Oshawa City Council has given the green light for city staff to obtain public input on the potential renaming of the portion of Athol Street to Memorial Cup Drive.
The affected portion of Athol Street is between Centre Street South and Ritson Road South.
Community members are asked to share their feedback on the proposed change online on Connect Oshawa or on paper at Service Oshawa (50 Centre St. S.).
Feedback will be received until 4:00 pm on Tuesday, November 12 and considered in the development of a report to Development Services Committee.
Home to the Oshawa Generals Hockey Club, hometown hockey heroes and dedicated fans, Oshawa is a true hockey city. The renaming of the street would pay tribute to the Oshawa Generals’ record five Memorial Cup wins and their downtown home, the Tribute Communities Centre, which falls within the area that would become Memorial Cup Drive.
As the only OHL community on the Highway of Heroes, the street renaming would also advance the City of Oshawa’s commitment to recognize the war dead and veterans who served our country and community.
The city is proud of the contributions Canada and Oshawa have made during war and peacekeeping assignments and honours the memory of war dead and war veterans citywide through its Street Naming Policy. To date, the names of 75 war dead and war veterans have been used or assigned for use as street names in new subdivisions in Oshawa.
Honoring Veterans
“This is another way to honour veterans that have served our country and our community and at the same time recognize the historic record of the Oshawa Generals and the Memorial Cup,” said Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter. “We look forward to receiving feedback from the community on the proposed street name change.”
“As a young kid, my brother and I remember attending with our dad, the 1987 Super Series as our Gennies took on the MH Tigers. And we certainly remember the electricity of their recent Championship victories thanks to Bill Armstrong’s 1990 and Anthony Cirelli’s 2015 exciting winning goals,” said Councillor Tito-Dante Marimpietri, Chair, Development Services Committee.
“A Memorial Cup in Oshawa would mean that a new generation of young fans and their families will be able to be a part of something unique and special. The prestige and exposure of having a Memorial Cup Drive would create a lasting legacy for our city and the entire region, while celebrating our heritage and the excellence of Oshawa Generals hockey who have a rich history in the OHL and throughout Canada and the NHL with respected contributions dating back to the early 20th century.”
“Memorial Cup Drive is a name that gives positive tribute to the Oshawa hockey team’s storied and successful achievement of bringing home the Memorial Cup so many times. However, I am not a fan of changing street names, especially given the disruption/inconvenience to property owners, the cost and in this case, the loss of historical authenticity (Athol along with Simcoe St were the first streets to be paved in 1911). In my opinion naming a new street nearby in the Medallion Corporation’s development of the former Fittings Ltd facility site would be simpler and welcomed,” said Councillor Rosemary McConkey, Vice-Chair, Development Services Committee.
Great idea