PEIAbout 100 people gathered Wednesday night for the first of three community meetings as part of the P.E.I. government’s process to rename a community along the province’s North Shore. Community members share ideas and reflect on identity during first public meetingThinh Nguyen · CBC News · Posted: Oct 16, 2025 1:19 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours agoAs of September 2024, this federally operated wharf on P.E.I.’s North Shore has been known as Crowbush Cove Wharf Small Craft Harbour. The name change was in response to a request from the Abegweit First Nation. (Brian Higgins/CBC)Warning: This story contains language that some may find offensive.About 100 people gathered Wednesday night for the first of three community meetings as part of the P.E.I. government’s process to rename a community along the province’s North Shore.The community is currently known as Savage Harbour — a name flagged as part of a national initiative to identify place names considered outdated or demeaning.Ryan Pineau, the provincial tax commissioner who represents P.E.I. on the Geographical Names Board of Canada, said there was strong participation and emotion at the meeting, which was held in Mount Stewart.“Names are deeply personal. They’re emotional, and people are tied to them… So mixed feelings, some sadness,” Pineau told CBC’s Island Morning.“But once we turned the meeting around to kind of, ‘How do we look at the community, and what are those things about the community that you really want to portray to the world?’ There was a good energy in the room. There’s a lot of buzz. We had an activity of putting down some words around the things that people want to know about you.”LISTEN | Savage Harbour renaming process:Island Morning9:48Savage Harbour renaming processThe process of renaming a community can be a long one, and it’s underway along P.E.I.’s North Shore. Ryan Pineau, provincial tax commissioner and P.E.I.’s representative on the Geographical Names Board of Canada, joins us to talk about the process.Some of those words reflected the community’s history of fishing and farming, and how residents describe themselves as a close-knit community that always helps one another.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.But it’s up to the province to rename the community and bay. In a frequently asked questions section on its website, the province says the name of the community and the bay can be different from each other. New name must pass standardsIslanders can submit suggestions for a new name online through the province’s portal until Oct. 29. The next public meeting is set for Nov. 17, when the proposed names will be reviewed.After all sessions conclude, Pineau said an advisory committee will submit the community’s chosen name to government for approval. The next steps will then be communicated to residents.Pineau added that while the Geographical Names Board of Canada doesn’t have naming authority, it provides standards and best practices to guide the process.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)He noted proposed names must be appropriate and respectful, and follow general naming principles, such as avoiding naming a place after a living person except in rare cases.“Naming in general now seems to focus more on descriptive terms… whereas in the early days of Canada, a lot of places were named based on the settlers or the explorers that had discovered the place,” he said.Another key rule: no duplicates.“We don’t want a duplicate name so that 911 and services and ambulance services don’t have confusion around that.”Pineau said people submitting name ideas should include background information, such as the name’s origin, meaning and cultural or historical significance. That context helps the advisory committee evaluate whether a name aligns with national naming principles.At the next meeting, the full list of proposed names will be presented to residents, who will work together to narrow it down to about five options.Those final options will then be voted on at the last meeting.Administrative changes will be simpleOne common question raised Wednesday was what a name change would mean for residents, particularly when it comes to updating identification or mailing addresses.Pineau said most updates can be done easily and voluntarily.For example, people can update their address with Access P.E.I. without getting a new driver’s licence or health card right away. They can also wait until their next renewal to receive a card with the updated community name.With files from Island Morning
Theres a lot of buzz: Residents weigh in on new name for community on P.E.I.’s North Shore
