What’s in a name?
Names tell us where we’ve been and where we’re going.
And names attached to special places recall the best in people.
While many parks and street names across the city come from a myriad of sources, a select few — as in five — Barrie residents have had parks, facilities and other city assets dedicated in their honour since 2015 through the Municipal Naming Registry.
They include Sam Cancilla Park (Dunlop Street East near Mulcaster) and the Osmond ‘Ossie’ Rowe pedestrian bridge (Centennial Park South). There is also the Peggy Staite-Wong Pavillion, the Wyman Jacques Arboretum and the H. John Murphy Water Reservoir and Pumping Station, all in Sunnidale Park.
“These dedications are in recognition of their significant contributions to our city,” the city’s website states.
Ossie’s pedestrian bridge is a striking sight and people are afforded a wonderful view of Kempenfelt Bay throughout all four seasons of the year.
The accompanying plaque says: “Osmond ‘Ossie’ Rowe served as the city solicitor for near 50 years and was instrumental in changing Barrie’s status from a town to a city (1959) and designed our coat of arms. Mr. Rowe played a role in the decision to create Centennial Park and the City of Barrie Marina. His dedication and commitment to our community has helped shape Barrie as we know it today.”
Mr. Rowe was appointed Queen’s Counsel and was the first recipient of the Professional Excellence Award of the Simcoe County Legal and Medical Association and a recipient of the City of Barrie Sesquicentennial Award. The list of organizations he supported is a long one: the Barrie Community Concert Association, Barrie Harbour Committee, Barrie Lion’s Club, Barrie Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee, Centennial Park Committee, Children’s Aid Society, Collier Street United Church, Kempenfelt Bay Development Committee, Navy League of Canada, and Simcoe County Legal Aid Committee.
City council passed the naming of the bridge in Centennial Park on Sept. 12, 2016.
Sam Cancilla Park, located on the north shore of Kempenfelt Bay, south of Dunlop Street and east of Mulcaster Street, is named after Sam Cancilla, who was alderman for Ward 2 from 1985 to 1991.
According to a city staff report regarding the Municipal Naming Registry, “as Cancilla’s Fruit and Vegetable Market owner, he contributed to numerous community projects including the Allandale Recreation Centre, Barrie Sports Hall of Fame and Victoria Village, acquiring lands for the Barrie Public Library (downtown), the Grey and Simcoe Foresters Museum and the Barrie Transit terminal (downtown), and maintaining Bayview Park (now renamed in his honour).
“Sam Cancilla was a strong supporter of initiatives involving youth, sports and the Barrie community,” the report concludes.
City council approved the naming of Sam Cancilla Park in September 2015.
Names of good people are reflected in other areas of the city, too, such as Kuzmich Park, located in the city’s south end. It’s a quiet park — including a volunteer-run rink — dedicated to the memory of South Simcoe police Senior Const. Alan Kuzmich, who died on Aug. 21, 2002.
The 41-year-old officer was killed while investigating a motorcycle theft in Innisfil. According to tributes, he was a loving father and husband, highly respected police officer, Barrie Minor Hockey assistant coach, caring neighbour, and friend.
And some street names are even fun.
A pair of new street names inspired by popular cartoons The Simpsons and South Park received the seal of approval from Barrie city councillors almost two years ago.
A planned subdivision in the Yonge GO neighbourhood, near Yonge Street and Mapleview Drive in the city's south end, will include nods to the iconic television shows with Evergreen Terrace and South Park Lane, respectively.
Other streets for a planned subdivision — currently a chewed up battlefield of a site around the soon-to-be-completed public school board high school on Mapleview Drive East — were recently approved by councillors.
“The municipal naming policy establishes the processes and criteria for naming, renaming, and dedicating municipal assets such as streets, parks, and facilities as well as including the methods by which the public may provide suggestions and comments,” says Michelle Banfield, the city’s director of development services, adding the city has the Municipal Names Registry which is used as a central repository of all approved names for streets, parks, and other municipal assets.
Getting residents involved with the street-naming process is important, she says.
“It is a good way to get the public to participate in, and feel part of, the community,” Banfield says. “There can be some prominent families and/or people in the area that have provided positive contributions to the community.
“Using names that are relevant for our community is a way to bring pride of who we are, our history and the contributions that people in different ways have provided to our city.”
It’s also important to recognize veterans through the registry process, she adds.
“Naming streets in the city after the veterans and fallen soldiers is a good way to recognize what they did for us,” Banfield says. “And they are still considered for street naming. Any street named after them has had a poppy on the street sign.”
Of course, the most new street names will be in the former Town of Innisfil land after the Jan. 1, 2010 land transfer to Barrie. These sections of the city are known as the Hewitt’s and Salem Secondary Plan areas.
A 2018 report to staff indicated there are approximately 320 roads expected to be built as part of the development approval process.
