I think there are a few answers, here’s my stab:
a) emotion: renaming the place we live is a deeply offensive liberty taken by politicians, a liberty I don’t think they have the right to take. it would be like renaming *me.*
b) simplicity: it is a small, easily-contained issue that people can easily understand, and take a position on…on other issues, say: health care, climate change, afghanistan, all choices have wide implications. we can advocate a policy position, but even those of us who pay attention to these things look at them as huge, problematic issues. And while stickers to stop a war, or get Canada to change energy policy is not likely to do much, stickers to keep a street named the way it should be named just might.
c) effectiveness: there is a good chance that these little bits of internet/public protest *will* make some difference. look at fotopulos… she changed her mind because of all the emails & petitions. on a larger scale this can happen at the city level.
d) participation: short of planning civic elections, making all this noise is maybe a good way to warn politicians that things like public consultations are important. as crazy as it sounds, this one small political act is likely to cost Tremblay’s party seats in the next election. Even if they are dictators, they need to be reminded that they don;t have absolute power. (see US mid-term elections for similar).

there are probably more reasons.

Stickers are cool, but they won’t help rename Parc ave. to Parc ave. It’s still the same avenue, with the same stores and the same people. It won’t suddenly turn into a flaming abyss.

I understand that it’s about principle, and integrity, and respect, and all those other pretty words. I just can’t help but feel like people’s time would be better spent planning for the next municipal elections to put people in office that won’t do [as many] moronic things like this.

Other than that, there’s not much more we can do. They won’t listen to us because we’re angrily blogging about it. We live in a dictatorship just like all the other countries we point our fingers at - the only difference is that we get to choose our dictators every couple of years.

I’m not criticizing, just trying to understand why everyone’s going to such great lengths about this.