The City of Montreal East does not intend to change the name of rue Dorchester. By a majority, the municipal council rejected Wednesday evening the proposal submitted by citizens who asked that this artery be renamed René-Lévesque.
In 1987, the City of Montreal announced that Dorchester Boulevard would henceforth bear the name of René Lévesque, who had died two weeks earlier. The very English-speaking City of Westmount had however decided to keep the toponym Dorchester, just like Montreal East, which kept the name of the British soldier.
Like others before him, Yves Martin — who does not live in Montreal East — would have liked the City to change the name of Dorchester Street as Montreal did on the territory of Pointe-aux-Trembles, the adjacent neighborhood in Montreal East. For months, with other citizens, he tried to mobilize elected officials and residents of the area. On May 31, he also made his point of view during an information session organized by the City of Montreal East.
In vain, because on Wednesday evening, a majority of elected officials voted to maintain the toponym of rue Dorchester. Only Councilors Jean-Paul Dahm and Robert Schloesser voted against the resolution and would have preferred a name change.
Yves Martin does not understand that the City prefers to keep the name of Guy Carleton, Baron of Dorchester and former British governor of the province of Quebec, who “is one of the conquerors”, rather than paying tribute to the former Premier of Quebec Rene Levesque.
He admits, however, that the project encountered some resistance. Residents of Montreal East who do not live on Dorchester Street were quite supportive, he said. On the other hand, those who live on this street were much less enthusiastic and felt that the change would cause them a lot of inconvenience.
Jacques Leblanc, who lives on Dorchester Street, however, supported Mr. Martin’s proposal. In his view, the City should change the name of the street for consistency with the rest of the island of Montreal. “It’s confusing for motorists,” he said.
The mayor of Montreal East, Anne St-Laurent, was not available Wednesday to comment on the file.
Disappointed with the vote, Councilor Jean-Paul Dahm asked his colleagues that the decision of the municipal council be reconsidered. “Since I was elected [en 2021], it is a subject that I am regularly told about. Dorchester no longer has any real meaning for us. It would have been a nice rallying gesture, especially on the occasion of the 100e anniversary [de naissance] of René Lévesque and a few days before the national holiday, he indicated to the Duty after the council meeting. For me, it was obvious that it was the thing to do. »
This is not the first time that citizens have called for a name change for Dorchester Street in Montreal East. In 2020, following the filing of a petition asking that the toponym be changed, the City finally chose the status quo. The consultation organized by the City to discuss the file had had a low participation rate, it was argued. The project also had several disadvantages for the merchants and residents of this street, had judged the municipal administration.