Before Ottawa’s city council had a chance to take down U. S. President Donald Trump’s name from a local street, it seems someone has already done it.
On Friday afternoon, the blue and white sign for Trump Avenue at the intersection of Whitestone Drive in Ottawa’s Central Park neighborhood was gone. People started noticing its absence on social media earlier that day.
However, other Trump Avenue signs in the vicinity are still up.
contacted the City of Ottawa to ask if the sign had been stolen or if the city removed it, and if so, when that happened.
The city’s response via email stated they are investigating what occurred and that once they have “confirmed the status of the sign,” staff will determine next steps, including whether a replacement is necessary.
has also reached out to Ottawa police for further details.
The Trump Avenue street sign before its disappearance was noted on Friday. ( )
Ottawa’s Central Park area features other New York City-themed streets like Bloomingdale Street and Staten Way.
The sign’s sudden disappearance comes just two days after Ottawa city councillors voted to rename the street, which had been named after Trump 20 years ago before he became president.
River ward Coun. Riley Brockington introduced the motion to change the name earlier this month, arguing that the American president doesn’t deserve such an honor given his ongoing threats toward Canada.
This motion followed Trump’s imposition of tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Canadian goods and his order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. In response, Canada enacted tariffs on an equivalent amount of U. S. imports.
That motion received approval on Wednesday.
A working group will be created to consult with residents, review options, and propose a new name for voting next spring, according to Brockington.
A previous attempt in 2021 to rename Trump Avenue did not succeed after consultations revealed residents were divided on the matter; many opposed changes due to concerns over addressing inconveniences.
Other Trump Avenue signs in the Central Park neighborhood remained standing on Friday afternoon, but not this one. (Mathieu Deroy/CBC)
The City of Ottawa has a program for selling old signs from streets that have been renamed.
You can learn more about that here. p >
In its email , t he city said street signs are “a critical piece of infrastructure for reporting and responding to emergencies” and emphasized they shouldn’t be removed , damaged , or taken. p >
The city has previously indicated it costs $70 t o replace a street sign , although that figure was based on 2007 dollars. p >
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