In May 2024 it was announced that Telus would provide a $156,000 grant for funding a film about “a potential name change for the City of Powell River”.
It was announced that “The film is directed by Tla’amin citizens Eileen Francis and Dr. Evan Adams, and is produced by Tla’amin Nation”, even though Claudia Medina is part of the “crew” and has been a filmmaker for many years.
On March 30, 2022, Arthur Richards submitted his presentation to Powell River City Council on what he would be saying in his Delegation on April 5, 2022.
On April 3, 2022 Claudia Medina and John Young sent a letter to Powell River city councillors asserting that Arthur Richards should not be able to present on Israel Powell because they “believe Mr. Richards’ presentation constitutes hate speech as defined by the Criminal Code of Canada…in that he promotes a cruel fiction about residential schools at a time of heightened sensitivity in our community about renaming the town further to the Tla’amin Nation’s clear request”.
In May 2022, the Tla’amin Nation protested Arthur Richards’ presentation, and disseminated the misinformation that Israel Powell’s “agenda included the creation the residential school in Kamloops where hundreds of missing children’s graves were discovered”.
On April 5, 2022, Council voted to remove Richards’ presentation from the agenda.
In May 2024, Claudia Medina-Culos made a Delegation to Powell River City Council, claiming that those opposing the name change were putting forward “fearful and negative rhetoric” that was “spreading lies and hurtful distortions and a denial of Canada’s colonial history”.
