As hundreds of people gathered around the cenotaph Monday morning to pay their respects, brand-new street signs not far away were honouring our veterans too.
The street blades, which proclaim a portion of 11th Avenue as Veterans Way, were put up by the city on Friday, just in time for Remembrance Day.
“They are installed on the light standards at the intersection of 11th and Cedar and the corner of Shoppers Row and 11th Ave.,” said Drew Hadfield, the city’s transportation manager.
While the new street blades are up, Veterans Way does not replace the name 11th Avenue. Rather, Veterans Way is an honourary, or co-name, for the portion of 11th Avenue from Cedar Street to the four-way stop at Shoppers Row.
The intent was to have the name on the same street as the Royal Canadian Legion and on the road that leads up to the cenotaph in Spirit Square.
The suggestion was first brought to council by Mayor Walter Jakeway shortly after last year’s Remembrance Day ceremony.
Council had considered legally changing the name from 11th Avenue to Veterans Way but city staff suggested council go with the honourary name to avoid change of address costs for the Legion, Uptown Willie’s, Britches and Hose Vintage Clothing, and the Community Centre.
Legally changing the name would have also required the city create a new legal plan for the block and would have presented mapping issues for emergency responders, utility companies, and GPS devices.
Hadfield told council last month that the honourary name change would be far simpler.
“The process of making an honourary name change would be limited to the cost of the signage; and would not create a small segment of an existing road being legally known under a different name,” Hadfield said. “Sign blades could be custom designed to provide the prominence of this honourary section of 11th Avenue.”
The name blades cost the city approximately $500.