Finding my way in 2026
Trevor Hutchinson is a writer, musician and not-for-profit executive. He lives in Lindsay with his wife and three of their children.
When I first saw the city’s public meetings last month (and online for the first few days of this month) for wayfinding, I was intrigued. I thought maybe it was some grandiose attempt to align our communal direction with overarching ethical and fiscal goals. I could use some of that! But alas, it was about signs.
According to the city, “Clear, consistent wayfinding helps people feel confident as they move through Kawartha Lakes.” I, for one, could use some more confidence. Especially when I can’t see a street sign that’s obscured because of poor design, years of weather and overgrown foliage.
Now, in what is possibly a sign that I will make an excellent curmudgeon in a decade or two, I was slightly irritated by the ‘wayfinding’ bit. The word sounded like a consultant trying to justify a fee. So, like any good Gen-Xer, I Googled it. Turns out wayfinding was coined by American urban planner Kevin Lynch in 1960. It starts to appear more in print when environmental psychologist Romedi Passini uses it in 1984 and becomes commonplace (in very certain circles) when Canadian graphic designer Paul Arthur co-writes the seminal Wayfinding: People, Signs and Architecture in 1994. All of us have tried to impress the boss with a big word or idea at some point, I guess.
But I still love the idea. And if we’re going to get really into what a street sign is going to look like, maybe it’s time to consider the name of the actual street?
And before the ‘YoU CaN’T eRaSe history crowd’s heads’ implode, I’ll state clearly that I am just spit balling here: No one should change history, ever. History is and shall forever be static. I sometimes think of this when I stop for pizza in Hardscrabble. My bad: that’s Glenarm now.
Besides, who doesn’t think of a famous Louisiana jazz club when they drive by Dew Drop Inn Rd. And if not that, the Waltons? Why would anyone want to tear this non-history down?
I do like order and good government. Naming north-south Lindsay streets after royals and east-west streets after aristocrats makes a certain amount of sense in 2026, what with growing income disparity and all. Imagine the future prestige of living at the corner of Musk and Bezos!
Kent Street was named after Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the father of Queen Victoria. Sure, he was kicked out of the military when his troops mutinied in Gibraltar, but he was always very nice to his French-Canadian mistress and her family and that’s important to me, all these years later. And Cambridge Street just sounds refined and super-smart, even if Lindsay was named after someone who died of an infection. (Besides, we have vaccines now.)
And before I get back to complaining about young people and their TicTac videos, I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2026, from my family to yours.
