Debate sparked by suggestion to change Kelowna neighbourhood name
A proposal by a Kelowna resident to change the name of the city's Rutland neighbourhood has stirred controversy.
Bill Pittman made the suggestion on a Facebook post, arguing the name Rutland has a "negative energy about it" and is outdated.
"Well all hell broke loose [after that]," said Pittman. "[I got] dozens, and dozens, and dozens of responses."
The residential neighbourhood is located on the northeast edge of the city.
Some agreed that it may be time for a name change, but many didn't. One person even recommended that Pittman move away.
"It's a very sensitive subject. A lot of people are very proud of Rutland and so be it," Pittman told Daybreak South host Chris Walker.
"A lot of old-timers here, they don't want to change it."
Rutland's reputation
Pitmman thinks the name Rutland doesn't convey how nice the community is.
"There's kind of a stigma from two or three decades ago. I think it was probably the slum landlord area of Kelowna and that name has been holding on," said Pittman.
New name
Pittman said he posted the name-change suggestion to solicit opinion from a cross section of people. Many people were opposed.
"A lot of people came back with ,'Don't change it. It's a record of history.'" he said.
To honour the area's history, Pittman suggested the name "Matthewton" after the middle name of the Australian man who helped found the area in 1890, John Matthew Rutland.
However, Evelyn Vielvoye with the Rutland Residents Association, vowed the neighbourhood's name won't be changed.
'Can't change history'
Vielvoye, who wrote the book Down Memory Lane: Rutland, said the neighbourhood name honours Rutland's work. He developed a major irrigation system and the first commercial artwork in the area.
"Whatever people think of different names, that's their problem. You can't change history," said Vielvove.
"The community is a community that works together. No matter what you do, everybody gets in and helps and does something and that is something very important," she said.
"I just can't understand why people who come in the area ...want to change the name."
