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Highway 420

City residents will get a chance to select the new name for Hwy. 420,
the provincial highway that runs between Stanley Ave. and the Queen
Elizabeth Way.

Niagara Falls council voted Monday to narrow the list to three names
and to get the public's opinion, especially from the Royal Canadian
Legions and other veterans groups.

"We're all going to be driving this highway. Why not let everyone be a
part of what the name is going to be," said Coun. Victor Pietrangelo,
who launched a search for a new name for the highway in March.

The names under consideration are:

* Niagara Memorial Veterans Highway;

* Niagara Veterans Way;

* Niagara Falls Expressway. Because the city is planning to
decommission the Niagara Falls Memorial and Stamford Memorial arenas
next year when the city opens its four-pad arena on Fourth Ave.,
Pietrangelo suggested some other public project pay tribute to the
city's war dead.

It started out with a list of more than 40 suggestions after city hall
opened up the search for ideas on its website. Pietrangelo and city
clerk Dean Iorfida pared it down to five.

On Monday, Pietrangelo put three names up for public consideration and
councillors agreed.

"A lot of people liked the 'Memorial' but they thought it was too
long. That's why we included 'Niagara Veterans Way,'" Pietrangelo said
in an interview.

"Veterans" would be an appropriate word to use because so many cities
have created veterans ways, said Diane Condon, president of Royal
Canadian Legion's branch 479 on Spring St.

Sgt. Michael Blais, the head of the Royal Canadian Regiment
Association, said it would be nice to use "memorial," but "veterans"
covers more people.

The final three names will be listed on the city's website where a
poll will ask for public input on the name.

Pietrangelo said motivation for changing the name was to perpetuate
the arenas' "memorial" designation -- but he was also aware changing
the name could end the association the highway has with the movement
to legalize marijuana. Because pot-smokers consider 4:20 p. m. the
best time of day to toke up, the area near Hwy. 420 has been the site
of an annual pro-marijuana rally in April.

A provincial government policy permits the renaming of a numbered
provincial highway in honour of of a group or individual. Any change
requires the support of the municipal councils in which the highway is
located, and the area's MPPs.

Because 420 is so short, Niagara Falls city council and Niagara
regional councils are the only political bodies whose blessing is needed.

"In the end, council's going to make the final decision," Pietrangelo
said. "The majority of council has to be comfortable with the name.
The public's going to provide great feedback on what they think."