Rob Ford is no longer being considered as one of the names for three new streets created by the reconfiguration of the Six Points Interchange in Etobicoke.
In November 2018, the city invited the public to submit names for the three new streets created and received a total of 673 submissions. From there the number was whittled down to 80, which went before a Vetting Committee who cut that number down to 10. Among the shortlisted names was former Toronto mayor Rob Ford.
After the list was shared with the public in August 2019 for more input into the final selection, the Ford family requested that his name be removed from any further consideration.
Ford served as Etobicoke North city councillor for three terms before becoming mayor in 2010. He died in March 2016 at the age of 46 following a battle with cancer. However, his tenure in municipal politics was both beloved and bemoaned and frought with controversy.
In 2017, city council rejected a motion against renaming the stadium at Centennial Park after Ford.
Following the second stage of public consultations which drew more than 25,000 responses, the Etobicoke York Community Council came up with the following names for consideration:
- Adobigok Pathway, which means “where the alders grow” in Ojibwe. The Mississauga First Nation called Etobicoke Creek and the area around it “Adobigok”
- Biindagen Trail, which means “enter” or “welcome” in Ojibwe
- Jerry Howarth Drive, who was the long time Etobicoke resident and voice of the Toronto Blue Jays for 36 years.
Five other names were also shortlisted for future streets as development of the Etobicoke Centre continues.
The community council will officially consider the three names next month.
