Brock

objectid

ontario_brock

format

record

Settlement Name

Brock

Province, Territory, or State

Ontario

Country

Canada

Has Policy?

Yes

Policy

Municipal Asset Naming Policy: General Provisions The naming, renaming and dedication of Municipal Assets shall be the responsibility of the Council of the Township of Brock. Council may, at any time, direct that a specific name be used for a specific street, facility or park or element thereof. The intent of naming is for permanent recognition. The renaming of streets, parks and facilities is strongly discouraged as it significantly impacts numerous individuals, township departments and the community. The intent of this policy is to provide a fair, transparent and appropriate naming process of municipal assets. Names, upon Council (and any other required approvals like the Durham Regional Police Service for roads), will be added to the approved naming lists maintained by Township staff for use as new assets are built/developed and in the event any assets require a renaming process to be undertaken. Naming Principles When a Municipal Asset is named, renamed or dedicated, the following principles shall be applied:
• Names shall be unique and vetted through the Durham Regional Police Service to ensure Regional safety for EMS service response;
• Names shall assist with emergency response situations by being consistent with street names and geographical locations;
• Names should give a sense of place, continuity, belonging and celebrate the distinguishing characteristics and uniqueness of the Township of Brock;
• Names should promote pride in the municipality, acknowledge local heritage, history, and recognize unique features and geography (such as names that relate to local history, places, and events, native wildlife, flora, fauna and natural features or unique characteristics of a neighbourhood or area);
• The rationale associated with the use of a names shall be understandable to the majority of Brock residents;
• Names shall not be discriminatory, derogatory or political in nature; names conveying a secondary negative or offensive connotation, any sexual overtones, inappropriate humour, slang or double meanings shall be avoided;
• The re-use of former street names shall be discouraged to avoid confusion with property records management;
• Names with hyphens, apostrophes or dashes shall be discouraged but may be considered on an individual basis;
• Names may recognize the contributions of organizations such as a partnership with or without financial contributions;
• The form of signage shall be consistent with corporate signage guidelines;
• Individuals and/or family members shall be asked permission to use the suggested name;
• Municipal Assets are not intended to provide the facilities and/or function of memorial purposes normally found at cemeteries; and
• Council shall retain the right not to name certain facilities of broad community importance such as (but not limited to) City Hall. Prioritization Priority shall be given to naming, re-naming or dedicating Municipal Assets after:
• the area or street 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;
• the most dominant "constant feature either within or nearby" the selected site such as an associated significant ecological or natural resource feature;
• a historical name related to Brock's heritage and/or historical folklore;
• an event or person of international, national, or provincial significance; or
• an organization or individual (with the exception of public officials or City staff, unless posthumously) to recognize particular activities and significant contributions to the community; and/or o outstanding contributions and/or sponsorships made toward the development and/or enhancement of a property or building. Specific Criteria for Commemorative Naming Where the commemorative naming of a Municipal Asset is being requested, at least one of the following criteria shall apply:
• The nominated individual shall have demonstrated excellence, courage or exceptional service to the citizens of the Township of Brock, the Province of Ontario and/or Canada, including veterans of military conflicts;
• The nominated individual shall have an extraordinary community service record;
• The nominated individual shall have worked to foster equality and reduce discrimination;
• A direct relationship or association that existed between the place of residence of or community efforts undertaken by the individual and the property, building or element to be named;
• The nominated name has historical significance; and
• A name shall only be used once. 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 at the time of being added to the Approved Names List as well as following a Council approval to use the name.

Name Characteristics that will not be Approved Proposed names with the following characteristics will not be considered for approval:
• Those which exceed 16 characters in length (including spaces);
• Discriminatory or derogatory names, those which may be interpreted as such, or names of individuals known for discriminatory behaviour and/or beliefs;
• Names with undesirable definitions or those pronounced or spelled similar to those with undesirable definitions (including names with sexual overtones, inappropriate humour and slang);
• Names seen as advertising for a particular business;
• Names already assigned to existing streets and park facilities in the Region of Durham and surrounding areas;
• Names with similar spelling or pronunciation to an existing street name; and
• Names with multiple words or special characters (dashes, hyphens etc.). These may be considered on an individual basis.

Naming a Street 1. Development proponents shall be provided with the list of approved names for selection. They may select from the pre-approved list or apply for other names to be added to the list using the application process. 2. The Developer shall request the use of the street names and provide a map of the intended streets with the proposed names for use in a report to Council for approval. This report shall be completed during the detailed design stage of a project, following the Draft Plan of Subdivision approval. Process for Naming a Municipal Asset 1. Receipt of a Municipal Asset Naming Application a. Application to be available on the Township website for direct submission to staff. b. Applications to be processed by appropriate departments. c. Processing the application involves staff evaluating if the recommendation meets the principles and criteria of this policy and providing a written report to Council with a recommendation. d. If the application is rejected, the applicant will be formally notified by the Township of Brock and a note placed in the list describing the rejection and rationale. e. If the application is approved by Council, the name shall be added to the Approved Name List and the Region of Durham shall be notified. 2. Approved Name Lists a. An Approved Name spreadsheet shall be maintained by staff and contain a fulsome list of applied names to existing assets as well as available names for new assets. b. Suggested names are only added to the Approved Name Lists following confirmation from the Region of Durham and Durham Region Police Service (for roads). c. The list will contain at a minimum, the following information: i. Approved Asset Name ii. Type of Asset (suffix if road) iii. Recommended Location of Asset iv. Added Date v. Assigned Date vi. Notes describing pertinent details surrounding the name Public Consultation An appropriate consultation process based on current best practices shall be undertaken with the full community of Brock Township when a municipal asset such as a building, park or piece of infrastructure is to be named. Street naming does not require a public consultation process, but the names are approved by Council.

Place Name Tools

Municipal Policy Naming Application: https://www.townshipofbrock.ca/en/resident-services/resources/Photos/Municipal-Asset-Naming-Application---Accessible.pdf

Contact Info

fernando.lamanna@brock.ca

Policy Score

61