Cape Negro renamed Eel Bay

The community of Cape Negro in Shelburne County has officially been renamed Eel Bay.

“The name Eel Bay was proposed and selected by members of the community and was officially renamed on Feb. 8, 2023,” says Blaise Theriault, Communications Advisor for Communications Nova Scotia.

“Community signage was installed last week and highway signage is anticipated to be changed in the spring. The name has been changed on many provincial digital maps, and we will continue to update the remaining maps.”

The community has been one of four locations in Shelburne County bearing the derogatory place name. Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services began public engagement on renaming the four place names in 2021.

“Our Geographic Names Program has been engaging residents of Shelburne County since the summer of 2021 to change four local names that cause harm to the African Nova Scotian community in Nova Scotia,” wrote Una Hassenstein, executive director of Government Services, Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services, in a letter to Municipality of Barrington Warden Eddie Nickerson.

The letter was included on the March 14 committee of the whole agenda for information purposes.

“More recently, after discussions with the Municipality of the District of Barrington in the spring of 2022, the program has been in direct contact with the residents of Cape Negro regarding the name change. A series of community meetings occurred between August and October, resulting in a short list of possible replacement names for the community," said Hassenstein. "On Nov. 8, residents selected from the short list of names, and the result was a majority vote in favour of Eel Bay."

Hassenstein added that as a result of concerns being expressed with the process, the Geographic Names Program “is doing a complete review to redefine the process for place names that cause harm to reflect democratic and inclusive principles, while respecting community decision-making.”

When this story was posted on our website Saltwire.com and then shared to social media, it received tremendous reader engagement with well over 1,000 comments left with the story. The comments ranged from those who thought the name change was appropriate and long overdue, to those who disagree with what they call 'rewriting history.'

Hassenstein said moving forward there are several activities Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services are coordinating for the name change, such as requesting Canada Post to include Eel Bay in mailing addresses and an update to the provincial 911 system to include the community's new name.

Replacing roadside signage,

which is already underway, and meeting with community residents, if they are agreeable, to receive their input and feedback "as we continue to improve the naming process," Hassenstein said, is also happening.

There are three place names containing the word Negro left to be changed in Shelburne County.

“Work is ongoing to rename Negro Harbour, Cape Negro Island and Cape Negro (point on island). Public engagement and local community decision-making will be integral in this process," said Blaise Theriault. "New names will be proposed and selected by residents who live near the harbour and the island.”

“As recommended by community

members of the newly renamed Eel Bay Community, we will recommence the geographic naming process on those features once the lobster season has ended to ensure affected community residents have an opportunity to participate,” wrote Hassenstein, about the process still to come.

In 2016, GeoNova, which is part of the Information, Communications, and Technology Service Branch of the Department of Internal Services, received two applications to rename the four locations.

“It is important that places in Nova Scotia have respectful names that reflect the people and history of our province,” said Theriault.