Scarborough to name street after founder of optical company

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A proposal to name a street after the owner of Hakim Optical caused one Scarborough councillor to see red this month.

Ward 39 (Scarborough-Agincourt) Councillor Mike Del Grande tried unsuccessfully to defer a vote on creating a new street called Karim Hakim Avenue west of Warden Avenue.

Hakim, founder of the eyewear chain, opened a factory outlet, since closed, in the area in 1988.

At Scarborough Community Council, Del Grande pointed out a city policy says Toronto streets should be named for living people such as Hakim "only in exceptional circumstances."

The policy also says the city should avoid assigning a person's full name to a street or a name "that could be construed as advertising a particular business."

Del Grande said it was wrong not to stick to those rules.

"I'm absolutely flabbergasted with my colleagues," he added, charging his fellow councillors "want to fall over each other" to please Hakim.

But Ward 37 (Scarborough Centre) Councillor Michael Thompson called the street name proposed through him by members of Toronto's Persian community "a way to recognize an immigrant who came to this country and made a great contribution."

City council and community council have given full names to some streets so it's time to re-examine the naming policy, he suggested.

Del Grande said the new street from Eglinton Avenue East to Ashtonbee Road would be an extension of Lebovic Avenue, a name honouring land developer Joseph Lebovic.

Lebovic donated millions to The Scarborough Hospital said Del Grande, who argued councillors were being shown no proof Hakim's philanthropy in Scarborough was comparable.

Thompson, however, said Lebovic Avenue was named as a result of development south of the road, not because of Lebovic's generosity.

"It came because it was their property, they wanted to use the name."

Though he said he favoured using Hakim's full name to avoid confusion - "Apparantly there are a lot of Hakims." - Thompson accepted Hakim Avenue as a compromise the community council confirmed.