Resident request council rename Bolton fire hall after fallen firefighter

Written By JOSHUA SANTOS

Bolton's newest firehall on north hill may be renamed after a fallen hero.

Caledon Council requested Town staff revisit the facility naming policy to see if the venue can be named after Roy Clarkson during a recent committee meeting. A report will be brought back to council by September.

Clarkson was a former assistance district fire chief who lost his life after battling a blaze in Caledon in 1980.

The Town was going to name one hundred metres of Cross-Country Boulevard as Roy Clarkson Way. Palgrave resident Jack Gibson found this troublesome wanting a much bigger honour for the deceased fireman.

A Town staff report suggested that the 100 metres of the boulevard, stretching westerly from Highway 50 to the driveway entrance behind the new fire hall, be renamed after Clarkson.

“You're giving a very small portion of the existing street, with not a dwelling or anything on the street,” said Gibson. “I drove a school bus there for quite a number of months, I never picked up or dropped off a child on that section of the road. The post office does not delivery any mail there because there are no numbers. FedEx and UPS will not go there.”

“What is the point, in giving an honour to someone who died in the line of duty a meaningless street avenue? It makes no sense to me whatsoever, at all.”

Gibson provide some options. He said they can forget about Clarkson entirely, place his name on a street when the Town expands or place his name on the new fire hall.

“When you give the street where there's a lot of people living, then Roy's name will be in front of the public at all time, because there's a lot of things happening on the street, said Gibson. “On this little piece of property at Highway 50, and at the part where you turn onto the remaining of the street, there are two little wee signs there that say Roy Clarkson Way, I can't imagine any people looking at that.” 

Mayor Allan Thompson asked Peggy Tollett, general manager of community services how difficult it would be to rename the fire hall after Clarkson. 

Tollett said she would have to talk to the strategic initiatives department because they have a policy on naming facilities.

Thompson, solemnly speaking, said Jack's speech struck a chord with him. He said they're trying to remember him for what he is and not something that is pointless.

“I got me thinking, that we want to be respectful, especially for a firefighter that's fallen in the line of duty,” said Thompson. “We name the road, we may have lost the ability to name the fire hall. I think before we get too far down the road, I would like to see what the changes are of naming the fire hall after Roy Clarkson.”

Ward 3 and 4 area coun. Nick deBoer said instead of revisiting the policy, council sets the policy even if the Town has one in place for facilities.

“Unless there's some other reason, I think we have the ability, I would suspect, to do exactly that, if that's what we can do,” said DeBoer.