The Patullo Bridge replacement is set to be given a name in the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language.The original span, which connects New Westminster and Surrey, honours former British Columbia premier Thomas Dufferin Pattullo.In its Summer 2025 project update, the BC government revealed that "Musqueam Indian Band and Kwantlen First Nation are bestowing the people of British Columbia a name for the new bridge in the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language."Officials noted that the renaming of the bridge is just one part of a "First Nations cultural recognition program." The new span will also feature "artwork, storytelling, language, and signage" with the goal of "education, acknowledgement and celebration of the culture, history and continued stewardship of the lands and waters wherein the project is located.". Indigenous art will be front and centre on all areas of the bridge, with designs covering everything from the lower leg and crossbeam on the structure itself to railings and sound walls on the outer extremities on both sides of the Fraser.A new name has not yet been chosen, though more details are expected to be shared "in the coming months.".The Patullo was built in 1937 and dedicated to the premier who oversaw its construction. Patullo served as leader of BC from 1933 to 1941, and helped the province weather the Great Depression.He had a documented history of discriminating against Asian Canadians, and worried that letting them join the military would give credence to their push for equal rights. He also told then-prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King that BC would take in refugees, but that Jews fleeing the Nazis were unwanted in his province.Calls to let his name recede into history alongside the old bridge have been numerous, though there has been little consensus regarding a suitable replacement for the new span, which is set to open later this year. .The move comes following the renaming of Trutch St. in Vancouver. The transition to šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm St. was made official on Friday following over a decade of consultation and planning..WATCH: Vancouver's Trutch St. officially becomes šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm.The street runs from Point Grey Rd. to West 18 Ave. and has existed since Vancouver was incorporated as a city in 1886. It was originally named after British Columbia's first lieutenant governor, Joseph Trutch.According to the city, he was "openly racist and hostile towards First Nation Peoples," having "denied the existence of Indigenous rights, barred First Nations from laying claim to land, and significantly reduced the size of reserve lands."
