Burnaby council has decided to name the new Edmonds library branch Tommy Douglas Library after the late former Saskatchewan premier and Burnaby Member of Parliament.

But at least one right-leaning local resident is not impressed with the choice.

Lee Rankin, former Team Burnaby councillor and more recently, the provincial Liberal candidate for Burnaby-Edmonds, said while Douglas is a respected national figure, he would have thought someone with a stronger connection to the area would have been chosen.

Douglas, a Scottish-born Baptist minister who died in 1986, served as MP for Burnaby-Coquitlam from 1962 to 1968 when he was also leader of the federal NDP. That riding included part of the Edmonds neighbourhood. He is perhaps best known for championing free, universal medical care, which he introduced while premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961.

“One would think that the national government would do something to recognize someone of national significance,” Rankin said. “One would think a community library in Edmonds, if you wanted to name it after a person, you could research people who made significant contributions to the area, or a name that’s reflective of the history of the community.

“This is like a dog peeing on every tree on every corner of the property,” he said, referring to the NDP-affiliated Burnaby Citizens Association, who have dominated city councils for decades. “They’re basically marking Burnaby as NDP territory. It’s like a dog marking its property. That’s what it is, really.”

Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan, whose idea it was, said the fact Douglas represented at least part of the Edmonds area for several years makes the local connection stronger than many people might realize.

It’s this B.C. connection—he was also MP for the Nanaimo area for several years after losing his Burnaby seat—that Corrigan felt has been unrecognized for too long. As far as he knows, the library, which will open at the corner of Kingsway and Walker Avenue in the fall, will be the only place named after Douglas in B.C.

That’s compared to his native Saskatchewan where his name is everywhere, from Douglas Provincial Park near Moose Jaw, Tommy Douglas Collegiate and the T.C. Douglas Building in Regina, and Tommy Douglas Collegiate in Saskatoon.

Corrigan noted that Douglas is far more of a household name than the namesakes of the Alex Fraser Bridge and Gaglardi Way, both highways ministers, the latter also known for his many speeding tickets.

“If the same people who agreed that those were great names are arguing it’s partisan then, let me see, that would be a bit hypocritical, wouldn’t it?” he said.

“You sully the name of Tommy Douglas when you suggest that the motivation is partisan to do this because I think he goes well beyond partisan. It wasn’t New Democrats alone who voted Tommy Douglas to be the Greatest Canadian [in a 2004 CBC survey].”

Then again, Corrigan added, “I don’t think anybody’s particularly surprised that somebody that is a New Democrat would think Tommy Douglas is a real hero to be emulated.

“He was a great thinker that took Canada in a very different direction and I think that is appropriately recognized in a place of learning, like a library.”

Corrigan hopes the library will eventually include space inside to honour Douglas’ accomplishments, where the area’s many new Canadians can learn about one of the country’s great citizens. The honour has been reviewed and approved by the Douglas family through Tommy Douglas’ daughter, Shirley Douglas, an actress, social activist and mother to Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland. They have all been invited to the library’s dedication.

While some may debate the name, it’s likely one person who wouldn’t have cared either way is Tommy Douglas himself who once said, “I don’t mind being a symbol but I don’t want to become a monument. There are monuments all over the Parliament Buildings and I’ve seen what the pigeons do to them.”

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com

What do you think? Is it a good move to name a library in Burnaby after Tommy Douglas, known as the 'Father of Medicare" and in 2004 named the 'Greatest Canadian of All Time' in a CBC-sponsored contest? Share your thoughts below!