Residents of Savage Harbour on Prince Edward Island’s North Shore have selected five final name options for their community as part of a national effort to update place names. The province is conducting meetings to gather feedback on the renaming process, with a recent meeting attended by about 80 residents.
Ryan Pineau, P.E.I.’s representative on the Geographical Names Board of Canada, mentioned that a total of 91 name suggestions were received through a provincial portal. These suggestions were later narrowed down to five names: Seaside Harbour, Wild Harbour, Danger Bay, Northside, and Shoal Harbour, all proposed by local residents and in compliance with community naming guidelines.
An in-person vote to decide the final name is scheduled for December 1 at Mount Stewart Consolidated School. The voting process will involve ranking the five names in order of preference using a ranked ballot system. If no name receives a clear majority initially, the option with the fewest votes will be eliminated and the votes redistributed based on residents’ next preferences until a majority is reached.
In addition to the community name, residents will also vote on new names for the bay and road in Savage Harbour. The bay and road could potentially share the same name as the community, with alternative options presented for both. Once the community votes are finalized, an advisory committee will submit the chosen names for government approval, followed by an implementation plan for the official name change. Residents are encouraged to attend the meeting without prior RSVP, but can register online if desired.