City council will look to finalize the naming of a Val Caron park in honour of Leo Gerard.
A request is under consideration to name the land between 1679 and 1703 Main St. in Val Caron, a matter that was deferred at the Sept. 14, 2011 council meeting, after it was learned that the proper park-naming procedures were not followed.
Council opted at the September meeting to defer the issue to ensure the city's bylaw was upheld. Given the high public interest of this naming request, it was determined that both a public meeting and a 30-day consultation period would be undertaken.
A public meeting was held in December at the Carrefour Senator Rhéal Belisle Cultural Centre in Blezard Valley. Four community members attended; three citizens supported the naming as presented and the fourth citizen was supportive of the park but not of the naming as presented.
Furthermore, an online consultation process concluded Jan. 9 and 104 responses were received. The results of the online consultation are as follows:
- Eight per cent voted in favour of the new name;
- Eighty-three per cent were opposed;
- Nine per cent were not applicable.
In a report prepared for the Jan. 24 council meeting, city staff is backing the formalization of the naming of Leo Gerard Park, which is also dedicated to workers from the Sudbury area who have lost their lives at the workplace. The park features a series of plaques holding the names of fallen Sudbury workers.
Ward 5 Coun. Ron Dupuis spearheaded the project to have the park named after Gerard, the son of a union miner who started working at Inco's nickel smelter in Sudbury at the age of 18. Dupuis, throughout the process, has maintained Gerard is a fitting name for the park, because of the man's lifelong commitment to economic and social justice.
More than 200 people attended the official unveiling of the park in September. Funds were allocated through Dupuis' Healthy Community Initiatives Fund in the sum of $18,015 for park construction expenses incurred in 2011. Donations in the amount of $8,000 have been received from Sudbury and District Labour Council, United Steelworkers and Sudbury Mine Mill and Smelter Workers.
The report also suggests staff develop procedures associated with the bylaw to enable clarity in its future application.
Posted by Arron Pickard
