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Policy
The Town of Bridgewater is committed to a fair, consistent, and efficient process with respect to
the naming and renaming of streets throughout the Municipality of the Town of Bridgewater. This
policy intends to outline the process taken regarding street naming and renaming by the Town of
Bridgewater.
1.0 Purpose and Scope
1.1 The main objectives of this policy are:
1.1.1 To outline the process for naming and renaming Town streets.
1.1.2 Ensure a standard and official approach is taken to naming and renaming.
1.1.3 Promote using the naming of streets to commemorate Bridgewater's history and
physical surroundings.
2.0 Definitions
2.1 "Commemorative name" is defined as a name that refers to a specific person or group of
persons.
3.0 Street Naming
3.1 Requests for the naming of Town streets shall be submitted to the Community
Development Department, who shall notify the Heritage Advisory Committee on the request.
TOWN OF BRIDGEWATER
POLICY
STREET NAMING AND RENAMING
Policy No.
16
Approved:
March 12, 1990
Resolution #:
90-080
Revised and Renamed: Oct. 12, 2021
3.2 The Heritage Advisory Committee will recommend a name to Town Council for the street.
When determining a recommendation, the Heritage Advisory Committee shall:
3.2.1 Consider historical background, physical site, existing names within the Town,
suggestions from residents, and suggestions from developers; and
3.2.2 Request a recommendation from the Anti-Racism Task Force; and
3.2.3 Conduct public consultation as the situation warrants; and
3.2.4 Prevent the use of commemorative names under any circumstances; and
3.2.5 Ensure conformity with all provincial EMO and 911 standards as prescribed in
Section 5.0; and
3.2.6 Encourage a more diverse representation of Bridgewater's written histories by
prioritizing names associated with under-represented communities.
3.3 Based on the above consultation process and recommendation from the Anti-Racism Task
Force, the Heritage Advisory Committee will recommend a name to Town Council for final
approval.
4.0 Street Renaming
4.1 A request for the renaming of a street can be submitted in writing at any time to the
Community Development Department by a property owner or resident of Bridgewater, the
Heritage Advisory Committee, or the Anti-Racism Task Force.
4.1.1 The renaming request shall explain why the complainant believes the street should
be renamed.
4.2 Town Council shall be notified of the request and may direct such a request to the
Community Development Department to make a recommendation.
4.3 Town Staff shall engage with the public through a consultation process on the renaming
request, as the situation warrants.
4.4 Town Staff shall consult with the Heritage Advisory Committee and the Anti-Racism Task
Force. The Committees shall consider the following when determining a recommendation:
4.4.1 The potential for the name to be offensive to a particular group of people; and
4.4.2 Whether the name refers to an individual or group of individuals who no longer meet
the qualifications met for their original naming; and
4.4.3 The potential for the name to be harmful in any way; and
4.4.4 The undertaking for residents and the Town, with monetary costs and labour
required from either party to complete the renaming.
4.5 Town Council shall make a decision regarding the street renaming request. If approved,
the new name for the street shall be chosen using the process prescribed in Section 3.0 of
this policy.
4.6 If the renaming request is approved, Town Council will compensate the affected property
owners and/or tenants for all reasonable costs incurred due to the renaming of a street.
5.0 Provincial 911 and EMO Standards
5.1 In accordance with provincial 911 and EMO standards, all naming of streets shall meet
the following guidelines unless otherwise approved by Town Council due to exceptional
circumstances:
5.1.1 Street names must meet all requirements outlined in Chapter 196, known as the
Bridgewater Civic Address By-Law.
5.1.2 No street name shall be duplicated, including similar names differentiated by street
type (ex. Bridgewater St. and Bridgewater Rd.) or similar pronunciations (ex. Smith St.
and Smyth St.).
5.1.3 Qualifying words (upper, lower, new, old etc.) will be considered duplication if the
following name is already in use (ex. Upper LaHave St. and Lower LaHave St.).
5.1.4 No street name shall contain special characters other than accented letters,
numbers, periods, apostrophes, hyphens, dashes, or commas.
5.1.5 Street names must be no longer than 35 characters, including spaces, allowed
punctuation as prescribed in section 5.1.4, and street type suffix.
5.1.6 Street names may only include standard abbreviations (ex. Saint Phillips shortened
to St. Phillips)
5.1.7 Street names must be written in the format of a name followed by one of the
approved abbreviated suffixes included below indicating street type:
5.1.7.1 Suffixes: Alley, Avenue, Boulevard, Bypass, Circle, Close, Connector, Corner,
Court, Crescent, Cross, Dell, Diversion, Drive, Estates, Extension, Gate, Glen, Green,
Grove, Heights, Hill, Landing, Lane, Line, Loop, Park, Parkway, Path, Place, Ramp,
Ridge, Road, Rotary, Route, Row, Run, Street, Square, Terrace, Trail, Walk, Way,
Wood.