Some would call it authoritarianism whenever a political or governmental body unilaterally takes over, co-opts, perverts or steals a peoples name or identity without their permission for whatever ulterior motive, however supposedly lofty the motive.
At its core, authoritarian tendencies, which start out as simple insensitive high-handedness, favour subjection to authority as opposed to individual freedom. It centers on one person or persons who don’t consider themselves accountable, whether elected or unelected. Contained within it are elements that, in more dire conditions or circumstances, can potentially lead to ever more draconian, even fascist tendencies. Look at what’s happening to Greece!
But in a small potato way, this is how these things start when bureaucrats, like those in the DNV, begin unilaterally renaming all the former communities along the Western Gateway of the District, (See its new website: www.dnv.org/programs-and-services/your-neighbourhood).
Lower Capilano, Woodcroft, Pemberton Heights and Norgate - that formerly were bona-fide, self-identified, proud communities in their own right - now have been arbitrarily renamed, without any local input. They’ve been reduced from the status of full-fledged communities to mere neighbourhoods under the pre-eminent name – Lions Gate – that formerly was the name of a separate community whose identity now has been erased and isn’t even named as one of the neighbourhoods of the Western Gateway. But while one community’s identity has been erased, another phantom community – Pemberton – has been magically created. Where is it? Is it the light industrial area of Pemberton? The new C-9 zoned Marine Drive Corridor for future high-rise dwellers?
The DNV’s bureaucrats speak of the collective revitalization and vibrancy of these new neighbourhoods in the distant future. God Help Us All!
Such insolence! Such effrontery! It’s astonishing! Where will it end?
Jerome Irwin, 1398 Hope Road, Community of Lower Capilano, B.C. V7P 1W7
Jerome Irwin, 1398 Hope Road, Community of Lower Capilano, B.C. V7P 1W7
15 comments:
So what's next, change the name of Lynn Valley to East North Vancouver or Western Seymour?! They wouldn't get away with that now, would they?
Brilliant letter by Mr. Irwin.
As John writes about Lynn Valley, how about we change the name of Deep Cove? It doesn't "mean anything" as far as so-called "villages" on transit lines.
People have a right to input on name-changes of their communities.
What about Edgemont? It doesn't mean anything....it must be changed.
So, get enough people together to tell council and staff that name changes aren't wanted and to get on with work that really matters - like permit backlogs, etc. If staff doesn't have enough work to do, besides these silly make work projects, maybe there is too much staff on payroll. Maybe this is a sign that staff needs to be cut and that savings can be reflected in a reduction in taxes.
What blather. Puffing up little teapot tempests is the work of politicians. Grinding away on service provision is the work of staff.
Which staff would you like to be cut and what services would you like cut back? I guarantee you that cutting hours at the library, shutting a firehall, reducing policing, taking longer to get a permit, not picking up your garbage, not filling the pothole on your road, letting the water and sewer pipes leak and a myriad of other services unfulfilled would result in a mini-revolution.
Council fooling around with names is just a diversion. Hardly costs a bean and gets attention. Political smoke and mirrors.
Meanwhile, your taxes increase because the unions have annual increases approved that exceed the annual inflation rate year after year and nobody makes a peep.
So let me get this straight... Jerome thinks a municipality formally naming a neighborhood, is a form of subjugation? Move along, nothing to see here.
It is a form of subjugation when the locals are not consulted.
The District started talking to the neighborhood about names two years ago at the Grouse Inn when they put up a big sign about naming the new streets and community centre. There were hundreds of people there over several days of public information meetings about the Larco project.
Help help I'm being repressed.
Anon 8:07 thinks this tinkering with names is but a diversion.
Not sure what they're up to myself, but I think 8:07 has the right idea in pointing out that we ought to be more concerned with WHY rather than WHAT.
Why does council think it important to spend time on this?
Right now I don't really have a clue but there IS a reason and we really ought to find out.
Looking at other examples of this, my mind goes to Salish Sea, Great Bear Rainforest, or even Prince George and Prince Rupert, all monikers that were foisted upon us by special interests for reasons that their advocates thought would not to e inconsequential.
If I were to make a blind guess about this, I'd be looking to advocates of regionalization and so called 'sustainable development' ... ie. you DNV types need to better comply with the 'shift'. We need to wipe out the 'old' thinking and replace it with the new 'vision'.
If, on the other hand, people who think that this is just underemployed staff twiddling their thumbs ( I don't think that), then I'd shed as many senior planners and 'sustainabliity' zealots from both council and staff employment rolls as I possibly could. I'd get the ****in' planners OUT of my neighbourhood.
Oh dear. My rant meter is going off. Later dude.
The reason why is no mystery... They want to name the looming RecCentre space and the road that approaches it in line with the name of the community. The timing is related to that.
Therefore if the name for the neighborhood was Dinglenuts, then the road would be Dinglenuts Way and the RecCentre would be the Dinglenuts Community Centre.
I kind of like the name, tourists would come from all over to get their photo in front of the DingleNuts Way signs. And it would tick off Jerome so theres that too.
Dinglenuts North. mmmmm .. might be confusing to the LoLo crowd.
Absolutely! We should stick to place names with long established history.
Somehow I doubt that the Sḵwxwú7mesh, Tsliel-waututh and Xwméthkwyiem called this place "North Vancouver."
I think that we should go to war with those who open their hard boiled eggs on the pointy side.
Up with 'Tower Town'!
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