Tla’amin Nation says it’s concerned about a rise in anti-Indigenous racism and residential school denialism its citizens have been experiencing in and around Powell River, B.C.

“I avoid town,” said one Tla’amin Nation woman who was involved in a listening circle with B.C. Attorney General Nikki Sharma and Tla’amin Nation representatives on March 6.

CBC Indigenous is not identifying the woman as she said she fears for her safety.

The woman was one of around eight Tla’amin Nation citizens to participate in the circle with Sharma, to speak directly to their experiences on anti-Indigenous racism and residential school denialism in the region.

“I’ve had people comment on my clothing if I wear anything to do with the nation. I’ve had people come at me, like in parking lots.”

She said the tension she feels in Powell River and in her interactions with others has allowed the internal shame taught by the experience of racism to creep back into her psyche.

“It’s really, really heartbreaking because there was a point in time in my life where I would do anything to pass as anything else other than Indigenous,” she said.

“To cover yourself back up to go to town to feel safe just feels sometimes really defeating.”

A spokesperson for the Attorney General said in a statement the pattern of rising anti-Indigenous racism and residential school denialism expressed to Sharma in the listening circle is “deeply concerning but is unfortunately not a new phenomenon.”

“Eradicating racism and undoing the legacy of colonization in our systems and our society is possible if government and people work together,” said the spokesperson.

Some participants told CBC Indigenous about issues they believe stem from a proposal to change the name of Powell River, resulting in tense interactions in shared community spaces like grocery stores, parking lots and service centres.

Name change proposed

Powell River, about 120 kilometres northwest of Vancouver, has a population of around 13,900.

The city lies within Tla’amin Nation traditional territory, and parcels of land in the city fall under the Tla’amin Final Agreement, which came into effect in 2016 and was negotiated between Canada, British Columbia and the Tla’amin Nation under the B.C. treaty process.

According to the City of Powell River website, the town is named for Israel Powell, the Department of Indian Affairs’s superintendent for the province of B.C. from 1872-1899. He encouraged residential schools to be established in the province, the impacts of which are felt by Tla’amin people to this day, and assisted with the Potlatch ban.

In 2021, Tla’amin Executive Council asked the city to consider a name change. That led to a joint working group of Tla’amin and city representatives to look at the issue.

Harmony Johnson, a Tla’amin Nation consultant who facilitated the listening circle with Sharma, said the name change process has emboldened some residents in Powell River to overtly oppose Indigenous rights while campaigning to keep the current name.

“They have been quite noisy and taking up a lot of space here in town, and disrupting a lot of … process of the governance, city council meetings, and that kind of thing,” said Johnson.

“It really kind of lit off this racism, anti-Tla’amin racism, in town.”

Powell River Mayor Ron Woznow said not everyone who comes out to city council meetings is against the name change.

“They just want to ensure that a process is followed so that if the majority of citizens do not wish to have a name changed, then it won’t be changed,” said Woznow.

“If three or four people make stupid remarks, I don’t judge the whole community by that …. They don’t reflect in any means the view of the majority of citizens in Powell River.”

The City of Powell River said in a statement it was not made aware of the rise in anti-Indigenous racism and rising racial tensions until a joint statement from Tla’amin Nation and the Attorney General on March 17. The statement said the city “stands against racism in any form.”

“My perception is there was a very small amount happening,” said Woznow.

“It’s unfortunate, but I think it’s important not to represent the bad actions of a few people by promoting it or giving it publicity.”

Further work on a name change has been postponed until after the next municipal election in fall 2026, due to operational issues and “uncertainty as to how to move forward in a community divided,” said the city’s statement.

Tla’amin Nation said it conducted an internal voluntary census of its population in partnership with the B.C. Regional Information Governance Centre over the past year.

Of 1,402 eligible respondents (those with Tla’amin Nation ancestry who were over 18), 62 per cent responded to an online survey held between April 2 and Aug. 30, 2025.

The survey reported that 63 per cent of respondents who lived in the qathet Regional District said racism had increased over the past year, compared to 37 per cent who live outside of the region.

Comments directed at kids

Monica Sparrow, a Tla’amin and Musqueam woman and another participant in the listening circle, said the tension she feels in the city makes her hesitant to confront problems that arise in the community.

She said an incident with a security guard at a Powell River Kings hockey game in January left her 11-year-old daughter feeling that she was treated differently than some other girls in an incident at the Powell River Recreation Complex.

“He was saying, like, ‘You don’t own Powell River. You don’t own the complex. Like, you can’t act like that.’ And she was like, ‘I didn’t do anything,'” said Sparrow.

“She just felt like it was more of, like, a racially charged comment because she’s very visibly First Nations, her and her friend. And, you know, the other little girls were not.”

Powell River Recreation Complex said security for Kings hockey games is handled through the Powell River Kings Society.

A spokesperson for the Powell River Kings acknowledged they were aware of the incident.

“Our security staff make every effort to respond to all incidents and ensure that everyone is treated fairly,” said the spokesperson.

“While the outcomes may not always align with what people wish to hear, this particular incident is unfortunate.”

The spokesperson added the Powell River Kings maintain a positive relationship with the Tla’amin Nation, who are among the team’s corporate sponsors.