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在线翻译:
szdaily -> Kaleidoscope -> 
Canadian town of Asbestos chooses new name
    2020-10-22  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

IT’S been one of the most divisive elections in North America this year.

But close to 11 months after the poll was announced, and after a shocking last-minute change of candidates, the town of Asbestos, Quebec in Canada, has a new name.

Close to half of the town’s 6,000 or so residents turned out for a parking lot-based “car vote” in mid-October, and the new name — Val-des-Sources — was revealed Monday.

But the name that swung it only joined the race less than two weeks before.

There was such controversy around the original proposals put forward by the municipal council that the Asbestos debate quickly turned toxic — and a new batch of suggestions had to be rushed out to mollify locals.

The city initially grew from the development of an asbestos mine around a large deposit of the substance discovered there in 1897. For decades, the town thrived on asbestos mining and product manufacturing.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring, but very toxic, substance once widely used for insulation. It’s been banned in Canada since 2018.

The decision to change the town’s name was made in November 2019. The original four proposals were revealed in September 2020. Reaction on Facebook, however, was not positive.

The new lineup of six names, with a decidedly more francophone bent, was revealed Oct. 2: L’Azur-des-Cantons, Jeffrey-sur-le-Lac, Larochelle, Phénix, Trois-Lacs and Val-des-Sources.

Val-des-Sources, meaning “Valley of the Springs” and referring to the town’s location close to the sources of three lakes, was a clear winner with 51.5 percent of the vote. (SD-Agencies)

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