A Winnipeg library has been renamed in honour of a late city councillor.

The West End Library at 999 Sargent Avenue is now known as the Harvey Smith Library. The name officially changed today and signage is in place. The vote to change the name was held last June. Smith, who also spent time as an MLA from 1986 to 1988, had, as a city councillor, worked to move the West End Library from Ellice Avenue to its current location.

Smith was first elected to Winnipeg city council in 1980 as the councillor for the Sargent Park Ward. In 1998, he returned to city council as the representative for Daniel McIntyre. Before his career in politics, Smith had worked as a teacher and school librarian for Winnipeg School Division No. 1.

"Of all the things you could do to honour Harvey Smith, naming a library in his honour I think would have touched him deeply," says former CUPE president Paul Moist, who met Smith in 1980 as a student in a course on civic government; Smith was teaching the course. Moist says Smith struck him as an interesting advocate, and the two became friends.

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"For 35 years he would come to our house for dinner, and Harvey was a gravy man," Moist told those in attendance for the official renaming of the library today.

Today's event was emceed by councillor Cindy Gilroy; councillors Mike Pagtakhan and Jenny Gerbasi also spoke.

In addition to the renaming, a portrait of Smith made by students at Art City was unveiled; the painting will be displayed in the library permanently.