PEIResidents of Savage Harbour, P.E.I., have narrowed down the list for their community’s new name to five options.Residents of Savage Harbour set to vote on new name in DecemberThinh Nguyen · CBC News · Posted: Nov 18, 2025 10:50 AM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Last year, the federal government renamed the wharf in the community at the request of the Abegweit First Nation. It is now called Crowbush Cove Wharf Small Craft Harbour. (Brian Higgins/CBC)Warning: This story contains language that some may find offensive.Residents of Savage Harbour on P.E.I.’s North Shore have narrowed down the list for their community’s new name to five options.The community’s name was flagged as part of a national initiative to identify place names considered outdated or demeaning.The province is holding a series of community meetings to gather input on the renaming process this fall. Monday night was the second meeting, with about 80 residents in attendance.LISTEN | Final five name options announced for Savage Harbour renaming:Island Morning7:46Final five name options announced for Savage Harbour renamingResidents of Savage Harbour are narrowing down a new name for their community. Ryan Pineau, P.E.I.’s representative on the Geographical Names Board of Canada, drops by to share the final five options and what happens next.Ryan Pineau, the provincial tax commissioner who represents P.E.I. on the Geographical Names Board of Canada, said a provincial portal for name suggestions opened in October and closed by the end of the month. It received 91 submissions.“I expected some big numbers, but 91 was more than what we were expecting,” Pineau told CBC’s Island Morning on Tuesday.Last year, the federal government renamed the wharf in the community at the request of the Abegweit First Nation. It is now called Crowbush Cove Wharf Small Craft Harbour.It’s down to 5Pineau said the 91 submissions included some duplicates, which reduced the list to 68 names. These were then presented at the meeting and narrowed down to five options, all proposed by local residents:Seaside Harbour.Wild Harbour.Danger Bay.Northside.Shoal Harbour.Pineau said all five names comply with community naming guidelines.“None of them are people. None of them are derogatory. None of them are duplicates, as far as we can tell. So those appear to be all good names,” he said.The area known today as Savage Harbour was first settled in 1725 by a French family, according to an Acadian history website. (Brian Higgins/CBC)The next step is an in-person vote on the final name, which will be held Dec. 1 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Mount Stewart Consolidated School. Proof of ID and residence will be required.Pineau said the vote will use a ranked ballot system, where residents rank the five names from their top choice to least favourite.If no name receives a clear majority in the first round, the option with the fewest votes will be eliminated, and those votes will be redistributed based on next preferences. This process repeats until a name reaches the required majority.Additional votes for bay and road namesAt the Dec. 1 meeting, residents will also vote on new names for the bay and road in the community.Pineau said both the bay and the road could get the same name as the new name for the community, which could be any of the five names shortlisted. In addition, there are four other options for the name of the bay: Canavoy Bay, Crowbush Cove Bay, Pleasant View Bay and Point View Bay.As for the road, the additional options include Point Deroche Road, Crowbush Harbour Road, Danger Bay Road, Harbour Point Road and Route 218, which is the existing route number. Point Deroche Road currently makes up a portion of Route 218, so if that name is selected, it would be extended into the community of Savage Harbour. Once the community votes are finalized, an advisory committee will submit the chosen names to the government for approval.“Executive council will review it, make their decision, as well as an implementation plan in terms of the rollout and timeframes on when that name will become official because you need some lag time for civic addressing, 911, that kind of thing to get their paperwork in place,” he said.Residents do not need to RSVP in advance to attend the meeting next month, though they can register online if they wish. With files from Island Morning
5 options shortlisted for renaming of community on P.E.I.s North Shore
