Ottawa votes to strip Trump’s name from its streets

[yankeedoodle]

Ottawa votes to strip Trump's name from its streets — and Taco Avenue is in the running
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/ottawa-votes-to-strip-trump-s-name-from-its-streets-and-taco-avenue-is-in-the-running/ar-AA2cZ8lA

A quiet residential street in Canada's capital has become an unlikely front line in the US-Canada feud, and one longtime resident told The New York Times that living with the name has become embarrassing.

Ottawa City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to take a first step toward renaming Trump Avenue, a residential street in the capital's Central Park neighborhood that has carried President Donald Trump's name for roughly 25 years. Councilor Tim Tierney told CNN that suggestions for a replacement already include Taco Avenue and Obama Avenue.

Councilors took the first formal step toward scrubbing the name after residents and local officials called it an embarrassment amid a deepening trade war between the United States and Canada. The change affects a street with about 65 houses, but symbolically it lands at a fraught moment: Trump has threatened to make Canada the 51st state, imposed sweeping tariffs after trade talks collapsed in August, and signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as "Lake America."

A Name That Became a Daily Joke
For the people who actually live on Trump Avenue, the renaming is less about geopolitics and more about dignity. John Germano, a 65-year-old retiree on the street, told The New York Times that deliveries are a constant struggle because of the name.

"It's embarrassing, like they just chuckle and laugh," Germano said. "It gets worse and worse every day."

Ottawa's mayor, Mark Sutcliffe, framed the council's decision in blunter political terms. "I don't like the idea of anything that's named for Donald Trump, who has demonstrated hostility towards Canada," he told reporters after the vote.

How a Street Got Trump's Name in the First Place
The irony is that the street was not originally named as a political statement. Trump Avenue was named in the late 1990s, when the Central Park neighborhood was developed with a New York City theme, and The Daily Beast reported it was intended to highlight Trump's success as a real estate developer.

The neighborhood still carries that Manhattan flavor: it includes Staten Way, Madison Park, and even a Gotham Private. For two decades, the Trump name sat comfortably among the other NYC references. Then Trump entered politics, and eventually the White House, and the street's meaning changed entirely.

The renaming motion was brought forward by River Ward councillor Riley Brockington on September 9 and quickly picked up support from other council members before Wednesday's unanimous vote.

The Shortlist of Replacement Names
Council has asked staff to draw up a list of replacement names, and the suggestions circulating so far range from earnest to pointedly trolling. Councilor Tim Tierney told CNN they include:
Obama Avenue
Ontario Avenue and Canada Avenue
Beaver Avenue and Canada Goose Avenue
Pelosi Avenue
Taco Avenue — a nod to the acronym "Trump Always Chickens Out"
Rosie O'Donnell Avenue, honoring the comedian and longtime Trump antagonist who moved to Ireland

Whatever the council ultimately picks, the replacement will say as much about Ottawa's mood as the old name did.

A Broader Map Fight Between Washington and Ottawa
The street vote fits into a larger cross-border spat over names and symbols. Trump's executive order directing the US government to call Lake Ontario "Lake America" echoed his earlier renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" — moves that struck many Canadians as gratuitous provocations against a country he has openly suggested should become the 51st state.

The economic backdrop is uglier. Negotiators from Ottawa and Washington failed to reach a new trade agreement in August, Trump's tariffs took effect in the days that followed, and Canada's retaliatory tariffs kicked in on September 8. Prime Minister Mark Carney has led the response, and public opinion in Canada has largely rallied behind him.

Canada Has Plenty of Other Trump Names
Trump Avenue is not the only Trump landmark in the country. Canada has lakes, islands, and a creek bearing the name — including a Trump Lake in northern Ontario that online commenters have already floated for renaming.

But Trump Avenue is the one now facing a formal rename vote in Canada's capital, which is precisely why it became the flashpoint. If Ottawa follows through, other municipalities may face pressure to examine their own map.

What Happens Next
Wednesday's vote was a first step, not a final one. Council staff must now produce the list of candidate names, and a follow-up vote will formally adopt the new one before the change takes effect.

What remains unclear is whether the renaming stays a one-street affair or becomes a wider pattern as the trade war grinds on. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. For now, the message from Canada's capital is hard to misread: city council no longer wants anything in Ottawa named for a president it says has demonstrated hostility toward Canada.