It was first in May 2021 that the idea for Powell River to change its name was brought forward to city officials in the coastal B.C. community.

What followed, however, were bureaucratic delays and heightened tension among residents, leaving some wondering if their recommendations toward reconciliation becoming more than just words would ever actually become reality.

For Harmony Johnson, changing the name of the community she is from sa国际传媒� which currently reflects a man whose main goal was to assimilate Indigenous people sa国际传媒� is not only a task that her chief, Hegus John Hackett, asked her to lead but also a way to reduce the harm of that legacy that undermines the dignity of Johnson and her fellow Tlasa国际传媒檃min Nation members.

sa国际传媒淲e donsa国际传媒檛 want the name of the town and the interactions (of some community members) to undermine our dignity. We want to be who we are in our territories sa国际传媒� which we have since time immemorial sa国际传媒� and thatsa国际传媒檚 what wesa国际传媒檙e trying to reclaim here,sa国际传媒� Johnson told Black Press Media in a phone interview from her home in Tlasa国际传媒檃min.

Johnson, who splits her time between North Vancouver and Tlasa国际传媒檃min Nation, served as co-chair of a joint working group between the city and the Nation and created recommendations on how to implement such a monumental change.

But around the time of the 2022 municipal election, Johnson and the group called for a cooling-off period as tensions rose and divisiveness took hold in the community.

sa国际传媒淲e have to issue warnings to our people, sa国际传媒楬ey, it might be hot in town because of the comments that have been made about your identity and your language.sa国际传媒� Itsa国际传媒檚 horrible.sa国际传媒�

Itsa国际传媒檚 now been three years since Tlasa国际传媒檃min Nationsa国际传媒檚 efforts first began, and theresa国际传媒檚 not much to show for it in a way of tangible change, she said.

During a February council meeting, the citysa国际传媒檚 mayor and council voted to kick the decision down the road to the next civic election.

sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e still kind of in the middle of, I guess, whether this is a decision or not. Itsa国际传媒檚 astounding. Itsa国际传媒檚 taking too long.sa国际传媒�

Now, in 2024, Johnson wonders sa国际传媒渋f not now, when?sa国际传媒�

Israel Wood Powell: The man behind the name

This isnsa国际传媒檛 the first time the Nation has called for a civic body to update its name.

In 2018, the qathet Regional District underwent its renaming to rid of its connection to Israel Wood Powell, the namesake of the community

sa国际传媒淓verybody had been quite proud of the fact that, you know, sa国际传媒楢rensa国际传媒檛 we so progressive? We have this agreement and we have a process by which our governments coordinate and work together.sa国际传媒� That was a long effort to reach that place of creating a respectful protocol and a process for us to come together,sa国际传媒� Johnson said.

Powell River is named after Israel Wood Powell. Born in Ontario in 1836, he was appointed as the superintendent of B.C.sa国际传媒檚 newly formed Department of Indian Affairs in 1872.

For the next 17 years, he pursued sa国际传媒減olicies aimed at assimilating Indigenous peoples into settler Canadian society,sa国际传媒� according to a document provided to the city. The year after he retired, a residential school opened in Kamloops and became one of the largest schools operated by Indian Affairs.

Ace Harry, 22, grew up on Tlasa国际传媒檃min Nation and Powell River and recently returned to live there. She says a name change would fundamentally recognize the presence of her people and their children.

sa国际传媒淩esidential schools were built upon the idea of denying the very existence of Native children. And today, our foster care system and child apprehension systems sa国际传媒� rely upon the ignorance of the general population to the very existence of these kids.sa国际传媒�

Some people in the community have taken on the slogan, sa国际传媒淚 heart PR,sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒楶Rsa国际传媒� meaning Powell River sa国际传媒� by putting stickers on vehicles, as well as on a billboard in the city. That push, Harry says, seeks to deny and extinguish the very existence of her people.

sa国际传媒淏ut again, that was explicitly taught for a very long time. Itsa国际传媒檚 going to require an incredible amount of work for any individual to deprogram those racist assumptions, let alone entire communities and especially at the pace that was being demanded.sa国际传媒�

Racism was sa国际传媒榬ight below the surfacesa国际传媒�

First Nations across the country have called for name restorations sa国际传媒� from buildings and schools, to streets and even islands sa国际传媒� amid the 94 recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commissionsa国际传媒檚 calls to action.

Following the name-change request in May 2021, the city and Tlasa国际传媒檃min Nation established a joint working group, made up of elected officials and appointees to oversee a sa国际传媒渃ommunity conversationsa国际传媒� about the proposal.

The working group conducted engagement meetings between March and June 2022, before releasing its final report on July 15, 2022. It included 11 recommendations.

What came next, however, was a sa国际传媒渇ire hose of racism,sa国际传媒� Johnson said, leading to the group being forced to take pause. There was also the upcoming 2022 civic election.

sa国际传媒淭rust and safety did erode at that time and has continued to feel very tenuous.sa国际传媒�

The committee was worried for peoplesa国际传媒檚 safety sa国际传媒� emotionally, culturally, psychologically and physically.

Johnson is an adjunct professor at UBC and studies racism for a living and has authored numerous reports on how racism intersects with inequities in health care. Reflecting on the response to the groupsa国际传媒檚 efforts was sa国际传媒減robably the most hurtful and overt processes where racism was just right there,sa国际传媒� she said.

sa国际传媒淚t showed that this is right below the surface and maybe we think that these polite forums where we have intergovernmental relations are making a difference sa国际传媒� and they are in some ways in some of those personal relationships. But the reality is is that is not everywhere in our society yet.sa国际传媒�

In January of this year, the name-change project that had been seemingly put on pause was brought back to the forefront, during a council meeting that drew provincial attention.

On a Jan. 30 committee of the whole meeting, Coun. Jim Palm drew ire after using a made-up Tlasa国际传媒檃min word to refer to what the city could be renamed to.

sa国际传媒淪tep one is sa国际传媒楢re you in favour of a name change?sa国际传媒� Yes or no. Thatsa国际传媒檚 simple. You donsa国际传媒檛 convolute it with sa国际传媒榃akawanasa国际传媒� or whatever name comes out of Tlasa国际传媒檃min. You just simply ask the question and get a response. Yes or no, and then we have a direction,sa国际传媒� Palm said at the time.

The Nation denounced the comment a few days later, followed by similar statements from the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and the First Nations Leadership Council.

B.Csa国际传媒檚 Indigenous Relations Minister Murray Rankin said he was hopeful that Palm sa国际传媒� who had issued an apology to some news publications at that point sa国际传媒� would learn from the work the community, city and Tlasa国际传媒檃min Nation had already put in.

While Palmsa国际传媒檚 comments put a lot of focus on the ongoing process, not all of that attention has been good.

Since his Jan. 30 comment, letters started circulating in the community from sa国际传媒渃oncerned citizens.sa国际传媒� One such letter, posted by the Nation on its website, said Tlasa国际传媒檃minsa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渁ttacksa国际传媒� on Palm was sa国际传媒渏ust one more unwarranted reason why reconciliation and your misconceptions of what the truth is, is causing division between people.sa国际传媒�

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The city released a statement apologizing to the Nation, adding it wishes to sa国际传媒渃ontinue serious conversations about furthering all aspects of reconciliation.sa国际传媒�

Itsa国际传媒檚 been more than three months. Johnson says theresa国际传媒檚 a dichotomy in the community between the lack of safety in some areas and the tenseness associated with that, juxtaposed with the moments of caring for and celebrating one another.

But she says there is still support in the community, pointing to Sundaysa国际传媒檚 memorial march for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and this past weeksa国际传媒檚 Nation assembly, which informs people of the work of Tlasa国际传媒檃min.

Recommending against a referendum

On Jan. 16, the city tabled strategic priorities, including taking sa国际传媒渞eal steps towards a name change.sa国际传媒� A month later, council voted to include the topic as a referendum in the 2026 municipal election.

This decision came despite one of the original recommendations from Johnson and the working group, which found that a referendum was not a necessary way to enact a renaming, as municipalities have most of the authority around renaming its city.

sa国际传媒淚n many ways, referendums are demonstrated very clearly to be very harmful, and divisive exercises,sa国际传媒� Johnson said, pointing to the then-B.C. Liberalsa国际传媒檚 2002 referendum on First Nations treaty rights.

Elections sa国际传媒� including the upcoming provincial election in the fall sa国际传媒� will continue to be factors that shape the conversation, Johnson added.

sa国际传媒淪ome of this is just like the tide: Itsa国际传媒檚 going to come in and change is going to occur and itsa国际传媒檒l become normalized, and itsa国际传媒檒l just become how we think about the place.sa国际传媒�

Working toward reviving the Sliammon language

While it has been three years since this process first began, it remains in very early stages; possible names havensa国际传媒檛 yet been formally put forward or even recommended by the Nation.

Tlasa国际传媒檃min chief Hegus John Hackett told Black Press Media in February that the ball is in the citysa国际传媒檚 court, especially following Palmsa国际传媒檚 comment.

sa国际传媒淭heresa国际传媒檚 a lot of speculation from the city that wesa国际传媒檙e gonna rename it something thatsa国际传媒檚 hard to pronounce, and I think thatsa国际传媒檚 kind of where Jim Palmsa国际传媒檚 mockery might be coming from.sa国际传媒�

Hackett says Tlasa国际传媒檃min is a progressive nation and efforts are being made to revive their language, Sliammon.

sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e trying to re-establish place names. And with that work, itsa国际传媒檚 really brought our community together in a positive way.sa国际传媒�

Last August, Ace Harry lost her grandmother, the second-oldest speaker in Tlasa国际传媒檃min Nation and sa国际传媒渙ne of the biggest powerhouses of knowledge that we had left.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 really kind of shoved my face into the urgency of the kind of issues that wesa国际传媒檙e working with.sa国际传媒�

For Harry, though, she has sa国际传媒渓ukewarm feelingssa国际传媒� toward a renaming, pointing to sa国际传媒渄arker problems coming at a much faster pace,sa国际传媒� such as climate change.

sa国际传媒淭here are just other issues that I think would force settlers and their children to reckon with the existence of Indigenous people that arensa国际传媒檛 completely focused on language.sa国际传媒�

Names changes elsewhere in Canada

Powell River isnsa国际传媒檛 the first municipality to look into name changes or restorations of previous names.

There are several communities in B.C. that have also changed various landmarks and buildings, including and that was named after a federal Indian Agent for the West Coast of Vancouver Island and was involved in the operation of the Alberni Indian Residential School.

In Cowichan, officials are looking to .

The Village of Daajing Giids (formerly Queen Charlotte City) restored its traditional Haida name in July 2022.

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Daajing Giids Mayor Lisa Pineault said the process took about three years from when the village was asked by Skidegate Haida Immersion Program to change the name. The change was just one request that the program has been working on for many years.

And more than a decade before that, the name Haida Gwaii was restored to the grouping of more than 150 islands off of B.C.sa国际传媒檚 north coast. Meaning sa国际传媒淚slands of the People,sa国际传媒� Haida Gwaii had already been in use for years leading up to the official restoration.

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The Regional District was gifted the word qathet sa国际传媒� meaning working together sa国际传媒� by Tlasa国际传媒檃min Nation in June 2017. By the following year, the province had issued its official approval for the requested name change.

The Geographical Names Board of Canada says between 2023 and 2024, British Columbia rescinded the names of nine geographical features, as the names contained sa国际传媒渧arious derogatory terms.sa国际传媒� Those features are currently undergoing renaming processes.

Halfway across the country, Tom Terry was part of a group in the Ontario community of Sioux Lookout that pushed to rename an island that had inherited a derogatory English name for Indigenous women.

It is now known as Equay Minis, meaning Woman Island.

He says the group received minimal push back. But fighting for that progress is important.

sa国际传媒淲hen the colonial governments proceeded with their efforts at mapping land, often the Indigenous names, if they were difficult to pronounce sa国际传媒� they were often discarded, and new names were provided in their place.sa国际传媒�

Indigenous place names are often rich in history, evoking a legend, personal experience or even a humorous story. A name should resonate with people, he says.

sa国际传媒淲hen Indigenous people talk about the relationship with the land, thatsa国际传媒檚 a very genuine, very rich relationship which many non-Indigenous people have a hard time appreciating and respecting or acknowledging and understanding.sa国际传媒�

A hope for an easier path forward in the future

Johnson hopes it only becomes easier and streamlined to make these important changes in the future.

sa国际传媒淭he first thing to go through is often not the fastest.sa国际传媒�

B.C.sa国际传媒檚 Municipal Affairs Ministry works with local governments and First Nations with the understanding that each community will approach the decision differently; the provincesa国际传媒檚 oversight is to ensure the process is collaborative, the ministry said in an emailed statement.

For Johnson, that streamlined process will help better the lives of Indigenous people and help curb the deeply-rooted systemic and institutionalized colonialism.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 glad that Tlasa国际传媒檃min is on the forefront of this. Isa国际传媒檓 proud of the work that wesa国际传媒檝e done as a joint working group. Isa国际传媒檓 anxious to see that work come to fruition and I hope that that work creates a path sa国际传媒� an easier path sa国际传媒� for others in in the work that theysa国际传媒檒l need to undertake.sa国际传媒�

As an educator, Johnson likens the need to streamline these kinds of processes to the work done in adding carved out curriculum dedicated to normalizing conversations about racism, colonialism and Indigenous languages.

sa国际传媒淚 think this is just a matter of time for that generation to be to be the leaders of tomorrow that are making the changes naturally, without question. But I do think that theresa国际传媒檚 barriers we can remove today so that we donsa国际传媒檛 have to wait 20 years for that generation to do the right thing.sa国际传媒�