Swastika Ave. is still with us here in the heart of Montreal.
The tiny laneway sits behind the highrise at Ste. Famille and Sherbrooke and was renamed Ste. Famille Lane, or Place Ste. Famille.
The name was not considered controversial until the Nazi movement appropriated the ancient lucky symbol and 1933-34 was the last year it was known by that name.
St. Lawrence Alderman Bernard Schwartz ruled the area as municipal rep during those years and one would imagine that he had something to do with the name change, as seen in his quip where he describes the laneway as being infested with rats.
