A group made up of dozens of Gordon Lightfoot fans are working to have Highway 11 named in the late folk legend’s honour — similar to a separate initiative that hopes to see Highway 400 named for him.
The Lightfoot Highway Initiative, with members from around Canada and the U.S., has been working with the Ministry of Transportation in recent months to rename a 239-kilometre stretch of Highway 11 between Barrie and North Bay to commemorate Lightfoot and his music’s impact on the nation.
Although the separate drive to rename Highway 400 has garnered thousands of supporters in an online petition in recent weeks, members of the Lightfoot Highway Initiative view Highway 11 as the better fit given its direct connection to Lightfoot’s hometown of Orillia.
“There's a part of the country that Lightfoot lived in and had a cottage in, and we feel that it would be a benefit to your region there to have a highway named after him for both local people, other Canadians, and visitors who would then reflect upon his music,” said Arthur Plumpton, a Quebec-based group member.
Plumpton highlighted the renaming of two highways in Quebec — one for Montreal Canadiens legend, Guy Lafleur, and another for Quebecois musician, writer, and activist, Felix Leclerc — among the reasons to rename Highway 11 for Lightfoot.
“We think this is a very positive thing that could happen and it's good for the region because … when I travel the road in Quebec, I think about the guy that wrote the songs,” he said.
Citing the Canadian Railroad Trilogy, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Steel Rail Blues and other music from Lightfoot, Plumpton said the folk artist showcased what Canada is, both “physically and philosophically.”
As part of the provincial government’s process to rename Highway 11, the group is currently seeking the support of each municipality and First Nation along the way.
“I'm asking the municipalities, the First Nations, (for) their councils to pass a motion to accept this, and then when we get that in writing, we'll send that to the Ministry of Transportation,” Plumpton said.
Although the Highway 400 initiative has gained support, Plumpton said the Lightfoot Highway Initiative feels it is more prudent to work directly with the government to forward the idea.
He also mentioned that the Lightfoot Highway Initiative does not wish to step on the toes of the other effort, but simply feels Highway 11 is the right choice.
“I don't want to ruffle the feathers of anybody else who wants to promote something for Lightfoot, as well, because all these ventures are worthwhile,” Plumpton said. “We just think ours is good because Highway 11 is quite related to him, and … half of our request is based on what it means in terms of Canada.”
The group has yet to suggest a particular name for Highway 11, though Plumpton feels something simple, like ‘Gordon Lightfoot Highway’, would be a good fit.
Plumpton said he hopes to have responses from the affected municipalities and First Nations sometime this spring, and encouraged these residents — as well as other supporters in Ontario — to express their support to the group via email at [email protected].
