An agreement between the Tla’amin Nation and Catalyst, a Paper Excellence Company, will bring a change to the name and signage of the Catalyst Powell River mill to the Tla’amin historical designation of the area: tiskʷat (TEES-kwat) which means big river.
In the early 1900s, the mill was built on a significant Tla’amin village site, displacing and relocating the population.
In a joint news release, the Tla’amin Nation and Catalyst announced today their intent “to build a Memorandum of Understanding that sets out the intentions of all parties to build a new and collaborative relationship together.”
“This name change is a long time coming and an important gesture to repairing harm,” said Hegus John Hackett. “Our ancestors will rejoice to hear this place once again being called tiskʷat, and Tla’amin looks forward to the hard and productive conversations to come as we build a new relationship with Catalyst.”
“We are working closely with the Hegus John Hackett and the Tla’amin Executive Council to ensure the steps we take in building this new relationship are thoughtful and measured,” said Graham Kissack, Vice President, EH&S and Corporate Communications. “We believe that reconciliation through collaboration and an open-minded approach creates enduring and meaningful connections.”
For more historical context on the name tiskʷat, please visit the Traditional Place Names project: https://powellriver.ca/pages/photo-history-of-powell-river.
