesses have suffered. Many people sold their homes after OC Transpo started coming out here more often. Two thumbs down to the City of Ottawa who can’t even tell you about scheduled road closures or new developments. Even when it comes to plowing snow, they are inefficient in comparison to how Goulbourn did it. The suggested names are absolutely ridiculous. I hate the cities pushy ways. We pay more for this crap!!!! I don’t know one single person who is satisfied with becoming a part of Ottawa.