As of January 1, 2021, the Town of Lakeshore will be known as the Municipality of Lakeshore.
In October, councillor Linda McKinlay brought the issue up after hearing concerns about communities like Belle River and Lighthouse Cove losing their unique identity.
After a lengthy debate Tuesday night, council passed a bylaw making the name change official.
Councillor Kelsey Santarossa voted in favour of the change and says it just makes sense.
"We all leave the room today still being residents of Lakeshore, still having the freedom as we did before the entered the room tonight to say we're from Belle River or Pointe-aux-Roches," she says. "It doesn't really matter, but now we're not several towns that have become one town. We're several towns that have become one municipality."
In October of 2018, council was forced to rescind a move to create a universal mailing address in Lakeshore after pressure from residents worried about losing their community identity.
Santarossa says residents are passionate about the issue.
"You don't fill the gymnasium at the Atlas Tube Centre and have standing room only if there aren't residents that aren't passionate about the communities that they come from," she says. "So if somebody asks me where I'm from I say, "I have the pleasure of being a councillor for the Town of Lakeshore and I live in Belle River," because that's the reality. If you only leave it at Lakeshore, somebody is going to go, "Could you be more specific?"
Lakeshore councillor Kelsey Santarossa seen on December 10, 2019 (Photo by AM800's Zander Broeckel)
The change is expected to cost an estimated $64,000 for items like sign replacement and updates to advertising.
Santarossa feels that the the cost is minor when compared to the impact the change will have.
"We're going to see that name "municipality" stick with us for the long-term. Yes, there are a few costs associated with it, but what it does is it just sets the stage for us to really focus on being one entity as a municipality, but also leveraging the identities of all of our separate communities," she adds.
Councillors Steven Wilder and Len Janisse voted against the change as they would have preferred the issue to go to a referendum.