Rename Lionel-Groulx Station for Oscar Peterson?

[Long Island Mike]

Name a theatre or other venue for Oscar Peterson...

Everyone: Interesting topic about re-naming a Montreal Metro station for Oscar Peterson-how about naming a theatre or possibly a street for him or perhaps another Metro station? I was wondering how large Montreal's Black community was and which part of the City it is in-compared to Montreal's sizable Caribbean community which I am aware of. Is Oscar Peterson the most famous Jazz musician to come from Montreal? LI MIKE

 

[Disparishun]

Everyone: Interesting topic about re-naming a Montreal Metro station for Oscar Peterson-how about naming a theatre or possibly a street for him or perhapa another Metro station? I was wondering how large Montreal's Black community was and which part of the City it is in-compared to Montreal's sizable Carribbean community which I am aware of. Is Oscar Peterson the most famous Jazz musician to come from Montreal? LI MIKE

Oscar Peterson is associated with Little Burgundy (metro Georges-Vanier). The concert hall at Concordia's Loyola campus is named after him. I guess he is probably the most famous jazz musician to come from Montreal, with people like Oliver Jones and Charlie Biddle following in his footsteps.

 

[CityPlaceN1]

Probably the most famous jazz player from Canada period.

 

[urbandreamer]

Keep lionel groulx metro! When I first moved to Quebec/Montreal I was ignorant of various Quebecois "heros" and always found it amusing to hear "lionel groulx" station announced. (I didn't learn much French in school thanks to being mostly home-schooled and taught in a tiny exclusive private school where French wasn't an option.) I had no idea what the hell the announcer was saying until I finally read a metro map months later. I don't care what the man did, but renaming a station after an "English-sounding name"--aka Oscar Peterson would be a huge no-no in today's Montreal. Never gonna happen.

Why not Peterson Place instead of "Toronto Life Square?"

 

[Disparishun]

I don't care what the man did, but renaming a station after an "English-sounding name"--aka Oscar Peterson would be a huge no-no in today's Montreal. Never gonna happen.

Actually, francophone Montrealers are quite favourably disposed towards Oscar Peterson. Never gonna happen, indeed, but that has nothing to do with "English-sounding names". It has to do with Lionel Groulx's place in modern Quebec history and, secondarily, with attitudes towards removing a "French-Canadian-sounding name".

 

[adma]

Hey, when it comes to the U. S. of A., I wouldn't boycott or overzealously propose renaming most anything officially named for folks like Strom Thurmond

 

[Dan416]

I don't like the idea of renaming Lionel Groulx. When I visited Montreal last October, my friend said to get off at Lionel Groulx, and I had NO idea what he was saying. I eventually found it on the subway map and, I was like "ah, that's what he's saying". If they want to name something after him, name a school after him (like we did in Mississauga) or name a new metro station after him.

 

[RedRocket191]

Hey, when it comes to the U. S. of A., I wouldn't boycott or overzealously propose renaming most anything officially named for folks like Strom Thurmond

Perfect example. There's a man who believed some very vile things, but was obviously popular because he served in public office almost continuously from 1954 to 2003.

A both a black man and a person in general, I don't condone racism and will fight it wherever I see it. But, this is a situation where there is no right answer. I value equality, but the Quebecois value their history and their heritage. If they were living by Groulx's words today, I would have no hesitations about paving over his name - but they aren't living by his words today.

So, since the general population of Quebec isn't inherently racist, what makes their value system any more or less significant than mine?

 

[Disparishun]

I value equality, but the Quebecois value their history and their heritage. If they were living by Groulx's words today, I would have no hesitations about paving over his name - but they aren't living by his words today.

This is less clear-cut than you seem to think.

 

[DENTROBATE54]

I don't see the the big fuss is about? It's not like Montreal's Metro hasn't renamed stations several times before all across its network (Berri-de Montigny, Longueuil). What's at the epicentre of this is naming after a figure who contributed to the cultural mosiac of Canadian society. If we can have Île Sainte-Hélène renamed to Jean Drapeau and Georges-Vanier, named for the Rt. Hon. Georges-Philias Vanier, we surely can accomodate a tribute station for one of the country's great jazz musicians who was born and raised in actual proximity to the subway site.

If and when the metro extends I'm sure Montreal's habit of naming stops after minor side-streets can subside in one instance to re-establish Lionel-Groulx in a less controversial spot. If were going to go about honouring and paying tribute to the fallen heroes and intellegencia who built this nation, it'd be nice to reflect a little diversity in that remembrance homage .

 

[Hydrogen]

Everyone: Interesting topic about re-naming a Montreal Metro station for Oscar Peterson-how about naming a theatre or possibly a street for him or perhaps another Metro station.

Long Island Mike,

Montreal's Concordia University has had a concert hall named after Oscar Peterson since 1999.

 

[Long Island Mike]

Concordia University-The Oscar Peterson Theatre...

Hydrogen: Naming a theatre for Oscar Peterson is a tribute in itself-I did not know anything previously about this. Remembering Montreal's(or any other city's for that matter)famous citizens is a type of history lesson for future generations and it can be quite interesting sometimes. LI MIKE

 

[Disparishun]

I don't see the the big fuss is about?

Read the earlier posts in this thread. The big fuss is about the reaction to getting rid of Lionel Groulx's name on anything. That this is controversial is known because they already tried to rename Lionel Groulx metro and there was a huge backlash.

What's at the epicentre of this is naming after a figure who contributed to the cultural mosiac of Canadian society.

No, that's not what's at the epicentre of this. There is no controversy in naming another thing after Oscar Peterson. There is controversy in unnaming (de-naming? not a word, I guess!) a thing after Lionel Groulx, father of modern nationalism in Quebec.

 

[adma]

Forget Oscar Peterson. What if they renamed it for William Shatner

 

[ganjavih]

Shatner already got the student centre at McGill... that's enough for him.

http://www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/index.php/university-centre