Know someone who should get local news in our Westshore community? Forward this to them so they can subscribe for free.

NEWS

Royal Roads student maps Lekwungen names for local landmarks

Do you know the original name of the place you’re currently standing? The stories or history there, from hundreds to even thousands of years ago?

Take the Empress Hotel over in Victoria's Inner Harbour, for example. The land where it was built is called Whosaykum, known as “the place of the mud” in Lekwungen—it’s no wonder that the hotel sank by up to four feet in the first 10 years after opening. It was once a spot where First Nations would harvest crabs.

When Melinda Quintero first moved to Victoria from the US, she thought she could explore the rich history of the capital city—including its pre-colonial past. But she couldn’t find any websites, tools, or books with all of this information in one place.

Having seen thorough maps created with Indigenous place names—like the map created for the entirety of Nova Scotia or Salt Spring Island—she wondered why the Island didn’t have something similar.

So the Royal Roads University student, currently working on her master’s degree in tourism management, decided to develop a map of Greater Victoria, highlighting landmarks with the Lekwungen (lək̓ʷəŋən) place names. The map spans the shoreline of Cadboro Bay to Millstream, highlighting key areas where the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations lived.

Her map pulls from papers and research by Indigenous scholars and academics, as well as publicly available information. She’s mindful of approaching the project ethically. 

“The idea is just to show how much is out there and how much is shared with the public,” she said. “We can find so much information that's shared and has been maintained over the last few centuries by Indigenous people for the land where we live now. 

“For me, it shifts the way that I think about the place.”

Read more about the mapping project and the notable places returning to their original names.

By Robyn Bell

NEWS

New towers proposed next to site of failed Langford Gateway towers

A project with a pair of towers, at 13 and 22 storeys respectively, is being pitched for Peatt and Sunderland—just north of where a high-profile project at Pratt and Scafe was just officially axed. The new proposal would have 317 residential units and a 4-storey podium with commercial space within and a communal space on top. The 22-storey tower would match the height of its failed neighbour's tallest proposed tower, and would be taller than any current building in Langford.

The project seeks a rezoning of 7 lots to build on. Its community amenity contributions would total $940K and its development cost charges would be $2.3M. It would also be required to improve the Peatt-Sunderland multi-use path.

The proposal came before the city's development advisory committee last month and again this week; details are in the agenda here and we'll have an update on the meeting in the next newsletter.

Nearby 22- and 18-storey tower project just went into foreclosure

As recently as 2021, Langford Gateway was hailed by then-mayor Stew Young as the new beginning for Langford’s downtown. But 4 years later all that remains of the cancelled project are semi-demolished homes and construction debris. Neighbours have complained about the messy “war zone,” and say it undermined their home values, while the city has issued 25 fines since last July.

Concerns about repeat of past problems

The new nearby project's representatives have said that they could avoid a semi-demolished space by leaving all the existing, occupied homes up until construction begins. City staff have said that the city could consider requiring them to be removed before issuing a development permit.

Some residents have also flagged the possibility of small homes being left “orphaned" amid towers. One man said that he has been trying to sell his home to the developers so that it could become parking or green space instead of an “orphaned lot,” but hasn't had success.

While others were not left in the same state as the Gateway lands, there are broader concerns about Langford construction projects stalling out. Citified flags that another Peatt-area project, The Scene condo towers, has been in pre-construction limbo; construction was supposed to begin last year but as of last month had yet to start.