I am pleased to see that the editor of the Citizen has put his weight behind a proposal to change the name of our city to something more appropriate. However, I would like to suggest a small change. In my opinion, it would be inappropriate for the city to take on the name of an aboriginal community: Lheidli T'enneh (the people of the confluence). It would be more appropriate for the city to take on the aboriginal name for the city: Lheidli (Confluence). That way, rather than claiming a name that does not rightfully belong to anyone but the aboriginal inhabitants, we can restore to a place, a name that long predates the establishment of the city--a name that recognizes the aboriginal inhabitants of the place.
I, for one, would be thrilled to be a resident of "Lheidli," and I agree with the editor that it would take only a short time before we all became accustomed to the new name.
Ted Binnema
Prince George
