Here’s what happens when Milton has two streets with the same name!
Each week, we speak with Milton Historical Society President John Challinor II to gather information and details about the namesakes of our roads. If you weren’t aware, he and the late great historian, Jim Dills, wrote the book on Milton street names, writing Milton Streets back in 2007.
Recently, we covered Cathcart Crescent and Dice Way. This week, we’re focusing on Donald Campbell Avenue and LeBlanc Court.
Starting alphabetically with Donald Campbell, Challinor says he was a very important resident from long ago.
In the 1990s, the Town of Milton realized it had an issue. With Campbellville, Brookville, and other nearby rural areas falling within the municipality, the Town realized it had two Campbell Avenues, and a change needed to be made. The decision was made that Campbellville’s Campbell Avenue be kept the same because it was the larger of the two. The name Donald Campbell Avenue was chosen for the street in Old Milton because it was too drastic of a change, and it honoured a former local resident.
An interesting note that Challinor provided for Donald Campbell Avenue is that the duty for renaming the street was given to the Milton Historical Society. The President of the time was Jim Dills, who coincidentally lived on Donald Campbell Avenue at the time.
If one community had the first right of refusal to the name Campbell Avenue, it’s likely going to be Campbellville.
Our second street this week is LeBlanc Court. Challinor says it’s named after the late Governor General Roméo LeBlanc.
Some may be wondering what kind of connection a former Governor General of Canada may have with Milton. Well, again, back in the 1990s, the decision was made by the Town to name arterial roads after provincial and national figures, such as Prime Ministers, Premiers and Governor Generals. This is how we have other street names like Trudeau Drive and Laurier Avenue.
The LeBlanc family has remained in politics, much like Trudeau. Roméo’s son Dominic is the current federal minister of intergovernmental affairs, infrastructure and communities in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet.
If you’re looking to understand how Milton’s streets are named, you should check out the book written by Challinor and Dills. Published by the Milton Historical Society back in 2007, it sold out in about six weeks and has since been long out of print. That said, according to Challinor, you can still find a copy at the Milton Public Library. With nearly 15-years having passed since the initial publication, and the extensive town growth in that time, an updated book is likely to come.
You can also take a walk with the late Jim Dills down Milton’s Main Street in 2002.
If you have a suggestion on what you’d like to learn about next week, let us know! We’re currently working on names that we find interesting. You can message our Facebook page, Twitter account, Instagram page, or even email us at News1013@LocalRadio.ca. Otherwise, we’ll just continue asking about local street names that we find interesting.
If you have a news tip or story idea, you can now send us a heads up via email at News1013@LocalRadio.ca. If you’d like to get ahold of me personally, shoot me a message at Cameron.Wilkinson@LocalRadio.ca. We’re in the business of content creation, so no idea is a bad idea.
