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Embracing change - new name of HEL,HILEȻ
Pioneer Park has a new name! This is all thanks to the vision and inspiration of our W̱SÁNEĆ youth. The students chose HEL,HILEȻ as it means "place of gladness" in the SENĆOŦEN language. This is in part, to acknowledge events such as Music in the Park and the Brentwood Bay Festival, and we couldn't be more honoured
After a year-long initiative led by W̱SÁNEĆ youth, the Central Saanich Council approved a request to change the name of “Pioneer Park” to HEL,HILEȻ on September 25, 2023.
In late 2022, youth from the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership School and Stelly’s Secondary organized a gathering to implore the District of Central Saanich to restore a SENĆOŦEN name to the park, citing the harmful colonial connotations of the current name and the park’s function as a much-used gathering place for the W̱SÁNEĆ community. This event drew a crowd of hundreds of students and community members, all uniting to increase awareness of the importance of tangible actions in the reconciliation process.