The official banner for Wîhkwêntôwin- ᐄᐧᐦᑫᐧᐣᑑᐃᐧᐣ. Photo by Ryan Hunt.
Last month, the Oliver Community League (OCL) announced a plan to change the name of the community to Wîhkwêntôwin- ᐄᐧᐦᑫᐧᐣᑑᐃᐧᐣ, which translates to “a circle of friends” in Cree.
During a city council executive committee meeting Wednesday, the name change for Edmonton’s most densely populated neighborhood received unanimous support from the five city councilors who were present.
The OCL Board of Directors started the motion of changing the name in 2020, as the community was named after Frank Oliver who was the minister of interior and later the superintendent general of Indian affairs at the federal level. He helped enact policies that targeted Indigenous land rights and restricted immigration for minority groups. He also ran a newspaper publication that alienated local Indigenous peoples and immigrants.
The name change will receive its final approval on Feb. 20 when all city councilors are present, and the implementation of the name in the community will take place shortly after.
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