B.C. council votes to return Queen Charlotte to original Indigenous village name
The council of Queen Charlotte, B.C., has decided to change the name of the village back to its ancestral Haida name of Daajing Giids.
The decision comes after a survey earlier this month indicated 48.8 per cent of residents strongly supported the name change, 11.8 per cent were somewhat supportive and 36.3 per cent were opposed while 2.9 per cent had no opinion on the matter.
Mayor Kris Olsen says the vote was initially sparked by a petition presented to council three years ago by elders of the Skidegate Haida Program wanting the village's name to be restored to its original Haida name.
Olsen says their request was aligned with 2019 being declared the International Year of Indigenous Languages by the United Nations.
He says Daajing Giids means common hat village, or a working Haida hat.
Olsen says some of those opposed to the name change identified Queen Charlotte as the place where they were born, but ultimately councillors voted in favour of the old name.
“With time and love, all wounds will heal and everyone will move forward,” he said of the village of 950 people. “We've spent a considerable amount of time looking at this and council was very thorough in looking at this in a respectful way, with dialogue and consultation with elders and hereditary chiefs.”
Olsen says the village will take the request to the province, which will make the final decision.
“We had to prove consent of community and we've done that,” he says.
“It's just something that is right. I'm honoured that our council had this request come forward.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.