District of Saanich councillors voted Monday to move forward with officially changing the name of Mount Douglas Park to PKOLS (pronounced P’cawls).
PKOLS is and has been the name of Mount Douglas in SENĆOŦEN — the language of the W̱SÁNEĆ — for thousands of years. The mountain itself is extremely significant to the W̱SÁNEĆ people and is ingrained in creation stories, culture, and history as a border between nations and an important meeting place.
“It was created by XÁLS as the border between us and the Lekwungen people, and it was where we met with James Douglas in 1852 to discuss what became known as the Douglas Treaty. For these reasons, we, as W̱SÁNEĆ people, have a special relationship with PKOLS,” Eric Pelkey, community engagement coordinator for the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council and Elder from the Tsawout First Nation, said in a press release.
Efforts to rename Mount Douglas Park have been in the works for nearly a decade. In June 2021, councillors were set to officially move forward with restoring the park’s original name but opted against it until a Memorandum of Understanding could be signed between Saanich and W̱SÁNEĆ. Later that year, the two councils signed an MOU which identified restoring the name of the park as a top priority.
Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes, in a statement issued Tuesday, called the naming restoration another “step forward” towards reconciliation.Sign up for our newsletter to get breaking news and daily digests sent to your email.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Saanich will rename Mt. Douglas Park with historic First Nation nameThe District of Saanich is changing the name of Mount Douglas Park to its historic First Nation name of PKOLS. Local Indigenous communities and the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (WLC) have long been calling for the name to be restored, and Saanich council agreed to the name restoration at a meeting Monday.
Read more »
City of Nanaimo and Regional District of Nanaimo add 100 hectares to parksThe City of Nanaimo and the Regional District of Nanaimo have purchased 99.1 hectares linking the parks at Mount Benson and Westwood Lake
Read more »
The life and legacy of Olivia Newton JohnBruce Frisko speaks with veteran D.J. and music historian J.C. Douglas.
Read more »
Dangerous surf conditions in P.E.I. National Park Sunday, Aug. 14 | SaltWireCHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Parks Canada is warning visitors of dangerous surf conditions in P.E.I. National Park on Sunday. Parks Canada said rip currents are ...
Read more »
A history of bear market rallies.(Kitco commentary) - Yesterday we put this recent stock market rally in the context of historical bear market rallies.
Read more »
Letters Aug. 15, 2022: Parking, cycling and health insuranceBe upbeat and gracious when you go to pay your parking fine
Read more »