Puslinch Township Council officially changes Swastika Trail to Holly Trail

The process of renaming a controversial roadway has ended in a unanimous decision by Puslinch Township Council.

On Wednesday, Puslinch Township Council formally approved changing the roadways name to Holly Trail from Swastika Trail.

“Right now, I’m a little overwhelmed,” said Randy Guzar, a resident of the road who put forward the name change application. “I pinch myself.”

The latest debate on the name change came after the private road’s owner said he isn’t happy with the decision to change the name of the road.

In September, council voted to 4-1 to change the name of the street after over a decade of pushback from community members.

At a council meeting Wednesday morning, the owner of Swastika Trail, Paul Wyszynski, appeared as a delegate.

“This is a 100 year old road. We should be celebrating. It should be a heritage road, and by the way, Swastika means wellbeing and good luck,” he told council.

He said the process to change the name was flawed and rushed. He called the $200 compensation being offered to home owners and $500 to business owners “inadequate”.

“The council has entered into this with the decision already made,” Wyszynski said. "They're not being fair to the homeowners that oppose this and the taxpayers that fund it. It seems like communism to me. I think this should be tabled and handed to the next council, because some of you may not be here next year.”

Wyszynski believes the ongoing debate over the name change has torn apart the neighbourhood. He said he is not happy with the resident of the street who has been leading the effort to change the name.

He told council the process is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

He said he is receiving harassment about the new name, Holly Trail, and questioned whether it’s a reference to the Holocaust.

"We made a road suggestion because we were under pressure at the time," Wyszynski said. "If anybody should be renaming our property, it should be us."

Wyszynski is urging council to delay their final decision.

Council also heard from members of the Hindu community, who appeared as delegates, and asked council to reconsider their decision. According to the delegates, the swastika is viewed as an ancient symbol of peace, prosperity and good luck, still used today by Hindus around the world.

"Hitler never used the word swastika in his speeches or autobiography, the untranslated German version," said delegate Jay Mehta. "What he did use was the word hakenkreuz."

THE LONG FIGHT TO CHANGE THE NAME

Swastika Trail has been a subject of controversy for over a decade, but council largely stayed out of it until five years ago as the road is privately owned.

In 2017, locals in favour of the name change enlisted the help of B’nai Brith Canada, launching an online petition which received 2,000 signatures and submitting a request to council.

Meanwhile, other residents of the street maintained the symbol had a long, positive history, predating Nazi Germany.

Council ultimately voted 4-1 to leave the name unchanged in 2017.

Then, earlier this summer, council approved a new municipal street naming policy. That’s when Randy Guzar, who lives on the street, put forth the latest application to have the name changed.

“We’re Canadian, that’s why we stuck with it for so long, Swastika is not who we are or what we represent,” Guzar said.

Swastika Trail is a privately owned road and is not maintained by the township, but the new policy allows council to change the names of privately owned streets.