1. PREAMBLE: a. The Township of Russell has no naming policy to guide the naming of parks and recreation properties and facilities. This policy emphasizes the criteria to be used in considering parks and recreation facility names and the permanence of a name once it is conferred. b. It has been a regular procedure for the Township of Russell to name newly acquired or unnamed parks and recreation facilities, the following are proposed procedures to officially adopt a process.
2. DEFINITIONS: a. Township of Russell Parks and Recreation Naming Policy is a process to attribute names to Parks and Recreation Facilities. b. Parks and Recreation Facilities located within the Township's corporate boundaries are capital assets; manage by the department of Public Works. Parks and Recreation.
5. CRITERIA: a. To avoid duplication, confusing similarities, or inappropriateness, the Advisory Committee, in considering name suggestions, will review existing - - - - park and facility names. b. No park or recreation facility shall be named after any person who is presently holding an elected office. c. In naming a park or facility, the Advisory Committee will consider geographical location, historical or cultural significance, distinctive natural or geological features, and the wishes of the community in which it is located. d. Park and recreational facility names shall be changed only if the current name does not have geographical, historical or other relevant importance. No park named after an individual shall be considered for a change. e. Parks and recreation facilities may be named in memory or recognition of a person subject to the following conditions: the person must have made a significant positive community contribution to parks, recreation, or culture without which the parklfacility may not exist, or in which the individual's contributions enhanced a program or facility in an extraordinary way. f. The Township will assume the cost of signage bearing the approved name for the facility. g. The Director of Public Works, Parks and Recreation may support the Committee's recommendation. h. As a general rule, portions of a park or recreation facility will not bear a different name other than that of the entire facility. The Committee may consider exceptions in cases such as a fundraising opportunity or a corporate sponsor contribution. i. New facilities or parks will be recognized by its civic number until the naming process is completed.
Parks Naming Policy: 1. In general: Neighbourhood parks shall be named after an adjacent street. Community parks shall be named after an adjacent street or geographic feature. Municipal parks shall be named after a geographical feature, a historically significant individual, or a commemorative event. 2. Significant features within a park may be named separately based on a recommendation from a community organization, reviewed by the Parks, Trails and Recreation Advisory Committee, and approved by Council. 3. Input will be sought from related community organizations for naming new Community and Municipal parks. 4. Procedurally, all names for new parks or requests to change names of existing parks are to be considered by the Parks, Trails and Recreation Advisory Committee with a subsequent recommendation to Council which has the final authority to name or rename the park.
Quote from email: “In addition, though not formally in the policy, we reach out to local First Nation groups as well as part of reviewing names of items and have worked as part of our decolonization efforts in returning names to the traditional First Nation name versus the assigned name.”
