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  Canadian town's effort to rename 'Swastika Trail' street goes to court
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ContributorIndyGeorgia 
Last EditedIndyGeorgia  Apr 15, 2018 03:18pm
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CategoryNews
AuthorAshifa Kassam
News DateSaturday, April 14, 2018 01:00:00 AM UTC0:0
DescriptionA street named Swastika Trail has sparked a polarising debate in a small Canadian municipality, where residents have taken their cause to court after a months-long campaign to change the name proved fruitless.

After years of quietly complaining about the name, a group of residents in the tight-knit southern Ontario township of Puslinch, population 7,300, launched a campaign last autumn aimed at convincing their neighbours that it was time for change.

Some living on the private road were uneasy about having it listed on their driver’s licenses and other government documents. Others said it was simply time to untangle the municipality from the offensive symbol.

Their view was countered by those who argued that the street had been named in the 1920s, when swastikas were associated with peace rather than a symbol of Adolf Hitler, the Nazi party and white supremacy.

Others cited the personal expenses that those living on the street would be forced to incur if they had to change their address on all of their documentation.

Soon after, a local association put the issue to a vote. By a slim majority – 25 votes to 20 – residents voted to keep the name.

“It’s 100 years old. It’s our township’s history,” Lori Wyszynski told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in December. “I’m tired of this world – what we’re living in right now – and everyone (saying), ‘Let’s smash the statues, let’s change the school names, let’s just burn history books.’”
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