Is it necessary to change the name of Powell River [“City of Powell River commits to shared vision and joint working group for possible renaming,” October 22]? Is changing a name part of truth and reconciliation?
True reconciliation is about forgiveness and moving forward. We are not responsible for the actions of our ancestors. Changing the name of Powell River will cause division and unhappiness. It will not create any sense of reconciliation. It will not help anyone move forward or atone for the past.
This is the whim of a small minority. There needs to be community meetings inviting the whole general population.
Petitions need to be circulated. Informative, factual information needs to be circulated. A referendum may be “divisive” but the results would settle the issue.
All these actions should not require months and months of discussions and expense to “engage the city” in municipal council’s “shared vision” with Tla’amin Nation.
Israel Powell died in 1915, 106 years ago. Information [about him] can be found on the internet. It is important for Powell River residents to be aware of the facts.
To change the name of Powell River will certainly incur another burden on our beleaguered municipal budget. Council has already allocated $20,000 from a general unappropriated surplus to provide funding for this project. There will, and undoubtedly already has been, legal costs, correspondence costs, meeting costs, et cetera.
These added financial strains will affect local businesses. How will the change affect Powell River residents?
Will we need to change our birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates and driver’s licenses? Plus, increased municipal spending ultimately becomes the taxpayers’ burden.
The following solution “to changing the name” offers a compromise that could be acceptable to everyone. As on the Sunshine Coast signposts, both the Indigenous name and the settlers’ name can be displayed. These changes have already come about with little input from the general public.
This compromise would save the municipality and the taxpayers time and unnecessary expense.
Moving forward in true reconciliation, these name-changing decisions should be achieved with full transparency from municipal council and full community input.
Vivian Thickett
Powell River
