Further recognition for late citizens desired
City council wants an explanation how Ede and O’Connor are difficult names to pronounce.
During a recent meeting, councillors learned the municipality’s Information Systems indicated Ede and O’Connor would not be eligible as street names due to difficulty with pronunciation for 911 protocols.
In addition, the city’s recreation committee did not support application requests for park naming in honour of Don Ede and Dan O’Connor, concluding they have already been suitably recognized for their outstanding contributions.
“I’m just wondering how someone could get O’Connor wrong, or Ede?” said Pietrangelo.
“These don’t seem like relatively difficult names to pronounce. I’m just wondering who makes that call.”
Kathy Moldenhauer, the city’s director of recreation and culture, said the issue was referred to her department to be considered for the naming of a park or open space.
“After, we did receive feedback from our Information Systems department that the names were not appropriate,” she said.
“If you would like, we can further look into that issue.”
Pietrangelo said he believes the names should be reconsidered. “I would like to resubmit these names for consideration and if, for some reason, staff still deem them to be inappropriate, I would like to know why they are inappropriate. I don’t see them being difficult names to pronounce.”
Pietrangelo’s motion was approved.
Coun. Carolynn Ioannoni said there are several street names in the city that are difficult to pronounce.
“I live around the corner from Tad. How is Tad different than Ede?”
Mayor Jim Diodati said in the past, 911 protocols were not considered as often as today.
“We do have some very odd names all around Ontario that is hard for the ambulance to show up on time when they don’t know how to say the name,” he said, noting Queens Quay in Toronto.
“Today there’s this new filter process, it’s not an automatic. I don’t know how they make the decision on O’Connor vs. Smith vs. whatever, but you can’t look at past street names, you have to look at the policy of today.”
O’Connor is considered to be the founding father of minor soccer in Niagara Falls.
In 1959, he was instrumental in organizing a new minor soccer league with six teams and 100 participants.
By 1982, the year of his death, the league had grown to more than 75 teams and 1,200 participants.
O’Connor has been recognized by the city with a memorial plaque. The plaque is mounted on a large rock and was installed at Oakes Park and then moved to E.E. Mitchelson Park for the 1998 official opening of the Niagara Falls Youth Soccer Club.
O’Connor was inducted into the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame in 2008 as a builder.
Ede was known as Mr. Chippawa for his knowledge, passion and fondness in sharing the history of Chippawa.
Ede had a large Chippawa memorabilia collection which he shared regularly at community events.
He actively contributed to Niagara Falls by sitting on boards and committees.
Ede died in January 2016. He was recognized four times by the city at the annual Volunteer Recognition Evening.
He was inducted into the Niagara Falls Arts & Culture Wall of Fame in 2015.
In summer 2016, a bench in memory of Ede was installed at Cummington Square.
Coun. Kim Craitor thanked the recreation committee for the work they do, but said he was disappointed with the committee’s decision.
“Don Ede was a pretty special guy, particularly to Chippawa and to the city. I still believe it was appropriate to recognize him for the request that we were making.”