Mixed reaction to petition calling on renaming Ottawa street in front of Russian embassy after Alexei Navalny
An online petition, calling on the City of Ottawa to rename a portion of Charlotte Street in front of the Russian Embassy to 'Navalny Street,' in honour of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, now has nearly 10,000 signatures – but not everyone is in favour of the idea.
"As someone deeply moved by the courage and resilience of Alexei Navalny, I am initiating this petition to rename a segment of street in Ottawa," the petition organizer said on the crowdsourcing platform Change.org.
"The proposed change is to name the stretch of road on Charlotte Street from Wilbrod Street to Range Road as 'Navalny Street' (about a 100 metre stretch of Charlotte Street), which is right in front of the Russian embassy."
On Friday, as supporters of Ukraine demonstrate in front of the Russian embassy, some spoke in support of the online petition to change the name of the street it sits on.
"I did sign it and I passed it along to a few others," says Judi Ward, who comes to the embassy every day. "He was fighting for his country, for freedom, for democracy. And he was so brave," she says.
The street is named after Princess Charlotte, the only child of King George IV. It also holds significance for the city as it honours the city's first female mayor, Charlotte Whitton.
And Charlotte Vance is all for changing the name, "I think it's a great idea," she says. "I think it's a great idea because it would be nice to have all their mail delivered to Navalny Street."
Supporters of Ukraine demonstrate in front of the Russian Embassy on Friday, March 1, 2024. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)
But not everyone agrees.
"Although he was for Russia, he was not for Ukraine's independence," says Oksana Bashuk Hepburn, who is a Canadian with Ukrainian heritage. "I think there are many streets in Ottawa that could be named Navalny. I think we should have Navalny, but not here."
Coun. Stéphanie Plante is also not in favour of changing the name of the street.
"I would suggest that most people of Ukrainian origin would be against it. And the Belarusians, because he didn't think too kindly of them either," she tells CTV News Ottawa. "So it's a nonstarter for me, personally. My husband is Ukrainian-Canadian. We have Ukrainian family. Mr. Navalny, while he was very successful at getting under Mr. Putin's skin, he held some pretty reprehensible views about Ukrainians and the annexation of Crimea and the invasion which happened two years ago."
There have been several other name change proposals for the street since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which marked its second anniversary on Saturday.
In March of the same year, the city installed "Free Ukraine" street signs in front of the embassy, located in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood. The signs were symbolic in nature and not a permanent change. Former Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said at the time the signs were a way to "denounce (the Russian) government's actions and to stand with the people of Ukraine."
In Ottawa, a name change must go through a commemorative street naming process, which includes staff vetting requests for a street name, a 30-day public consultation period and a report to council.
On Friday, The City of Ottawa confirmed to CTV News Ottawa, it has not received any formal applications for the renaming of Charlotte Street.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.