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Cold water poured on idea of renaming Lantzville to Seaside

May 1, 2018 | 4:48 PM

LANTZVILLE — Opposition is piling up in Lantzville over talk of renaming the community.

District of Lantzville Council recently allowed an economic development committee to recommend renaming the community. Longtime local resident Brian Blood had proposed getting rid of Lantzville in favour of Seaside, since it carries no attachment to a person or function and it’s time to “put the hicksville-sounding appelation behind us.” 

A portion of Blood’s letter to Council argued Lantzville is named after Fraser Lantz, an out-of-town and short-term mining investor who doesn’t deserve the honour. 

Lantzville Historical Society president Lynn Reeve was not impressed when she heard Blood, the society’s vice president, went public with with the idea.

“The name (Seaside) is way too generic and why? Why change the name of a community? It’s had the name for almost 100-years, we got it in 1922, it’s pointless,” Reeve said, whose lived in Lantzville for more than 50-years. She noted Lantzville was previously known as Grant in recognition of Grant’s Mine prior to the current name taking hold in the early 1920’s.

She said while it’s true many didn’t like Fraser Lantz, historical hard feelings don’t warrant the change. 

“The point is we’ve got a name, it works, let’s keep it.”

Reeve said changing Lantzville’s name would create endless logistical and financial headaches.

NanaimoNewsNOW spoke to several people in downtown Lantzville on Tuesday who were also opposed to renaming the community.

“It’s a bit ridiculous really,” one local resident said.

“Everybody knows the community as Lantzville, there’s no point in changing it, it’s not a shopping mall that you can just change every time you feel like it,” another Lantzvillager told NanaimoNewsNOW.

The idea also ignited widespread negative reaction on the Lantzville Community News Facebook page.

Mark Swain was the lone Lantzville councillor opposed to further explore changing the community’s name.

Mayor Colin Haime told council he would listen to the committee’s recommendation if community involvement were included.

“It’s not cheap to do a name change and procedurally there’s provincial legislation to deal with, it’s not as simple as changing the letterhead,” he said.

 

ian@NanaimoNewsNow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes