Residents of Ottawa’s Trump Avenue might try again to rename street after U.S. president’s tariff threats

The latest antics from the U.S. President have residents of Ottawa's Trump Avenue thinking about changing the name of their street. CTV's Tyler Fleming reports.

Residents of Trump Avenue, in Ottawa’s Central Park neighbourhood, may once again look to change the street’s name, following the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump’s recent comments about Canada, combined with a threat of potential tariffs, have left some residents questioning the legacy of the name.

The neighbourhood, which includes other streets named after New York City icons like Gramercy Park, Staten Way, and Bloomingdale Street, was established in the 1990s, when Trump was still a prominent real estate mogul rather than a controversial president.

Joe Cooke, who bought his home on Trump Avenue in 2001, says politics were not in play at the time.

“When you walk around, you’ll see the names of all kinds of streets,” said Cooke. “This was in honour of him, but really it was just another New York name. Donald Trump gets nailed a little bit for something he had nothing to do with.”

But now, Cooke and some of his neighbours may be veering towards an avenue of change, given the name has become increasingly problematic.

Since his election win, Trump has threatened Canada with new tariffs of upwards of 25 per cent on goods, as of Feb. 1. Trump has also targeted Canada with snide remarks, including the suggestion the country would be better off as the 51st state.

In early 2021, residents voted on the possibility of changing the street name. The result was a 21-21 tie, with 20 households abstaining, which left the matter unresolved. In Ottawa, changing a street name requires approval from at least 50 per cent plus one of the households on the street. With 62 homes on Trump Avenue, 32 votes are needed for the change to proceed.

“We voted to rename the street because of what it has come to stand for,” said Cooke. “And when I say that, I’m not trying to pillory Donald Trump, but in terms of the principles that he promulgates and the way that he’s running the country now — especially now — there’s no way that I would want him in charge of a country that I was living in for sure.”

River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington, who represents the area, says there has not been an overwhelming push from residents to revisit the issue.

“In 2021, I did not do this [vote for street name change] while President Trump was in office because frankly, I feared that there might be retribution or punitive measures taken against Canada and here we are now with threats of tariffs and other measures against Canada, so on one-half, I think we could have a better street name, the other half I’m concerned about what type of reaction that we get, particularly down in Washington,” Brockington said. “If there was a strong desire from people on Trump Avenue to revisit the name of their street, I, as their city councillor, would facilitate that discussion and potentially another vote, but I’ve made it clear, we’re not having a vote every year.”

While some residents would vote to change the street’s name, John Germano says the challenge is bureaucracy.

“Back in 2021, we were short a few houses,” he said. “What I heard from the neighbours was that even though they would like the name changed, there is the cost of a deed change on your house, the cost of changing your drivers license and all the other things. A lot of these people on the street, like myself, are retired, and they don’t want to bother going through the process.”

Though the name change effort failed in 2021, Cooke says if a vote were to happen again, he would embrace the change.

“I don’t think the name of the street will change but America has always shown a willingness to grow so I have hope for them.”