Procedure for Eliminating Duplicate Street Names
(All Wards)
The Works Committee recommends:
(1) the adoption of the following report (December 14, 1999) from the
Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services; and
(2) that as part of the review process, the Commissioner of Works and
Emergency Services be requested to include consultation with the
Toronto Police Service with respect to the proposed modifiers:
Purpose:
The purpose of this report is to obtain approval in principle for a
process to eliminate duplicate street names that resulted from the 1998
amalgamation of the six former municipalities into the City of Toronto.
Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
Funding in the amount of $100,000.00 has been provided in the Budget
Advisory Committee's recommended Capital Program for 2000. In
addition, the Transportation Program's 2001-2004 forecast provides for
the remainder of the necessary funding for this initiative.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
(1) the process of eliminating duplicate and triplicate street names on
the basis of minimum number of occupants on the streets to be
renamed, tentatively identified in Attachment No. 1, be approved
in principle;
(2) the options for selecting new names for the duplicate and triplicate
names, as outlined in this report, be approved in principle;
(3) once a policy for the selection of street names has been adopted
by City Council, the affected ratepayer groups and local
associations be notified of the foregoing and be requested to
submit an appropriate name for the street to be renamed; and
(4) the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the
necessary action to give effect thereto.
Background:
City Council, at its meeting held on April 16 and 17, 1998, adopted the
report submitted by the Urban Environment and Development
Committee (Clause No. 18, Report No. 4) requesting the Interim
Functional Lead, Transportation, not to approve any additional names
for new streets that may be a duplication of existing street names until
a policy has been established by Council, and to report to that
Committee with a list of identical street names that were created in the
new City.
Comments:
As a result of the amalgamation of the six municipalities, 103
pairs/triplets of identical street names were created in the new City of
Toronto in 1998. Since amalgamation, Bell Canada 9-1-1, Fire,
Ambulance and Police Services have been using municipal identifiers
to distinguish between duplicate street names in their computer
assisted dispatch systems. Postal codes and former municipality
names have been used on an interim basis, with varying degrees of
success, to resolve mail delivery ambiguities. These solutions are
temporary in nature and are not comparable to the best solution that
involves the renaming of one or two (in the case of triplicates) of the
streets. The challenge with which we are confronted is selecting the
streets to be renamed and selecting a suitable replacement name.
Authority for Renaming Streets:
Section 210(111) of the Municipal Act allows municipalities to pass by-laws for the changing of names of public highways. Notice of the
proposed by-law must be published at least once a week for four
consecutive weeks in a newspaper having general circulation in the
municipality. It is also required that Council hear any person who
claims to be adversely affected by the proposed by-law.
Guidelines for Selecting the Streets to be Renamed:
Street name changes will be disruptive to both residents and
businesses. It would appear that the simplest and most equitable way
of determining the street to be renamed is by the number of residential
occupants and businesses that would be affected by the street name
change. The following guidelines should be used in selecting the street
to be renamed:
(1) the street with the fewest number of occupants of the two or three
should be renamed;
(2) guideline 1 becomes less equitable as the difference between the
number of occupants on each street decreases; and
(3) higher priority should be given to renaming the four triplicate
street names.
A listing of the duplicate and triplicate streets to be renamed, along with
the occupancy counts and Ward Numbers, are identified in Attachment
No. 1.
Renaming Options:
The feasible options for selecting a new street name, in order of
preference, are set out below:
Change existing name to new name;
Use a prefix before the existing street name;
Introduce a modifier before or after the street type designation; or
Change the street type designation suffix.
Requests for a specific street name by ratepayer groups and local
associations will be accepted if supported by a representative poll of the
occupants on the street to be renamed.
Change of Existing Name to New Name:
The complete renaming of a duplicate street name is the most effective
since a name can be selected which avoids duplication or similarity in
sound with other streets in the City. A new street name relating to a
significant person or the local history in a community would also
strengthen the identity of a neighbourhood.
A staff report on a proposed policy for selecting street names has been
prepared for the consideration of the Works Committee and the
Community Councils. Once the policy has been adopted by City
Council, the framework will facilitate the street name selection process.
Use of Prefix Before the Existing Street Name:
The district maps similar to those used by Fire and Ambulance Services
could be used as a basis from which a prefix could be derived (North,
South, East, West) and added to one or both of the duplicate names. In
the case of triplicate names, two of the streets could have a prefix
added. The original street name remains as part of the new name, which
is beneficial from a historical perspective. For example, Alexander
Street in the West District (Ward 2) could be renamed to West Alexander
Street. The Alexander Street in the South District (Ward 24) with the
higher number of affected occupants would retain its name.
Another option would be to add a district specific prefix, such as
Weston, to strengthen the neighbourhood identity of the street. The
original street name remains as part of the new name. For example,
Church Street (Wards 6 and 27) could be renamed to Weston Church
Street. The Toronto Island streets could use a prefix of "Island," such as
Island First Street.
Modifier Before or After the Street Name Type Designation:
This option would add a modifier before the street name type, such as "East", "Heights" or
"Grove" to distinguish between duplicated street names. The street type designation could also
be changed. In both instances, the original street name remains as part of the new name. For
example, Euclid Avenue (Ward 16) could be renamed Euclid East Avenue. Gibson Avenue
(Wards 27 and 5) could be renamed to Gibson Heights Avenue. The Toronto Island streets
could be renamed with the modifier "Island," after the street type, such as First Street Island.
Change the Street Type Designation:
Another possibility is to change the street type designation, which would be a suitable
approach to distinguish streets that are geographically remote. The original street name
remains as part of the new name, for example, Morningside Avenue (Ward 19) is renamed to
Morningside Drive.
Public Input on Selected Names:
The selection of appropriate names for the streets to be renamed will require the involvement
of local ratepayer groups. The highest priority streets to be renamed are listed in order in
Attachment No. 1.
In view of the large number of streets to be renamed and the amount of community
consultation which may be required, it is likely that the renaming of the affected streets will
take at least four or five years to complete.
Conclusions:
The elimination of duplicate street names in the City will involve:
(1) the approval of the streets to be renamed;
(2) communication of the proposed plan to the affected ratepayer groups and associations;
(3) selection of appropriate street name by the community;
(4) preparation and approval of reports to rename the streets;
(5) notices of proposed by-laws;
(6) deputations by persons who claim to be adversely affected by the proposed by-law;
(7) adoption of reports and by-laws by Council authorizing the street name changes;
(8) registration of name change by-laws in land registry office;
(9) amendments to City maps and records;
(10) notification of changes to appropriate public and private agencies and residents; and
(11) replacement of street name signs.
The estimated advertising costs for a notice of a proposed street naming change is $2,000.00
per street, with a maximum cost of $214,000.00 if each duplicate/triplicate street name is
changed. The average cost of a replacement street name sign is $200.00. Early estimates
indicate that there may be up to 400 signs to be replaced, for a total cost of $80,000.00.
Upon approval in principle of the streets to be renamed, as set out in Attachment No. 1, and
of the options for assigning new street names as outlined in this report, we will begin the
process of eliminating the duplicate street names within the City.
The affected ratepayer groups and local associations should be requested to select a suitable
substitute street name in accordance with the guidelines set out in this report and the policy
regarding street name selection to be considered by City Council in the future.
Finance staff have reviewed and concur with the recommendations and financial implications
in this report.
Contact:
W. (Wally) Kowalenko
City Surveyor
Phone No: 392-7664; Fax No: 392-0081
E-mail: wkowalen@toronto.ca
Attachment No. 1
Listing of Streets Proposed to be Renamed (Sorted by Difference in Number of Occupants)
STREETS PROPOSED TO BE RENAMED |
STREETS PROPOSED TO REMAIN
UNCHANGED |
STREET |
LOW
OCCUPANTS |
WARD |
HIGH
OCCUPANTS |
WARD |
TRIPLICATE STREET NAMES |
GIBSON AVE |
70 |
5 |
N/A |
N/A |
GIBSON AVE |
0 |
27 |
112 |
23 |
FRANKLIN AVE |
28 |
16 |
451 |
21 |
FRANKLIN AVE |
327 |
10 |
N/A |
N/A |
GEORGE ST |
210 |
2 |
N/A |
N/A |
GEORGE ST |
89 |
27 |
602 |
24 |
BYNG AVE |
401 |
13 |
N/A |
N/A |
BYNG AVE |
90 |
5 |
719 |
10 |
DUPLICATE STREET NAMES |
BAYVIEW AVE |
26 |
24 |
5372 |
1, 9, 10, 12, 22, 23, 25 |
COLLEGE ST |
74 |
5 |
4710 |
20, 24 |
EUCLID AVE |
273 |
16 |
3269 |
20, 23 |
ST GEORGE ST |
124 |
2 |
2871 |
23, 24 |
MORNINGSIDE
AVE |
325 |
19 |
2531 |
13, 16, 18 |
ELM ST |
18 |
27 |
1876 |
24 |
GRACE ST |
176 |
15 |
1798 |
20 |
OAK ST |
27 |
6, 27 |
1600 |
25 |
DUPLEX AVE |
117 |
10 |
1436 |
22 |
ALEXANDER ST |
81 |
2 |
1337 |
24 |
HUMBER BLVD |
4 |
3 |
1069 |
27 |
CHURCH ST |
808 |
27 |
1857 |
23, 24 |
HOMEWOOD AVE |
583 |
10 |
1545 |
24 |
EVANS AVE |
368 |
19 |
1298 |
2 |
WRIGHT AVE |
99 |
27 |
945 |
19 |
SIXTH ST |
23 |
24 |
854 |
2 |
GARDEN AVE |
178 |
18 |
893 |
19 |
PARKVIEW AVE |
34 |
25 |
745 |
10 |
WILLOW AVE |
41 |
24 |
747 |
26 |
KENNETH AVE |
278 |
21 |
982 |
10 |
CONNAUGHT AVE |
89 |
26 |
695 |
10 |
VICTOR AVE |
132 |
2 |
738 |
25 |
FERN AVE |
90 |
27 |
682 |
19 |
CAVELL AVE |
254 |
25 |
840 |
2 |
SHERWOOD AVE |
174 |
14 |
740 |
22 |
ROBERT ST |
178 |
27 |
732 |
24 |
WATERLOO AVE |
49 |
20 |
603 |
8 |
BRIGHTON AVE |
50 |
25 |
596 |
8 |
FIFTH ST |
70 |
24 |
558 |
2 |
OXFORD ST |
246 |
2 |
727 |
24 |
RIVERSIDE DR |
155 |
6 |
613 |
19, 27 |
EAST AVE |
1 |
21 |
393 |
16 |
SYLVAN AVE |
125 |
20 |
515 |
13 |
WEDGEWOOD DR |
106 |
4 |
483 |
10 |
NELSON ST |
12 |
24 |
367 |
15 |
EASTBOURNE AVE |
2 |
9 |
348 |
22 |
BARKER AVE |
113 |
5 |
447 |
1 |
CHURCHILL AVE |
299 |
20 |
629 |
10 |
STANLEY AVE |
61 |
20 |
371 |
2 |
LAUREL AVE |
309 |
4 |
618 |
15 |
KENSINGTON AVE |
62 |
10 |
363 |
24 |
FOURTH ST |
98 |
24 |
398 |
2 |
OLIVE AVE |
276 |
23 |
569 |
10 |
MUIR AVE |
120 |
6 |
407 |
20 |
MONTGOMERY
AVE |
13 |
17 |
299 |
22 |
ERNEST AVE |
41 |
21 |
316 |
12 |
MCGILLIVRAY
AVE |
44 |
5 |
319 |
9 |
WOODROW AVE |
0 |
13 |
262 |
26 |
JAMES ST |
0 |
24 |
255 |
2 |
WOODWARD AVE |
31 |
26 |
278 |
27 |
THIRD ST |
132 |
24 |
375 |
2 |
SIMPSON AVE |
370 |
2 |
613 |
25 |
NORTON AVE |
163 |
21 |
376 |
10 |
RIDGEWOOD RD |
64 |
23 |
276 |
16 |
CORNELL AVE |
17 |
27 |
227 |
13 |
HIGHLAND CRES |
32 |
23 |
235 |
9 |
ELLIS AVE |
89 |
27 |
282 |
19 |
ISLAND RD |
0 |
2 |
181 |
16 |
REGENT ST |
29 |
25 |
200 |
27 |
ALLEN AVE |
38 |
2 |
198 |
25 |
JOHN ST |
375 |
24 |
533 |
27 |
SPRINGMOUNT
AVE |
22 |
27 |
178 |
21 |
ELIZABETH ST |
132 |
2 |
284 |
24 |
PAGE AVE |
47 |
27 |
196 |
12 |
CENTRE AVE |
209 |
10 |
346 |
24 |
SECOND ST |
52 |
24 |
177 |
2 |
PARKER AVE |
21 |
13 |
137 |
2 |
HIGHVIEW AVE |
92 |
6 |
192 |
13 |
PRIMROSE AVE |
193 |
2 |
290 |
21 |
PORTLAND ST |
220 |
24 |
312 |
2 |
EDGAR AVE |
16 |
6 |
105 |
23 |
DALE AVE |
474 |
23 |
562 |
13 |
VICTORIA ST |
146 |
2 |
215 |
24 |
FRENCH AVE |
46 |
16 |
112 |
27 |
ROSEMOUNT AVE |
560 |
6, 27 |
618 |
21 |
HECTOR AVE |
84 |
27 |
139 |
21 |
WHITE AVE |
104 |
16 |
153 |
27 |
CAMERON AVE |
417 |
27 |
465 |
10 |
SENECA AVE |
87 |
24 |
131 |
27 |
YORK RD |
132 |
9 |
166 |
3 |
LILLIAN ST |
134 |
10 |
168 |
22 |
CROSS ST |
55 |
20 |
88 |
27 |
ROMNEY RD |
45 |
3 |
78 |
9 |
KNOX AVE |
94 |
6 |
125 |
26 |
YORKVIEW DR |
386 |
10 |
415 |
2 |
EDMUND AVE |
122 |
27 |
148 |
23 |
LAMONT AVE |
64 |
17 |
79 |
6, 27 |
CYPRESS ST |
3 |
25 |
18 |
27 |
NORTH DR |
173 |
3 |
187 |
13 |
HEATHER RD |
95 |
1 |
107 |
17 |
ARNOLD AVE |
38 |
27 |
50 |
25 |
BEECHWOOD AVE |
234 |
27 |
245 |
9 |
WINDSOR ST |
0 |
24 |
11 |
2 |
MILL ST |
1 |
9 |
11 |
25 |
KENNY AVE |
11 |
13 |
16 |
2 |
MORRISON ST |
0 |
2 |
5 |
24 |
FIRST ST |
35 |
24 |
37 |
2 |
SERVICE RD |
0 |
24 |
0 |
13 |
CENTRE RD |
0 |
19 |
0 |
27 |
_________
The Works Committee reports, for the information of Council, having also had before it
during consideration of the foregoing matter a communication (January 11, 2000) from Mr.
Rob Draper, President, Weston Ratepayers and Residents Association, advising that the
Weston Ratepayers and Residents Association does not see the need or urgency in changing
street names, but would like to be kept informed and stay involved.
The following persons appeared before the Works Committee in connection with the foregoing
matter:
- Ms. Mary Louise Ashbourne, Chair, City of York LACAC, and member of the Weston
Historical Society; and
- Councillor Frances Nunziata, York Humber.