STAFF REPORT Earlier This Year, the City of Greater Sudbury Received A

Title: Street Renaming

Date: May 4, 2018

STAFF REPORT

Earlier this year, the City of Greater Sudbury received a request from Walden Seniors and Pensioners Inc. to rename Turner Drive in Lively to Meagan Duhamel Drive, given Ms. Duhamel’s exceptional figure skating career, contribution to the sport and the City of Greater Sudbury (see Attachment A). This proposal is supported by the Ward Councillor.

Ms. Duhamel is a Canadian Figure Skater who has successfully competed on the national and international stages. Ms. Duhamel won two medals with partner Mr. Eric Radford at PyeongChang 2018, helping Canada win gold in the team event followed by a bronze medal in the pairs event. In 2017 the pair captured their sixth consecutive Canadian title, breaking the all-time record and becoming one of the most decorated Canadian pair teams in history. Ms. Duhamel and Mr. Radford won back-to-back world titles in 2015 and 2016, making them the first Canadian pair to successfully defend their world gold medal since Barbara Wagner and Robert Paul won four straight from 1957 to 1960. Their first world title capped an undefeated season that included wins at both of their Grand Prix events, the Grand Prix Final and the Four Continents Championships.

This request represents a good opportunity for the City and community to recognize Ms. Duhamel for her accomplishments and positive recognition she has brought to her community and City.

The proposal meets many of the criteria established for commemorative street naming in the City’s Street Naming and Numbering Policy, which is intended to ensure a clear and easy to understand street name and numbering system.

There already exists a Duhamel Drive in the Community of Lively. There is a risk that Duhamel Drive could be confused with Meagan Duhamel Drive. To address this concern, it is recommended that Turner Drive be renamed to Meagan Duhamel Street. The street numbering convention along Turner Drive differs from Duhamel Drive. The numbering on Turner Drive currently begins at 455 and ends at 471. The street numbering along Duhamel Drive currently begins at 10 and ends at 92. If the street name change is approved, the existing numbering conventions would be maintained, which would further distinguish Duhamel Drive from Meagan Duhamel Street.

Conclusion

The proposal to rename Turner Drive to Ms. Meagan Duhamel represents an important opportunity to commemorate an important sports figure in Greater Sudbury. It is recommended that Turner Drive be renamed to Meagan Duhamel Street. If Planning Committee agrees, it should approve the recommendation in the resolution section of this report.