August 1, 2009 A street by any other name is just as sweet
Some roads named in a person's honour are well thought out; other choices come into
question
Searching title to a local condominium townhouse last month, I was surprised
and pleased to discover a Toronto street name that was completely new to me. Joe
Shuster Way is in the King West Village area, north and east of King and
Dufferin Sts.
Joe Shuster (1914-1992) was a native Torontonian and is best known as the
co-creator of Superman, one of the most famous and commercially successful
fictional characters of the 20th century.
His family lived nearby in the area of Bathurst and College Sts. before
moving to Cleveland for business reasons.
As a youngster, Shuster worked as a newspaper boy for the Toronto Daily
Star. When Superman first appeared in 1938, his alter ego, Clark Kent,
worked for the Daily Planet, modelled after this newspaper. Toronto was the
inspiration for Metropolis, Superman's home city.
In another tribute to the artist, the Joe Shuster Awards were named in his
honour and are presented annually to honour achievements in the field of
Canadian comic book publishing.
Credit for naming Joe Shuster Way goes to Toronto developer Urbancorp, which
transformed the old Massey Ferguson lands into a thriving neighbourhood, now
home to 1,400 people.
Urbancorp also gets credit for naming two streets that intersect with Joe
Shuster Way. Laidlaw St. is named after George Laidlaw, promoter of the Credit
Valley Railway in 1879. The Toronto terminus of the railway was at the corner of
King and Dufferin.
Since 2000, the naming or renaming of Toronto streets has been governed by
the City of Toronto Street Naming Policy. Under its guidelines, streets should
generally be named after people, places, events and things related to the city
and citizens of Toronto.
Names should honour and commemorate noteworthy people associated with the
city, or to mark local history, places events or culture. They may also
strengthen neighbourhood identity, recognize native wildlife, flora, fauna or
natural features, or celebrate communities that contribute to the city's ethnic
and racial diversity.
The city's street-naming policy has been remarkably successful in following
these objectives in recent years, both before and after the new guidelines were
introduced.
The St. Lawrence neighbourhood, for example, has streets named after
historical figures such as runner Thomas Longboat, artist Albert Franck, early
fur trader Capt. Alexandre Douville, French settler Chevalier de Portneuf,
architect Henry (Bowyer) Lane, and historian Henry Scadding.
Occasionally, however, the street-naming policy has been an abysmal failure.
Despite the fact that the policy says that "names of living persons should only
be used in exceptional circumstances," Mike Myers Dr. was named in 2002 after
the actor who grew up in Scarborough. That street will forever immortalize the
star of the Wayne's World movies, the Austin Powers films, and
the memorable (gag!) So I Married an Axe Murderer.
Better choices for street names can readily be found on the sidewalks of King
and Simcoe Sts. in the theatre district. There, Canada's Walk of Fame features
bronze stars with names of dozens of notable Canadians who have excelled in
music, sport, film, television, science and innovation, as well as the literary,
visual and performing arts.
My own favourite name on that sidewalk is Frank Shuster, cousin of the
creator of Superman. Shuster was one-half of the comedy duo of Wayne and
Shuster, whose TV appearances on CBC comedy specials and The Ed
Sullivan Show entertained millions around the world.
For many years, my wife Dorothy and I have lived in the Toronto house Frank
Shuster built in 1951 and lived in for 19 years during the height of his
popularity. We especially enjoy watching reruns of his old TV shows in the house
where the scripts were written.
If anyone out there is listening, my nomination for the next new Toronto
street name is Wayne and Shuster Dr.
Bob Aaron is a Toronto real estate lawyer. He can be reached by
email at bob@aaron.ca, phone 416-364-9366 or
fax 416-364-3818. Visit the column archives at
www.aaron.ca/columns/toronto-star-index.htm. | 
