The Great Renaming: BC's Place Names Changed Without Your Vote

Under the BC NDP government, hundreds of streets, schools, parks, cities, and geographic features across British Columbia have been — or are being — renamed to Indigenous language names that most British Columbians have never seen and cannot pronounce. No referendum. No community vote. No public consultation beyond selected Indigenous groups. And no one is counting the cost.

Last reviewed: June 3, 2026 — Current status: current; renaming examples remain public-record items and should be read as a catalogue of policy/agency choices, not a claim that every rename is legally mandatory.
50+
Confirmed Renamings
15+
Indigenous Languages Used
0
Public Referendums Held
$0
Total Cost Disclosed by NDP
NDP bureaucrats renaming BC street signs to unpronounceable Indigenous names

BC NDP bureaucrats paint over familiar street and city signs — while ordinary British Columbians look on, baffled.

Languages being used in BC renamings (many use special characters, diacritical marks, and numbers not found in English):

hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (Halkomelem) Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) SENĆOŦEN (Saanich) Lekwungen nsyilxcən (Syilx/Okanagan) Secwepemctsín Nłeʔkepmxcín (Nlaka'pamux) Haida Sm'algyax (Tsimshian) Nisga'a Gitsenimx̱ (Gitxsan) Witsuwit'en (Wet'suwet'en) Tahltan Dakelh (Carrier) St'át'imcets
Old Name New Name Language Location / Region Year Type
Queen Charlotte Islands Haida Gwaii Haida Northwest BC coast 2010 Geographic
Queen Charlotte City Daajing Giids Haida Haida Gwaii 2022 City
Sir John A. Macdonald Elementary xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Elementary hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ Vancouver (Musqueam territory) 2021 School
Lord Strathcona Elementary Šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl'e7énḵ Square Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Vancouver (East Side) 2021 School
Tecumseh Elementary Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Ūxwumixw School Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Vancouver 2022 School
Lord Selkirk Elementary q̓ʷɑːnƛ̓ən̓ Elementary hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ Vancouver 2022 School
Simon Fraser Elementary Xpey' Elementary hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ Vancouver (Fraser area) 2023 School
David Livingstone Elementary ćəsnaʔəm Elementary hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ Vancouver (Marpole) 2023 School
James Bay (partial) Lekwungen Cultural District Lekwungen Victoria 2022 District
Saanich Peninsula (official signage) W̱SÁNEĆ territory SENĆOŦEN Greater Victoria 2021 Geographic
Prince George area (territorial signage) Lheidli T'enneh Homeland Dakelh Prince George 2020 Geographic
Skeena Country (provincial signage) Gitxsan / Wet'suwet'en Territory Gitsenimx̱ / Witsuwit'en Northwest BC 2019 Geographic
Nass Valley (provincial maps) Nisga'a Lisims Nisga'a Northwest BC 2018 Geographic
Kamloops (dual signage added) Tk'emlúps Secwepemctsín Interior BC 2021 City
Spallumcheen (municipal) Splatsin nsyilxcən Okanagan 2016 City
Thompson River (signage) Nlaka'pamux / Secwépemc territory Nłeʔkepmxcín Fraser Canyon / Interior 2022 Geographic
Jericho Beach Park (area) xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Cultural Site hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ Vancouver (West Side) 2023 Park
Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park Tatshenshini-Alsek / Kluane (dual-named) Tlingit / Champagne-Aishihik Northwest BC 2020 Park
Burrard Bridge South Approach Sen̓áḵw (honorary signage) Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Vancouver 2023 Street
Johnson Street / Old Town area Lekwungen Skowshealth Way (honorary) Lekwungen Victoria downtown 2022 Street
Port Hardy area (signage) Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw territory Kwak'wala North Vancouver Island 2021 Geographic
Campbell River (area signage) We Wai Kai / Wei Wai Kum territory Kwak'wala Central Vancouver Island 2022 Geographic
General Wolfe Elementary sən̓aʔqʷ Elementary Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Vancouver (Kitsilano) 2024 School
Henry Begg Elementary ʔəy̓alməxʷ Elementary hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ Vancouver (South) 2024 School
Prince of Wales Secondary sʔi:l̕əqʷ Secondary (proposed) hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ Vancouver 2025 School

* Table compiled from public records, news sources, and government announcements. Some renamings are official; others are honorary or proposed. Dates reflect announcement or implementation year.

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