Members of the Royal Canadian Legion in Holland, Man. are asking why a provincial program that honours fallen soldiers by naming a geographical landmark after them can’t remember them closer to home.
Les Ferris, who heads up the local branch, said they have been working with the local municipality and the provincial government in recent years to name local creeks and tributaries after fallen First World War soldiers who came from the area.
The province announced earlier this year it was extending a program that named 4,200 lakes, islands, bays and other geographical features after fallen soldiers who served from the Second World War to include those who gave their lives in the First World War. Families can nominate the names of their loved ones and ask that a geographical designation be made.
Ferris said it’s a noble gesture, but he questions why the designations must be limited to remote northern locations reachable only by float plane. His own uncle has a bay named after him on Stephen Lake north of Gillam. There are no markers and he said he understands why that would be cost prohibitive.
His group would rather see those soldiers remembered close to places they called home — and at locations that are more accessible to their descendants and others interested in their stories.
“The homesteads in many municipalities date back over 135 years. There are creeks, hills etc. that are unnamed to this day,” Ferris said. “In many cases these First World War casualties grew up on or near these unnamed geographical features yet the province prefers to commemorate their sacrifice with remote locations owned by the Crown, but inaccessible to family members of the deceased.”
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The legion thought it was making headway. After nearly five years of work before the official program was announced earlier this year, it was successful in getting three area creeks named after local servicemen. But recently, it received an email from Des Kappel, the provincial toponymist, that said any future designations would follow the program’s parameters as announced earlier this year. He also raised concerns that there could be conflicts over which name to use in the event two soldiers came from the same area.
Ferris said there are plenty of landmarks to go around. “We fail to see why your department would not allow geographical features in municipalities where these men grew up to be named after them,” Ferris said in a letter to Cathy Cox, minister of Sustainable development.
“As a legion our motto is ‘We will remember them.’ We hope your department will remember them honourably in their local communities rather than taking the easy way out in naming remote locations that no one will ever see.”
He said the minister’s office responded by saying the issue is under review.
