Following the official renaming of Tofino’s Mackenzie Beach back to its traditional name tinwis (pronounced ti-nu-wis) in the fall, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation (TFN) has applied to the BC Geographical Names Office to change three additional place names: North Chesterman Beach, Kennedy Lake and Meares Island.
Tofino Mayor Dan Law and council expressed unanimous support for the name change proposals during the Jan. 20 regular council meeting.
“Just a reminder, we are not renaming necessarily, these placenames have been named these names for millennia,” said Law.
He directed district staff to confirm their support to the BC Geographical Names Office.
While in support of the proposed name changes, councillor Sarah Sloman raised concerns about safety when it comes to response from emergency services.
If the name changes are approved, the province will update all labels on provincial and federal maps and charts and databases. The request does not impact municipal street names.
Councillor Tom Stere, a rescue specialist with the Canadian Coast Guard, said he didn’t think the name changes would pose a problem. He said he was “comfortable” with the changes.
“Historically, there have been changes to place names on nautical charts as well as on provincial maps and that generally has not incurred any safety issue. I can only speak to the marine side of things, I can’t speak to air side,” said Stere.
“There are a number of local names in our area, you talk about whale watching companies, five different whale watching companies are going to give you five different place names,” Stere continued.
Councillor Ali Sawyer brought up Haida Gwaii.
“Everyone knows where Haida Gwaii is. Within my lifetime, within my schooltime, it was Queen Charlotte Islands, and that is what seemed like a monumental change and now everyone knows that it is Haida Gwaii,” said Sawyer.
Tla-o-qui-aht is asking to formally change the northern portion of Chesterman Beach back to the name “n̓an̓aquuʔa” (pronounced nah-nah-kuu-ah), which means and means “needlefish”, referencing the abundance of these fish on the point.
Provincial records show that Chesterman Beach was named after two longtime settlers to Clayoquot Sound, Charles Allan Chesterman (1908 – 1968) and John Chesterman, who died in 1913 at the age of 46, according to the book Voices from the Sound by Margaret Horsfield.
If the name change for Chesterman Beach is approved, the southern portion of the beach would retain the official name Chesterman Beach.
“Tla-o-qui-aht have distinct names for the northern and southern parts of Chesterman Beach, separated by the sand tombolo to Frank Island,” notes the government document related to TFN’s name change proposal.
“Recognizing Indigenous place names is part of this government’s important work to advance truth and reconciliation in B.C. We acknowledge the deep cultural and historical significance of Indigenous place names,” said the B.C. Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport in an email statement.
“We are committed to working with the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, the District of Tofino and the community to ensure that any official name decisions are culturally respectful and reflective of the diverse histories and made in accordance with the Land Act and the associated Provincial Geographical Names Policy,” said the ministry.
TFN has also requested to officially change the name of Kennedy Lake to “haʔuukmin” (pronounced ha-uuk-min), which roughly means “feasting bowl” in Tla-o-qui-aht language.
Located between Tofino and Ucluelet along Highway 4 in the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD), Kennedy Lake is often mistaken by visitors for the ocean as it’s the first body of water drivers’ see after descending Sutton Pass towards the coast. At 65 kilometers square, Kennedy is recognized as Vancouver Island’s largest lake.
Government records show that Kennedy Lake was named after Arthur E. Kennedy, who was a Governor of Vancouver Island from 1864 to 1866.
Meares Island in Clayoquot Sound is the third place on the First Nation’s current list of proposed name changes. TFN would like to change the name back to “wančas hiłḥuuʔis” (pronounced wa-na-chas hilth-huu-is). “wančas” means “flukes of a whale when diving” and “hiłḥuuʔis” means “as far as you can go” and “something below mountain”.
Historical records show that Meares Island was named in 1862 after John Meares, a European fur trader and sea captain with the British Royal Navy.
On Dec. 5, 2025, the BC Geographical Names Office distributed a letter, which outlined the name change requests and invited comment on the proposed name changes, to the following interest-holders: District of Tofino Mayor and Council, Ahousaht First Nation, Friends of Clayoquot Sound, Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, Indigenous Tourism BC, BC Parks, Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue, Canadian Coast Guard, Tourism Tofino, Destination BC and West Coast Inland Search and Rescue Society.
“Adoption of these names would not prejudice legitimate claims to the land,” states a letter from the BC Geographical Names Office.
The government letter requested for comments to be submitted before March 6, 2026.
A message to Tla-o-qui-aht Chief Elmer Frank was not returned by press time.
