Wakefield gets on Highway 5 signs after road name change

After a year of quarrelling, the word "Wakefield" will be advertised on the signs on the outskirts of the Quebec village — but only after renaming the street at the highway off-ramp. 

• New La Pêche highway signage confuses residents, visitors
• Hollywood-style sign suggested for Wakefield

​Quebec's Ministry of Transport only allows the name of the municipality — in this case, La Pêche —  or the name of the street immediately at the exit ramp on its large green highway signs. When an extension of Highway 5 opened last fall, Wakefield was omitted from the signs in favour of La Pêche.

Now the mayor of La Pêche said that new signs including the community's name will be installed sometime before the spring.

Chemin de la Vallée has been renamed Chemin de la Vallée-de-Wakefield.

That's forcing residents like Malcolm Broom, who has lived on the road for more than 55 years, to update their health cards and drivers' licences. 

Broom said the province's signage rules are outdated.

"I'm not happy about it at all. I've lived on this street all my life and I find it very unfair that the municipality did this and changed it," Broom said.

"Wakefield's here and people know Wakefield's here they should've just put it on the sign in the first place."

La Pêche Coun. Claude Giroux conceded that when they are finished, the new highway signs will be a mouthful. 

"That was the only way we could get Wakefield the name on the highway," he said.