Montreal has the Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Toronto the Lester B. Pearson. Now, a Victoria resident wants the 50,000 passengers flying in and out of Vancouver every day to do so at the Terry Fox International Airport.

Rob Granzer, a 29-year-old accounting student at Camosun College, is too young to remember Terry’s 1980 Marathon of Hope but he learned a lot about the Port Coquitlam hero while researching a project last year for his leadership class.

Terry’s legacy inspired Granzer to start a Facebook page calling for the name change at YVR; when it reaches one million members, he’ll do his best to lobby the provincial and federal governments, the airport authority and anyone else who can help make his goal a reality.

“I started the page out of respect for Terry Fox,” Granzer said in an email. “I think people that transcend politics and bring the right message to as many people as he did are rare and special.”

Granzer was particularly struck by Terry’s exceptional drive and determination in his efforts to raise money for cancer research. After losing much of his right leg to cancer in 1977, Terry started training for the cross-country Marathon of Hope; he started in April 1980 in Newfoundland and ran a marathon every day for 143 days before the cancer returned and he had to cut the run short. He died on June 28, 1981 at the age of 22 and, since then, more than $400 million has been raised for cancer research through the annual, worldwide Terry Fox Run.

“To run a marathon a day when you are a healthy adult is amazing,” Granzer said. “To run a marathon every day while dealing with cancer and using a prosthetic leg is something legendary. He is a man respected internationally... and I think the goodwill and selflessness he showed, and the grit and determination he had, are the image we should share with people that come to our province.”

Changing the name of an airport is up to Transport Canada, which says it hasn’t received any formal requests to date. Its policy is to name airports for the cities in which they’re located (although Vancouver International Airport is located in Richmond). “The minister may, however, exercise his discretion to change the name to honour a great Canadian,” said Rod Nelson, Transport Canada’s Pacific region spokesperson.

• Close to 3,000 people have joined Granzer’s Facebook group so far; if you would like to add your name, visit www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=13934929053.