A large crowd gathered Friday morning under a street sign at the corner of West 11th Ave. and what was, until just hours earlier, Trutch St. to take part in the unveiling of its new name, šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm.Before publicly revealing the signs for the first time, the Musqueam Indian Band held a ceremony alongside Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and members of city council. .The crowd cheered as Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow did the honours of uncloaking the signs, one with the official name, šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm, and another for the English translation, Musqueamview..An elder took the time to tell everyone what each character was and the sound it made.He explained that the actual translation of the word is "to be looking at Musqueam," adding that, "when you're on this street, whichever way you turn or look, you're looking at Musqueam territory.".There were a number of people on scene whose sole job was to help the public learn how to pronounce the new name..Those who will be most impacted by the change on a day to day basis are the residents of what is now šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm St. ."This is more than just about a new address," Sim told them. "It's about participating in reconciliation in a very tangible way, and a visible way. šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm is now a permanent part of Vancouver's landscape, and reflects a broader commitment to acknowledge the truth, honour indigenous knowledge and history, and to build a more inclusive future.".The Western Standard was told that while some residents had expressed a desire to possess the Trutch St. sign, the city made it very clear that none would be given away..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.The street runs from Point Grey Rd. to West 18th 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."
