The contributions of the late Nick Kaneb, a former mayor of the City of Cornwall, are being formally recognized with the naming of a new roadway, Nick Kaneb Drive.
Nick Kaneb served on Cornwall City Council as an alderman from 1955 to 1958 and as mayor from 1961 to 1964 and from 1967 to 1971. He was a respected businessman and a member of the Cornwall Lions Club.
Nick Kaneb Drive is currently being constructed in the city’s east end. The 1.2-km two-lane roadway will feature a centre median and will include two sets of traffic signals, street lighting, sidewalk, and recreational path. It connects Cornwall’s busiest east-west arterial roads, Second Street and Marleau Avenue. The roadway is expected to be completed in November 2009 at a cost of approximately $2.8 million. “Mayor Kaneb was committed to the growth and prosperity of Cornwall, and he donated much of his time to serving his fellow citizens,” said Mayor Bob Kilger. “I am very pleased that Council chose to recognize his contributions in this very appropriate way.”
Mr. Kaneb took over the mayor’s office at a time when the city’s economy was under pressure from the closing of the large Canadian Cottons operation. During his first term, the Kaneb administration soon had things turned around and had welcomed 14 new industries and 2,000 new jobs to Cornwall. Development of a much-needed harbour was underway, a federally funded job retraining centre was opened, and the first tourism council was formed. Mayor Kaneb also used his Queen’s Park political connections to secure a grant to help save the city’s then only indoor ice facility (the Water Street Arena).
A real sportsman, Mr. Kaneb excelled in football, tennis, hockey and curling. He was awarded a football scholarship at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY, where he won letters in tennis and hockey. Mr. Kaneb was inducted into the Cornwall Sports Hall of Fame in 1974.
Mr. Kaneb was married to the late Charlene Kaneb and passed away Sept.7, 2008 at the age of 92 years.
