Sechelt council members say they’re in favour of a proposed name change for Wilson Creek, but want to hold consultations before sending any formal letter of support to the province’s Geographical Names Office.
Renaming Wilson Creek, both the community and the creek itself, to ts'uḵw'um was part of a series of name changes the office is considering at the request of the shíshálh Nation as part of a commitment in the Foundation Agreement between the province and the Nation.
The Geographical Names Office is also still awaiting input from Sunshine Coast Regional District on renaming proposals for Madeira Park and Saltery Bay.
Shortly after the names officer asked Sechelt for input, council directed staff to come up with options to “engage the community along with the shíshálh Nation.”
Those options were presented at the July 15 council meeting, but ideas like using the district’s social media channels for an online survey or to ask for public comments were rejected.
“While polls and surveys are an engagement option, they are not recommended due to the importance and complexity of the issue,” communications manager Julie Rogers said in a report to council. “An uninformed vote in a social media poll will not provide council with meaningful insight.”
Rogers also said the district should work with the shíshálh Nation on a communication plan if the name change is approved. “At the conclusion of this project there is an opportunity to continue the engagement with information for the community that celebrates the language and culture of our Indigenous neighbours on whose traditional unceded land we live and work.”
Coun. Matt McLean suggested that council should vote to support the name change and go straight into the type of engagement Rogers talked about with an end goal “to drive adoption of the ts'uḵw'um name.”
“The engagement I want to see is more about the information. Let’s do that historical research, let’s hear the stories, let’s share them with our community,” McLean said.
Coun. Janice Kuester said she “100 per cent agreed” with Mclean.
“I think it’s really important for people to understand the reasoning behind it, and that through education and teaching, it’ll be more clear,” she said. “I want to agree that we should get moving on it and I’m excited about it.”
Others on council said they too supported the adoption of ts'uḵw'um as the new name for Wilson Creek, but felt some consultation was still needed before making a definitive statement of support to the province.
“We believe this is a move in the right direction, and that the engagement and the education goes along with that,” said Mayor Darnelda Siegers. “Down the road, should other requests come forward like this, it will be the basis from which to move forward. So I’m actually in favor of doing the engagement this time, though I agree with you and I’m in support of moving [the name change] forward.”
“I think this is an opportunity for us to lead,” said Coun. Brenda Rowe. “However, I think if we go down the road of doing it without attempting some conversations, that we’re actually not going to achieve our goal.”
Council voted to host a government-to-government meeting on the renaming with the shíshálh Nation, send letters to Wilson Creek businesses to inform them of the proposed change and provide an opportunity to submit written comments and arrange an online meeting with members of the Selma Park-Davis Bay-Wilson Creek Community Association.
At its March 11 meeting, the community association passed a motion calling the name change “a positive step toward reconciliation” and said they had no objection.
Council will also be asking the Geographical Names Office to extend its deadline for the district’s response to Sept. 14.
