It’s really shameful’: N.B.’s racist place names remain, despite years of calls for change – CBC

Aug 09, 2023

Province says it’s prioritized changing derogatory place names, but has budgeted less than $8,000 for it

When elders from Chief Allan Polchies’s community see place names with derogatory language, it’s triggering for them, he says.

At least seven locations across the province bear the name of a racist and misogynistic term used against Indigenous women — more than any other province or territory, according to the Canadian Geographical Names Database.

“Our elders see that, it upsets them,” Sitansisk Chief Polchies said.

“When your spirit is upset, it doesn’t give you a very good feeling,” Polchies said. “We want to make sure those place names are changed.”

Mi’kmaw leaders have urged the province to change derogatory names for years, according to an organization representing several communities.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-racist-place-names-remain-1.6924026