Should Winnipeg rename the Perimeter Highway after Terry Fox?

[Jets4Life]

A couple of weeks back, a former candidate for City Council suggested the Province of Manitoba should rename the Perimeter Highway after the late Terry Fox, since he was born in Winnipeg. I immediately embraced the idea, and started a petition. Eventually a local blogger wrote about the idea, and the Free Press and Sun wrote articles about the idea.

Now, a respected poster heard Premier Greg Selinger on CJOB discussing the issue, and said it was under "Serious consideration." Since there are few, if any businesses with an address on the Perimeter, the only cost would be to replace all the route signs along the interchanges. I think it's time to honor Terry Fox, as Winnipeg is on of the few large Canadian cities not to have a road, park, community centre, or building named after him.

[Festivus]

That would be cool, but here is are my thoughts:

Keep it simple, and name it the Fox Expressway or Fox Road or something like that. I have a feeling in today's city-management-climate they will probably go for something like "Terry Fox Memorial Express Parkway" or something similar. I much prefer more succinct names than the monster-mouthfuls cities seem to come up with these days.

[esquire]

I voted no.

Terry Fox should have something named after him in Winnipeg, but I'm not convinced that the Perimeter is the way to go. I'd save that for someone who is synonymous with Winnipeg or Manitoba, as compared to Terry Fox who is obviously a national hero but not really linked with Winnipeg other than being born here. If any place should be naming a highway after him, it's Vancouver.

(I also agree with Festivus... keep it simple. Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport is perhaps the worst example... just name it Richardson International Airport and call it a day.)

[Biff]

Originally Posted by esquire

I voted no.

(I also agree with Festivus... keep it simple. Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport is perhaps the worst example... just name it Richardson International Airport and call it a day.)

....pet peeve of mine as well - I agree with you whole heartedly on this one as well esquire. I find that the long winded Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport actually detracts from its title and have heard many just calling it Winnipeg International (myself included).

[Danny D Oh]

We have this odd fascination with naming something after Terry Fox, but we never actually name anything after him. A few years back a campaign rose out of the blue to rename my former elementary school after him, that made some sense because he attended that school while he lived in Winnipeg as a small child. Surely there is something new, maybe a new school in Waverley West or something? I'm not a fan of renaming existing streets/highways or public buildings.

[Cyro]

A great man for what he accomplshed, but renaming The Perimeter, No.
As others have mentioned maybe a school, park..new community centre...etc.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Danny D Oh

We have this odd fascination with naming something after Terry Fox, but we never actually name anything after him. A few years back a campaign rose out of the blue to rename my former elementary school after him, that made some sense because he attended that school while he lived in Winnipeg as a small child. Surely there is something new, maybe a new school in Waverley West or something? I'm not a fan of renaming existing streets/highways or public buildings.

Renaming Terry Fox's old school in Transcona after him would have made a lot more sense than the Perimeter. People in the area didn't really get behind it, though.

[Mininari]

This is a tough one, but it naturally fits given that he was born here.
Port Coquitlam is where he grew up, and they have had two senior secondary schools named after him now... (original one was replaced with a new building 10 years ago).

http://www.sd43.bc.ca/secondary/terr...s/default.aspx

I'm for it... but I'm afraid I don't see it happening.

[Andy6]

It's a pretty uninspiring thing to name after Terry Fox. No one would ever call it that. Why not a park or something relating to physical fitness or health, rather than an ugly bypass road?

[Jets4Life]

Originally Posted by Danny D Oh

We have this odd fascination with naming something after Terry Fox, but we never actually name anything after him. A few years back a campaign rose out of the blue to rename my former elementary school after him, that made some sense because he attended that school while he lived in Winnipeg as a small child.

You can thank the River East School Division Trustees for that. Only they know why they voted the proposal down, but it was ill advised. In addition, the fallout from the vote made national news, and the fact the Fox family was left in the dark, was despicable.

I went out of my way to try and receive the support and blessing of the Fox family, which should have happened in 2004, with the school renaming. I'm just a blue collar worker, now working in Alberta, and I think it's sad that Winnipeg is one of the few major Canadian cities not to have something named after Fox. His family has done so much for Cancer research, that anything we do to honor Terry Fox is long overdue.

[Jets4Life]

Originally Posted by esquire

Renaming Terry Fox's old school in Transcona after him would have made a lot more sense than the Perimeter. People in the area didn't really get behind it, though.

Not true.

People in the area did get behind it. In fact, I recently went near that area to collect 100 signatuures to rename a community centre (Park West), as an alternate plan. 90% of the residents I petitioned, thought it was a great idea. In fact, there was public support to rename Wayoata School after Fox, a decade ago.

However, petty politics after the River East and Transcona School Divisions merged, led the River East trustees to vote down the proposal, which was suggested by a now-deceased Transcona school trustee. Here is what an anonymous writer had posted, as it appears he obviously had inside information on what went down in 2004-05:

"The failed renaming of Wayota School to Terry Fox was the result of internal personal feuding on the school board in 2004/2005 by trustees of the former River East School division trying to dominate and control the former Transcona School District and it's remaining trustees.

(Former Transcona) Trustee Mary Andree (now deceased) raised the issue after she was approached by several residents about it. At the time there was also a fight going on about some playground on the school lot.

The bit about no public consultations was pure bullshit.

No one knew the origins of why the street on which the school was named Wayota.

After much research it seems that some of the street names in Transcona were adopted for no real reason other than they duplicated those of other towns in the north central US where the Great Northern surveyors had done other town plans and street layouts prior to surveying the Transcona townsite.

The only reference I was ever able to find for Wayota was that it appeared to be a word in the Lakota/Ogala/Teton/western Sioux Language. I don't recall exactly what the US University translation researcher said in her email, but it was something about roughly meaning the outer road/trail or some such in Lakota.

Back at the turn of the 20th century Wayota was indeed way out in the sticks and likely existed as nothing more than a muddy trail out in the bush.

Whatever, it didn't have any more real historical or relevant meaning than Pandora, Regent or a handful of other streets.

The Fox family was well aware of the bullshit that was going on and had no desire to see their name or the Foundations name dragged into some trustee pissing contest.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manito...-20050425.html

Terry Fox has already been honoured by the city in 2010 and it wasn't any secret it wasn't easy:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/fox-finally-honoured-at-home-100327474.html

You might be able to get specific info on the feud from Bernice at Metro Winnipeg (MetroBee). I believe she was still covering the school board meetings for the (Free Press owned) Herald back then and spent a huge amount of bored hours listening to the hypocrisy.

Personally I don't care one way or the other, but I can assure you that even though his mom (Betty) has passed away the rest of the family may still carry some sensitivity on some subjects when it involves Wpg."

[armorand93]

Worker and Parasite Drive? Eastern Europes favorite cat and mouse team? It'd fit our run-down, NDP province

Video related: us in 5-10 years. Krusty representing the rest of Canada.

• Video Link

[vid]

Name something else after him, like a school, community centre, or wing of a hospital. The stretch of the Trans-Canada from Nipigon to Thunder Bay is already called Terry Fox Courage Highway. That name doesn't get used much. There is a monument and park near where he stopped though; the official location was marked by a small white sign that was removed when the highway was expanded last year.

The simplest solution would be to name it after the politician that put the most effort into getting it started.

[SkydivePilot]

Terry Fox was a great man; however, Perimeter Highway will forever be known as "Perimeter Highway."

[Authentic_City]

Anyone remember the Terry Fox fitness trail at Assiniboine Park? I'm not sure what's left of it. It was pretty much left to fall apart.

[Jets4Life]

Originally Posted by vid

The simplest solution would be to name it after the politician that put the most effort into getting it started.

I can't wait until Winnipeg renames the inner city Beltway the "Katz-Shindico Expressway."

[Danny D Oh]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

I can't wait until Winnipeg renames the inner city Beltway the "Katz-Shindico Expressway."

Firehalls. We got enough in that land deal to name one each after Katz, Sheegl and Shindleman.

[The Jabroni]

Absolutely not.

As a compromise, I'd name it in honour, but not actually rename it, like for example, Lord Selkirk Highway, even though we know it as Highway 75, or Highway of Heroes, which is a certain stretch of highway on the Trans-Canada west of Portage la Prairie.

Otherwise, name an institution, park, or a street in Winnipeg, but NOT Perimeter Highway.

[armorand93]

Originally Posted by The Jabroni

Absolutely not.

As a compromise, I'd name it in honour, but not actually rename it, like for example, Lord Selkirk Highway, even though we know it as Highway 75, or Highway of Heroes, which is a certain stretch of highway on the Trans-Canada west of Portage la Prairie.

Otherwise, name an institution, park, or a street in Winnipeg, but NOT Perimeter Highway.

Awkward Circumference Drive?

[Jets4Life]

Originally Posted by The Jabroni

Absolutely not.

As a compromise, I'd name it in honour, but not actually rename it, like for example, Lord Selkirk Highway, even though we know it as Highway 75, or Highway of Heroes, which is a certain stretch of highway on the Trans-Canada west of Portage la Prairie.

Otherwise, name an institution, park, or a street in Winnipeg, but NOT Perimeter Highway.

Why not?

Many other cities have named ring roads and major highways after people.

Examples:

Louis Riel Trail (Saskatoon)
Anthony Henday Drive (Edmonton)
Wayne Gretzky Drive (Edmonton)
Mark Messier Trail (Edmonton)
Lougheed Highway (Vancouver)
James Allan Skyway (Hamilton)