Jim Seggie doesn't understand why a hockey player who had one good season can have a lake named after him faster than his son, who died fighting for his country in Afghanistan.
Seggie's son, Cpl. Mike Seggie, died along with two other comrades in September, 2008 when his armoured vehicle was attacked. Like all other Canadians who die in war, Seggie is automatically entitled under a national program to have a geographic feature, such as a lake or hill, named after him.
With more than 50,000 unnamed lakes in Manitoba, there is no shortage of geographical features that can honour the bravery of soldiers.
So Seggie wonders why his family has been waiting two years for a lake to be named for his son, yet the process for honouring hockey star Jonathan Toews took less than a month.
"My objection is not so much naming the lake (after Toews) as the rush of the government and the length it went to to ensure that Mr. Toews had a lake named after him," Seggie told CTV's Canada AM Friday.
Manitoba says it chose to recognize Toews for his outstanding achievements this past year. Not only did Toews' Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup, he was also part of the national team that won Olympic gold, and he won the NHL's Conn Smyth trophy for most valuable player.
So over the weekend, a small lake about 95 km north of Flin Flon was renamed Toews Lake during a ceremony at the legislative building in Winnipeg.
The office of Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger insists it did not play favourites. It notes in a statement to CTV News that the national program to honour fallen soldiers does not preclude it from honouring other worthy Manitobans.
"National guidelines for naming geographical features after fallen soldiers suggest at least three years, recently revised to five years, between time of death and this kind of honour. Under a completely separate process apart from the tradition of honouring fallen soldiers, Manitoba has chosen to celebrate the accomplishments of Jonathan Toews," the statement reads.
The province also notes it still plans to name lakes after Seggie's son and four other soldiers who have died in recent years, in a ceremony that will be held close to Remembrance Day in November.
Seggie says while he's grateful for the honour, he's not clear why families have to wait three – or now, five -- years for their loved ones' bravery to be honoured. He also said his family wasn't consulted on the decision.
"In my mind, I would approach the families of the fallen first to ask them their opinion. Nobody has come to ask: is the time right?" Seggie said.
"I think five years is a bit much. Grieving never stops, it's with you every day. And if that's the reason for the three to five-year wait period, I don't think it's a very good one," Seggie said.
