New name announced to replace controversial street sign in Vancouver
A new name has been announced for a Vancouver Kitsilano neighbourhood street sign that’s been heavily criticized for its link to Canada’s dark history.
Earlier this year, Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart’s motion to have Trutch Street renamed unanimously passed with the support of council.
When this motion passed in July, he said the street’s namesake, Joseph Trutch, did not deserve to have a street named after him.
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Trutch was BC’s first lieutenant governor in the 1870s and is known for his racist statements and colonial land entitlement policies which left a lasting impact on Indigenous Peoples.
On National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Musqueam Indian Band hosted a renaming ceremony and gave a new name to the City of Vancouver to replace the 16-block street.
The street located in the Vancouver Westside, running north-south from West 1st Avenue to West 16th Avenue, will be named Musqueamview Street in English.
In the traditional language of Musqueam, it will be named šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm.
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“Naming the street Musqueamview is a significant step towards reconciliation, but we must not forget the history of denying Indigenous rights, and the work put in by our ancestors to ensure our rights were recognized,” Chief Wayne Sparrow said Friday.
“Today we came together as two communities to lay the first steps towards a better and more inclusive future.”
With files from Amir Ali and Claire Fenton
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