This long Vancouver road will be renamed šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street this summer | Daily Hive

Trutch Street street sign in Vancouver. (Laurenne Karmel/Daily Hive)

Next week, Vancouver City Council is expected to approve the renaming of Trutch Street in the Vancouver Westside to “šxʷməθkʷəyə̓masəm Street” — a recommendation by City of Vancouver staff as part of the reconciliation efforts with local First Nations.

This specific new name, suggested to the City by Musqueam First Nation in September 2022, means “Musqueamview Street” in English. It will become Vancouver’s first legal street name in hənq̓ə̓minə̓m̓, the traditional language of the Musqueam, and the city’s first legal street name not written in English.

Trutch Street is a north-south street spanning 18 city blocks across a length of about 1.5 km between Point Grey Road and West 16th Avenue, going through Kitsilano’s residential neighbourhoods. About 100 unique addresses are impacted by the renaming.

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The renaming removes the legacy of Joseph Trutch, who held the historic position of British Columbia’s first Lieutenant Governor in the 1870s.

Trutch’s policies toward Indigenous peoples drew renewed scrutiny starting in Spring 2021, amid the resurgent national controversy over Canada’s residential school history. In response, then-mayor Kennedy Stewart initiated the process to rename the street in July 2021.

Trutch was deemed to be a central figure in denying First Nations’ land rights and drastically reducing reserve sizes.

“With no fluent speakers left, this change is a landmark moment for the revitalization of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm language, weaving the display of hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ into the public fabric of city life,” reads a City staff report.

Location of Trutch Street in Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Vancouver Trutch Street vandalized to read "Truth"

A vandalized Trutch Street street name sign in Vancouver. (Claire Fenton/Daily Hive)

City staff noted that there is no legal issue with having the legal street name in another language.

However, emergency services raised major concerns about the ease of general wayfinding and more importantly, the clear pronunciation for 9-1-1 callers in need of assistance.

To address this communicational issue, there will be two street signs on each post along the street — one sign with “šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm St” and a second sign below in English with “Musqueamview St”.

Such bilingual signage will be similar to the University of British Columbia’s campus street signs, installed over the past decade, which include both the English and hənq̓ə̓minə̓m̓ street names — created in partnership with the Musqueam First Nation.

As well, emergency response databases will provide the name “Musqueamview St” when searched.

But the City bylaw that legalizes the renaming will not mention the English translation of Musqueamview Street. Other entities such as Canada Post, ICBC, and TransLink will use the English name if necessary due to limitations with their technological systems.

ubc vancouver campus musqueam street signs

Musqueam street name signs at the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus. (UBC)

Joseph Trutch/Library and Archives Canada/IKAN 3497805 | Google Maps

To mitigate the impacts on residents, Canada Post will provide one year of free mail forwarding to affected residents.

According to City staff, 10 public inquires were received over the past three years asking for updates encouraging the City to make the name change, including three inquiries from current residents on the street.

Residents were provided with notification letters on June 6, 2025 of the forthcoming change and resources, including pronunciation guides.

If this strategy is provided the final green light by City Council next week, the new street name signs will be unveiled during the official street renaming community event at St. James Community Square on June 20, 2025.

In July 2022, Victoria City Council made a similar move by adopting a bylaw to officially rename their Trutch Street to “Su’it Street”.

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