We have another former Governor General and a man who unknowingly led to the longest mayoral term in Canada’s history!
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 Powys Street and Raftis Crescent. This week, we’re focusing on Goutouski Crescent and Sauve Street.
Starting with Goutouski, Challinor says the World War 2 veteran is most remembered politically for being the man Gord Krantz beat to first become Milton’s mayor.
He adds that, in his dealings with Goutouski, he was an intelligent man who brought a unique perspective to his time on Milton’s Town Council. After running for mayor, and subsequently losing, he never ran for local politics again. He continued his real estate business before away in June 1994, according to this old report from the Milton Champion. It also notes that he was the founder of the United Way in Milton and Georgetown, while also serving as Chair of the Milton District Hospital.
Our other street this week was Sauve Street. Challinor says it was named for the first female Governor General in Canada’s history.
The Jeanne Sauvé Foundation is still active to this day, and has helped many students fulfill their post-secondary education.
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.
