Edmonton councillor pitches ‘Forever Canadian’ street amid separatist push

An Edmonton city councillor says he wants to ingrain the love Albertans have for Canada in a red-and-white street sign.

Michael Janz says he will be submitting an application to rename the portion of 99th Avenue that’s adjacent to the Alberta legislature in downtown Edmonton to Forever Canadian Avenue.

“This is a high tourist destination,” Janz said about the east-to-west thoroughfare in a phone interview after his Sunday announcement.

“This is the place where school groups and other groups come by to visit, and where they can hear and learn about the Forever Canadian (petition) and how many patriotic Canadians and Albertans supported this movement.”

“Forever Canadian” is the name of a pro-federalist petition which had just over 400,000 signatures verified by election officials in December.

Janz said many of his constituents signed the petition and volunteered to help collect signatures for it.

The province’s lawmakers have yet to decide whether the petition’s proposed question, “Do you agree that Alberta should remain within Canada?” will be put on a ballot in a fall referendum or to a vote in the legislature.

Janz’s Sunday announcement comes days after a judge’s decision to throw out a separatist group’s petition calling for a referendum.

The judge said the Stay Free Alberta group’s petition shouldn’t have been issued under a provincial law that Premier Danielle Smith’s government made changes to, aiding the separatist effort.

The judge also said Smith’s government neglected its duty to consult First Nations.

Smith has said she supports a sovereign Alberta in a united Canada but also that Albertans are frustrated with Ottawa and deserve to be heard.

Stay Free Alberta and Smith have said they will be appealing the judge’s decision.

Janz said the separatist issue in Alberta hasn’t just affected the national and provincial political climate.

“The spectre of separatism is an enormous risk to investment in our province, jobs in our community,” he said.

“It’s creating uncertainty. You can’t build a robust economy, a prosperous Edmonton, with this looming spectre of separation.”

Janz said he will submit his application for the street renaming to Edmonton’s Naming Committee soon.

He hopes to celebrate Canada Day in July on a street called Forever Canadian Avenue.

“It’s not about one government or one premier but it’s about a moment when Albertans came together and said over 400,000 of us are willing to sign that we want to remain in Canada,” he said.

“That’s a beautiful thing.”

— With files from Jack Farrell

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