Some concerned residents of Powell River, B.C., are worried about a proposed name change, claiming the municipal process has not abided by Canadians’ basic democratic rights and freedoms under the guise of “reconciliation.”
The Tla’amin Nation, whose traditional territory includes parts of the Sunshine Coast, is urging the city of about 15,000 to drop the name “Powell River” in the name of “reconciliation.”
Longtime resident Pat Martin,
writing for the New Westminster Times, raised the issue of how delegations and municipal affairs were handled surrounding the controversial decision to change the town’s name.
Martin and others say the process is being shaped by unilateral decision-making, a lack of meaningful consultation and encroachments on basic liberties — including freedom of speech and mobility rights.
The town of Powell River takes its name from the nearby body of water, named after Israel Wood Powell, B.C’s first superintendent for Indian Affairs. Those advocating for the town’s name to be changed cite his role in the establishment of residential schools in the province.
Some institutions even appear to have pre-emptively adopted the name change, well ahead of a non-binding opinion poll scheduled for 2026.
Powell River’s visitor information centre, for example, has already rebranded itself as the “Qathet Visitor Centre.” “Qathet,” a Tla’amin word, means “working together” and now replaces “Powell River” entirely.
Upon arriving at the visitor centre, a newly installed Tla’amin poster instructs visitors to “identify your intentions and willingness to abide by Tla’amin protocol.”
Staff have admitted they cannot explain what those protocols entail.
Not only are “Tla’amin protocols” difficult to clearly define, so too — apparently — are the existing codified protocols of Powell River municipal politics.
According to at least
one constitutional lawyer, a recent municipal bylaw passed by the City of Powell River institutionalizes censorship by limiting the speech of residents, using vague terms like “disrespectful language,” “allegations,” and “discrimination” to stifle dissent and to hush any disagreement with city council.
In past meetings, councillors have already interrupted and attempted to squash any delegations that questioned residential school narratives or Tla’amin’s motives.
Martin also added that the city’s draft 2024 annual report contained a land acknowledgment that is “legally incorrect,” claiming the municipality is located on “the lands of the Tla’amin people.”
Another constitutional lawyer and specialist in Aboriginal law, Geoffrey Moyse, KC, told council the Tla’amin treaty boundaries do not include the city. He suggested revising the statement to “claimed ancestral” or “claimed traditional” lands.
City staff and councillors declined to change the wording. Coun. Trina Isakson dismissed the matter as “nit-picky” during a June 19 meeting.
Their disagreement is backdropped by a curious land acknowledgment culture in B.C. and across Canada. Many municipal councils, policing departments, universities, cultural institutions and sports organizations now open meetings and events with statements recognizing Indigenous territories — often without clarifying whether the claims are legally accurate or even make sense.
Similar disputes over Indigenous claims have emerged elsewhere in B.C.
This spring, True North Wire and Juno News
reported on B.C. Parks ordering the removal or outright banning of recreational campers.
In a
statement released by BC Parks this April, for example, the agency said it was closing Joffre Park to “non-Indigenous” campers to “recognize the importance of the Pipi7íyekw” and “connect with the land.”
BC Parks’ decision to close public lands based on race and Aboriginal heritage has sparked new debate over whether reconciliation measures are overriding public access and basic mobility rights.
Despite residents’ concerns, Powell River’s mayor and council have not announced any changes to the renaming process, and a non-binding opinion poll will be held alongside the upcoming municipal election in 2026.
truenorthwire.com
