Vancouver city hall withholds all documents from theBreaker.news about controversial street renaming

Bob Mackin

Vancouver city hall refused to release a copy of all contracts, work orders, invoices and proof of payment about the replacement of Trutch Street signs with a name gifted by the Musqueam Indian Band.

theBreaker.news applied under the freedom of information law after the June 20 unveiling of new signs that read Musqueamview Street and šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm (pronounced “ShMusqueam-awsum”). City hall took an extra month because it claimed the request interfered with its operations. When it finally replied Oct. 6, it withheld all information, alleging that disclosure would harm intergovernmental relations and the interests of Indigenous people.

Signs on the former Trutch Street in Vancouver. (Mackin)

However, a document published on social media by Dallas Brodie, the OneBC MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, shows the Musqueam Indian Band drafted a $33,500 budget for reimbursement of: expenses ($10,000), meeting fees ($6,000), work to design the signs, participate in a pronunciation video and lunch-and-learn sessions with city hall staff ($7,500) and planning and executing the renaming event ($10,000).

Payment revealed

Additional pages seen by theBreaker.news show Musqueam invoiced city hall $20,100 on June 16 for “capacity funding,” as per instructions to invoice for 60% of costs before and 40% after the event.

Another document shows that the city’s general manager of engineering services, Lon LaClaire, signed-off on $500 honorarium payments to Musqueam participants in the street renaming. The document does not indicate how many people were paid $500 to show up.

NDP uses UNDRIP to trump FOI law

Public bodies have the discretion to withhold information that could harm intergovernmental relations. In 2021, the NDP amended the FOI law to include “Indigenous cultural protections” clauses as part of its government-wide adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.

Trutch Street in Vancouver (Mackin)

However, in 2022, City of Victoria released documents to theBreaker.news that showed it spent $3,124 to change the name of its Trutch Street to “Su’it Street,” or truth street in the Lekwungen language. That included the cost of the signs and the event, with $900 in appearance fees paid to three local First Nation members.

Why ditch Trutch

Before he was B.C.’s first lieutenant-governor (1871-1876), Joseph Trutch worked as the land commissioner who disregarded aboriginal title and reduced the size of Indian reserves.

Deal with developers

Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh have overlapping land claims to a wide area that includes City of Vancouver, but none of the three is actively negotiating for self-government via the B.C. Treaty Commission.

The three tribes are partners in MST Development Corp., which requires Vancouver city council approval for its Jericho Lands, Heather Street Lands and former Liquor Distribution Branch site projects. MST partners include the federal Canada Lands Co. Crown corporation and Aquilini Investment Group, owner of the Vancouver Canucks.

In August, theBreaker.news reported that Premier David Eby and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim secretly signed a deal in September 2024 to pay the trio an initial $600,000 to participate in FIFA World Cup 26 planning meetings and events. The memorandum of understanding was not disclosed until after a photo op in late June of this year.

Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.

Bob Mackin Vancouver city hall refused to release