Naming and Re-Naming Policy for City Parks and Facilities (CS087)
Owen Sound, Ontario
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Policy: CS087
Title: Naming and Re-Naming Policy for City Parks and
Facilities
Department/Division: Community Services
Purpose
1.
This policy is intended to provide clear and consistent criteria as well as
process for naming City Parks or Facilities as well as considerations and
process where an existing park or facility name is subject to review and
consideration for renaming.
Scope
2.
This policy applies to the naming and re-naming of City Parks and City
Facilities.
3.
This policy will establish the criteria for consultation with respect to naming.
4.
This policy does not apply to naming of streets or bridges.
5.
The policy does not apply to naming relating to financial sponsorship or
major donations.
Definitions
6.
For the purposes of this policy,
"City" means the Corporation of the City of Owen Sound;
"City Park" means all parkland, open spaces, trails, bridges in parks, hazard
lands associated with recreation corridors and areas, and includes but is not
limited to, playgrounds, splash pads, outdoor ice rinks, athletic fields and
accessory structures, pools, picnic areas, beaches, outdoor shelters,
campgrounds, toboggan hills, marinas, and concessions accessory thereto:
owned by the City of Owen Sound;
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"City Facility" means all real property including buildings and structures not
located within parks including major recreational facilities, operations and
administrative buildings owned by the City of Owen Sound;
"Honourific" means a person or organization to be recognized with respect
through naming a Park or Facility.
"Non Erasure" means to not erase history.
"Principal Legacy" means the enduring consequence of the honourific in the
City, Province or Country.
Policy
7.
The following guidelines apply to all considerations for naming:
i.
All naming shall portray a positive image of the City and be
consistent with the values of the City of Owen Sound Strategic
Plan.
ii.
All naming should be considered permanent and re-naming
should only be considered in exceptional circumstances.
iii.
Naming should avoid duplication of names that would result in
confusion or impair the ability of First Responders to respond to
emergencies.
iv.
The City Clerk shall maintain a register of Parks and Facility
names to ensure duplication is avoided.
v.
City Council shall have the final decision with respect to naming
of City Parks and Facilities.
vi.
City Council shall follow the procedure attached to this Policy
with respect to the process, public notice, consultation in
advance of any decision with respect to Naming or Re-Naming.
City Park and Facility Naming Guideline
8.
The following guidelines established for naming City Parks and Facilities are
listed in descending order of preference.
9.
A name that identifies the location or unique characteristic of the
community. These may include but not be limited to the following:
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i.
A neighbourhood or planning area reference (i.e. Sydenham
Heights);
ii.
A street reference;
iii.
A noteworthy physical or environmental or scenic quality (i.e.
Bayview Park);
iv.
Proximity to a recognizable facility or area (i.e. High Park).
10.
A name that recognizes a historical event which has Citywide, regional or
national impact or significance (i.e Olympic Torch Square).
11.
A name that recognizes an individual, family or object having a historical
connections to a site (i.e. Harrison Park).
12.
An honourific naming: The name of an individual or organization that has
made a significant contribution to the community, to the City, the Province
or Nation.
The following conditions apply to considering an honourific naming:
i.
The reputation of the individual or organization must be
accurately and completely documented and broadly
acknowledged as benefitting the community, City, Province or
Nation;
The primary contribution of the individual or group shall be well
documented and the record of such shall be retained as a
permanent document;
The application shall include sufficient information to ensure the
principal legacy is well documented and supports the request for
naming.
ii.
Where possible, a direct relationship should exist between the
individual or group and the feature, park or facility being
considered for naming, sport personalities should be recognized
with their area of athletic endeavor. (i.e. Harry Lumley Bayshore
Community Centre).
iii.
In the case of an elected official or civil servant, they must be
retired from public service to be eligible.
iv.
Names of individuals can be used posthumously, however,
permission is required from the persons immediate family or
executors.
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City Park and Facility Re-Naming Guideline
13.
The re-naming of City Parks and Facilities will only be considered in
exceptional circumstances.
14.
Re-naming will be considered only when it can be demonstrated that it is not
in the City's best interest to continue to use the name.
15.
It is incumbent on Council or the person or organization applying for the re-
naming to provide sufficient information to consider the request.
16.
City Council shall have the final decision with respect to naming of City Parks
and Facilities.
17.
City Council shall follow the procedure attached to this Policy with respect to
the process, public notice, consultation in advance of any decision with
respect to Naming or Re-Naming.
18.
The following considerations and principles apply to any consideration of re-
naming:
i. Renaming on account of values should be an exceptional
event.
- There are many reasons to honour tradition;
- Historical names can be a source of knowledge and often carry
wisdom not immediately apparent to a current generation; no
generation stands alone at the end of history with perfect moral
hindsight;
- It is a virtue to appreciate the complexity of those lives and
historic events that have given shape to the world in which we
live;
- The presumption against renaming is strongest when a park or
facility has been named for someone who made a major
contribution to the City, the Province or the Nation.
ii. Sometimes renaming on the basis of values is warranted.
Three distinct timeframes should be considered:
a. The era in which honourific lived and worked;
b. The time of a naming decision;
c. The present.
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Each timeframe offers relevant information. Considering the three
timeframes noted, consideration should be given to the following:
- Does the principal legacy of an individual or organization conflict
with the vision and values of the City today?
- Human lives are large and contain multitudes, individuals may
have both virtues and vices;
- Interpretations of principal legacies are subject to change over
time and may vary in the eye of the beholder;
- Consider the long lasting or enduring impact of an honourific;
- Altering the interpretation of a principal legacy associated with an
honourific is not done easily;
- The principal legacy is only one consideration and should be
considered with the other principles for re-naming;
- Was the principal legacy significantly considered in the time the
honourific lived and was it considered at the time of the naming;
Re-naming is more likely to be warranted when there was not an
appropriate consideration of principal legacy that was well
documented at the time the person lived and the naming was
done;
- Does a Park or facility whose honourific that has a principal legacy
that his deemed to be in conflict with the values of the City play a
substantial role in forming the sense of community of the City;
If a Park or Facility has a long-standing name that has created
bonds and connections among generations of community
members, these bonds can be a reason to keep a name;
iii. A decision to re-name a park or facility comes with an
obligation of non-erasure.
- When a name is altered, the City has a responsibility to ensure
that the removal does not have the effect of erasing history;
- It is incumbent on the City to ensure if a renaming is done that
affirmative steps are taken to avoid erasure such as exhibits,
installations, plaques, signs and public area or other such creative
means considered appropriate by the community and Council.
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Process
Process - Naming a City Park or City Facility
1. A completed application form is completed and submitted to the attention of
the City Clerk.
(A fillable form is available on the City website or available in hard copy at City
Hall)
2. Staff will review the application for completeness ensuring that the information
required to consider the request, with respect to an honourific naming, has
been provided.
3. a) Council receives a request on the form provided from an individual or
organization to name a City Park or Facility.
b) Council requests by resolution that staff initiate or not initiate the process to
name a City Park or Facility.
c) Council itself requests by resolution that staff initiate a naming process.
4. Staff report
Staff will prepare a report to the Community Services Committee with respect
to the proposed naming together with the information provided in the
application.
5. Public Notice
A minimum of 10 days in advance of making a decision with respect to a
naming, public notice will be given on the City website (Notices) and via a
Media Advisory.
6. Public input will be assembled and presented to Community Services
Committee in a staff report with a final recommendation.
7. Community Services Committee to recommend to Council.
8. The decision of Council is final.
9. Any decision to name a park or facility is enacted by Bylaw.
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Process - Re-Naming a City Park or City Facility
1. A completed application form is completed and submitted to the attention of
the City Clerk.
2. Staff will review the application for completeness ensuring that the information
required to consider the request has been provided.
(A fillable form is available on the City website or available in hard copy at City
Hall)
3. a) Council receives a request on the form provided from an individual or
organization to re-name a City Park or Facility.
b) Council requests by resolution that staff initiate or not initiate the process to
re-name a City Park or Facility.
c) Council itself requests by resolution that staff initiate the re-naming process.
4. Staff report
Staff will prepare a report to the Community Services Committee with respect
to the proposed re-naming together with the information provided in the
application. The staff report will include information to address the
composition of a working group as follows:
Community Services Committee will by resolution appoint a working group
composed of:
a. 3 members of City Council;
b. City Clerk
c. City Manager or designate
d. Other staff deemed appropriate given the nature of
the request (i.e. Manager of Human Resources)
5. The Working Group can obtain legal advice or expert opinion from a subject
matter expert that may be able to provide assistance with the consideration of
the matter.
6. The Working Group may request additional information or documentation from
the group or organization making the initial application for re-naming if
necessary.
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7. The Working Group makes a recommendation to Community Services
Committee. The Community Services Committee Meeting Minutes will then be
considered at Council.
8. The decision of Council is final.
9. Decision is enacted by Bylaw.
Attachments:
Schedule A: Process Flow Chart - Naming a City Park or Facility
Schedule B: Process Flow Chart - Re-Naming a City Park or Facility
Schedule C: Application Form - Naming a City Park or Facility
Schedule D: Application Form - Re-Naming a City Park or Facility
SCHEDULE A
Process Flow Chart - Naming a City Park or Facility
SCHEDULE B
Process Flow Chart -Re-Naming a City Park or Facility
APPLICATION FOR NAMING A CITY PARK OR
FACILITY FORM
________________________________________________________
Submit form to: City of Owen Sound, c/o Briana Bloomfield,
808 2nd Avenue East, Owen Sound, ON N4K 2H4, 519-376-4440 Ext. 1247 or e-mail
[email protected]
A. APPLICANT INFORMATION (can be an individual or organization)
Last Name
First Name
Address
Email
City
Postal Code
Province
Telephone Number
Work:
Telephone Number
Home:
B. SUGGESTED NAME OF PARK OR FACILITY
Name of Park or Facility
Address
C. HONOURIFIC NAMING -please refer to Policy CS-087
Using the space provided, please accurately and completely document the benefit
to the Community, City, Province, or Nation made by this individual or organization.
Please attach additional pages if necessary.
Ensure this contains sufficient information to document the principal legacy of the
person or organization.
If an honourific naming is being made posthumously, please attach permission of
the individual's immediate family or executors.
Please ensure to cover 2 timeframes:
a) The era in which honourific lived and worked;
b) Time of naming decision.
D. SIGNATURE OF APPLICANT
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Date Signature
E. CITY USE
___________________________________
Date Received
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Date Application Deemed Complete Signature
___________________________________
Resubmission Date
F. APPLICATION INFORMATION
Return Application to:
City of Owen Sound
c/o Briana Bloomfield
808 2nd Avenue East
Owen Sound, ON N4K 2H4
Tel: 519-376-4440 ext. 1247; Fax: 519-376-6028
E-mail: [email protected]
APPLICATION FOR RE-NAMING A CITY PARK OR
FACILITY FORM
Submit form to: City of Owen Sound, c/o Briana Bloomfield,
808 2nd Avenue East, Owen Sound, ON N4K 2H4, 519-376-4440 Ext. 1247 or e-mail
[email protected]
A. APPLICANT INFORMATION (can be an individual or organization)
Last Name
First Name
Address
Email
City
Postal Code
Province
Telephone Number
Work:
Telephone Number
Home:
B. PROPOSED RE-NAMING OF PARK OR FACILITY
Current Name of Park or Facility
Proposed Name of Park or Facility
Address
C. REASONS IN SUPPORT OF RE-NAMING -please refer to Policy CS-087
Using the space provided, please accurately and completely document the reasons
in support of re-naming (including primary sources) while referencing Policy CS-
087. Please attach additional pages if necessary.
D. SIGNATURE OF APPLICANT
________
Date Signature
E. CITY USE
Date Received
________
Date Application Deemed Complete Signature
Resubmission Date
F. APPLICATION INFORMATION
Return Application to:
City of Owen Sound
c/o Briana Bloomfield
808 2nd Avenue East
Owen Sound, ON N4K 2H4
Tel: 519-376-4440 ext. 1247; Fax: 519-376-6028
E-mail: [email protected]
SIGN
SIGN