R12C officially renamed Puddicombe Lane after a tie-breaking vote
CHANTRY — Some residents on R12C may be feeling whiplash as their road is being renamed again.
Rideau Lakes council voted during their committee of the whole meeting on Sept. 15 to rename the private road Puddicombe Lane after both property owners and councillors ended up deadlocked between that option and Lumsden Lane.
A staff report presented Sept. 15 showed that 16 of 22 eligible properties submitted ballots in a reconsideration process. The result was an 8–8 tie. Staffer Alison Merkley, who delivered the report, referred to the outcome verbally as “five to five” during the meeting, though the written document confirmed the official tally.
The reconsideration followed months of debate by council, and years of discussion at the road association level. Coun. Marcia Maxwell noted she had been through the question even before joining council.
R12C was first renamed Lumsden Lane in May 2025 after a majority vote under the township’s road naming policy. That decision was challenged in June, when resident Scott Puddicombe appeared before council arguing for the family name, which he said reflects more than 80 years of local use and a four-generation presence at Puddicombe Point. Letters of support cited Dr. John Puddicombe’s role in delivering Princess Margriet of the Netherlands during the Second World War and the family’s long service in the Roadrunners Association.
Supporters of Lumsden Lane countered that the township should uphold the original vote. They pointed to historical records showing Dora Lumsden Stewart financed and built the road in the 1920s and improved it in the 1930s. They argued her contributions deserved recognition and warned that repeated reconsiderations risk undermining township procedure.
At the council table, the split was just as tight. Four councillors backed Lumsden, four supported Puddicombe. With the chamber divided, Mayor Arie Hoogenboom cast the deciding vote in favour of Puddicombe Lane.
The township estimates renaming costs will not exceed $4,500, already in the budget. Signs and civic addressing had not yet been installed under Lumsden Lane because of the reconsideration. Staff confirmed that once the bylaw is ratified at the next council meeting, the name change will be reported to 911, Canada Post and mapping services.
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