Council votes 7-2 in favour of Exhibition Way name change

On September 1 at a Lethbridge Civic Works Standing Policy Committee meeting it was recommended during a presentation that the southeast portion of Parkside Drive South be renamed Exhibition Way South. City administration found that there was a large influx of addressing requests related to the exhibition during the construction of the new Agri-Food Hub and Trade Centre that is slated to open in 2023. The area is located adjacent to Henderson Lake Park. Lethbridge City Council voted 7-2 in favour of moving forward with the renaming.

“This is not a lot of money. I understand the number $2,000 was bandied about. I’m just not going to support that for something I really don’t see is necessary at all,” stated Councillor Rajko Dodic.

Councillor Ryan Parker voted in favour of the name change but he also made a point for the potential of future name changes, “Our eyes should be open here that this could trigger requests for other roads to be changed by organizations or groups or something like that. At this time I have no problem with this. I think it’s fitting, but I think we have to be cautious of moving forward about how we go about this.”

“I had to call the ambulance once from Parkside Drive. I got somebody from outside the city who could not find us when we said we’re standing at Gunnery Point on Parkside Drive South by the Exhibition. It was incredibly confusing to this dispatcher who was not from the city,” says Acting Mayor Belinda Crowson who voted in support of the change.

The cost would be around $2,000 to change street name signs.