CANADIAN TOWN OF ASBESTOS VOTES TO CHANGE ITS NAME

The Quebec city of Asbestos got its name from the local asbestos mine. But asbestos was found to be cancer-causing, and the mine closed, and so in 2019 city officials launched a campaign to change the town’s name. Some of the names suggested: Apalone (a soft-shelled turtle), Jeffrey (Canadian businessman W.H. Jeffrey), Phénix (the legendary bird that rises from the ashes), Trois-Lacs (Three Lakes), L’Azur-des-Cantons (The Azur-des-Cantons), Larochelle, and Val-des-Sources (Valley of the Springs). On October 2nd, a vote was set. Residents cast their votes at a drive-in poll in a parking lot. With 51.5%, the clear winner was Val-des-Sources, or Valley of the Springs — a nod to the town’s proximity to a wellspring that feeds three nearby lakes (or trois lacs).
* Tres bon, Asbestonians.
* They were intent on changing the name of Asbestos with every fiber of their being.
* I know where you can pick up some “Asbestos” signs pretty cheap.
* At least they didn’t change the name of the town to Towny McTownface.
* Some of the other names that were rejected:
– Tobaccotown
– Radonville
– Black Lungington
– Lac-du-Benzene
– Tanning Bed, Canada
– Plutonium City