186 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Knox is right, but those are not drastic name changes. Most of them are sensible changes and most here would agree that they should have been made way before the 1990's and early 2000's.

[mysage]

Margret Atwooed, Elizabeth May, Gordon Pinset. All traditional first nations names I see.

Why is is that Canadas left leaning "liberals" all feel the need to jump to the defence of people who can speak for themelves. I for one don't feel guilty at all that my ancestors arrived on these shores hundreds of years ago and suffered many hardships to survive and prosper. Now I am supposed to feel guilty that they "re named" some of the places that they grew up around helped to develope. I don't think so.

[E-P-G]

^ I can never make it past the first sentence of a Jack Knox article, I'm afraid, but I don't disagree with the point he made in the quote you posted. Names change, and that's fine.

...

Actually the line I liked in the Knox article was the closer, the "No point making a mountain out of a 690-foot molehill." dig. Folks who have moved here who grew up on the North Shore (Grouse Mountain e.g.) or the interior are incredulous when they see it for the first time and say "You call that hill MOUNT Douglas?!?" (So you can imagine what they think of Tolmie).

For my part, as others have said, I have no problem with adding the original name but keep the other too - removing the 'colonial' references is just "revenge revising" in my opinion, that's part of our history as well. I like Haida Gwai but not the 'disappearing' of Queen Charlotte Islands, for instance.

[VicHockeyFan]

Margret Atwooed, Elizabeth May, Gordon Pinset. All traditional first nations names I see.

Why doesn't Peter Keleghan get credit in the headlines on this issue. He's the spokesperson, and is more famous that Atwood or Pinsent. He was one of only two actors to play Lloyd Braun on Seinfeld.

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... and was brilliant in Made in Canada

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... and of course he's Ranger Gord. (Speaking of Pinsent, ^ that's his daughter ^ in the preview screen grab)

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[aastra]

Folks who have moved here who grew up on the North Shore (Grouse Mountain e.g.) or the interior are incredulous when they see it for the first time...

What's their reaction when they see Burnaby Mountain or Mount Royal for the first time?

[UrbanRail]

Margret Atwooed, Elizabeth May, Gordon Pinset. All traditional first nations names I see.

Why is is that Canadas left leaning "liberals" all feel the need to jump to the defence of people who can speak for themelves. I for one don't feel guilty at all that my ancestors arrived on these shores hundreds of years ago and suffered many hardships to survive and prosper. Now I am supposed to feel guilty that they "re named" some of the places that they grew up around helped to develope. I don't think so.

Allow me to respond. I would like to say that the first nations suffered many hardships at the hands of our ancestors over the past few hundred years. We seem to forget that BC had a horrible record when it came to mistreating "minorities"; mistreatment of natives, Chinese head tax, relocation of japanese canadians during WWII. You shouldnt feel guilty, but be sensitive to the fact that our history isnt all rosey and learn from our mistakes.

I have no doubt that your ancestors suffered.

By being aware of our past, we can prevent similar things from happening again.

[D.L.]

I like Haida Gwai but not the 'disappearing' of Queen Charlotte Islands, for instance.

That one is the worst. What the hell is "gwai?" I speak English, the word is island. Haida Islands.

[LJ]

Margret Atwooed, Elizabeth May, Gordon Pinset. All traditional first nations names I see.

Why is is that Canadas left leaning "liberals" all feel the need to jump to the defence of people who can speak for themelves. I for one don't feel guilty at all that my ancestors arrived on these shores hundreds of years ago and suffered many hardships to survive and prosper. Now I am supposed to feel guilty that they "re named" some of the places that they grew up around helped to develope. I don't think so.

Exactly! How far back do you want to go? The Asians that migrated over the Bering land bridge came from elsewhere to here, liked it, and stayed. Doesn't mean no one else can't do the same thing.

Do the English rename all their towns because some other culture was there first. It is the people that develop the towns and cities that get to name them.

[tedward]

By being aware of our past, we can prevent similar things from happening again.

If we use bilingual signs we forever preserve a teaching opportunity when some child asks why it has two very different names. It honours history rather than trying to re-write it to cover up the past.

[Hotel Mike]

It's not a question of righting all the wrongs. It's just a sign of respect. Calling the Salish Sea by that name, reflects the fact that many different groups from the Salish First Nation, lived near and got their food from that body of water. We can still call the strait Georgia or Juan de Fuca, but in a mutual show of respect we refer to the Salish Sea. I think we can do something similar with Mt.Doug/Pkols.

I agree with tedward on this...there is a teaching opportunity for our young citizens to know their place and its history.

[VicHockeyFan]

If we use bilingual signs we forever preserve a teaching opportunity when some child asks why it has two very different names. It honours history rather than trying to re-write it to cover up the past.

I can go with this, sounds OK to me.

[mysage]

Allow me to respond. I would like to say that the first nations suffered many hardships at the hands of our ancestors over the past few hundred years. We seem to forget that BC had a horrible record when it came to mistreating "minorities"; mistreatment of natives, Chinese head tax, relocation of japanese canadians during WWII. You shouldnt feel guilty, but be sensitive to the fact that our history isnt all rosey and learn from our mistakes.

I have no doubt that your ancestors suffered.

By being aware of our past, we can prevent similar things from happening again.

Nothing wrong with being aware of our past but where do you draw the line? I for one am tired of paying in time, monies, and land for events that in most cases happened hundreds of years ago. Times change and what was accptable then is not aceptable now, I get that, but how long does one go doing penance? If you think that this constant need to give more and recognize past mistakes is ever going to end then you don't understand the people and the economics behind that whole process. We in BC are shamed most often not just because we made the most mistakes but because we allow ourselves to feel guilty and give in time and time again.

I don't feel guilty at all.

[Mike K.]

How many of us in BC are first or second generation, even third generation Canadians who had nothing to do with the indiscretions of the past?

Many British Columbians who immigrated to this country themselves once faced an aggressor or have lived with the aftermath of empirical agendas, be it Europeans fleeing the continent after WWII or during communist oppression, or Vietnamese leaving Vietnam after the war, etc.

[aastra]

...or have lived with the aftermath of empirical agendas...

Prove it.

[mysage]

How many of us in BC are first or second generation, even third generation Canadians who had nothing to do with the indiscretions of the past?

Many British Columbians who immigrated to this country themselves once faced an aggressor or have lived with the aftermath of empirical agendas, be it Europeans fleeing the continent after WWII or during communist oppression, or Vietnamese leaving Vietnam after the war, etc.

Exactly!

[jonny]

Canadians spend too much time trying to appease minority groups and appear politically correct that we forget to embrace and celebrate the wonderful country and society we have built.

And make no mistake, our society is a western/European society, not an aboriginal one.

[VicHockeyFan]

I just think adding the extra name would be cool. I'd love to know the native names for some items around here. These are not large cost items.

Heck, I only learned this year who what Langford and Colwood were named for.

[Mike K.]

^that's fine, but going around and outright replacing names is a misguided way of appeasing ethnic tensions or undoing the deeds of past generations.

[cakeman]

I dont get it.

Good things: Learning from mistakes made in the past so as to not repeat them. Updating place names to reflect modern attitudes.

Bad things: Returning to a random time in the past and modifying the current environment to (possibly) match that past.

Seriously, where DO we draw the line. Should we all now go back to speaking German as English was spawned of Germanic languages? A language is a fluid thing, changing, growing over time and, yes, sometimes dying.

Some have referred to a learning opportunity..

"Daddy, whats that second name on the sign.."

"Well Timmy, its a language that was used here a long time ago"

"So who speaks the language"

"Uh.. well, 4 or 5 old guys over there are pretty good at it.. and theres maybe a few hundred more that speak a few words"

More on topic for the forum, should we save every single decrepit barn, building, cobblestone and tree because its old, and dagnabit, old things are better?

Stop wasting tax dollars on governments arguing over and paying to change this fluff. There are far more pressing issues in our society.

cakes..

[jonny]

I just think adding the extra name would be cool. I'd love to know the native names for some items around here. These are not large cost items.

Yes, I like that idea too. I think Aboriginal culture should be celebrated, but I strongly disagree with changing the name of a place like Victoria in some weak attempt at re-writing history.

This is not Camosack, this is Victoria.