Montreal is considering naming a street, park or other public space in honor of Habs legend Guy Lafleur, who died Friday at the age of 70. However, the law requires you to wait at least one year before making an appointment.
Posted at 12:22 p.m.
“Guy Lafleur was already in the City’s plans. Great Montrealers, we think of themselves upstream, ”said Mayor Valérie Plante during a press scrum Monday morning, shortly before a city council meeting. “The answer is yes. Of course, we will find a way to honor the memory and legacy of Mr. Lafleur,” she certified.
His administration recalls, however, that toponymic rules require you to wait a little before proceeding. According to the Commission de toponymie du Québec (CTQ), a toponym cannot be attributed “to a person who has been deceased for less than a year”.
The CTQ thus adheres to the principle stated at the United Nations Conferences on the standardization of geographical names, “namely that it is not appropriate to introduce personal names into toponymy before a certain time has elapsed. elapsed since their death. The authorities specify that one can nevertheless, “without being bound to this deadline, name a place to evoke a work or an event paying homage to a person, whether this person is deceased or not”.
On Friday, Prime Minister François Legault said he was open to the idea of renaming Highway 50, in Outaouais, in honor of the “blond Demon”. Quebec also announced last Friday the posting of a register of condolences for Guy Lafleur.
The work already started
Despite this peculiarity of the law, Valérie Plante assures her: “the work has already begun”, she slipped, refusing however to advance on the choice of the space which will eventually take the name of Guy Lafleur. Sunday, Quebec confirmed that the funeral of the deceased will take place on May 3, from 11 a.m., at the Marie-Reine-du-Monde cathedral, in Montreal.
The City must hold its “Montréal Climate Summit” on the same day, which it does not plan to postpone “because the planet cannot wait” despite everything, said Mayor Plante on this subject, confirming however that she will attend the funeral.
These are “an important moment” for Montrealers and Quebecers, according to her. “I am very proud that it is happening here in Montreal. And on our side, we are always in contact with the organizers and the family to find the formula that is right for them. I would also like to thank the family for giving us the chance to pay a last tribute to Mr. Lafleur. I find that very generous on their part,” insisted the elected official, saying she was “impressed and touched” by “the avalanche of good words for Mr. Lafleur”.
“Both in terms of his performance as a hockey player in Montreal and the very personal aspect of the man […], it seems that each person who met Guy Lafleur has a very strong memory. He had a lot of generosity, ”she concluded.