Some Victoria residents may soon have a new address, as city council eyes Thursday to vote on renaming Trutch Street to Su’it Street.
The 200-metre long road, which runs between Richardson Street and Fairfield Road, is currently named after Joseph Trutch—a 19th-century politician.
Created last year and garnering over 1,500 signatures, the Remove Joseph Trutch’s Name From Trutch Street petition pleaded with Victoria city councillors to do just that.
According to organizers, Trutch “created racist policies that displaced Indigenous Peoples in British Columbia and beyond.”
“Trutch’s name commemorates the oppression of Indigenous Nations, Peoples, and cultures,” the petition stated.
In June 2021, city council directed staff to report back on the implications of changing the road’s name to “Truth Street,” while also inviting the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, local residents and the Fairfield Gonzales Community Association to share their input.
The city says 116 addresses are registered to Trutch Street, including 12 business licenses. And of the 31 responses received, 21 supported the name change and eight supported the change but not the proposed name “Truth.”
“This was primarily related to the uncertainty around the relevance of the name to local First Nations,” reads a city report.
After discussions with Mayor Lisa Helps and city councillors, First Nations suggested using səʔit—the Lekwungen translation of truth, written as su’it in English letters. This name also aligns with resident feedback, according to the city.
“Street signage would … include both the Lekwungen and English spellings to support revitalizing, maintaining and strengthening the Lekwungen language,” the city said, “while also allowing it to be read by non-Lekwungen speakers and to enable integration with address and mapping systems.”
The city says that there are no direct costs for people to complete a residential address name change with government agencies. Still, staff will work with residents and businesses seeking support with the transition.
The city added that the financial impacts could also be accommodated within existing budgets, resulting in no implications to the Financial Plan.
More to come…
