The B.C. Geographical Names Office says no replacement names have been selected...
The B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO) has officially rescinded the name "Trutch" from four locations across the province due to the name's racist legacy.
Joseph Trutch, B.C.'s first lieutenant-governor, is ill-famed for his policies targeting Indigenous people, including drastically reducing the size of reserves and refusing to let Indigenous people purchase land from non-Indigenous people.
According to a letter sent to the Peace River Regional District (PRRD), and the BCGNO's website, names were removed on Aug. 12 after consultation with First Nations and local governments.
The four locations are the abandoned locality of Trutch and Trutch Creek in the Northern Rockies, roughly 250 kilometres north of Fort St. John, Mount Trutch near Golden in B.C.'s Interior, and Trutch Island in the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine.
"The proposal to rescind the names was also supported by the First Peoples Cultural Council and Fort Nelson First Nation," states the letter sent to the PRRD.
"No concerns or objections to not having an official replacement name were submitted during the comment period."
The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport previously told CBC News it received a request to remove the names in August 2021, from an individual concerned about Trutch's actions.
The Trutch name has already been removed from a street in Vancouver, which was renamed in June 2025 to šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street or Musqueamview Street in recognition of the Musqueam First Nation.
Richmond and Victoria also renamed streets that commemorated Trutch, and the University of Victoria renamed a residence building.
According the Aug. 14 letter, the online name records will remain accessible through a web app, including information on their former official status.
But the names will no longer appear on provincial and federal maps and the BCGNO says there are no immediate plans to assign new official names, as no proposals were made for replacement.
The BCGNO says the locations will likely continue to be identified by GPS co-ordinates and referencing nearby locations that are named, until a naming proposal is submitted and formally adopted.
-Tom Summer/CBC News
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