Our community, including myself, has been deeply affected by the renaming of the beloved Pickering Recreation Centre to Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex. As someone heavily invested in our local community, it is disheartening to witness our younger generation referring to a cornerstone of our community by a corporate name. 

In 2019, for a sum of $1.125 million over 15 years, the city of Pickering exchanged our sense of community and civic pride for corporate branding. This development replaces our community identity with the anonymity of a corporation. The Pickering Recreation Centre, a vibrant hub for people of all ages, is now slowly losing its local flavor.

The importance of community identity can't be understated. A strong local name fosters a sense of pride and belonging among citizens. This sense of identity is a powerful engine for community spirit and collective action.

Granting real estate developers naming rights to our community centre undermines the integrity of public spaces. Community hubs should serve the people, not corporate interests, and their identities should reflect the residents who use them—not the developers profiting from them.

We demand that the City of Pickering re-evaluates its priorities and restores the original name of Pickering Recreation Centre. This act would be a reaffirmation of our pride, resistance to corporate dominance in the public sphere, and the importance of community over profit. Let's reclaim the name that truly represents us, the citizens of Pickering, not a corporation.

Join the change to bring back our communal identity. Sign this petition and call for the Pickering Recreation Centre to be recognized and referenced by its rightful name.