Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge | 21.3 m | Completed - Page 10

waterloowarrior · #**181** Posted **Jul 29, 2014, 2:46 PM**

Vimy Bridge – (Ward 22 – Gloucester-South Nepean)
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/your-c...orative-naming

In recognition of the historical significance of the battle of Vimy Ridge, the City of Ottawa has been asked to name the new bridge, which spans the Rideau River connecting Strandherd Drive and Earl Armstrong Road, “Vimy Bridge”.

A summary of the proposal is provided below, submitted jointly by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch South Carleton 314 Manotick and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 641 Barrhaven.

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch South Carleton 314 Manotick and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 641 Barrhaven feel that naming the Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge “Vimy Bridge” would be an appropriate way to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War and the epic battle of Vimy Ridge, led by Canadians to one of their greatest victories. This would also ensure that WWI troops, and the great sacrifice they made for all Canadians, will not easily be forgotten.

Because it spans the Rideau Canal, a National Historic Site of Canada, a Canadian Heritage River and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and because it connects two entrances to the Nation’s Capital, this structure is more than a small local bridge connecting two communities.

The amount of traffic going by and over this bridge on a daily basis, both local and tourist, would mean that a lot of people would be reminded of Vimy and the sacrifices made by Canadian troops.

If you would like to submit comments regarding this proposal or obtain further information, please contact:

Diane Blais
City Clerk and Solicitor Department
Ottawa City Hall
110 Laurier Ave. W.
Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1
Tel: 613-580-2424, extension 28091
Fax: 613-580-9609
E-mail: namingottawa@ottawa.ca

Comments on this proposal must be received no later than August 27, 2014.

rocketphish · #**182** Posted **Jul 29, 2014, 5:21 PM**

City seeks public feedback on Vimy Bridge naming suggestion

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: July 29, 2014, Last Updated: July 29, 2014 10:57 AM EDT

The city has answered the call of some veterans to name the new Strandherd-Armstrong bridge “Vimy Bridge” by launching a round of public consultations.

Members of the public have until Aug. 27 to comment on the proposal, which was submitted jointly by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch South Carleton 314 Manotick and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 641 Barrhaven.

Naming the new bridge “Vimy Bridge” would be an appropriate way to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War and the epic battle of Vimy Ridge, led by Canadians to one of their greatest victories, the veterans say.

Because the bridge spans the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as a Canadian Heritage River, and because it connects two entrances to the nation’s capital, some feel the structure is more than a small local bridge connecting two communities.

The amount of traffic going by and over this bridge on a daily basis, both local and tourist, would mean that a lot of people would be reminded of Vimy and the sacrifices made by Canadian troops, the veterans say.

View the online proposal for “Vimy Bridge” here.

The battle of Vimy Ridge is seen as a defining moment in Canada’s history.

The three-day battle took place in northern France in April 1917 and claimed 3,598 Canadian lives. Another 7,000 were wounded, but the victory was significant.

The Strandherd-Armstrong bridge opened earlier this month, cost $48 million to build and opened two years later than expected.

The city’s south end is also home to the Veterans Memorial Highway and John McCrae Secondary School, named after the First World War poet and doctor who wrote ‘In Flanders Fields.’

mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...ing-suggestion

ars · #**183** Posted **Jul 29, 2014, 6:05 PM**

Vimy Bridge sounds extremely cheesy. Sounds more like they're making fun of the event rather than commemorating it.

Vimy Memorial Bridge would be a better name.

Kitchissippi · #**184** Posted **Jul 29, 2014, 7:29 PM**

Vimy Ridge and the village of Vimy are 3 kilometres apart (kind of like the difference between Gatineau and the Gatineau Hills). The conflict is properly called the Battle of Vimy Ridge, I'm surprised the Legion has overlooked this distinction. "Vimy Ridge Memorial Bridge" would probably be more correct.

MaxHeadroom · #**185** Posted **Jul 29, 2014, 7:51 PM**

Why does it have to be named after a historical event, person or group, which is bound to cause controversy?

phil235 · #**186** Posted **Jul 29, 2014, 8:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxHeadroom

Why does it have to be named after a historical event, person or group, which is bound to cause controversy?

Aren't most of our bridges and major roads named after a historical event, person or group? To my mind, it sure beats the completely fabricated names like Babblingbrook Private, which is invariably located nowhere near a brook.

In any event, what is the controversy about Vimy Ridge?

ars · #**187** Posted **Jul 30, 2014, 1:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Vimy Ridge and the village of Vimy are 3 kilometres apart (kind of like the difference between Gatineau and the Gatineau Hills). The conflict is properly called the Battle of Vimy Ridge, I'm surprised the Legion has overlooked this distinction. "Vimy Ridge Memorial Bridge" would probably be more correct.

Sounds good to me as well. Either would be better than "Vimy Bridge" or "Vimy Ridge Bridge"

rocketphish · #**188** Posted **Jul 31, 2014, 11:52 PM**

'Vimy Bridge' idea creates naming conundrum

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: July 30, 2014, Last Updated: July 30, 2014 11:40 AM EDT

Seems the suggestion to name the new Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge after one of Canada’s greatest military victories is far from universally loved.

As the Citizen’s Andrew Seymour reported on July 20, the Royal Canadian Legion branches in Manotick and Barrhaven suggest the recently opened bridge should be named Vimy Bridge.

The battle of Vimy Ridge, after all, is seen as a defining moment in Canada’s history. The three-day battle took place in northern France in April 1917 and claimed 3,598 Canadian lives. Another 7,000 were wounded, but the victory was significant.

Yesterday, the city announced that the public has until Aug. 27 to comment on the proposal.

Some have wondered if “Vimy Bridge” is the only possible name up for discussion. The short answer is yes.

The city’s policy for commemorative naming works like this: Any member of the public or city council can submit a name for consideration. If a preliminary investigation finds the nomination is, in the city’s view, “meritorious,” an application must be submitted to the Commemorative Naming Committee.

If the committee approves the application, it is then submitted to a 30-day public consultation phase to ensure there is community support for the name suggested. After that, the committee — made up the mayor, ward councillor and city staff — will meet to consider the comments received and make a recommendation to council.

Now, not long after I tweeted the latest development — that is, the launch of the public consultation on the “Vimy Bridge” suggestion, folks on Twitter and Facebook spoke their minds.

“No. No no no no. Puns about war sites are not amusing. Or in any way okay,” tweeted one person.

“Enough about Vimy already! I have heard so much about the so-called “great war” it makes me want to puke. Try talking to those who were there. My grandpa and great uncle were. They suffered so much they didn’t want to talk about it, they didn’t say much except it was nothing to glorify and the nations who participated should be ashamed. Their experience made me ardently anti-war and anti-imperialist,” wrote another.

Fully support the name “Vimy Bridge” The Vetarans deserve it !!!!,” wrote a third, the numerous exclamation marks clearly underscoring his enthusiasm.

Still others are bothered that the proposed name for the bridge is a pun — which they feel isn’t appropriate given the gravity of war and the sacrifice of veterans.

Wrote one reader in an e-mail to me: “If they must rename it, how about Vimy Ridge Memorial Bridge — you need to break up ridge and bridge. Its a bit of a mouthful, but Vimy Ridge Bridge doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. At the end of the day, if people want they can call it Vimy bridge colloquially, so be it, but that shouldn’t be the official name.”

Clearly, the commemorative naming committee has its work cut out.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...ming-conundrum

rocketphish · #**189** Posted **Jul 31, 2014, 11:58 PM**

The wrong Vimy Ridge tribute

Jonathan McLeod
Published on: July 31, 2014, Last Updated: July 31, 2014 6:59 PM EDT

You might wonder what a suburban commute has to do with the liberation of France. I won’t answer that question because I don’t really know, but soon, a drive along the new Strandherd-Armstrong may be a commemoration of the First World War battle at Vimy Ridge.

There is a movement afoot to name the crossing “Vimy Bridge”, a tribute to the the thousands of Canadians who served in the 1917 battle. This is not surprising. We have the Veterans Memorial Highway (one of many highways bearing that name) and Valour Bridge in Kanata. It is a trend to transform infrastructure projects into memorials, and Vimy Ridge is a particularly proud moment in Canadian military history. In fact, the War Museum is situated at 1 Vimy Place (I hope that won’t be confusing).

There is a tint of rose regularly applied to our visions of the First World War. Canadian thoughts quickly turn to battles such as Vimy and Passchendaele, military campaigns that created a greater sense of national identity, separate from our history as a British colony.

This narrative of the war’s significance to Canada holds merit, but it neglects some ugly truths. The First World War was not a conflict that involved Canada, except through the legacy of colonialism. What began as a regional conflict expanded through a continent and across an ocean because of petty 19th century grudges and alliances. For all the reminiscence of a war in which Canada matured as a nation, we gloss over the very real fact that Canada’s involvement in this European intramural conflict almost destroyed our country, as the Conscription Crisis of 1917 deepened the tensions between French and English Canadians. The First World War is a part of our history, but we needn’t turn our infrastructure into a hagiography for an ugly, destructive war.

Regardless of the troubled nature of Canada’s involvement in the war, it is laudable to honour the sacrifices of those who chose to serve their country, as well as those who were forced to. Liberating France was a worthy goal and the soldiers who fought at Vimy Ridge helped significantly in the achievement. The question becomes, is “Vimy Bridge” a worthwhile tribute to these souls? The answer depends on your opinion of puns.

Wordplay is not usually our primary method of tribute. Puns and cute rhymes aren’t offensive, per se, but there is an element of frivolity that does not befit the gravity of 3,598 Canadians slaughtered by their fellow men. For the sake of the fallen, this is an ill-suited name as tribute even though intentions are, no doubt, pure.

Of course, such tributes are not solely about those who served. Christening it Vimy Bridge would not only commemorate the past sacrifice of the nation; it would serve as a commentary of the nation that persists today. From such a perspective, Vimy Bridge is a comically perfect reflection of Canada’s current lurch towards militarism.

In this century, Canada has involved itself in multiple armed conflicts, spending a decade in Afghanistan and popping into Libya for eight months. We revel in our military-industrial complex with flyovers at football games and by parking massive machines of death on the front lawn of Parliament. We stridently stand by a faraway nation that bombs United Nations schools sheltering refugees.

We have drifted so far from the values of peacekeeping and diplomacy — embracing a toxic macho foreign policy — that turning a deadly First World War battle into an absurd pun and affixing it to a suburban roadway of no national significance would be a biting commentary on our newfound obsession with war glory.

Jonathan McLeod is a general fellow with the Canadian Council for Democracy. He writes about local matters at stepsfromthecanal.wordpress.com

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...-ridge-tribute

flar · #**190** Posted **Aug 1, 2014, 12:02 AM**

I took a drive over the bridge just now. It looks good but the surrounding area is the worst kind of suburban hell.

MaxHeadroom · #**191** Posted **Aug 1, 2014, 1:06 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by flar

I took a drive over the bridge just now. It looks good but the surrounding area is the worst kind of suburban hell.

Yes, let's call it the Suburban Hell's Gate Bridge. No matter which direction you cross it, suburban hell awaits you on the other side.

rocketphish · #**192** Posted **Aug 1, 2014, 1:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxHeadroom

Yes, let's call it the Suburban Hell's Gate Bridge. No matter which direction you cross it, suburban hell awaits you on the other side.

Genius!

MountainView · #**193** Posted **Aug 1, 2014, 2:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by flar

I took a drive over the bridge just now. It looks good but the surrounding area is the worst kind of suburban hell.

I drove over it for the first time yesterday evening as well. Wow gas on the Riverside South side was 121.9 and on the Barrhaven side was 131.3!

rocketphish · #**194** Posted **Sep 25, 2014, 1:29 AM**

City moves to name new bridge for Vimy battle

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: September 24, 2014, Last Updated: September 24, 2014 7:34 PM EDT

The city is moving ahead with a plan to rename the Strandherd-Armstrong bridge after the epic battle of Vimy Ridge.

Two local Royal Canadian Legion branches jointed suggested calling it Vimy Bridge. But, based on comments received during a 30-day public consultation, the city’s commemorative naming committee is now recommending the name Vimy Memorial Bridge.

The city received a total of 293 e-mails, two letters, four telephone calls and a petition signed by 352 individuals. Of these 651 responses, 560 were in support and 91 were in opposition to the suggested name.

The transportation committee will vote on the name next week.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...or-vimy-battle