Dartmouth residents want the Dartmouth name kept alive despite rebranding efforts

The campaign to keep the name Dartmouth on landmarks in the area continues to gain steam.

After a community board near Sullivan’s Pond was replaced with a sign with the new Halifax branding, many residents were more than angry.

That board has since been removed, but other signs in Dartmouth still bear the new logo.

A petition was presented to council. Thousands have signed it. And demands have been made to restore the name Dartmouth.

Much talk has been heard, but now some residents are taking it up a notch.

“We are meeting on July 30 at 6 p.m. at the Nantucket Room in the Dartmouth Sportsplex to present our thoughts and concerns to the members of Harbour-East – Marine Drive Community Council, which includes all the councillors from Dartmouth,” said Warren Wesson, a member of the Facebook group Keep Dartmouth in Dartmouth.

Wesson said this is not about being anti-Halifax.

“There has been too much negative energy coming from this issue. And there shouldn’t be. This is about asking questions of our politicians, getting answers and being pro-Dartmouth.”

He said anyone attending the meeting will be advised to wait until the end of the regular Harbour East meeting to have their say.

“That is protocol. Very politely, with maximum respect, let us show our council members they have our support if they want to turn this around.”

What he wants done is to have signs in Dartmouth say they are in Dartmouth.

“Like Sullivan’s Pond. The ferry terminal. There are Halifax flags flying there now.”

Wesson says he is but one of more than 300 people on the Facebook page that was formed to give residents a way to chat about their hometown pride and figure out a way to retain their community’s identity.

He takes his love of Dartmouth very seriously. But even more, he is concerned that the branding will dilute the history of Dartmouth.

HRM council adopted the new branding in order to market the city regionally, as well as internationally.

But Wesson is not buying that at all.

“Council authorized and paid for an extensive study on the rebranding and they ignored the results. Some examples are, that 31 of the 39 places polled in the study were not in Dartmouth. Students not from here participated in the polling, the question of changing the name or even rebranding of the city was never asked. And rebranding was merely a suggestion. A suggestion that was overwhelmingly rejected by citizens but supported by stakeholders and focus groups.”

Robert Goodall, another member of the group Keep Dartmouth in Dartmouth was one of many who helped to spearhead the design and purchase of Dartmouth buttons.

Anyone who attends the Harbour East meeting can receive a button. Donations will be accepted to offset the costs.

“Dartmouth is more than just a name,” he said.” It’s the people who call it home. It is a place deep in history from the molasses factory to Starr Manufacturing. It’s the commons and the view from the gazebo. It’s generations of growing up in an area where a friendly smile is a regular greeting. It’s Dartmouth, a place where people call home.”

Wesson says he hopes the meeting will produce results.

“When we amalgamated we took a beating and it feels like now they are coming for our name. It took us awhile to get on our feet again. And now that people have forgotten and let things slide, well, we have to ask the right questions. And take care of our community.”

The Harbour East meeting that Wesson and Goodall are attending is on Thursday, July 30 at 6 p.m. at the Nantucket Room in the Dartmouth Sportsplex.