Canadian town of Asbestos breathes easy with new name

A truck passes a sign reading "Make History And Vote For A Name Change" as residents vote for a new town name in Asbestos

Credit: Christinne Muschi /Bloomberg

The Canadian town Asbestos has voted to rename itself "Val-des-Sources", the mayor announced, in a hope to shed its association with the deadly mineral.

The town voted 51.5% in favor of changing its name to Val-des-Sources over five other options, according to results announced on Monday from a four-day referendum.

Asbestos, a town 62 miles (100 kilometers) from Montreal with a population of 6,700, is historically entwined with the nearby Jeffrey asbestos mine, which was active until 2012 and was the backbone of the local economy.

But the town decided to change its name mostly for economic reasons, after years of losing the PR war ever since asbestos — fibrous crystal mineral often used as building insulation — was declared cancer-causing by the WHO in the 1980s.

"The word ‘asbestos’ unfortunately does not have a good connotation, particularly in English-speaking circles. It is an obstacle to the city’s willingness to develop outside economic relations," the town said in November 2019 following the decision to rename itself.

Residential homes in front of a tower for the closed Jeffrey asbestos mine in Asbestos

Credit: Christinne Muschi /Bloomberg

The new name was unveiled at a special municipal council meeting that was streamed live on the town Facebook page.

"Not only will our town change its name, but we did it in a unique way," said mayor Hugues Grimard.

Last week, Asbestrians aged 14 and up were asked to vote by ranking names in order of preference among six choices: Val-des-Sources, Azur-des-Cantons, Jeffrey-sur-le-Lac, Larochelle, Phenix and Trois-Lacs.

The possible names were proposed by the residents and had to meet several criteria, such as the name had to be in French and had to illustrate "the history of the city, but without the direct asbestos connotation."

Asbestrians will officially become Valsourcians in December, once their choice has been ratified by the appropriate authorities, the mayor said.