Vancouver city council has unanimously approved a plan to rename Trutch St. šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm St.Written in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, the traditional language of the Musqueam people, it will be the first official street name in the city that uses a different alphabet.It is pronounced "sh-muh-queyem-awsom."City councillors voted in favour of the plan Tuesday morning after hearing from staff, Musqueam leaders, and local residents. The change will be made official later in the day, with a celebration planned for Friday during which old street signs will be replaced."The focus is not to erase history," City of Vancouver Indigenous Relations Senior Director Michelle Bryant-Gravelle explained. "The intent is to celebrate the original peoples of this land and put their mark in their own territory so that everyone can understand their language and culture.".While šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm will be the legal name used on maps, government databases, and in official city records, the English translation, Musqueamview, may be used in certain places that do not currently have support for multilingual characters, such as mail. Sign posts will include both names.When asked by Councillor Mike Klassen whether Museueamview could be used on legal documents, City of Vancouver lawyer Grant Murray explained that šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm would be the sole legal name, and that residents would have to write or type that in the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ script.Council heard from a number of speakers, including a Trutch St. resident named Gayle who agreed that the street name needed to be changed, but was weary about the logistical challenges having šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm in her new address might pose..She pointed out that when the new name was chosen in 2022, Musqueam leaders wore shirts that read "Musqueamview St.""All of the people that attended from Trutch St. were under the impression that our new name was Musqueamview," Gayle said. "It was not stated that it would be in the Musqueam language ... One of my neighbours canvassed people; 48 out of 50 neighbours thought that the new name was Musqueamview in English."Bryant-Gravelle and Councillor Pete Fry noted that residents were notified of the name change two weeks prior to Tuesday's vote, but admitted that perhaps more could have been done to ensure everyone knew the legal name would be šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm. They added that, contrary to what Gayle said, it had been made clear at the naming ceremony that the Musqueam name would be the official version..Gayle's sentiments were echoed by another resident, Yvonne, who was herself indigenous."The people of Trutch are not linguists, nor are the people at the other end of the phone," she said. "How are we supposed to spell the name of our street to answer a basic security question to non-Vancouver persons or AI bots?"Yvonne called on the city to install three street signs, one in the Musqueam language, another with the pronunciation, and a third with the English name."There's no point having a Musqueam language legal name on poles if no one can pronounce the name now or in 10 years time," Yvonne added, warning that only having the Musqueam name may lead to "vandalism and sign theft.".Following the vote, Chief Wayne Sparrow addressed council."The colonial system forced us to speak English and took our language away," he said. "I have all the confidence in the world that the people who speak English will work with our staff to learn the other way — the only thing is, we won't punish them if they can't speak it."He assured residents that the Musqueam Nation will work with them to ensure a smooth transition.Trutch St. — which runs from Point Grey Rd. to West 18th Ave. and has existed since Vancouver was incorporated as a city in 1886 — was 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."
Vancouver city council has unanimously approved a plan to rename Trutch St. šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm St.Written in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, the traditional language of the Musqueam people, it will be the first official street name in the city that uses a different alphabet.It is pronounced "sh-muh-queyem-awsom."City councillors voted in favour of the plan Tuesday morning after hearing from staff, Musqueam leaders, and local residents. The change will be made official later in the day, with a celebration planned for Friday during which old street signs will be replaced."The focus is not to erase history," City of Vancouver Indigenous Relations Senior Director Michelle Bryant-Gravelle explained. "The intent is to celebrate the original peoples of this land and put their mark in their own territory so that everyone can understand their language and culture.".While šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm will be the legal name used on maps, government databases, and in official city records, the English translation, Musqueamview, may be used in certain places that do not currently have support for multilingual characters, such as mail. Sign posts will include both names.When asked by Councillor Mike Klassen whether Museueamview could be used on legal documents, City of Vancouver lawyer Grant Murray explained that šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm would be the sole legal name, and that residents would have to write or type that in the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ script.Council heard from a number of speakers, including a Trutch St. resident named Gayle who agreed that the street name needed to be changed, but was weary about the logistical challenges having šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm in her new address might pose..She pointed out that when the new name was chosen in 2022, Musqueam leaders wore shirts that read "Musqueamview St.""All of the people that attended from Trutch St. were under the impression that our new name was Musqueamview," Gayle said. "It was not stated that it would be in the Musqueam language ... One of my neighbours canvassed people; 48 out of 50 neighbours thought that the new name was Musqueamview in English."Bryant-Gravelle and Councillor Pete Fry noted that residents were notified of the name change two weeks prior to Tuesday's vote, but admitted that perhaps more could have been done to ensure everyone knew the legal name would be šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm. They added that, contrary to what Gayle said, it had been made clear at the naming ceremony that the Musqueam name would be the official version..Gayle's sentiments were echoed by another resident, Yvonne, who was herself indigenous."The people of Trutch are not linguists, nor are the people at the other end of the phone," she said. "How are we supposed to spell the name of our street to answer a basic security question to non-Vancouver persons or AI bots?"Yvonne called on the city to install three street signs, one in the Musqueam language, another with the pronunciation, and a third with the English name."There's no point having a Musqueam language legal name on poles if no one can pronounce the name now or in 10 years time," Yvonne added, warning that only having the Musqueam name may lead to "vandalism and sign theft.".Following the vote, Chief Wayne Sparrow addressed council."The colonial system forced us to speak English and took our language away," he said. "I have all the confidence in the world that the people who speak English will work with our staff to learn the other way — the only thing is, we won't punish them if they can't speak it."He assured residents that the Musqueam Nation will work with them to ensure a smooth transition.Trutch St. — which runs from Point Grey Rd. to West 18th Ave. and has existed since Vancouver was incorporated as a city in 1886 — was 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."
