What’s in a Name?
Reuel S. Amdur
At the Chelsea Council meeting of June 3, resident Alain Piché wanted to know what happened to the demand to rename a section of Route 108. He wants an Algonquian name. Unfortunately, it is not easy to do what Piché wants, even with Council fully on board.
Mayor Pierre Guénard explained that the province has a procedure for changing a name. The first step is to consult those on the route for where the change is proposed. Chelsea asked residents of the 108 if they wanted to change the name. The response was to keep the present name. “That’s not surprising,” the mayor told the Post. Changing the name entails a lot of bother. The resident would need to change it on the driver’s licence and other official documents. There would also be the bother of alerting all one’s correspondents.
Once residents agree on changing the name and a name is chosen, it is submitted for approval to the Commission de toponymie. Chelsea has been conducting a survey to determine how to refer to someone from Chelsea. Chelseite, Chelsear, etc. “When a name is chosen, it will also need to be approved by the Commission,” explained the mayor.
