Wîhkwêntôwin is pronounced as WE-KWEN-TO-WIN. It is a nêhiyawêwin that means Circle of Friends.

In order to better reflect the history, the diversity, the hopes and aspirations of this neighbourhood, the Oliver Community League felt it was in the best interest of the community to move forward with a name that better reflects the values of the people who live and work here.

While this community has been named Oliver for nearly 100 years, this area has been lived in and supported by Indigenous, Chinese, Black, and other diverse communities for thousands of years. It is important to honour the long-standing history of this place while also looking forward to a future where all people feel safe and seen.

The name change will not change history, but it will better reflect what the Oliver Community League and its members want the community to be.

This was a community led but City of Edmonton backed process that is collaborative throughout.

The proposal for this name change began formally in the summer of 2020 when the Oliver Community League Board voted to oppose the existing name. After the vote, the community league began working with the City of Edmonton to develop a process to decide on a new name for the neighbourhood, and launched the #UncoverOliver Campaign.

In the fall of 2021, the Oliver Community League began working with a team of consultants, Heartstage Consulting, to develop a public engagement process and to support the community league, the community members, and various stakeholders in deciding on the new name.

At the heart of this process was the Renaming Circle. The Circle began meeting in June 2022 - it consisted of Elders, Indigenous content experts, community leaders, OCL residents and board members. With input from broader public engagement and guided by the Renaming Circle, the goal was to choose a name that could best represent the community.

After the OCL Board approved the final engagement report, it was then brought to the City of Edmonton’s Naming Committee in August 2023 for the next step. It passed unanimously we are now preparing to present to the Executive Committee of City Council in February. The final step will then be going to City Council for final approval.

While the League sought a new name for the neighbourhood and community league, some groups and businesses have expressed interest in adopting a new name, such as the formally known Oliver School. Community businesses, community centres, and other groups are able to change their names or signage as they see fit.

The change will become official once City Council approves the proposed new name. That meeting will hopefully take place over the next few months. City owned facilities such as the Park, Arena and other Civic entities may undergo a name change to reflect the community name change, as per report recommendations.

Yes. Of course, we would have liked to have more, but we don’t think there were any substantive gaps in our process and can’t control how many responses we receive. From the responses we received, we were also able to identify clear themes, and some consistent things that community members were looking for or looking to avoid.

We hope to hear from you as we move forward. The name has been decided, and we hope it will be approved, but there are still lots of ways to make Wîhkwêntôwin a better neighbourhood, and help future renaming projects succeed where we did not.