Brian Blood Letter To Lantzville Council

ffi Council O Circ.
To Staff
RECEIVED O Mayor □ Public Works
MAR 12018 ^ CAO. H Planning

□ Director of Finance □ Fire Dept.
Mayor and CouncillorsJ district of lantzville D Corp. Admin. 5] Other StPfcn fCiS^C
^ Agenda _ /9 a.ofE (o7So-;(oeDie
Members of the Economic Development, Strategic Plan and Community Branding Select
committee.
District of Lantzville
7192 Lantzville Rd, Lantzville EC VOR 2H0
Re: Place Branding project
March 2"^^ 2018
From: Brian Blood, 7075 Caillet Rd Lantzville
Dear members of Council and the EDSPCBS committees-
Let's change our name. Who was Eraser Harry Lantz anyway and why is our municipality called
Lantzville? I propose the name "Seaside B.C.". It is descriptive - it is what we are, plain and
simple. It carries no attachments to a person or a function and it advertises our single most
important aspect. There is a Seaside Oregon but not another in B.C. so that clears all the
naming hurdles and the Post Office.
Lantz was a mining promoter and entrepreneur. He made and lost several small fortunes and if
not actually bankrupt was foreclosed upon. He never spent a single night in the place that bears
his name. Born and raised in New Brunswick he lived his adult life in Vancouver, Merritt B.C.
and Seattle.
When the Grant's Mine ownership was reorganised in 1919 F.H. Lantz was one of the investors.
His relationship with this investment lasted just over a year and culminated in a financial crisis
that left the coalminers missing a paycheck for two weeks work. Lantz was never heard of
locally again.
There are two stories about how the Lantz name was chosen. First, it was said that Lantz agreed
to invest in the new enterprise if the place was named for him. The second possibility was that
the Post Office requested a name change because there was already a "Grant's B.C." and that
"Grant's Mine" was confused with It. The Lantz name was offered by the mining company
because none of the other directors were interested. There may be some truth to the name
confusion because my family always referred to this location as simply "Grant's" although
before the mine existed the geographical signlfier they used was Wellington District.
P66
By some accounts Lantz was not well regarded locally even before he stiffed the miners. My
maternal grandfather George Copley encountered him on the road one day. Copley was on foot
and Lantz was riding a large black horse. He was dressed in a black suit and bowler hat. When
George greeted him with a wave and good morning Lantz turned up his nose and passed by
silently. ''Like a country squire" said George Copley who knew of what he spoke from the old
country.
The above encounter occurred on one of Lantz's few visits to his investment. He would stay at
the Wellington Hotel and rent or borrow a horse to ride to the mine. Why not a car? Perhaps
one was not available In Wellington in 1919 or maybe he liked to ride.
He was married three times and was predeceased by all three wives. Curiously, he is buried in
Vancouver's Fraserview Cemetery alongside all three of them.
We could stick with Lantz and perhaps even use his signature bowler hat, moustache and cigar
as our new logo. In many ways Lantz characterises the current entrepreneurial atmosphere
here so it could be said that in one sense there is more symmetry between name and
community now than ever.
Apparently Walter Lantz the cartoonist drove up from Hollywood once to check out the place
with his name. The late Martin Slogar met him on the beach. We could pretend the more
famous Lantz was our namesake and borrow Woody Woodpecker or Porky Pig for our logo. If
"branding" and attention is seen as positive this could work.
Still, It Is time to put the hlcksvllle-soundlng appellation behind us and turn the page on a
name that does us no credit and on a person who does not deserve the honour.
There may be other names than "Seaside" and they could be offered up and made subject to a
referendum."North Nanaimo" might appeal to some although technically we are west. My own
second choice after "Seaside" would be "Constantinople". It has a nice historical ring to it and
would certainly put us on the map and no one else is using it right now.
Seriously, let's dump the boring and negative Lantzville name and start over.
Sincerely, Brian Blood
P67

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ffi Council O Circ.

MAR 12018 ^ CAO. H Planning

7192 Lantzville Rd, Lantzville EC VOR 2H0

Re: Place Branding project

March 2"^^ 2018

From: Brian Blood, 7075 Caillet Rd Lantzville

Dear members of Council and the EDSPCBS committees-

Sincerely, Brian Blood

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