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You now live on šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street

“911, I need an ambulance at 232 šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street, and quickly please!”
“Sorry, I didn’t get that. Can you repeat the address?”
“The first letter is an s with a hat on it, followed by an x with a w above and to the side of it… BUT CAN YOU PLEASE COME? WE NEED HELP NOW!”

This exchange may sound like something from a bad dream, but it is a new reality for about 100 residents who live on what was once called Trutch Street in Vancouver. Vancouver’s city council made a unanimous decision in June to change the name to this indigenous word, which means “Musqueamview,” even though it recognizes that there are no fluent speakers of the language remaining in the world today.

Trutch Street was named after Joseph Trutch, BC’s first Lieutenant Governor. Trutch is now seen by many as a colonialist oppressor, particularly because he didn’t recognize aboriginal land title.

Those who work for emergency services shared their concerns that the new name will make it difficult for people to get help when they need it, but the city decided that it is sufficient to add “unofficial” signs that read “Musqueamview St.” When the English version is used in writing, city staff clarify that it should include a footnote that says “Musqueamview St is a translated name available for use while colonial systems work to accept multilingual characters.” The city also provided a QR code in a letter, which residents can scan to hear the proper pronunciation.

The decision also means that those who live on the street will need to update their licences, insurance, registrations, land titles, credit cards, and more. The city of Vancouver is planning “education opportunities” and invited residents to a “community celebration” to commemorate their decision.

Yes, this is another example of woke activism and critical theory at work: stepping on those whom we deem to have been oppressors while justifying today’s oppression as deserved. But it is more than that. It serves as a very clear example of how a secular system, divorced from God, is so enthusiastic about its own religion that it is willing to descend into absurdity. It isn’t enough to remove a name they don’t like, nor to replace it with a name that is politically correct today. It has to go one step further by adopting a language that we aren’t actually capable of speaking or understanding, and then asking the public to celebrate this.

Like changing the pronouns “him” or “her” to “them,” the secular worldview is demanding that we ignore logic, truth, and reality, and simply conform to whatever we are told is justice today, even if that changes next year. If others don’t like this, the strong-arm of the state is used to coerce and fine transgressors and celebrate those who conform.

What a contrast this is to God’s unchanging will for our lives – it is based on the truth, and our lives are blessed when we live accordingly!