Part of overhauled McGill College Avenue to be named for jazz legend Oscar Peterson
City Hall has finally settled on a way to honour Montreal's late jazz great Oscar Peterson.
CTV News Montreal has learned that part of the newly overhauled McGill College Avenue will be named for the famed musician.
McGill College, an iconic Montreal boulevard, is getting a major makeover which includes a "mini forest" landscaping job and, evidently, a new name — or at least partially so.
Oscar Peterson was a world-renowned jazz pianist from Montreal who passed away from kidney failure in 2007. He has been immortalized in numerous Montreal institutions and monuments, including Concordia University's Oscar Peterson Concert Hall, but there has long been talk of cementing his legacy through Montreal's official channels.
Kelly Peterson, wife of Oscar Peterson, stands next to an artist's impression of a plaza to be named in honour of the late jazz musician Oscar Peterson during an announcement in Montreal, Tuesday, August 31, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Kelly Peterson, wife of Oscar Peterson, stands next to an artist's impression of a plaza to be named in honour of the late jazz musician Oscar Peterson during an announcement in Montreal, Tuesday, August 31, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
In August 2020, a petition to rename the Lionel-Groulx metro station after Oscar Peterson reached its 25,000 signature goal, but to no avail.
Just a few months later, the Ensemble Montréal party, the city's official opposition, tabled an unsuccessful motion suggesting that the Place des Festivals be named for the musician.
The latest update on McGill College Avenue's upgrade will therefore be welcome news for the many Oscar Peterson fans who have been waiting for the city to make a move.
Announcement of this change will be made officially by Valerie Plante in a press conference tomorrow.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.