Every community has its contributors and standout citizens, those special people who leave a lasting mark on the city or town they call home.
Many put hundreds – even thousands – of hours toward community building, asking for little to nothing in return for their service.
Look around and you will likely see the legacy of these people somewhere around St. Albert. We are also reminded of their acts in small tributes such as the naming of a park, a civic building or roadway to forever immortalize their contributions.
From Akins Drive to Windsor Crescent to the recently named Victor Post Park, out greatest community builders surround us.
While many, if not all, of these prominent names we see on street signs or the sides of buildings deserve the recognition, St. Albert needs a better way to decide who is most deserving.
As it stands, the city does not have a formal naming process and the mayor has been deciding which historical figures become our next street or avenue. Many of those names are suggested by members of the community, according to city hall.
While we have no qualms over the names that have been honoured, we invite people to spend some time reading about who our landmark areas remember. You will find very little diversity.
Council is considering changing how it names important places in the city and while it is uncertain whether that will include a naming committee, that is the logical structure.
Not only should that committee be tasked with sifting through nominations from community members but also with seeking out historical or contemporary figures who have made a difference to the people of St. Albert.
A focus should also be placed on diversifying the list of people we recognize. While that is not to say we should select people based on race or gender, we should be more mindful that over the years we have seen growing diversity in St. Albert and the rest of the province.
In 2011, 4.4 per cent of the population – approximately 2,500 people – in the city identified as a visible minority. A majority of those people identified as Chinese – 26 per cent – followed by South Asian – 19 per cent – and Arab – 11 per cent. Another 1,600 people – 2.9 per cent – identified as aboriginal.
We suspect there are a few people within those 4,000 citizens, or perhaps their predecessors, worthy of our city’s recognition.
