The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / CFRB Traffic Reporter Mangles Well Known Toronto Street

**Posted by RadioActive** April 10, 2025 8:35 pm

It's pretty rare these days that a traffic reporter utterly destroys the name of a well known Toronto street but it happened on NT1010's 8:30 PM "Timesaver Traffic" break on Thursday.

The woman told us there was a problem on Strachan Ave.

And yes, she did pronounce it as Strack-can.

I'm guessing she ain't from around here! This - along with Balliol - is the tell tale sign we're not dealing with a local. Jody Thornton may know this because he did it for so long with CTN - how do they vet these people and do they ever warn them about these common mispronunciations? This one was especially obvious.

**Posted by RadioAaron** April 10, 2025 8:53 pm

RadioActive wrote:
I how do they vet these people.

They show up.

**Posted by dieter** April 10, 2025 10:54 pm

Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah is a very good traffc reporter during the day on CFRB. But it was painful today to hear repeatedly pronounce Gloucester Avenue as Glow-Chester.

**Posted by Skywave** April 11, 2025 6:42 am

Just how does a local pronounce Balliol? The right way, or the oily way?

**Posted by mace** April 11, 2025 9:05 am

Skywave wrote:
Just how does a local pronounce Balliol? The right way, or the oily way?

I have never heard of this street. What is the correct pronunciation? My favourite is Queens Quay. I have also had people ask me for directions to "yun-gee" street. Oh you mean Yonge Street? Yes, but why is it spelt incorrectly? is how the conversation usually goes.

**Posted by dieter** April 11, 2025 9:17 am

mace wrote:
Skywave wrote:
Just how does a local pronounce Balliol? The right way, or the oily way?
I have never heard of this street. What is the correct pronunciation? My favourite is Queens Quay. I have also had people ask me for directions to "yun-gee" street. Oh you mean Yonge Street? Yes, but why is it spelt incorrectly? is how the conversation usually goes.

I remember reading awhile ago that no one knows if we're pronouncing Yonge the way it's namesake did.

**Posted by Tq345** April 11, 2025 9:29 am

mace wrote:
Skywave wrote:
Just how does a local pronounce Balliol? The right way, or the oily way?
I have never heard of this street. What is the correct pronunciation? My favourite is Queens Quay. I have also had people ask me for directions to "yun-gee" street. Oh you mean Yonge Street? Yes, but why is it spelt incorrectly? is how the conversation usually goes.

I believe it's pronounced BAIL-yuhl. If not, I've been saying it wrong.

Hearing Gloucester pronounced glow-chester would make my head spin.

I wonder how they would tackle Grosvenor?

**Posted by Binson Echorec** **Online!** April 11, 2025 10:47 am

I've always known it as "buh-loyl".

While we're here, does anyone know when Spadina Road went from "spuh-DEE-nuh" to "spuh-DYE-nuh"?
According to the link below, Spadina House still goes by "spuh-DEE-nuh".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spadina_Avenue#Etymology

**Posted by RadioActive** April 11, 2025 10:57 am

Tq345 wrote:
I wonder how they would tackle Grosvenor?

You mean the character from Sesame St?

**Posted by DenPas** April 11, 2025 12:55 pm

I cringed when I heard both Strack-can and Glow Chester this past week. You'd think of all the people to mispronounce local street names, a traffic reporter would be the last.

Last edited by DenPas (April 11, 2025 12:55 pm)

**Posted by haydenmatthews14** April 11, 2025 6:14 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Tq345 wrote:
I wonder how they would tackle Grosvenor?
You mean the character from Sesame St?

There is a street called Grosvenor in London ON. At least the London Transit auto bus announcement mentions it properly.

**Posted by deLaat** April 11, 2025 8:11 pm

Roncesvalles?

**Posted by Jody Thornton** April 11, 2025 8:14 pm

deLaat wrote:
Roncesvalles?

Now see, I always thought that the ending "S" was silent, but now I tend to hear it pronounced otherwise. Should the "S" at the end be pronounced?

**Posted by Radio Bob** April 12, 2025 12:17 pm

How do they pronounce Etobicoke? Or Bruce Cockburn's last name?

Last edited by Radio Bob (April 12, 2025 7:08 pm)

**Posted by Jody Thornton** April 12, 2025 12:20 pm

Radio Bob wrote:
How do hey pronounce Etobicoke? Or Bruce Cockburn's last name?

That's "coe", as far I recall.

**Posted by Easily Amused** April 12, 2025 12:55 pm

Binson Echorec wrote:
I've always known it as "buh-loyl".

While we're here, does anyone know when Spadina Road went from "spuh-DEE-nuh" to "spuh-DYE-nuh"?
According to the link below, Spadina House still goes by "spuh-DEE-nuh".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spadina_Avenue#Etymology

Back in the 1960s, the Apple Grove Inn from Medina NY was an enthusiastic sponsor on the Sunday afternoon radio programs on CHML. The ads always featured a CHML personality voicing the ad, and it was always pronounced 'Muh-DEE-nuh'. Cross the Niagara River to the US side, and I have never heard it referred to as anything other than 'Muh-DIE-nuh'. I just did a brief search, and everyone speaking about the village on its official website do use the 'long I' variation.

**Posted by newsguy1** April 12, 2025 1:07 pm

Have to admit when I came from Vancouver to Toronto I Pronounced Rocesvalles as RAUNS-VAL.
I was shocked to learn it was pronounced RONS-iz-vales.
It still bugs me to this day.
But then again people from Windsor will know Pierre street is pronounced PEER-ee.
I worked there briefly and the cop who did radio reportd pronounced his name (Langlois) as LANG-loyz).
And as for Toronto traffic reporters don't get me started on EGGELTON Avenue.
Yes some of them still say that I think because they genuinely can't say EG-lin-tun.
Now ax me another question!

**Posted by RadioAaron** April 12, 2025 1:12 pm

In Ottawa, Dalhousie is Dal-hoo-zee. Trips up newbies the time.

**Posted by fyshtalk** April 13, 2025 10:20 am

Etobicoke (coe) ...Nanticoke. (coke)

**Posted by Forward Power** April 13, 2025 11:20 am

RadioAaron wrote:
In Ottawa, Dalhousie is Dal-hoo-zee. Trips up newbies the time.

Much like North Gower ("north gore") near the southern edge of modern-day City of Ottawa territory... or in Renfrew County, if you're looking for Al Capone's hideout, you're headed to Quadeville... but they'll know you're likely not from the area if you say "quaid-ville" and not "quad-ville". And that little dot on the map at Highways 7 and 41, where many motorists will stop for fuel, food, a trip to the washroom or to stretch their legs? Yep, Kaladar... but when the Canadian Pacific Railway ran through the area on the way to Peterborough or Smiths Falls, the railway pronounced it "kal-a-dare". My FIL says it that way, as his dad worked for CPR out of Montreal.

But one great mispronunciation story I remember was in my college years, when fellow Loyalist radio alum Greg "Great White" Hunter (class of '77) dropped by to chat with my class. The long-time Kingston morning jock, a native of the Belleville area, had told us about his early years on CKLC, and how he had mispronounced the name of a major street in the Limestone City, Bagot Street. Thinking it was a French name, he initially said "ba-GO" Street, but was later corrected - "BAG-it" Street.

Probably many instances of newbies in Kingston not saying Cataraqui right too...

Last edited by Forward Power (April 13, 2025 11:36 am)

**Posted by Capricasix** April 13, 2025 11:51 am

RadioAaron wrote:
In Ottawa, Dalhousie is Dal-hoo-zee. Trips up newbies the time.

There’s a street and high school in Ottawa called Lisgar, pronounced Lis-gur.

Also a street, middle school, and GO station in Mississauga called Lisgar. Pronounced Lis-gar.

Confusing!

**Posted by eladb** April 13, 2025 1:00 pm

This goes back more than 20 years when the late, great historian Mike Filey used to do a segment on Toronto during the AM740 morning show (in the pre-Zoomer days)...if memory serves me correctly, and I might be off, but I believe he said that the pronunciation of Balliol is Bay-lee-ol.

**Posted by ig** April 13, 2025 1:35 pm

I did the same thing in Vancouver. You learn, and believe me callers LOVE to point it out..

Tsawwassen, Coquitlam, Semiahmoo Road, Whalley, Keefer St.

You can't know everything on day 1. Hell, I'm into day 17,270 and I still regularly screw up.

RadioActive wrote:
It's pretty rare these days that a traffic reporter utterly destroys the name of a well known Toronto street but it happened on NT1010's 8:30 PM "Timesaver Traffic" break on Thursday.

The woman told us there was a problem on Strachan Ave.

And yes, she did pronounce it as Strack-can.

I'm guessing she ain't from around here! This - along with Balliol - is the tell tale sign we're not dealing with a local. Jody Thornton may know this because he did it for so long with CTN - how do they vet these people and do they ever warn them about these common mispronunciations? This one was especially obvious.