Joni Mitchell sign request referred to city's naming committee
Saskatoon woman asking for sign to honour famous Saskatoon-raised singer
A Saskatoon woman's request to honour Joni Mitchell with a sign has been referred to the city's naming committee.
Late last month, Jan Coleman sent an email to city council asking that a sign be placed at city limits, declaring Saskatoon the home of the famous singer.
After decades of waiting for the city to honour Mitchell, Coleman decided to act.
I think she finally just got frustrated with us.- Jan Coleman
"We tend to honour our sports icons and that's fine," she said. "But oftentimes, music icons get overlooked until they're dead. And then someone in the city says, 'Oh, neat! They were from here.'"
Originally from Alberta, Mitchell was raised in Saskatoon and now lives in the United States.
The road towards honouring Mitchell in her hometown has been a tortuous one. For years, a local group tried to organize a museum to honour the singer, which fell through in 2013. Eventually, Mitchell said she didn't want any tribute to be built, and asked for cultural artifacts to be returned to her.
Coleman said she can understand why Mitchell is frustrated but hopes some sort of honour might still be possible.
"For years, I've read about how she donated memorabilia, that she was so positive about so many things for so long and nothing came to fruition," she said. "I think she finally just got frustrated with us."
Mayor wants to honour Mitchell, too
Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark said he wants to honour the singer somehow during his time in office.
Now that I'm in this role, it is something that I would like to see us resolve in a better way.- Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark
"Whether an entrance sign is the right way to recognize her is something that merits further discussion," he said. "But this letter has captured a sentiment many people feel in Saskatoon."
Clark said it's important that Mitchell and her family be approached before anything is planned.
"It can be sensitive sometimes to identify the right way to recognize someone," he said. "I don't have an answer, but now that I'm in this role, it is something that I would like to see us resolve in a better way."
Coleman was heartened by Clark's reaction.
"It sounds like he's very positive about it," she said. "I just hope this is the time something is done about it."
Saskatoon's standing policy committee on planning, developing and community services received Coleman's letter on on Monday.
It referred the request to the city's naming advisory committee, which usually meets quarterly or as required.
Mitchell suffered an aneurysm in March 2015, but relieved fans when she appeared at a concert in August. She began the year by winning her ninth Grammy.