A sign bearing the aboriginal name PKOLS, which was removed from the summit of Mount Douglas last week, will be reinstalled near its previous spot.
The Saanich parks department took down the sign Oct. 17 because bolts used to secure it had penetrated the roof of an emergency telecommunications building, leaving it vulnerable to water damage.
Taiaiake Alfred, a spokesman for the Indigenous Nationhood Movement, and Eric Pelkey, an elder from the Tsawout First Nation, met with District of Saanich officials on Tuesday to discuss reinstalling the sign.
“There’s no date but we said soon, in a nearby location away from underground electricity,” Alfred said.
First Nations members want Mount Douglas to be known as PKOLS (pronounced p’cawls).
Several hundred people marched to the summit with the hand-carved cedar sign and erected it on May 22, but without the prior knowledge or sanction of Saanich municipal officials.
Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard said parks staff must confirm the new location is suitable and will help reinstall the sign. “They’ll make sure it’s in good and firm,” Leonard said.
He said the sign will not be permanent until a renaming process involving the provincial government and local First Nations is completed. “It’s doable,” he said. “It just takes time.”
Alfred said he will be happy when the sign is back up. The reinstallation will be marked with a ceremonial event.
