Roadway renamed to honour father and son who were former councillor, veteran

Aug 10, 2018 | 11:00 AM

Residents making their way around the West Hill may notice a new street name to honour two prominent past Prince Albert residents.

Woodbridge Ave., which connects Woodbridge Dr. to 28 St. W, has been renamed Bristowe Ave. 

The renaming will honour longtime city councillor and passionate Prince Albert resident, Jim ‘Mr. Committee’ Bristowe, and his father, George, who was a veteran. Because of this, a poppy will be included on the sign.

Jim, whose accolades included both citizen and sportsman of the year, died in Kelowna, B.C., on New Year’s Eve at the age of 72. 

He grew up in the city’s East Flat neighbourhood with his five sisters. He served on council from 1988-2003, which saw him act as the chairman of the city parks and recreation committee. He is arguably best known for being the man on the microphone giving public address announcements during Raiders games for no fewer than 25 years.

The request to rename the street first had to be cleared by the current private developers of the Woodbridge subdivision. Though the property owner of any area does not typically have any discretion over street naming, Woodbridge Ave. was named by the developer, as per the Street Naming Policy of the day, so “even though it is not a name taken from the street naming list, their consent was still sought,” agenda documents read.  No opposition was raised by the developer, more so as it will not affect any current property owners.

The Street Naming policy has since been changed to no longer allow private developers to name a street, in part to allow the city to move rapidly on the backlogged street naming list.

 

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr