Change doesn’t seem to come easily to Ottawa.
This is particularly true for those hoping to see Wellington Street renamed to some form of Sir. John A. Macdonald Way. The idea to rename the street came from Ottawa author Bob Plamondon and supported by other residents.
But the idea has now been stalled because of poor reception by city staff who say the city has neither the time nor money to invest in a project like this.]
These hurdles may be discouraging, but they shouldn’t stop people from coming up with these innovative visions for the city.
Plamondon, Andrew Cohen, president of the Historica-Dominion Institute, and others are right when they say changing the street name in front of Parliament Hill would be an important move for Ottawa, but it may take some persistence and a lot of patience to get the job done.
Commemorating our first prime minister in this way might seem like an easy task – it’s only changing the name of the street, after all. Nothing needs to be built, no blood needs to be shed. But as has been pointed out elsewhere, safety is a major reason not to change street names so as not to confuse ambulances or police who might confuse Sir John A. Macdonald Way with Macdonald Street or John Street.
And public consultations would be needed before anything can done because the city would need to hear from businesses along Wellington.
Bureaucratic red tape is a powerful barrier. But a little bit of tape shouldn’t stop people from trying to inspire change. The bureaucratic process may slow things down, but it can’t kill an idea if people in this city keep pushing.
Ottawa is the nation’s capital and yet many perceive it as boring, traditional and bureaucratic. And when someone with a vision for change is given short shrift, it only reinforces that image.
And it is possible to take control of our history without dishonouring our British past. We have an abundance many monuments and street names that honour our connection to England. In Ottawa, Colonel By Drive, King Edward Boulevard, Albert Street and Queen Elizabeth Drive spring immediately to mind.
To be sure, they all played an important part in Canada’s history, but now it’s time to give some thought to remembering home-grown history – the one separate from the mothership across the pond.
But we are also a sovereign nation and have been, arguably, since 1867. We make our own laws and fight our own wars. We should be able to name our own streets without an uproar about dishonouring the Duke of Wellington.
We will never know what Sir John A. himself would say about changing the name of Wellington Street. Yes, he saw himself as a British subject, but he also walked the earth 150 years ago. (It's somewhat ironic that one of the streets running off Wellington is named after Alexander Mackenzie, Canada's second prime minister and one of Macdonald's arch political rivals).
So maybe Plamondon, Cohen and the others will need to cut through some red tape before there will be any cutting of red ribbons signaling the grand opening of Sir John A. Macdonald Way. But, hey, nothing worth fighting for is ever easy.