Vancouver councillor wants to see more First Nations names on city sites

A Vancouver councillor is putting forward a motion to potentially rename some sites around the city with First Nations names along with currently unnamed city-owned assets.

Councillor Andrea Reimer put forward this idea to council on Tuesday, saying in the motion the “Indigenous place names on the land now occupied by Vancouver were all removed with the advent of colonization, effectively erasing the visible reality of thousands of years of continuous habitation of these lands and waters by the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh people.”

She would also like to see women represented more on street names and public assets.

City-owned assets include public streets and lanes, bridges, viaducts and properties like plazas and gardens. Libraries, parks and privates streets undergo a different naming process.

This project would coincide with the 150th anniversary of Confederation this year. The City of Vancouver has committed to significantly advancing reconciliation to coincide with Canada’s birthday.

In the motion, Reimer states other cities around the world have worked to reinstate Indigenous place names and create Indigenous design guidelines. She states there are many cities that have worked to repatriate those Indigenous place names alongside colonial names to help recognize those shared histories.

“Vital contributions to Vancouver have been made by individuals representing all ethnic heritages, religions and genders,” states the motion.

Reimer would like to see currently unnamed civic assets better reflect the diversity of those who have made significant contributions to Vancouver and to re-establish Indigenous place names on important sites, including landscape features and village sites.

She would also like to see the city create Indigenous design guidelines to guide future place naming.