B.C. parents fight to have spelling of son's Indigenous name recognized by province
A Campbell River, B.C., woman is elated over the birth of her third child, but she's having her joy tainted somewhat as she struggles to register her son's name with the province.
The boy's parents, who are Indigenous, want to give their son an Indigenous name. However, they say the province won't recognize the name because it uses symbols and characters in its spelling.
"Shortly after he was born we received a letter and they spelled his name entirely wrong, so I was like, 'Uh oh, this is an issue,'" said Crystal Smith.
Smith and her husband, Raymond Shaw, planned to name their son λugʷaləs, pronounced Glu-go-lus.
"His name is spelled with a lambda, a u, g, raised w, a, l, schwa and an s," said Smith.
He's named after a landmark on traditional land near Sayward, B.C., which means "where people were blessed," according to Shaw.
"His name comes from a mountain here, just like half an hour, 45 minutes in Loughborough Inlet. It's a Kwak’wala word," said the boy's father.
B.C. government workers have made suggestions on how the name could work in English, but the couple is refusing. The parents posted their frustrations on social media, and say they've seen support.
"The response on Facebook has been pretty supportive, so everyone’s saying this is ridiculous, like it’s an easy fix," said Smith.
"I was able to download the keyboard in five minutes so why isn’t the government doing this?"
The couple also says they're not the first people to run into a similar problem. Salisa Joseph couldn't register her newborn's Squamish name in B.C. as well.
"We're going to ask you to bend yourself to fit into this English box again," said Joseph.
The province says it's working on adding traditional names to B.C. identification cards, as part of its reconciliation action plan. However, a timeline for when that will be implemented has not been announced.
"Making that adjustment is one of the commitments and we’re working hard to make that happen," said Health Minister Adrian Dix at an unrelated news conference.
"So yes, I understand the distress and yes we’re absolutely committed to addressing it and changing it," he said.
But for the Smiths, they say the delay is an example of how things haven't gotten better on the journey towards reconciliation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.