Challinor Assisting With Local Street Name Histories And Related Policies
Ward 2 Local Councillor John Challinor II is assisting Town of Milton Development Services staff research the history of all Milton street names as well as further define what names should be considered as future street names, moving forward.
There are more than 900 street names currently in use across the community today and Mr. Challinor has now completed researching their histories. He is having discussions with Town staff about what categories
of names should be considered, in future. A series of recommendations will be made to Milton Council by staff in early 2022.
In the mid-1990s, with new development looming, former local historian the late Jim Dills, former Town planning director Mel Iovio and Mr. Challinor, supported by Heritage Milton and Milton Historical Society, successfully encouraged Milton Council to name its new streets after local citizens who had contributed to the well being of the community as well as those who had done the same provincially and nationally.
They reasoned that doing so would forge a link between old and new through Milton’s rich historical past. Mssrs. Challinor and Dills were then tasked with helping the Town to create a related policy as well as a database of researched names and replenishing it, when required.
Since 1999, the development community has been able to select from a long list of names for local streets as well as collector and arterial roads.
In 2007, Mssrs. Challinor and Dills co-authored an authoritative coffee table-quality book about their initiative, entitled Milton Streets: The Stories Behind the Villages, Hamlets, Neighbourhoods and Roads.
In May 2021, Mr. Challinor was invited by FM 101 Milton to do a weekly segment with radio personality Cameron Wikinson about the history of local street names put forward by the station’s listeners. CR