Kingston councillors vote to name one block of local street after Tragically Hip The USA Times

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Kingston councillors vote to name one block of local street after Tragically Hip

(CP PHOTO/Paul Chiasson)

KINGSTON, Ont. - If The Tragically Hip want to throw a block party in their hometown of Kingston, Ont., they'll soon be able to hold it on a city block named after them.

City councillors in the eastern Ontario city have voted to name a block of Barrack Street after the 12-time Juno Award-winning hometown band.

But the Tuesday night vote was close for the citizen-led proposal, with seven councillors voting for the proposal and six voting against.

At a meeting last month, some residents said renaming Barrack Street could be seen as a slight to the city's military history.

The Tragically Hip's last record, "We Are the Same,'' was released in 2009, opening at No. 1 on the Canadian chart en route to platinum sales _ a commercial milestone reached by all of the group's studio albums.

Council also approved a motion to create a Walk of Fame, which would honour famous people from the city. (CKLC)