It’s the longest serving mayor in Canadian history, and a former local councillor that is still being learned about to this day.
Each week, we speak with Milton Historical Society (MHS) 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 Duignan Crescent and Schreyer Crescent. This week, we’re focusing on Gordon Krantz Avenue and Whewell Trail.
Going alphabetically, Challinor touches on why he thinks Krantz has been able to connect with residents and maintain his position for some many years.
Gord Krantz first joined Milton’s Council in 1965. He was named Milton’s Mayor in 1980 when he beat fellow Councillor Gus Goutouski in the election. He passed Hazel McCallion for the title of ‘Longest Serving Canadian Mayor’ in December 2016.
In 2020, Mayor Krantz received the recognition of having a street named after him. Challinor says it’s become standard protocol for local councillors and mayors to receive that honour. Despite the consistent effort by residents to get any new school named after Krantz, Challinor is unsure if that recognition will ever happen. That decision will be up to either of the local school boards.
Our second street this week is Whewell Trail. Pronounced ‘HUE-wull’, Challinor says the namesake is a former councillor that has seemingly slipped through the cracks of history.
He adds that the Milton Historical Society is working on researching more about figures like Whewell, who served a significant role in Milton’s history, but have little known about them in 2023. He served seven years during a time when councillors served one-year terms. That means Whewell was voted into his position seven times. To compare that to the modern election process, someone who won the election seven times would serve 28-years. Challinor is excited to dive into old newspapers and other records with the MHS.
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.
