Government asked to rename brook named after art thief

The federal government has been asked to change the name of Tillmann Brook, near Fall River, because it is named after a notorious art thief and Nazi sympathizer.

However, a spokeswoman for the Geographical Names Board of Canada said the watercourse doesn’t fall under its jurisdiction and referred questions to the Nova Scotia government.

John Mark Tillmann pleaded guilty to 40 charges including fraud and theft after hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen historical and antique artifacts were found in his home on Miller Lake in 2013.

He was given an eight-year sentence, but was paroled in 2016 and was barred from being in or near Miller Lake.

An anonymous letter sent last month to the federal naming board, two members of Parliament and several media outlets, including the Chronicle Herald, called for a change to the name of the brook, saying Tillmann’s conviction and white supremacy sympathies have left “a stain of hate” on Fall River and the local watercourse.

“While the residents of Fall River and Millers (sic) Lake were protected by a Parole Board of Canada order that Tillmann stay away from the community, his presence is part of the landscape of the community,” the complainant says.

“The government of Canada was deceived into participating. The community was stained.

“The community should have the name struck from the registry . . . (and) a new name befitting of the nature and place should come from the community to right a wrong on us all.”

Jerri Southcott, a communications adviser with Natural Resources Canada, said the federal government received a complaint about the name, but when it comes to provincial properties, like Tillmann Brook, the geographical names board’s role is simply to record the decision.

“The only thing that the GNBC does is actually archive it,” she said. “They actually get the documentation provided by Nova Scotia and maintain it in the archives.”

A spokesman for Nova Scotia’s Internal Services Department, which includes mapping and naming, said the province had received a copy of the letter, but that wouldn’t necessarily trigger a name change.

Brian Taylor said staff was checking Wednesday to see if an official request had been filed.

According to government websites, naming applications include demonstrated community support through a plebiscite or petition and approvals from the local municipal council and MLA.

Tillmann Brook was named in 1999 following the standard process, Taylor said in an emailed statement.

“There was a subsequent, incomplete application that was submitted in 2015 to have the name changed,” he said. “Staff reached out to this applicant to help them submit the necessary information to move the application forward, but received no reply or further action from the applicant.

“It is not uncommon for applications to stay quiet for periods of time, as this process is completely community driven. Staff are always willing to help engaged citizens navigate the name change process, and we would certainly work with anyone who would like to put forward a new name for the brook, just as we would any other place name in the province.”