The vote on the street dedication was not unanimous. Councillor Josh Matlow (Toronto—St. Paul’s) was the only person to vote against the motion, which was passed 21 to 1. Photo courtesy © Putri Aurina | Dreamstime.com
The Toronto City Council voted on July 26 to temporarily dedicate a section of the city’s downtown streets in honour of pop star Taylor Swift, who is scheduled to perform six shows at the Rogers Centre as part of her Eras Tour in November.
According to the Toronto Star, Queen St. W and John St., between Nathan Phillips Square and the Rogers Centre, will be designated “Taylor Swift Way” for that month. The Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square will also be lit up in red (the title of one of Swift’s albums) on the dates of the concerts.
Jennifer McKelvie, the councillor for Scarborough—Rouge Park who introduced the motion, said the renaming is the council’s “way to show Taylor she’s the one we’ve been waiting for, that she has brought us much happiness, and that we will love her evermore.”
The Rogers Centre will pay for the temporary street signs, which will later be donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank to be auctioned off.
The vote on the street dedication was not unanimous. Councillor Josh Matlow (Toronto—St. Paul’s) was the only person to vote against the motion, which was passed 21 to 1. “Torontonians have very real challenges they want city council to focus on including housing affordability, improving transit, and so much more,” Matlow told the Toronto Star, adding that while Swift is great, “focusing on her just isn’t a good use of council’s time.”
