Naming of Private Lane - 322 Clinton Street

(Trinity-Niagara)

The Toronto Community Council recommends the adoption of the following report (January14, 1999) from the Executive Director, Technical Services Division, Works and Emergency Services:

Purpose:

This report recommends that the proposed private lane at the new development at 322 Clinton Street be named "Nancy Pocock Place."

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Estimated costs of $300.00 to be paid by applicant.

Recommendations:

(1)That the proposed private lane located at 322 Clinton Street, illustrated on Map A attached, be named "Nancy Pocock Place";

(2)That MCJ Development Consultants be required to pay the costs, estimated in the amount of $300.00, for the fabrication and installation of the appropriate signage; and

(3)That the appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect to, including the introduction in Council of any Bills that may be required.

Background:

I have a request from M. Carol Jamieson of MCJ Development Consultants (25 Mountview Avenue, Toronto, M6P 2L5) to name the proposed private lane for the new rowhouse development at 322 Clinton Street. Councillor Joe Pantalone has forwarded a petition from residents in the immediate area of the development, requesting that the lane be named after Nancy Pocock. Ms. Jamieson has been advised of the proposed name and is in agreement with the selection.

The lane is being named after Nancy Pocock, a longtime resident of the community, who spent her life in pursuit of international peace, in defense of refugees, and in service to others. Additional information on Nancy Pocock is outlined in Appendix "A."

Comments:

The proposed name has been reserved by staff of the City Planning Division, and has been circulated to Heritage Toronto and Toronto Fire Services. Councillor Mario Silva also supports the name.

The naming of the proposed lane "Nancy Pocock Place" is consistent with the policy for naming streets and lanes approved by the former Toronto City Council on July 11, 1988 (Clause 4, Executive Report No. 22).

Contact Name and Telephone Number:

Desmond Christopher

Telephone: (416)392-1831

Fax:(416)392-0081

E-mail: dchristo@toronto.ca

Appendix "A"

Nancy Meek Pocock

Oct. 24, 1910 - Mar. 4, 1998

Nancy Meek Pocock was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 24, 1910 where she lived with her mother Dorothea, father Theophile and younger brother Ted. In 1920, Nancy's father, an ordained minister and theological scholar, was offered an appointment at the University of Toronto. And so the family moved to Canada, where, as Nancy was later to say, "her real life began."

Growing up in Toronto, Nancy attended Central Technical High School and later the Ontario College of Art, then known as "The Grange." After graduating from OCA and taking advantage of the fact that her dad went to work for a time in the Middle East, Nancy, accompanied by her mother, spent close to a year living in Paris and studying the art of jewellery making. Upon her return to Toronto, Nancy first opened her own jewellery studio on Gerrard Street, near Bay, in the area then known as the Gerrard Street Village. It was during this period in her life that she met and fell in love with Jack Pocock. Jack shared Nancy=s passion for jewellery and the arts and in 1942 they were married. It was soon after that Jack was sent overseas to fight fascism. In Europe he was injured and returned home to Canada in 1944 only weeks before the birth of their daughter Judy. Nancy often told the story of the great snow storm that blanketed Toronto on the day she gave birth and how people "skied down Yonge Street."

In 1950, while still living on Gerrard Street, Nancy and Jack joined the Toronto Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, a decision that would shape much of the rest of their lives. Nancy and Jack were active in and outside of the Monthly Meeting. In the late 1960s, they moved to a house on Hazelton Avenue.

It was here that they first opened their home to draft dodgers and deserters coming to Canada rather than fighting with the U.S. forces in Vietnam. Nancy and Jack's commitment to helping end the way by sheltering many, both from Vietnam and the U.S., continued throughout the years of the Vietnam War. There are many Americans and Vietnamese whose first Canadian home was with Jack, Nancy and Judy.

In February 1975, only months before the end of the Vietnam War, Nancy suffered a great loss when her husband and partner in work and in life, Jack Pocock, died. From that day forward, Nancy Pocock devoted her life to helping others. Most important was her work on behalf of refugees from Latin and Central American and indeed all over the world. Her home - now on Elgin Avenue - became a beacon and a refuge for many. Nancy continued this work throughout her life, working for refugees right up until the end. Even as she lay on a stretcher in the crowded emergency department, she helped to write a letter seeking support for the refugee programme.

Nancy Pocock's name and work are known and remembered around the world. She was invited to Vietnam on five different occasions, the first while the war was still on. Today a medical clinic in Vietnam bears her name and she was awarded the Medal of Friendship from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1978. She received many other awards and recognitions, including the Pearson Peace Prize in 1987, an Honourary Doctorate of Divinity from Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario) in 1990, and the Order of Ontario in 1992. It was a special treat in 1992 when she received a personal phone call on her birthday from the Premier of Ontario, Bob Rae.

To Canadians and others, hers was a constant voice in raising consciousness on social issues since the 1960's as a member of the Quaker Relief Committee welcoming American Vietnam War resisters, as an organizer of protests against nuclear missiles, as a founding member of the Voice of Women, the peace centre run by Canadian Friends Service Committee on Grindstone Island from 1962 to 1973, and as coordinator of the Toronto Refugee Affairs Council.

To refugees reaching Canada poor and homeless, she will always be remembered as :Mama Nancy," the woman who opened her heart and her home to them. Mama Nancy died on Wednesday, March 4, 1998, at 4:30 p.m., surrounded by family and friends from many countries. Her life and her memory will serve as an inspiration to others and as a sign of hope for future generations.

The Toronto Community Council also submits the following communication (January 7, 1999) from Councillor Pantalone:

I am pleased to forward a petition for consideration of the January 20, 1999, Toronto Community Council requesting that the new laneway planned for behind 322 Clinton Street be named "Nancy Pocock Lane".

In a March 1998 obituary in the Anglican Journal, Ms. Nancy Meek Pocock was remembered "as a fighter for justice". Ms. Pocock moved to Toronto in 1920, attending Central Technical High School and later the Ontario College of Art. In 1960's, along with her husband Jack, Ms. Pocock became actively involved in supporting Americans leaving the U.S. in opposition the Vietnam War. She was later renowned for her crucial and selfless work with refugees especially those from Latin and Central Amercian countries.

For her achievements, Ms. Pocock has received the Pearson Peace Prize, an Honourary doctorate of Divinity from Queen's University as well as the Order of Ontario.

Thank you for your attention to my comments and please feel free to call me with any questions or comments.

(Copy of the petition signed by approximately 42 signatures is on file in the office of the City Clerk).

(A copy of Peaceweb News Web Page dated March 1999, headed ANancy Pocock, Friend of Refugees, 1910 - 1998", was forwarded to all Members of the Toronto Community Council with the agenda for its meeting on January 20, 1999, and a copy thereof is on file in the office of the City Clerk).