Today we bring you a story from a small community east of Montreal whose name has become sort of, well, the name is Asbestos, Quebec.
Probably no surprise that the town of about 7,000 people got its name from the asbestos mine that operated there for years.
But the mine shut down and the town council said that a number of people, businesses and investors don’t seem interested in putting down roots in a town called Asbestos.
So a while back the council decided it was time for a new name.
The public submitted around 1,000 suggestions for replacement names, and this week the council announced four finalists:
- Trois-Lacs, French for “three lakes” and a neighborhood in the town
- Apalone, a species of turtle that’s one of the region’s endangered species
- Phénix, referring to the mythical bird that can rise from the ashes and be reborn
- Jeffrey.
Jeffrey?
The first operator of the mine was a person with the last name Jeffrey, so that name would be a link to the original name of the town without just flat-out saying Asbestos anymore.
It will be up to the people in Asbestos to rename themselves.
Everyone age 14 and over will get to rank the four finalists in mid-October, and choose a name to which they will say “bonjour,” when they say au revoir to Asbestos.
And since we’re wrapping up the week, how about some comfort food?
It’s National Cheeseburger Day, and one way to get into the spirit is ordering the nearly 1,800 pound burger on the menu at Mallie’s Sports Grill and Bar in Detroit.
Just so you know, ordering the world record holder for the largest commercially sold burger will set you back $10,000.
Asbestos in Quebec Shortlists Four New Names to Get Fresh Start (Bloomberg)
World’s Largest Burger Costs $8,000 (Food and Wine)
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Photo by hotdogPi via Flickr/Creative Commons
