Grey Highlands · Place Name Policy of Canada | CEMVC · Center for Early Modern Visual Culture

objectid

ontario_greyhighlands

format

record

Settlement Name

Grey Highlands

Province, Territory, or State

Ontario

Country

Canada

Has Policy?

Yes

Policy

PURPOSE: It is the policy of the Corporation of the Municipality of Grey Highlands that Municipal Council shall approve the Naming/Re-naming of all external municipal property, buildings, roads, park elements and settlement areas. Preference shall be given to naming/re-naming after significant geographical, neighbourhood and historical elements. On occasion, the Municipal Council may wish to acknowledge the activities and significant contributions made by organizations to the Municipality of Grey Highlands or to society through the use of various tangible recognition naming options. INTENT The intent of this Policy is to:  Name municipal property, buildings, roads, park elements and settlement areas after significant geographical, neighbourhood and historical elements;  Recognize on an exception basis, significant contributions that organizations (individuals may be considered in special circumstances) have made to the public life and the well-being of the people of Grey Highlands; and  Provide direction of how to apply for approval to name, rename or dedicate external municipal property, buildings, roads, park elements and settlement areas. In instances where a naming request has been proposed as a result of receiving a significant donation toward the acquisition, creation or redevelopment of the property, building, road, park element and settlement area, consideration will be given to the sponsorship contribution being provided. Municipal property and buildings means: all real property including unimproved lands, buildings and structures owned by the Municipality including but not limited to dedicated parkland, open space, recreational facilities, bridges, operations facilities and administrative office buildings. Park Elements mean: substantial structures or recreational aspects of a park such as trails, ball diamonds, gardens, playgrounds, washrooms and water elements. Roads mean: all municipally owned and maintained roads and includes all private roads. Settlement areas: all existing settlement areas as outlined in the Grey Highlands Official Plan, Section 4.7. 1. NAMING PRINCIPLES Names shall be unique; name duplication and similar sounding names shall be avoided. (a) Names should give a sense of place, continuity, belonging and celebrate distinguishing characteristics and uniqueness of Grey Highlands; (b) Names should maintain a long standing local area identification with the residents of Grey Highlands; (c) Names shall be understandable; (d) Names shall not be discriminatory, derogatory or political in nature; (e) Names shall be consistent with any other applicable Municipality of Grey Highlands policies and naming standards; (f) Names shall assist with emergency response situations by being consistent with street names and geographical locations; (g) The form of signage shall be consistent with corporate signage and plaque guidelines; (h) The cost associated with signage will be the responsibility of the Municipality when the naming/renaming has been initiated by the Municipality and will be the responsibility of the community when the naming/renaming has been initiated by the community; (i) The Municipality of Grey Highlands makes all final decisions concerning what is placed or occurs on Municipal property, in its buildings and on its roads; (j) Names associated with a sponsorship will be considered when a donation amount relates to the construction value of an element; (k) Council shall retain the right not to name certain facilities of broad community importance such as (but not limited to) Municipal Office; 2. NAMING PREFERENCES Priority (in order of preference) shall be given to naming/renaming Municipality of Grey Highlands property and buildings after: (a) The area in which the property or building is located to provide a geographical association to help the public to locate a park, bridge or building more easily; (b) The most dominant "constant feature either within or nearby" the selected site such as an associated significant ecological or natural resource feature; (c) A historical name related to Grey Highlands's heritage and/or historical folklore; (d) An event or person of international, national or provincial significance; or (e) An organization (or individual) to recognize: (f) Particular activities and significant contributions to the Grey Highlands community and/or society; and/or (g) Outstanding contributions and/or sponsorships made toward the development and/or enhancement of a property or building. Preference shall be given to naming Municipality of Grey Highlands Elements (within parks or buildings) after an organization or an individual. 3. Specific Criteria When Naming/Renaming after an Organization or an Individual When a name of an organization (or an individual) is being considered the following criteria should apply: (a) The contribution they have made to the public life and the well-being of Grey Highlands; (b) The sponsorship contribution made toward the acquisition, creation or redevelopment of the property, building or feature; (c) A direct relationship or association that existed between the place of residence of the individual and the property, building or element to be named; (d) Where a property, building or element is named after a sports or entertainment celebrity the type of element shall be associated with the celebrity; and (e) Where the name of an individual or organization is so used, approval shall be obtained from the individual (his/her family) or the organization for such naming. (f) No two (2) or more municipal property, buildings, roads and park elements shall have the same name in either pronunciation and or spelling. 4. TYPES OF SITUATIONS APPLICABLE TO NAMING There are six (6) main types of situations which provide the instigation for a naming which this Policy intends to address: (i) An opening or reopening of a building or bridge, which may require donations; (ii) Road Naming; (iii) Settlement Areas; (iv) A civic recognition; (v) New park development; and, (vi) Corporate sponsorship. An Opening Or Reopening of A Building or Bridge For the opening or reopening of a building or bridge which may be the result of a capital building campaign, Council approves the proposed business plan which includes a plan for contribution recognition upon receipt of public donations. Citizens of Grey Highlands contribute to this campaign for numerous reasons including being recognized through receiving appreciation from the Municipality and/or having their name located on a plaque board or on a particular feature of the building or park. Donations made for a building campaign are usually collected by a community group toward the project. The names of the members of Council may be noted on a recognition plaque when the names are those of the Council which approved the project. Road Naming Submit an application to name or rename a highway or private road to the Municipality. Application to be reviewed by Council and if conditionally approved, Clerk to give public notice of the Municipality’s intention to pass a by-law. Settlement Areas A recognition may be requested by a member of the public or a community group or may be initiated by the Municipality itself to recognize a historic settlement area within the Municipality. A Civic Recognition A civic recognition may be requested by a member of the public or may be initiated by the Municipality itself to recognize a group or an individual's outstanding accomplishments, involvement or work in the local community or in a provincial or national forum. New Park Development The Planning and Development Department, in consultation with Council, is responsible for naming new parks which are developed as part of the subdivision development process. The names selected for new parks adopting the area or subdivision name in which the park is located to provide a geographical association to help the public to locate the park more easily. Corporate Sponsorship The Municipality outlines the situations and specific application criteria. It applies to all business relationships between The Corporation of the Municipality of Grey Highlands and businesses which contribute either financially or in-kind to Municipal programs, services or facilities in return for recognition, public acknowledgement or other promotional considerations. Only for cases of sponsorship which has an associated sunset clause, will a corporate name or advertising brand be used. 5. APPLICATION REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS Applicant(s) shall submit a written request for civic naming to the Municipal Clerk. The written request shall provide the following: (a) background information concerning the rationale for consideration of the request; (b) biographical information if named after an organization (or an individual); and, (c) documentation including letters from organizations and individuals providing substantial support for the request. The applicant(s) must assume responsibility for securing consensus within the community with respect to the application. Opposition to the application must be addressed and resolved by the applicant(s). Upon receipt of an application, the Municipal Clerk shall circulate the application to applicable Departments for review. Application Review Process Each application for naming/renaming shall undergo a process which will review the application for conformity with this policy: Circulate application as follows:  Municipal Staff, Fire, Police, Ambulance for comment on the suitability of the application and to review all proposed external civic names for the purpose of minimizing confusion for emergency response situations;  Planning Department - for new park development naming, park renaming and park elements;  Public Works Department - for bridge, road naming and for recreational facility naming;  Consult with external stakeholders in the community and identify possible objections and/or positive responses and determine the level of support for the requested civic naming; and  Determine whether or not a special event is planned to coincide with a formal naming ceremony.

Policy Score

67