Poppies joined Barrie’s discussion about street naming

Poppies on Barrie’s street signs took councilors in different directions this week.

Ultimately, after 37 minutes of discussion Wednesday evening, the City Council addressed the application of poppies to current road signs, the spelling of street names and the future of honoring veterans on street signs.

“It is important that we get it right, whether it concerns spelling or recognition. Let’s not leave anyone behind,” said Coun. Sergio Morales.

The City Council approved a significantly amended motion to have city staff replace and/or add a poppy to the street signs on Coleman Drive and Ruffet Drive, and to investigate the feasibility of changing the street sign from Mailey Lane to Maley Lane and Higgins Court. at Higgins Court, including the costs residents may incur if a name change occurs, and reporting to Heritage Barrie.

All of these streets are on the west side of Barrie.

City staff will also review the list of street signs, in memory of veterans for whom no street is named, and any additional streets that have been identified, and report to Heritage Barrie to advise on which names to add to the street name registry. to put veterans’ names on street signs as soon as possible.

The Council heard that this could be as many as 16 names.

Mailey Lane and Higgin Court are simply misspelled, but can be resolved by attaching a poppy to their street signs.

“I think it’s important to get the spelling right,” said Coun. Gary Harvey. “Not every family member may appreciate being honored, especially if there is a misspelling involved. It is important to honor them properly.”

Correcting and changing the spelling in Maley Lane and Higgins Court, both of which honor veterans, would affect 24 homes on those two streets, the council heard.

“(If) we have to cover the costs to get this right, I really don’t like that. However, I don’t know what the stories are of these veterans,” said Mayor Alex Nuttall. “Maybe they came home, maybe they didn’t come home.

“And I find it very difficult to go to homeowners and say to them, either you’re going to have the wrong name on your house now… or you’re going to have to pay to change that (street name),” he added.

Street name changes may affect addresses placed on houses, mail, stationery, identification details, etc.

“Closing the gate when the horses have run is a problem,” says deputy mayor Robert Thomson. “If this is not the correct spelling of the veteran, then perhaps we should not consider the poppy.”

Barrie’s street naming policy always takes veterans into account, but also tries to avoid duplicate names or similarities to avoid confusion for firefighters, ambulances or police on emergency calls.

“The street names undergo a rigorous process and review,” said City Clerk Wendy Cooke.

This motion is not expected to be implemented on November 11, Remembrance Day, when veterans are honored with poppies.