Thursday vote could move Powell River, B.C. one step closer to name change

An emotional debate over renaming a coastal B.C. community is heading to its city council on Thursday.

Councillors in Powell River, B.C., are slated to vote on a proposal to hold the equivalent of a referendum on changing the community’s name to one supported by the Tla’amin First Nation.

“It’s a pretty tense time to live here, there’s lots of tension in the community around this,” said Lisa Moffatt, a Powell River resident and supporter of the name change.

1:22 Powell River councillor facing criticism for comments in renaming city discussion

It has been nearly two years since the Tla’amin nation approached the city with a request to change its name to Tiskwat, which means “big river.”

“Our territory has had a placename for thousands of years, since time immemorial,” said Tla’amin Nation Executive Councillor Erik Blaney.

“Generation after generation called this place by its proper place name.”

The community is currently named after Israel Wood Powell, who served as B.C.’s superintendent of Indian affairs in the late 1800s.

According to the city’s own website, Powell supported residential schools as a way to turn Indigenous children into “useful members of society.” The residential school system has since been recognized as a tool of assimilation rife with abuse, and deemed “genocide” by the House of Commons and “cultural genocide” by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

“Recognizing that the name Powell associated with colonialism and oppression … I think it’s a move in the right direction, a good way forward,” Moffatt said.

1:51 Powell River begins process into possible name change

But others in the community oppose the change. Local Verne Kinley said it could be extremely costly for the city and businesses, and come with unforeseen complications such as the need to make changes with maritime and aviation officials.

“We’re not trying to put down First Nations in any way. We’re here because we believe the name should stay the same,” he said.

Thursday’s meeting will see councillors vote on adopting their strategic priorities for the next two years, one of which would be to hold a vote, in concert with the 2026 municipal election, on whether residents support a name change.

The process hasn’t been without bumps in the road.

Powell River Mayor Ron Woznow said the decision on renaming the city will ultimately lie in the hands of the provincial government, but that the process first requires public consultation and feedback from other interested governments, including the Tla’amin and the regional district.

Woznow said a lack of public consultation on the issue under the previous city council had created some “very unfortunate misunderstandings.”

“The majority of people here really are very open. They just want an open process. You’re always going to have the five per cent of outliers on both sides,” he said.

“What we are trying to do now is move beyond those misunderstandings and get a simple process so that we can get the consultation and the feedback from the electorate and then move forward.”

2:17 Powell River paper mill shutting down indefinitely

Those misunderstandings ran deep enough to motivate a residents’ group to organize and press for a referendum on the name change,

Among them is Dean Gerhart, who said he’s pleased that now appears to be the plan, but added he still lacks trust in the process.

“Our whole process here has been to have a vote for a name change, yes or no,” he said.

“That’s all we’ve ever asked for.”

The Tla’amin Nation, for its part, is optimistic voters will support the change.

“We have received so much support through this process, that I think the opinion poll is going to be quite favourable to reconciliation,” Blaney said.

“When we go to these meetings and there are maybe five naysayers and 320 people in orange shirts wanting name change, it really shows that we have a very high level of support in this community.”

Blaney said a “yes” vote on the change would be a major step towards reconciliation, but that regardless of the outcome the area will always be Tiskwat to the Tla’amin.

“For us, it remains as is. For the city of Powell River that’s up for them to decide,” he said.