St. Albert city council will vote on whether to make the renaming of the Grandin neighbourhood a topic for a plebiscite, two weeks before the results of its public consultation are to be revealed.
The motion is being brought forth by Coun. Sheena Hughes, and will be heard during the March 4 meeting agenda. Hughes said she wants to bring the issue to a plebiscite to fully understand the level of community support for the renaming.
"It gives council the most information possible to make their decision," Hughes said. "This is a dramatic change to our community, and as a result, the community should have a large say in providing feedback before council makes a decision."
An application to remove the Grandin name was submitted to the St. Albert Naming Committee in fall 2024. The city opened up a portal called Cultivate the Conversation on Feb. 3, where residents could suggest a new name for the neighbourhood, which closed on Feb. 21.
Hughes said she was expecting a public consultation period closer to six months, and that the consultation did not ask a direct enough question.
"We don't actually have an answer to the only important question that should have been asked, which is 'Do you support this? Yes or no,'" she said.
Hughes said the potential plebiscite would be presented with three different sections:
- Do you support the renaming of the roads and lanes?
- Do you support the renaming of the parks?
- Do you support the renaming of the neighbourhood Grandin?
She said separating it out is important to give the public the opportunity to decide what aspects of renaming they are supportive of, if any.
"Instead of making it an all or nothing, it gives us the opportunity to decide if the public supports any of those," she said. "People may say 'I don't want it imposed on the street, but maybe I'm comfortable with having a park renamed.' I don't know the answer and that's why I wanted to separate it out."
Renaming Grandin Road, Grandin Lane, and Grandin Place would require address changes for the residents living on those streets. The city has said they will support those affected, according to the City of St. Albert website.
Submissions from the Cultivate the Conversation portal are currently being reviewed by city administration, who will bring a recommended name before council on March 18.
